Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame

This post just won't die, will it? I have to admit, my own tastes/needs/loyalty have changed a little bit since I started this thread. I have too many guitars. One of the reason I have too many guitars is that a bunch of semi-cool guitars were available on eBay for prices I couldn't resist. What I've come to realize (and maybe this is a little unfair, but...[shrug]) is, with Hamer I can have minor variations on a 22-fret H/H TOM-bridge guitar, or I can have minor variations on a 24-fret H/S/S FR Trem-bridge guitar. Sure, there are appearance variations, and tonewood variations...but in the end, I think the difference between 2 Hamers of the same type (H/H or Shredder) is going to be much smaller than between a Hamer and another brand of guitars. How much difference am I going to have between 4 Centauras? I think I would end up just playing 2, and having 2 sit there unplayed. Whereas a Peavey Vandenberg might have SD pickups, and the Ebony fretboard and short-scale 24 fret neck I can get on any Hamer Deluxe/Custom shredder...but for half the price...and the Kahler 2700-series trem is different enough that I have a reason to pick it up and play when I wouldn't for Centauras #3 and #4. And Hamer has nothing like the Schecter PT Aviation Series collectible. Or nothing like the stupid little Cort Electric Guitar that has 2 single coils and 2 volume controls, but no switch. And the looks, feel, ergonomics, sound, and playability of my Jon Kammerer is enough different, I don't think I could get a Hamer to replace what it provides me. All of which is trying to say: I love my Hamers. There are 4-5 I can never bear to let go. But once I get beyond those 4 or 5 or 6, I end up with redundant guitars which would take the place of other cool guitars that are different than anything Hamer does. So count me as someone who is semi-loyal to Hamer.

My picks are awesome, btw. I seem to be playing with more clarity and precision, too. And my wife came back, my mom got out of jail, and I got promoted at work! I cannot recommend these picks enough.

Got mine yesterday. They look awesome! (the Hamer logo for the return address on the envelope was cool, too!)

The questions were just trying to elicit thoughts. They were NOT trying to imply anyone should restrict themselves only to Hamers. Like I said, I myself have many non-Hamer guitars. But my reasons might not be the same as someone else's, so I was just curious. I just wanted to hear what other people think about guitars. Emphasize: these questions were not intended to be judgmental, but a starting point for discussion, just like you did. Thanks!

If someone did, I'd point out theirs was rumored to be just 3/4 scale...

why is this such a bad thing? if the take is good, i'd keep it, such "mishaps" add charm to recordings, IMO. I gotta second that. Like in Dokken's "It's Not Love," and Don Dokken's girlfriend calls in the middle of the break and they talk awhile until he tells her "No way!" I think that really added to the song!

I'm with atquinn: I rarely notice any forearm cutaway, so I couldn't tell you if any of my guitars have them or not, although I guess my Diablos, Centauras and Chaparrals must have them if you say so. I had a Hamer SATF that I sold because the slight upcurve of the binding on the edge of the guitar irritated my forearm. But the SATF I kept has the same slight upcurve/edge, and it didn't bother me, so I've kept it. I'm sure that didn't help you at all, but at least I weighed in, right?

Update: We won the Battle of the Bands in a landslide. I'll post videos on YouTube within a week.

Interesting you should post this. I am going to do a Battle of the Bands performance tonight...in about 4 hours. I have a video camera; if it turns out well, I may post it on YouTube. In any case, I'll provide a "gig" report. I had already been considering joining a band to help provide impetus to get rid of some of my guitars (on the idea that the more I gig certain guitars and don't gig certain guitars, the more clear it will be which ones I can and can't do without, and I won't regret selling some of 'em to think the herd). The success and enjoyment I've had making music with 3 strangers thrown together has convinced me I've got to get back into doing it regularly. Unfortunately, I'm not using a Hamer for this gig.

Okay, so Hamer doesn't have a patent on the slant-edge. So why don't they use it more often? There's room for it on, say, a Diablo, and that would have helped make the Diablo stand out a little more... Or why don't they use it on the XT Calis?

Holy crap that's a beautiful guitar! Huh. I'm learning bunches in this thread...which was the point.

One of the reasons for my Cali lust is that I thought they quite unique: a humbucker in the bridge w/ a slant single coil in the neck. I now realize that was actually a late-80s common theme. I first noticed it on the Peavey Vandenberg...but then started seeing late 80s Fernandes guitars (Japanese models, not USA imports) with 'em, Samicks...even a Hohner. But one thing I haven't seen anywhere else: the slant-edge 27 fret fretboard. There's room for it on all these slant-single coil guitars. Why doesn't anyone else do it? Heck, why doesn't even Hamer use 'em anymore? Live Update: I just found out that Ibanez has a 27-fret guitar. But not slant-edge. Update 2: The Rand Guitar. So now I'm confused. Are they not popular because they are too closely-associated w/ shredding?

I thought Boomerangs meant ebony fretboard, not rosewood....? vs Sometimes ebony can be light enough to look like dark rosewood, too...

What I called "acrylic" may be composite/phenolic, dunno. It does have slickery ease of movement...if anything it is just like ebony, just more so (harder, clearer chime-like tones, faster, etc). I've never heard of cocobolo. I'll have to look into that.

Myself, I prefer Ebony, but Acrylic comes in a close 2nd and is rising...it may eventually become my favorite. I tend to like Pao Ferro, I think. It looks so much like a light Rosewood that I'm not 100% sure when I've played on it, but the ones I knew were Pao Ferro were much better than Rosewood, in my opinion. Maple is next. I like it okay, but it tends to show dirt more and I think it wears away faster. Last is Rosewood. I don't like Rosewood because it seems to drag on the strings and slow me down. Maybe it adds something to the tone, but not that I've noticed. I'm kinda stuck with it, though, because it seems to be the wood of choice on 80% of the guitars out there.

...nothing on the wiki page about the sale. ...nothing through a google news search about the sale.

Well, $70 was too much. But as it turns out, I was willing to spend $50. I was the high bidder on a re-list for $15.50 + $35 shipping. I'll check it out...I'll probably just give it away to someone here in Baghdad when I return home. There are worse things I could have blown $50 on. When it arrives, I'll provide pictures and tone/quality report...or lack thereof.

This post is about 99% just my sense of humor escaping its chains and having fun playing in the sunlight. One of my favorite websites will describe an impending trainwreck with the words, "What could go wrong?" I was trying to get that vibe with "How bad could it be?" Honestly, it can get pretty bad, and I know it. Just a few examples of what could be wrong with that guitar that wouldn't show up in pictures: -high action that can't be lowered. -horribly cut nut -impossible to intonate (for those of us who are pussies) -fret buzz or fret-out -harsh tone from the pickups There is still that 1% of me that can't resist the thrill of a bargain. I'm struck by the fact that guitars are getting better and better and better. You can get quality guitars made in the US, made in Japan, made in Korea, and now China seems to be really working on their quality control to make good (or at least consistently visually beautiful) guitars. I know my Chinese-made XT is easily the equal of any decent factory-made guitar this side of PRS. The only way to get better than my XT is to buy hand-crafted. That 1% starts whispering: maybe this is the Chinese version of a late-70s Japanese guitar, when they were making guitars better than US-made. Luckily, it's pretty easy to convince myself that while there may be bargains out there, this guitar ain't it. Fair warning: I just like looking at guitars, and looking for guitars, so I'm probably going to keep making PSA posts of quirky/different guitars I find. You know, I think that has finally moved into my past. After all was said and done, I think I made an average of $30/guitar...which was my average a year ago, and 2 years ago. That ain't bad, considering that's after taking an average of $50/guitar off the top for shipping. I would lose money on one guitar, break even on another, and make $100 on the 3rd. If you consider the time I put into cleaning the guitars, testing them out, taking new/better pictures, posting, packing, and shipping, I might have made $7/hour. And the stress of wondering if a sale was going to lose money or not drove me crazy. So I think I'm done with flipping. I *really* love my Jon Kammerer guitar: it is truly a blast to play, and sounds great. I love my Chappie 12-string. I haven't touched my blueburst Centaura yet, but I know I'm gonna love it because I love my tobacco sunburst Centaura. My '80 Special is a beat-up thing of beauty in all ways: mojo, sound, feel. My XT makes me extremely happy, and I've got a Vandenberg that kicks ass, too, that I haven't gotten a chance to know yet. Then add in all the other guitars in my sig block that I haven't played more than 30 minutes each on. Heck, I *still* haven't touched the guitar that kicked off my Hamer USA acquisition: the Diablo from SteveB! As a result, I really haven't felt the urge to try any new guitars. I've been tempted a few times, but another glance at my signature block reminds me of how many kick-ass guitars I already have...and my memory of all the crappy guitars I played on before I discovered Hamer reminds me that there are few guitars that equal Hamer's quality, sound, and feel, and none that can do so for as cheap. I now really know: Finding the next quality guitar bargain is a fools' errand. But I still like looking at guitars, so I'll probably keep posting the weird/quirky ones I run across on eBay.

No connection. But it's a Spider web guitar! $70 for a guitar. Free Shipping. ...it actually look like it might be decent quality. At least it won't have any problems due to a cheap tremolo... I'm tempted...sorely tempted. How bad could it be?!?

I'm not surprised that so few people have Hamer imports. But I'd recommend trying them out. The current XT models aren't bad. I have a Californian 24-fret, fixed bridge. It looks plain, but the Duncan Design pickups aren't half-bad. It plays pretty well. I miss it a little bit. The XT SATF feels, sounds, and looks as good as a USA Studio. I think it only lacks the street cred. One thing I learned this week that I didn't know is that the Duncan Design pickups are made to JB and Jazz specifications. Maybe the materials and attention to detail aren't as good as actual Seymour Duncans, but again: they ain't half bad. The Hamer Slammer Series guitars are also Korean top-quality guitars at their finest. Clearly better than what USA was putting out in the 70s, probably (IMHO) better than MIM quality. Good workmanship, good materials. I doubt anyone could tell the difference beteween my Hamer Slammer Series Californian and my Hamer USA Diablo by looking...and maybe not by playing. It's got a great sound. Now, I wouldn't say a Hamer import should replace a Hamer USA. But the imports are great for noodling around, letting a friend borrow, giving to your kids to learn on, etc. It's an inexpensive way to fall in love with the Hamer name, without worrying about whether it gets beat up. The earlier imports really do Hamer some justice. One of the reasons for this post is that I've finally come to grips with the idea I have to find another Hamer Stellar 1. It was a decent guitar. Aside from being a decent guitar, it was one of the most beautiful and unique guitars I've ever seen. The cherry sunburst was cheerful. And I've never seen another guitar made with the lacy oak figuring. Maybe you could special order it. But Hamer USA never made one with lacy oak tops that I know of...nor does anyone else. So consider one of the earlier imports, or current XTs as a backup guitar, or a cheaper guitar to use when you don't want to worry about damage.

Good answers, y'all! I'm finding myself agreeing with much that has been said: Hamer is one of the few guitars that you can buy w/o playing first. Hamer is one of the best bangs for the buck in the guitar market. No need to restrict yourself to Hamer...but if a Hamer will scratch the itch, it's a great place to start.

Most of you know my story. For those that don't, here's a recap: I stumbled on Hamer by way of an impor Stellar 1. Best guitar I'd ever owned/played on to that point in my life, just barely edging a Carvin USA Bolt. For about 6 months, I insisted I was happy with imports and couldn't see spending $600 for a guitar that was only a little better than the imports. There was no way I would ever spend $1k. The first crack in the wall was when SteveB offered his Diablo for $450. I won't bore you with a play-by-play, but it culminated in me spending more than $1k for a Centaura Deluxe. (and well worth it!) Still, I almost feel guilty for keeping the Hamer XT import SATF (studio copy). I almost feel guilty for being so excited about playing the Peavey Vandenberg. I'm even looking forward to jamming on my XT Californian (24 frets, fixed bridge) because it actually sounds and feels pretty good. I want to compare it to the Jon Kammerer guitar I have enjoyed so much over the last few months. Interestingly, despite the awesome stable of guitars I have, I find myself really missing my old Stellar 1. I sold it because the XT SATF sounded just a touch better, and I wanted to clear out dead wood for some USAs I was contemplating purchasing (I did, btw). Yet despite my own "betrayals" of Hamer USA with Peavey, JK, and even Hamer import guitars, I still find myself somewhat surprised when I see the collections of other members listed in a post. Aside from the Scary family, it seems like Hamer USAs make up less than 1/3rd of anyone else's collection. That isn't a criticism. But I am curious what everyone else's thoughts/feelings are. Here are some of the questions I have. Answer any/all/none at your whim. If you like Hamer enough to be a member of this board, why do you have other non-Hamer guitars? (I know why I do, but I want to know why *you* do) Do you want more Hamer USAs? Do you only buy them when the price is irresistable? Do you only want certain types of Hamers? All specs being equal, does the name "Hamer USA" on a guitar make you more likely to buy it? All specs being equal, does *not* having the name "Hamer USA" make you less like to buy a specific guitar? What would make you restrict your collecting to only Hamers? Is that even possible? What could make you willing to restrict yourself to playing only Hamers? Is that even possible? Do you consider yourself a Hamer collector more than a guitar collector or vice versa? Do you consider yourself a guitarist more than a guitar collector? Would you say that a Hamer USA is a necessary part of a professional/serious guitarist's guitar stable? If so, which one(s)? Would you say that a professional/serious guitarist should stick to one brand? Why or why not?

TED Turner played Hamers?! Well, I admit I'm confused. This article says it was Ted, but it also says Ted played bass. So it was always just Martin Turner, then? Ted never picked up a Hamer guitar on the strength of Martin's happiness with the bass?

That's a nice viewpoint. I said on another thread that by my own estimation of what a Centaura is worth, I paid double to get the blueburst from Nick. But it is just about mint...anywhere it isn't mint is well within normal use. But if it takes $10k to get a Cali these days, then the $1000+ I paid for a Centaura Deluxe is *well* worth it, and still cheap. But maybe that's the thing: with CNC technology, I just don't understand why it should cost $10k to get a handmade Cali, unless the price is at least partly punitive in nature. They know how to make a Cali. The only unusual part of it is the slant-edge 27-fret board. Ebony doesn't cost several thousand, and boomerangs aren't all that complicated. Where does the $10k go? Someday, to celebrate some important milestone (publishing a book or an important promotion or something), I would like to get a Jeff Watson. Not getting Boomers isn't a deal-killer...but why shouldn't I get Boomers or a USAF Symbol or the Yin/Yang symbol for inlays if I'm paying $5k? There should still be no way they could lose money on that deal, but it sounds like they might be unwilling. And if it's going to cost $10k to get a Jeff Watson model (just a guess, since you say a Cali is that much), I would probably have to give up that dream. I hope it doesn't come to that. I love all the used Hamers enough that at some point I want to say thank you to Jol by giving *him* some of my money for a great guitar. Maybe I'll have a late-life musical success, brag about how much I like Hamers, and he'll make a Brainfertilizer Model (probably a fixed-bridge, sustain-block Cali with a pickup design I like and a personal inlay design)!

I wasn't trying to start an argument. Just clarifying what expectations you get with the word "custom." I'm not in the market for custom for some time, real or not real. But someday I'll ask them for a Jeff Watson w/ Boomers.