BubbaVO

This is a '91 Hamer USA Centaura super-strat double cutaway bodystyle in a gorgeous tobacco burst finish. All the hardware and pups are original. Neck is straight. Frets are fine. Very lightly "Relic'd": a nick on the neck off the 2nd fret; few dimples on the top; swirl scratches in the finish; a scratch on the back, but not to the level of buckle rash. Asking $500 and you pay the additional amounts for shipping/pay pal fees. PM me if you're interested in seeing more pics.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

I've got a relic'd Peavey Classic 20...straight up for trade

That is an awesome Cali! Does an HFCr own it now?

Is that a USA Hamer? A bound shredder? Cool! What model?

We've seen BCR Greg's great pictures of immaculate instruments. How about great pics of the other end of the scale? Let's see the Hamers that have buckle rash, chips, scratches, obvious repairs ... but that still sound awesome!

I have clearance from the tower. Will be able to attend. Might have to sleep in the car, but I'll deal with that issue then. Lookin' forward to this.

Thanks for the additional information. My conclusion was right, but thanks for setting me straight on the underlying facts. If Gibson was unsuccessful in winning that lawsuit, its unlikely they'll win in the future. Maybe that's why there's an "informal" agreement with Jol - Gibson knows they don't have the shizzit to enforce their rights in court. Given the combined resource of KMI and Fender, it seems even less likely that Gibson has an appetite for a fight they won't win. Fender on the other hand is pretty tough protecting their marks. I was involved in an print ad campaign that used a strat style guitar as a prop. We'd taken the brand off of the guitar figuring it was the safest way to go. A few weeks after our ads had run, we got a cease and desist letter from Fender claiming that our ad infringed on the trademarks they had with the head stock design. Whoops. When we dug into the facts, it turns out that we used a G&L guitar. We wrote them back telling them so and told them we wouldn't use their guitar designs in our ads anymore. Live and learn.

Greg - You're rough on those Peavey Classics.

Actually, it makes sense from a Gibson-Fender intellectual property point of view. Can we get away from this intellectual property talk? There's just way too much speculation without an understanding of the underlying law. First, while Gibson may have been assigned patents on their guitars, they generally expire after 20 years. Given the patents were awarded over 40 years ago, seems like Gibson is not in any position to go after anyone for patent infringement. Second, Gibson may have registered the guitar designs as trademarks. The idea there is you want to avoid confusion in the marketplace and don't want others passing their wares as yours - no piggy back ride on your brand. Hamer, Dean, Washburn, Ibanez, BC Rich, Cort, and others have Gibson-like designs, but they also don't try to pass themselves off as Gibsons. In some cases, they claim or have a perception of being better guitars. {I'd love to see someone try to copy a Parker Fly - the complaint would be filed before the NAMM show was over} There's a reason why McDonald's, Disney, etc. troll the internet/print/television media for anyone using their IP, because if you let someone use it without authorization you erode your ability to enforce it. Bottom line - there's no handshake deal with Gibson about guitar or inlay designs. Their lawyers wouldn't allow it. I think the fact that Gibson isn't suing folks left and right is because they know there's an extremely high liklihood that they would not prevail in court. Believe it or not, Hamer could have been moving away from crown inlays just because. Frankly, I like the victory inlays better. But getting rid of the Boomers (just like getting rid of the 3 hole DuoTones) stinks.

So the Fender era begins ...

I personally believe this is much closer to the truth. Hamer HAS been profitable for a couple of years. The change occured with the retail price increases, The increase in customization and the discontinuation of almost all the lower priced guitars. I don't know the accounting of the deal but it wouldn't surprise me to learn that FMIC bought KMC below it's real value, making Hamer almost free. Hamer's largest overhead is it's employees in part due to it's sharing space with the much bigger and more profitable Ovation line. As long as Hamer doesn't lose money there is little benefit in changing it. Hamer is recognized for it's quality product. It also offers something that Fender does not do well, double humbucker guitars. The value of Hamer to FMIC in this deal is little, They wanted the distribution and the drums (Gretsch), along with the other stuff. Mostly speculation on my part, but this scenario makes sense and is just as viable as the others. ArnieZ +1 The only things I'd add is that the import line is likely to be profitable. So that adds additional zero's to your valuation of Hamer, but in the end it's about the distribution.

Well...if this Fender deal turns bad. Maybe some of those x-Hamer folks can start their own guitar company. They certainly have the skillz!

+1 I think Hamer might not really be the focus of Fender's move. I think they're particularly concerned about the distribution network/Inventory controls/IT etc. The mom and pop dealers will have to hold their breath and see what happens. Which brings me back to the idea that there might be an opportunity to try to buy Hamer (maybe Genz Benz) from Fender. The trick would be to figure out how to put a value on Hamer etc. since their results have been rolled up under KMI for so long.

I've reassessed my original thinking. This could have ended up saving Hamer. Under Kaman, the view was that they made money this last quarter based on cost cutting initiatives across the music company. If their forecast of flat or sluggish sales would have continued (or the normal holiday bump doesn't occur), seems likely that Hamer would have been required to pitch in those efforts. That could have required compromises. At least with Fender, there's a music company that understands what Hamer can bring to the table. A super premium brand that even the custom shop doesn't touch. I wouldn't be surprised if prices go up just to make sure that Hamer keeps its super premium niche. Hmmm....maybe Eddie ends up playing a Talladega with a trem? How this passes anti-trust scrutiny will be fun to watch. KMI currently represents $2.5 billion of a $7 B US music industry. Fender has got to be worth at least $1 B (total guesstimate based on the fact that I can't spit without hitting a music store that carries Jackson/Fender/etc.) So in the new Fender you've got at least half of the market wrapped up. With that much muscle, small independent dealers may be forced to carry gear they wouldn't otherwise want to; carry inventories levels they wouldn't want to; or get forced into financing arrangements that they wouldn't get into. (I'm thinking of all the crap that Callaway Golf forced small pro shops to deal with to sell their gear) I just don't know what Fender will do with such a powerful distribution network. Then again, Fender might just spin off/sell Hamer/Genz Benz/etc. just so they can focus on the businesses they currently have. Anyone have $25 million lying around? Maybe we can make a play for ownership of the brands we like. Shizit...if Jol worked for me, Zorrow would get a non-pointy headstock on his Vector.

Cr@p! I'm not optimistic about this at all.

It's about a 2 hour drive. Will have to beg the wife. Need to make arrangements on where to sleep as local constables don't have a sense of humor about someone sleeping in a parking lot. This is so crazy...it just might work.

Or try the plug off of a Planet Waves with the springs on it . I had issues with a very similar problem until I tried that.

What's "purfling"?

Cool.

I beg your pardon? Wow. That's black. As black as black can be. You could probably even see yourself on both sides. Wooah.

Enjoy it! Looks awesome.

Too bad the Fighting Illini whupped the Badgers and da Bears went to "Lambo" field whupped the Packers, maybe the guitar will help you feel a little better?

Lonestar Special just might do the trick.

Last Gentlemen - power pop 80s band from champaign-urbana that ended up in a beer commercial; released 1 full length LP that I know of and then disappeared.