Hamer_SS_guy

I heard Ritchie Blackmore and wanted a Strat and a Marshall or Fender tube amp. I ended up with a Fender Lead III and a Fender Vibro Champ in early 1983. I wanted a FR-trem-equipped Strat-type a short time later (preferably a Kramer US Pacer Deluxe), bought a Focus 3000 instead. Then in '89 I made my big switch to Hamer, but nobody did inspire me to switch to Hamer, I just wanted a good Gibson-type double cutaway guitar with a Floyd Rose and good pickups so I bought a Steve Stevens I (I still love that design). But I think all in all, all those stars just gave me the inspiration to which brands I have to look out for (Fender and Gibson in the early days), the rest did all the music magazines which I just bought for info on guitars and basses. Now 24 years later, I got the guitars I wanted back then (Fender Strat, Hamer Califonian, Hamer Steve Stevens, a Firebird shaped guitar - which is a Hamer too, Gibson RD Artist), and they still do it for me, that makes me think that I knew early on what I wanted.

I mostly play bass now, but if I play guitar I play my Hamer Cali Elite (though my Fender Strat gets equal playtime). Seldom I take the Steve Stevens, the Chaps, the FB or the Gibson RD out of their cases these days. The Cali is nice, very slim neck though (it is okay for me), EMGs, flamed maple body, ebony fretboard w/boomers, matches the Chap Bass very well.

The distorted sound on Jeff Beck's "Blow by Blow" sounds crap to me. I am a big fan of Steve Lukather's sound, but on Toto's "Turn Back" and even worse on "Fahrenheit" I don't like it at all. When Jimmy Page plays live from 80's on...

Even a 0.11 set will give you a good feel on a Standard. I don't recommend stainless steel strings though, as they seem to wear out the frets very fast, at least i made this experience.

My No. 1 guitar is a Hamer (green Cali Elite), but my No. 1 bass is a Fender Am Dlx Jazz Bass (with the old 9V active electronics), so the Hamer is only second to it. Bass and guitar get equal playtime with me.