bach

Sus2, as used by Jimi: 3 / 5 --- 5 / 8 --- 8 / 10 1 / 3 --- 3 / 6 --- 6 / 8 X / X --- X / X --- X / X 3 / 5 --- 5 / 8 --- 8 / 10 X / X --- X / X --- X / X 1 / 3 --- 3 / 6 --- 6 / 8

No. Your bench reports should be published. Seriously.

Can't wait to see how this story ends. Know how Dan Erlewine's bench reports are published in Vintage Guitar? Your reports are better! This is why I lurk. Seriously.

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. Entirely different. Let me describe my particular guitars...My Newport is a Pro, but I changed to Phat Cats; I'm not into Bigsbys, but I really like the Phat Cats with that guitar. My Monaco Elite was a custom order. It's chambered and it's the only one with a sustain block bridge. I also recently switched the pickups to Rios. Tone: The Newport covers a lot of ground, as I'm sure you already know. I like it for everything from strumming country chords to classic rock solos. The Elite on the other hand is definitely geared more for rock. It growls. Kills a LP that I sold a few years ago, but it's in the same ballpark. Well, the same sport anyway, different league IMO. Feel: More similar than the tones, but different nonetheless. First of all, the fretwork is Hamer USA and therefore awesome. My neck carves are slightly different - the Elite's is a hair rounder which makes it feel narrower to me, tho it isn't. The Newport is completely hollow and therefore a lighter body, tho the chambered Elite isn't heavy (especially compared to that LP that I mentioned earlier which was a brick). The most major difference is the single cutaway on the Monaco with the shelf. Definitely play one before you buy. I've read that some players are bothered by the shelf. I'm not bothered actually, but switching from the Newport to the Monaco, there is a difference. I believe the shelf is there due to the huge dovetail. I think BCR Greg once posted pictures of the joint compared to a LP. Maybe he could post those pictures again??? You there, Greg? Bottom line, I'm not someone with 3 Strats or 3 LPs. When I buy a guitar, I like to cover different ground. I'm very attached to both the Newport and the Monaco. I don't want to be without either one.

Straightblues, I did the same thing...Bought a used Echotone, took it to a tech for a new nut, pickups, and set-up. It sounds great. It's just not as interesting as my USA Hamers. It's been in its case for about two months now. Whereas my Newport was played last night and my Monaco Elite is on my knee right now. While they're not bad and I think they're better than many of the foreign alternatives, I'm sticking with USA Hamers.