atquinn

My condolences.

Actually, they do (as a custom order): I'm sure they'd make one with a Floyd if asked nicely, but I think the set-neck Cali looks a little more shredalicious myself. -Austin

Wow, that's sweet! If you ever want to sell it for a ridiculously high price, you know who to call (that would be me ). -Austin

If it is a setneck Californian, I'll buy it from you for alot more than $350. I'm looking forward to seeing pics of the front and (more importantly) back of the guitar. -Austin

My wife and I have separate "fun money" accounts; she doesn't care what I spend my money on. Anything else would be lunacy since she doesn't spend money on anything and I don't save anything. Plus I'd feel guilty about spending "our money" (which is what I consider everything we earn) on something as frivolous as guitar gear, so this lets me spend guilt-free. -Austin

Rockin! What's up with that bridge though? I don't think I've seen a wraparound like that on a Hamer before (the one on my special isn't fully intonatable like that one is). -Austin

Tell me about it! I downloaded that album a few weeks ago and that was my exact reaction Ah well. seek out holdsworth's sideman stuff from the 70's; bruford, jean luc ponty, and esp tony williams lifetime. I have some of that stuff, but probably not enough. My favorite album of his so far is Secrets, which I think has some great compositions and awesome guitar work (and drum work for Vince Colaiuta (sp?) as well). -Austin

Ooh...that sounds cool! And it's on eMusic! I'll check it out! -Jonathan Keep in mind that I'll call just about anything XTC-inspired with only the slightest provocation . Still, I think it's pretty great (as is the first Futureheads album, which has a much greater, early-XTC influence). -Austin

Tell me about it! I downloaded that album a few weeks ago and that was my exact reaction Ah well. Anyway, The last 2 albums I've obtained (downloaded) were John 5's first album After a couple listens, I think it's technically impressive, but otherwise pretty boring (maybe it'll grow on me?). The other album is the debut by Field Music. XTC-inspired brit-pop, so of course I love it. -Austin

Finally took a half-decent pic today: -Austin

Here are a couple Dasein posted when he first joined the forum: Coolest custom finish ever? Yup.

2 fine looking guits, especially that Studio. The top on that is impeccable! -Austin

Very cool! Chris, looks like you guys are havin' fun jammin'. Rock on! .

Details? It's obviously new given the inlays. Very cool.

O.k. wait a second. What the hell is that?!? -Austin

I demand that you show me more pictures! Also, what pickups do you have in there? -Austin

I certainly agree with that! And I believe that's one the barriers to objective guitar evaulation. By the time most people are ready to spend big bucks on a guitar, they're convinced, first of all, that they have to spend big bucks to get something that will satisfy them and, usually they're convinced that the only reasonable options are the big 3. -Austin

Even with the same specs, 2 guitars will sound different and I don't believe there is a way to quantify that difference so that it would be useful to potential buyers. Also, since things like string gauge and brand, how you sound the note (fingerstyle vs. pick, type of pick), and where you sound the note (close to the neck, close to the bridge) affect the tone, even if there was something to measure, how would you measure it in a way that would be meaningful? In my opinion, it's better to just: 1. Play a guitar before you buy it, that way you'll know what you'll be getting. If possible make sure you play it through your setup with your strings (this can be facilitated by buying from someplace with a 30 day return policy). Don't let the sales staff make your decision for you. If you as a buyer don't know more than they do about what you're looking for, something is wrong. 2. Get a feel for a brand after playing a number of guitars and buy that brand used. That's what I generally do with Hamers. I've played enough to have faith in the quality and to know that their guitar fit me well in terms of ergonomics and I know enough about what I'm looking for (at any given time; what I'm looking for changes from time to time) to buy them used based on specs. Also if you buy used, you might lose money if you decide to get rid of the guitar, but you won't totally get your a$$ handed to you like you would if you were selling a new guitar, which makes value for the money less important (although you do have to know the market for the guitar brand you're buying to make sure you're not grossly overpaying when you buy). Also, I think the only way you will be able to determine if a given $1000 dollar guitar sounds the same as a $2000 is if you play them. And even then, how do you know you're not just playing a mind game on yourself because you want to believe that the $1000 you can afford is just as good as the $2000 one you can't? Even if the $2000 one really does sound better objectively, maybe that's something a $100 pickup swap on the cheaper guitar would fix. How would you know? It's easy to get lost down the rabbit hole with this stuff, which I think basically functions as a way for people to convince themselves that, if they had the ultimate guitar, they would be awesome players. At this point, I know enough about myself to know that I sound pretty much sound the same through any guitar I play; I just like playing different guitars because I appreciate the subtle differences between them and I have enough money to own more than one. -Austin

There are already objective ways to evaluate guitars including: Number of strings Scale length Fingerboard radius Fret size Construction type (bolt-on, set-neck, neck-thru, etc.) Woods used Bridge type String gauge Electronics (ie pickups and pot values) Once you get past this stuf, most of which is easy to find for any guitar, it's all subjective and/or greatly influenced by technique or signal chain (ie, what pedals and amps you're using). As far as trying to relate pricing to quality when it comes to what is basically a luxury good (which is to say, most guitars aren't sold to people who are using them to make money), good luck with that . -Austin

They seem like quality guitars, but for my money I'd rather get a Suhr because they have the same reputation for quality and similar pricing but Suhrs don't have string trees and they only have 2 strap buttons instead of 3 -Austin

Wow Jem, that's sweet! The Danger Mouse inlays put it over the top! -Austin

My only thought is, you're going to be spending an awful lot more money just to get a wraparound tailpiece as opposed to a tuneomatic (this is assuming the alternative would be to get an AK P90 used). You might want to play a regular AK P90 first to see if the wraparound is really worth it. -Austin

I had a Vanguard HB for a spell. In fact, it was my first Hamer (it was eventually supplanted by my Special). I think the Silver sparkle finish looked pretty classy and so did my wife (who usually can't be bothered to pay too much attention to my guitars ) -Austin

Umm Rio Texas/BBQ PAF's?!? -Austin

Fast playing can be cool, but in this case, I was bored after a few seconds (and I consider myself a fan of the Wootens). Maybe I'm beginning to get infected by my wife's low tolerance for slap-'n-popping? -Austin