I was in Nashville and played the road with Lonestar for the past eight years or so, still get up there alot to do session stuff and to play shpwcases, etc. I now live in Atlanta. I hate to say this, but in all my years on the road, playing all the festivals, etc. I only remember seeing one Hamer, and it was a T-51. I am a huge Hamer fan, and would always hang at the gig and check out the other bands gear and was surprised not to find more Hamers. I think that a reason for this is a lack of Artist Relations within the Country community. In nashville you have a huge fender office, which covers fender, guild, gretsch, charvel etc. and of course Gibson, which covers Gibson, Epiphone and Valley Arts. Peavey is another huge supporter of Nashville country road players. These companies are great with working with road players that are out with major acts. They are always willing to give you a great deal on the gear, maybe some freebees along the way, and will really take care of you should you have a piece go out while on the road somewhere. This can be invaluable. I know that although I may really like a particular guitar or amp, i would lean towards using a piece from one of these companies on the road and leaving the other stuff at home or in the studio. This got a little off topic, but it may be an interested side bar if nothing else.