Uncle Thor's Hamer

That's a bunch of questions! I have 5 guitars. Three are acoustic, one of which needs to be sold. Two of my total guitars are electric. One is my travel guitar, the other is my Hamer Newport. So I would never be down to only Hamer because I play acoustic about 50% of the time. If I didn't need a travel guitar, I'd be happy with just my Newport, though I'd likely want a solidbody electric. There's no reason that a person should concentrate on one brand, though I think that pro artists should think about having their "identity" clear as far as marketing. Only a few artists can get away with having a wide variety of sounds. Most of the audience wouldn't notice or care if the artists plays different brands, but the audience would notice that some songs sound very different. You wouldn't likely be successful being 33% ZZ Top, 33% John Denver, and 33% BB King.

Great question. I was inspired by Kaki King to buy a used Hamer. It was a combination of how she sounded and how the guitars looked close up at one of her shows. Those are attributes that can't be conveyed through any other advertising medium. If I could afford a new Newport, I would have bought one. I think something worth considering is that many people will try a used guitar before stepping up to the price of a new one. By buying the used Hamer I may have helped fund a new one for the previous owner, and someday I may myself buy a new Hamer.

There are really two answers. One is that for what the factory puts out, Hamers are a bargain. The new 2009 Newport Pro in tobacco burst at a local shop was quite a bit improved over my 2001. It was in the little details, but really it is an improved guitar. The amount of hand labor and attention to detail is rather stunning. How they can do that for the street price is shocking, considering that some profit has to be found. The second answer is that I think a basic Newport should go for $2500 to $3000 street price. Start adding bling and the price goes up due to all the labor. Binding the f-holes, multi-color finishes, custom inlays, etc, add a lot of labor. I think I would be "willing" to pay about $3k to $3500 for a Newport the way I would like it. That is probably in the ballpark for what they would charge, If it weren't for tuition for 3 kids, I could have a new Hamer custom every year, AND a new car to drive it home in. Meanwhile I'm happy with my used Hamer.

Yup, counterfeit money order or counterfeit bank check. They will frequently make it out for substantially more than the selling price and ask the the difference in cash be given to the courier or otherwise transferred back. Then a week later the money order is bounced back to the bank and the seller is out the item and the cash.

Wants pictures as if he's shopping, but offers more than asking price? Definite scam.

I don't believe that the "average guitar buyer" is in the over $1K market. Now you're talking professional musicians or dedicated hobbiests. Over $2K for a custom order? Now you're talking guitar fanatics with more money than sense. By that I mean that there is no discernable difference to any potential audience listening to or looking at the guitar. We have all seen some guy with a beat up $300 guitar put on a great performance. I sit there with my expensive guitars and hack away. I would sound the same to the audience whether I was playing a $500 guitar or a new Hamer. The reason I own a Hamer Newport is that I really love the feel and sound of the instrument. To me it is worth buying, because I have more disposable income than real musical need. Hamer has the challenge of building that feeling of need within the ranks of guitar fanatics for a Hamer. My 13 yr old son won't buy a new Hamer if he decides to learn guitar. The college student who wants to pick up girls isn't going to buy a new Hamer. People buy an instrument for a lot of different reasons, but it comes down to their self image and their belief of the image of the guitar. Death Metal bands aren't going to play beautiful new Korina Artists. The demographic for Hamer is the pro who understands what the instrument can do for him/her, or the fanatic with some extra dough. We're still in that downward deflationary economic cycle with the specter of continued unemployment and future high inflation. It is just a bad time to be a producer in the high end of any market. Survivors will be sitting pretty in a couple of years.

Did I miss an announcement?

I'm going to recommend a used mid-depth Ovation. My daughter got her Ovation 1778 Red Flame when she was about 14. The Ovation neck is slim like an electric guitar, and easy to play. The round back makes the body feel smaller than a square wooden box. Ovation makes some very traditional looking center hole natural wood finish models, or funky looking models that appeal to the younger crowd. The 1778T, known as the Elite T, is the best bang for the buck. They come in an industrial textured top finish in flat black, a deep rusty red, or more rarely in silver. The regular 1778LX is a super nice guitar with a high gloss finish. The GC178LX is the same guitar with a slightly different trim. The 6778LX is a slightly lesser bling model than the 1778LX. The 1777LX is the traditional center sound hole version equivalent of the 1778LX. All of these guitars could be found in very nice condition in your price range. All of these models are cutaway and have electronics, which you could consider a bonus. The new production of Ovation guitars are either expensive USA made or they are Asian made. The TX and AX are the Asian made with some changes that would be considered cost reducing and less desirable in my opinion. Check with Alpep at Lostartvintage, he posted above. He may have something used in inventory that would fit the bill. If you are looking for new, I have no suggestions in your price range. Here's a picture of my daughter with her 1778-RF and her friend with a GC178LX in gloss black.

Seeing Kaki King live was what put me over the edge to shop for a Hamer. It was partly her variety of sounds from a variety of Newports, and it was partly seeing the beauty of the Newport close up in person. The low used prices are not limited to Hamers. I agree that a big part of the problem is a lack of clear brand identification as a high quality semi-custom USA made product. However, the economy is certainly a huge part of the problem. I see USA made Hamer products as appealing to a higher income and older purchaser, not a 19 yr old unmarried college kid. Folks like me who have family obligations will find it more difficult to buy a new Hamer today than a few years ago when the economy was hot. But the young bucks who are attracted to the iconic LP or Strat will still buy those products. IOW, the demand will sag more at the high end than at the low end during this economy. The new Hamers seem to be a step up even from just a few years ago in terms of quality and innovation. The price is justified, but tougher to pay right now.

Having tasted the fineness of Hamer, it would be difficult to go back to a cheap guitar. But honestly, most of us are just hobbiests and have no need for an expensive guitar. When we can afford the luxury, we get great enjoyment out of acquiring and playing fine instruments. Just look, though, at what has happened to many of our friends on these forums who have a financial crunch and sell their Hamer or other fine guitar. The first thing to go in tough economic times are the luxuries. Unfortunately, that is what Hamer is to those who are not pro musicians. I expect that we'll see the number of high end guitar makers reduced as the economy reduces the demand for their products. I sure hope Hamer is a survivor.

I'm still confused about the reverb missing. Was there a knob or an open hole for a knob that said "Reverb"? Tanks are cheap, as already mentioned. Good tanks are in the $25 range, you just have to do a few minutes of internet research to find the correct model for that amp. Two screws to attach it to the inside of the cabinet, and a couple of short cords to plug it in. I would be very careful about calculating an amount to refund him for the lack of reverb. If you take the average going price on eBay, and subtract something like $35 for the reverb, that is what the amp is worth. If he paid anything less than that, you don't owe him anything more than the cost of a new reverb tank. Ultimately, I think cmatthes may be correct, get it back and then refund his $.

Are you SURE that there was reverb when it was new? I mean, shouldn't there be a knob that is labeled "Reverb"? Maybe it was not standard equipment that year. As to the intermittent, it could be anything. Maybe a tube got damaged in transit. Maybe a wire got bumped loose, maybe the speaker isn't plugged all the way in and the new owner isn't competent to trouble shoot those kinds of things. Maybe it is the new owner's cord or guitar. Depending on the value of the amp, it may make sense to have it looked at by a reputable repair service. You still run a risk of getting scammed but maybe it is worth the risk. A reverb tank might cost $25 or so, plus installation. Replacing tubes is more costly for the parts, obviously. I don't know if tubes could be claimed as shipping damage. If the shipping cost isn't too terrible, perhaps you could offer a refund if he returns the amp. (I wouldn't send cash until receiving the amp back).

My degree is in EE too. I'm skeptical of claims about cables being superior due to this or that, but damn if a lot of folks swear they can hear a big difference. Sure, if you spend more on it you will like it better. I do wonder about the effects of the method of attaching the connectors to the cable, and the interaction of guitar to cable and of cable to amp input circuit. Maybe it isn't the raw cable, it is the manufacturing and assembly. What about phase difference? Inductance? RLC would seem to be quite important, not just RC. A spectrum analyzer will give you amplitude vs freq but not phase shift. What I do know is that durability is a big factor. Having a plug break apart or a wire failing during a performance is arguably worse than lower sound quality in a noisy bar.

You have described a lot of us! I'll be buying some Mogami in the near future based on this thread. My mic cables are Mogami, and I do use one of them to plug in my Ovation and Adamas acoustic/electrics sometimes. For my Hamer it has been Monster brand, mostly due to reasonable price and the lifetime warranty.

Newport Pro with Seth Lovers pickups. GREAT blues guitar. Put on real nickel wound strings, 10's. Right now I've got on GHS and love them. Gibson pure nickel wound sound great, too. Lots of good choices, just be sure they are 100% nickel wound, not plated with nickel. The Fender Super Champ XD is a very competent amp. 15 watts of real Fender tube 6V6 powered sound. One clean channel and one channel with digital amp emulations. The emulations are excellent. The emulations still run through the tube preamp and amplifier. The stock speaker is ok, but everybody replaces it with the Ragin' Cajun speaker, about $65 IIRC. The amp runs about $400. Loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage! Alternatively, if your friend is a tube purist, the Fender Blues Jr. would be the way to go, hands down. However, ya gotta crank the tubes to get distortion, which means you have to go loud. Another great choice would be the Fender Princeton Recording Amp. It is higher $, but sports a built in attenuator so you can crank the tubes to get the great tone, but attenuate the volume to sane levels. I've played my Hamer Newport through all of these amps, and they all sound great. The one I own and gig with is the Super Champ XD. I've never NOT gotten a compliment on how good my rig sounds.

I've got one of the smaller Behringer with 2 XLR and 4 instrument channels. Works well, sounds fine. BUT, when I bought it the sales lady told me that the quality is spotty and there was a 50/50 chance that I'd have to return it. Yup, had to return the first one. The second has worked fine for a year now. You might want to buy it from a local brick/mortar store so it is easier to return it if you have to. The Behringer uses that silly S video connector for the power supply with three wimpy thin prongs. They are prone to getting bent, and will only withstand very limited bending to straighten out. So if you get a Behringer be really careful plugging in the power cord.

If this one doesn't break your heart, nothing will. Scabs by Scarlet Lace All about sad, Ode by Scarlet Lace I haven't quite figured out what all this one means, but it is sad. Capo 6 by Scarlet Lace Those are my daughter's duo playing some originals live. It Hurts to Play the Blues This is my daughter singing one of my songs. It was an attempt at a BB King style song, though I don't claim that the solo does any credit to Mr. King. All are set up as free downloads for HFC members for a few days.

Another option would be a pickup swap on the Newport.

As the title asks, what is the standard nut from the factory on a Newport Pro. Color and material?

We store guitars out on stands or wall hangars. A good wall hanger that is screwed into the studs is totally secure IMO. A good stand is perfectly safe as long as the dogs don't go barreling through the room. I find that it is very handy to have guitars already out and available to play, rather than having to take them out of a case that is stuffed in a closet. The only guitars in the closet are ones that need to be sold. However, if I am moving a guitar downstairs from the music room, it goes into a case! I am paranoid of tripping down the stairs or one of the dogs pushing past me and knocking the guitar into a door hinge or other object that would damage it. When I am not in good control of the environment, such as at some practices or shows, my guitars are kept in cases rather than on stands.

You had fun, right? Then it was a success! My observation is that nobody notices mistakes other than the performers. Our motto is Power Through the Mistakes. Invariably someone messes something up, but we keep chugging along. Our lead male singer and rhythym guitarist is really very good, but he gets into the music and then misses a measure or adds a few extra chords. Being a church based youth band, our ensemble changes regularly and we have guest players with us. Every time we play a song, it is different! We just act like we intended to play it that way. So have fun and power through the irregularities.

I love those pups! What a great tone on all three switch settings.

Yeah, it was my daughter's Sweet 16 present from me last summer. It is a really nice guitar and has a great sound. You can hear it in action on the solo, with her doing the singing also. Rebecca Goes Swimming performs "In the Sea".

Here are a few pictures of the new-to-me Newport, plus the Ovation 2007 Collector's Edition and the 1977ish Ovation Preacher Deluxe (my 16 yr old's electric). After receiving the guitar I put on a new set of strings and tweaked the setup to my preferences. This instrument would rate a 9.999 out of 10, with only one small tiny nearly invisible dent. The sparkles are hard to capture in photos but they do show up in a couple of shots.