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karmma1

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  1. I have seen that pickle somewhere before. I think it may have been celebrity-owned:
  2. This happened to me once, while tracking guitars in a studio (evidently a guitar cable can act as an antenna under the right conditions) ...whatever it was, it was in Spanish, and sounded fire-n-Brimstonish...so, we ran tape and ended up using it on a track
  3. In my opinion, Hamer lost the game in the 80s. Poor choices or bad luck in the artists who were Hamer endorsees. One thing that hurt them was the whole Rick Nielson thing. No offense to Rick, but he, or rather his stage persona, is seen by many people as just..well, just kinda goofy. People do buy guitars based on the image the company presents, we all know that. Frankly, even if they respected Cheap trick (though not everyone did) not many people wanted to be associated with Nielson, who was regarded as a novelty. Of course there were other notable endorsers, but Nielson was the most prominent...i am speaking from recall, as i lived through the 80's, and was active in bands, had subscrptions to all the major mags, etc. Judas priest added to the problem by playing some of the more odd-shaped Hamers...Outside of the Warlock, Randy Rhoads, and maybe the Iceman, not too many of the less-traditional body shapes from any major manufacturers were/are greatly received by the guitar-playing masses in any great numbers. This is still true today. They can be made a as specialty guitars by an established builder, but offered as a main line model? Generally not a good idea. So, you had people thinking "hmm, Hamer...that goofy guy and those ugly Judas Priest guitars...oh yeah, that guy for Billy Idol (another act that was quite shunned by many metallurgists/rockers) plays them too...eh, no thanks". I'm sure quite a few Hamers never even got picked up in the music store just for this reason, passed by for the Jacksons, Gibbys, Fenders, BC Rich's etc. This type of stigma is difficult to overcome in a fickle and image-driven niche market such as guitars. The final nail in the coffin was giving in to the "we'll have to offer offshores-made models, like all the other guys" but not maintaining high quality standards (as much as possible, i know back then the skillz of offshore builders were across-the-board much crappier than they are today). Frankly, Slammers were junk in most cases. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Hamer USA continued to build extremely high-quality guitars with uncanny consistency, and still do to this day. Unlike a Gibson or a Fender, you pretty much know if you are picking up a USA Hamer from any era, it's going to be good. Actually more than good. In fact, i've wanted to ask for some time, now seems like a good time to do so...has anyone here EVER owned or picked up a USA Hamer that was questionable in quality? I havent. The only other manufacturers i would say that about are PRS and G&L, and my experience with them is rather limited (there probably are others, but again, i am speaking from experience). That means more to me than anything else...if i buy a Hamer USA, i simply have no worries that it will arrive and i'll discover it's a POS. I would have serious concerns about buying a Gibson or a Fender in a scenario where i couldn't play it first (like an Ebay purchase). In contrast, i would have no qualms about buying a Hamer without closely inspecting it. As for the TGP guys (and again, i am speaking in general, not lumping everyone in)...many there seem often to be out to out-impress each other and outdo one another by owning the most super-elite-boutiqey guitars and amps available. They are buying exclusivity and bragging rights. Despite the fantastic quality of Hamers, they are not a valuable currency in the bragging-rights market, plain and simple. Probably in part because they've been around so long...they are too established to be the next "object-de-lust" amongst buyers with that mentality. Sooo...i'll ring a bell for the Hamer Fan community, and say that in general, there is a respect for what actually matters...insanely great build quality and delicious tone for days, and less of the "hottest-new-kid-in-town", "looky what i got, a 4000 dollar XYZ-Deluxe" mentality. It is a mystery to me how Hamer continues to stay afloat, in the face of such drastic resale shortcomings, but whatever it is they are doing, i am glad they do it. **Only my $.02, and hope i didn't offend any Nielson/Stevens/etc fans too much.
  4. I saw this trem on a guitar on feEbay, and it piqued my curiosity. Wiki tells me these have been around for a while, but i surrsly never encountered one...i haven't paid much attention to what's come out in the past 10 years or so (well, ok, maybe 15)...but i see possibilities here. My LP would be a lot of fun with a trem, but a completely non-invasive install is about the only way i'd proceed with such heinousness. However, i don't hear them mentioned here on HFC ever, or see them in the guitar pron...should i take this as an indicator that they suck?
  5. I know BCR Greg from wayyyy back in the day, same high school... & i wish id'a never sold my Lee Jackson Ampeg through his store :/ (you don't still have it somewhere in the back, do ya? do ya?). That was a good amp. I think i sold my VTMs through the store also. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but i wish i had those back too. Soundgardennnnnnn. (In case you're perplexed, Greg, this is Mark M. recently added you on FB)
  6. The question i would be asking myself is...what will make me happy with this guitar. True, as others mentioned, you wont get much return on the upgrades, but if the axe becomes one of the dearly beloved, you'll never want to sell it anyways. If you should happen to hit hard times and need to part with it, you can always slap the original pickups back into it and sell the replacement pickups seperately. The BPSSC is also reversible and could be sold or reused in another guitar. I don't think the total losses would be too severe in this case, as a pristine finish certainly adds to resale value. If it was me, i wouldn't even say it needs to be a guitar i play all the time...it would only need to be the Strat-style guitar i grab when i'm feeling the strat mood. And if you don't have a favorite strat-type...then maybe the upgrades will make this the one. One final thought...from a personal standpoint, i'd rather have an upgraded Hamer than a boutique instrument. I just loves me some Hamers that much. The $ saved versus outright buying a 'tique instrument is icing on the cake. .02
  7. I love playing straight into the amp (usually my knucklehead), and typically only have a wah inline. Sometimes when i get bored or want/need a different tone i use a pedal for OD or distortion, though...and i have a sampling pedal i play around with occasionally. I have a bunch of pedals (the requisite chorus, flange, delay etc) but i rarely feel compelled to plug them in.
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