straightblues

Basically, you can't go wrong with either color. I have a natural. I wanted a Jazz Burst but ended up getting a great deal on a used Natural. The natural finish is growing on me. It is getting darker with age. It is such a great guitar, I could never imagine me without it now. Also, I like the unbound F holes and the vintage off white binding. Even though the spruce top might not have the fanciest grain to it, it sounds way better than the maple to me. So don't be tempted by the looks of those fancy maple top that are offered on the Newports. IMHO, the Phat Cats sound wayyyy better than the humbuckers in this guitar so stick with them.

Will you please compare the Monaco and the Newport. I love my Newport and I am trying to find another Hamer USA to compliment it. Do they sound the same or different? Do they feel the same? ect.

I did that to my Echotone. It made a great improvement. However, just know, that even if you do that, it will not sound as good as a Hamer USA. I just recently got a Newport and am blown away by its sound. So, make sure you keep track of how much you are spending on your mods. I have about $550 invested in my Echotone and for that kind of money, I could have bought a few models of Hamer USA on the used market. I see Hamer USA Specials on eby in the $400 - $600 range almost every week. They will sound and play much better than the guitar you are considering.

How about just using the volume knob on your guitar!!!!! Set your guitars volume knob at about 6, then dial in as much distortion as you need for your rhythm playing from your amp. Then for leads turn the volume knob on your guitar to 10 and you will have a very noticable increase in volume. Turn your guitar volume to 2 or 3 for cleaner tones.