jisham

Nice! Those Czech Deans kick ass.

At least he could sing/play the harmonica. I think the biggest bane of cover bands is dudes in the audience who want to "sit in" and play and/or sing with the band. Nine times out of ten they're drunk fucks and dealing with them can be a huge pain in the ass.

My previous band, Eighth Day Morning, had a good four year run and learned quite a bit, most of which reinforces what others are saying: 1. Good frontman (woman), 2. Tunes that patrons want to hear. 3. Act professional in all your dealings. When we started, we had dreams of doing heavy drop d shit all night and that stopped after about two lacklaster gigs. At the end (when we were firing all cylinders) it was Jenny Jenny, Sweet Home Alabama and the like. But I gotta say, playing those types of songs when the whole place is bouncing is a blast, so I'm not complaining one bit. My new band is straight ahead southern rock covers -- Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, Allman Bros, 38 Special, Blackfoot, Outlaws etc. We're starting to book shows starting in late January and it's been fairly easy once the club owner hears our style of music. Go figure.

Your bass is gonna be seriously bad ass. Congrats.

And I bet ALL of those Fenders have increased in value. Some people buy stuff to keep forever; others like me enjoy buying things, then flipping them for something else. There's validity to both approaches depending on who you are and what you want. When I want a different kind of guitar, I first look to see what the street price for a new one is. I then look on eBay, TGP etc. to see what they sell for used. I then make the decision whether to buy a new one or wait to find the used one I want. When there's a huge disparity between new/used, it's a no brainer to go for the used. And to me, that's Hamer's current challenge, especially if they plan to only take custom orders. But hey, I'm sure they have some reason to believe that's the track to follow and I certainly am in no position to say whether it's a viable business plan or not. I just know I won't be buying new Hamers.

Totally agree. Plenty of people here on HFC have been saying that for years: get Hamers into the hands of CURRENT popular guitarists. I don't think anyone questions the quality of Hamer USA guitars, but one can certainly question the effect of their marketing approach and new guitar pricing vs. their resale value. Someone mentioned no one complaining about the high pricing of PRS, Gustavsson and other high end builders. True, but those guitars typically retain their value whereas used Hamers simply don't, which again, IMO, relates right back to poor marketing and the lack of aggressive artist relations. YMMV of course...

A quick Google search will show several companies are currently doing just that. I personally like the relic'd look.

PRS figured it out. See the Mira. Great guitar. American made. Fairly affordable.

I get the feeling Jol pays zero attention to things like that. I agree that Jol builds what he wants. We will see if that strategy keeps Hamer alive in the long run.

WHO actually buys a guitar from Ed Roman?

I like it. Compensated saddles I assume?

Indeed.

There are a few country guitarists who play them. That's the market they should be hitting hard. I don't see their newer models resonating with today's rock or metal players. That said, it sure seems that Hamer could care less about artist endorsements, other than a handful of Jol's personal favorite players. One of the many things about Hamer that's at once maddening and admirable. Which begs the question: when Jol and his "favorite players" are no longer around or visible, what happens with Hamer?

I must be the odd man out, because I've never bought a guitar because of a connection to a celebrity. It just doesn't enter my mind when choosing an instrument! -Jonathan It's not about "connection to a celebrity" in my mind -- it's about visibility of the brand. Guess I could've made that more clear. Besides Tom Dumont, there's no modern era guitarist I know about who plays Hamers. I bought my first Hamer, a Standard Custom, because it looked cool as hell and I wanted that shape/look. At the time, I knew nothing about Hamer the brand.

Lots of great points in this thread. I've said for years that Hamer has marketing and availability problems. WE all know just about any USA Hamer off the rack or site unseen is going to be killer, but lots of people don't because only a handful of dealers carry them. As for their marketing...don't get me started. There's just no way to attract younger players if Hamers aren't being played by the artists they listen to...plain and simple.

Great story...

Well it ain't this week but Jaye will start gigging again in September with DROP DEAD WASTED. Yeah, I hate the name but what the hell? How much are tickets for the kids who ARE drinking beer? LOL!

I have a 30 watt Vypyr and love it. Great great tones and super easy to use. For the money, I don't think they can be beat if you want a wide range of tones and fx.

I played Rectos for years and like everyone says, twist the knobs awhile and you'll find great tones. They are way more versatile than people think.

Money, money, money. I predict they'll have a new pianist within a few weeks, regardless of the original agreement with Ronnie's wife, who I'm sure makes out quite well with their touring income. I too saw the Rossington, Thomasson and Medlocke lineup a few years back and they kicked some serious serious ass. Great show.

Yeah that red quilt V is seriously cool...

Me too and although I'm pretty sure the USA versions are great, I too would like to know about their import line.

Congrats. I still say you could rock the f*&CK out with an EMG equipped Tally. Definitely post your review after you get it. I've yet to play one.

I did. He doesn't want to pay over what they cost new although he realizes he'll have to wait. Sorry.

I have a friend who may be looking for TIM so I just emailed him the link to this thread.