Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame

While I'm aware of the 5 boxes, I seem to always use the root box up and down the neck. I've never seen much advantage to using the other boxes, but I'm not much of a soloist, and I don't have a band or gigs.

I do feel a little drool forming every time I look at it. That's exactly what a guitar should look like and be: red, sleek, glossy, and ready for rockin'.

Yes, the market value truly does not match its ownership value. But isn't that the attraction of Hamers in the first place? If there were a Cali standard worth $1600, this one would be it...unfortunately I think the lack of interest at this price shows that the market just won't support that price. But like I said, I couldn't even afford a too-low price right now, much less a fair one.

It is very pristine, but yeah, the price is too high. Of course, I couldn't afford it right now even if the price was too low.

I thought the "he/she looks bored" was kind of a running gag. I knew what you meant, coolfeel. Still, in this case I really dig her playing. I thought the last time I posted this I was in a very small minority of approvers. But it really works for me. I'd buy a CD of this kind of tasteful and skilled playing, but of course with the assumption it would not all be in an identical style. When you break down the song, it seems also like a music performance class's project, with the assignment being to use various standard blues/funk licks in a composition. But it really works for me.

I know a bunch of people didn't like this all that much, and I have liked it from the first time I saw it. No accounting for taste, I guess. But watch/listen to it again. Pay extra attention to her picking hand. The single notes near the beginning she picks individually (although she throws in some quick, tasteful hybrid picking if you watch closely). What impresses me most is that for the 2nd half of the song, she is doing skank picking: the funk style where you hit all the strings, but all the strings are muted except for the single notes you want to play. It's difficult as hell to do, takes a good amount of practice and discipline. http://youtu.be/IN21lcvIsvM Now slow it all down (easy to do if you download it and use VLC player) Even at extremely slow speed, she looks extremely fluid, smooth, effortless. Like or dislike the song, I think most of us would recognize she is both talented and skilled.

Eh, words don't hurt, and she can't force anyone to do anything they aren't willing to do, like pay attention to arcane questions. Some people's style may rub others the wrong way. I usually tend to ignore style and focus on substance, and the substance so far has been asking for information. Ignore the shadows, answer the questions that interest you, ignore those that don't. Seems to work pretty well in every online community I've been part of. I know I've rubbed plenty of people the wrong way before. Maybe I have the self-awareness to know when to back off, but I just can't see where internet words hurt anyone.

Like night follows day, narcissists inevitably reveal themselves. I think that was semi-sarcastic.

I'm glad you find my meanderings useful. I do want to hear what guitars you end up with, and why. Although if you are like me, there will be some constant churn in your stable as you get excited about trying out other guitars. I found another one that might be worth your time/money, but I'm trying to decide if I want it myself. Whoever gets to it first, maybe.... http://www.musicgoround.com/p/123928/used-westone-spectrum-lx This is a Matsumoku-made guitar. Not quite the level of USA Hamer, but well-respected. The cool thing about the LX is each of those knobs has a push/pull. Normally, only the humbuckers are active, and you have a 3-way switch that gives you Bridge, B+N, or Neck. The first knob turns on the middle single coil. The 2nd knob splits the humbuckers. The 3rd switches the phase. So you can get all 3 single coils on at the same time, something you can't normally do with a strat. You can also get a cool Peter Green sound with the phase reversed. Here's a demo of the switching (although on a different model of Matsumoku guitar): And the Music Go Round Spectrum LX probably has MMK 45 humbuckers, which are extremely hot and sought-after. A single one often fetches more than $40 on eBay...the guitar in the video probably doesn't have them, by the sound of it, and the year.

Quite possibly a troll, yes. But someone else may read the discussion and learn something. I know that when I work through stuff, I'm doing it for me on the excuse/motivation of someone else asking. So, again, I don't feel the time was wasted, even if she never reads it.

To me, time spent looking at, looking for, and talking about guitars is never wasted.

Here's some Yamahas that would work for you: RGX 621d PAC 721

Here's a GREAT deal: import Diablo They'll ship for $50 or less. You'll want to add a push-pull coil tap on the knobs. One for each pickup and you'll have all the flexibility you'll ever want. Or maybe a push-pull on one of the knobs to change the humbucker from series to parallel wiring.

Of all the Yamahas, Matsumoku-made guitars, and Hamers (both USA and import), this is the best one on eBay right now: Slammer Series Centaura It's pretty much the only one in your price range that I think is worth what they are asking. For some reason, the eBay market is a little messed up: the market is soft so guitars with low starting prices are selling for below what they are worth. So apparently people are responding by setting their starting price too high. Note that the switch is probably a mid-range boost, not a coil tap. You might need to re-wire it to get the humbucker tone the way you want it. You might even need to swap out pickups. But this is a solid platform to make those changes. Gotta hurry, the auction ends soon.

These probably aren't in the Top 10. Or even in the Top 20 if you like Standards (I never got that excited about 'em). But I think they are worth mentioning/showing: Ted Nugent-signed, maple-fretboarded Californian (CaliTed): Transparent Red Flamed Maple Californian Elite (CaliRed): And, perhaps, "It's Green": Cynic was gracious enough to sell me the Elite and the Eclipse. I will be eternally grateful to him for that.

I really like Yamaha's stock pickups. For the higher-end Yamahas (anything 6xx and above), they have excellent flexibility. Most have a coil-tap push-push or switch. The rest have auto-taps in the 2/4 position. So on my PAc 721s and PAC 921, I get a great thick humbucker sound in the bridge, a creamy humbucker solo sound in the neck, a noiseless single coil in the middle position (they all have stacked single coils), and a really good quack sound in the bridge+middle and neck+middle positions. That's every sound I could ask for. With my SE 612 and PAC 604, the humbucker sounds really good tapped, so I can get every possible sound on it. Again, great quack sounds in the 2/4, great individual single coil sounds, and a brash humbucker in the bridge for rock when I want it. But tone is SOOOOO personal. I could tell you I get the sharp staccatos, the smooth high pitches, the glass-like piano tones and the authoritative mellow tones, and then you could pick up the same guitar and use the same amps on the same setting and tell me I'm full of crap. I will say that the one thing I really like about Yamaha guitars, especially with their own pickups or the models with Dimarzios, they have a really good distorted humbucker sound...very menacing...distorted without being overly harsh or raspy, but then round and full when clean. And the humbuckers all seem to tap to very credible strat sounds. Sounds great for funk, for blues, for country... But because tone is personal, I was recommending the Yamahas for the structure and price. You can swap out a set of pickups easier than you can shave down a neck joint heel. So I figured if you got a great quality, well-built guitar with the reduced heel and easy upper range access you want, you can use the non-spent cash to experiment with what pickups you want in it to get EXACTLY what you want. I do think however, that if you liked the tone on an import Hamer, you'll like anything from a USA Hamer or Yamaha better. It's not that the Indonesian guitar makers are horrible, just that they get paid by the number of guitars they produce, and they aren't putting top quality effort to bring the best out of top quality materials. They are doing the absolute minimum necessary to assemble computer cut blanks into an acceptable guitar at the cheapest total price. Sometimes they produce a miracle. But I would prefer to go with the people that put more effort into polishing a diamond into a truly beautiful gem.

@gmaslin, as far as component differences... Hamer USA used one-piece bodies and book-matched figured wood caps. The imports generally used multi-piece bodies. The effect of glue holding two pieces of wood together on tone is best decided by the individual guitarist. I've heard some say a multi-piece body can't sound good because the vibrations can't travel through different wood pieces in different alignments through the glue. The same person will then claim that a set neck is superior to a bolt-on, or that the maple cap adds tone to his mahogany guitar. So take those sorts of hypocritical announcements with a grain of salt. I can tell you that one of favorite and best sounding guitars is a Korean-made plywood guitar. However, Hamer USA also seasoned its wood. That results in a more consistent tone, I think...I think it would be hard to argue that moisture content in a guitar's wood has zero effect on tone. From my research into Westone guitars as they moved from Matsumoku in Japan to Korea, the Koreans didn't season their wood. That doesn't guarantee a horrible guitar, but it does mean the guitars are more likely to be inconsistent. Hamer USA also used a 3-piece neck, so Hamer USA necks rarely have twisting or bowing problems. Hamer USA shielded the control cavity. I don't think the imports do that. Pickups are higher quality in the USAs vs the imports. If you don't like Hamer JBs and 59s, that may not make that much difference to you. USA tuners were higher quality. That means they last longer and hold in tune better. Hamer USA frets use slightly harder metal, I think, so last longer. They put more care in installing/setup, so USA frets are smooth like butter...imports can be rough, with rough ends. USAs will also have a far less chance of a dead spot, and won't be as prone to buzzes and fretouts. USA Hamers had better pots and switches. So imports are more likely to develop scratchy pots and cutouts. The trems on USA Hamers use higher-quality steel. That keeps the trem knife-edges sharper longer, so you have less tuning problems. The maple cap on flame-topped, carved top double cutaways (Sunbursts/Studios) is much thicker on the USA models. On the imports, it is sometimes a paper-thin veneer, but always much thinner. The main thing in common with USA Hamers and imports is the design specs. There were a few import Hamers (like the Stellar and the Echotone) that have no equivalent in USA Hamers, and vice versa. But the ones that are similar still use cheaper wood, cheaper metal, cheaper parts, and less care in setting up. That doesn't mean you can't end up with a great guitar if you start with an import...you just have to do more work. I have gotten to the point where I can purchase any USA Hamer, sight unseen, and know it will be a playable guitar. Especially if I buy it from someone here, but even on eBay, from Guitar Center, etc. The most beatup Hamer USA I ever had still played and sounded great, just looked like hell. I've gotten at least one utter dog from every other guitar line I've tried, and that includes import Hamers. So I have to be much more careful looking at pictures, as questions about the trem, neck angle, fret buzzes, etc.

The computer ate my first 2 replies. I'm frustrated enough to not post again, but you deserve an answer. I think the problem with loud volumes is only in the Duncan Design pickups Those are Korean made pickups done to the same specifications as the Duncan JB and 59. But with inferior materials and probably less attention to detail. Some of them can sound pretty good, but a pickup swapout is usually recommended to turn a very good import Hamer into a gigg-able guitar, or a keeper in the regular rotation. I recommended Yamaha for two reasons: 1) They are phenomenal bargains. For less than the price of a Korean-made Hamer, you can get a Japan or Taiwan made Yamaha Pacifica, RGX, or SE. The Pacificas are mostly versions of strats, with pickguards and mostly floyd rose copy trems. The early RGXs and SEs have one of the best trems ever, the RM Pro II, but parts are hard to find, so get one that's in complete condition. The late RGXs have floyd rose copy trems. The 7xx and higher are equal to many USA Hamers in feel, solidness, quality, fit and finish...but most of them are more workmanlike, solid colors and rarely have figured tops. So if you are looking to stay under $300, you can get a neck-through top-quality professional guitar like an SE 1220 (got mine for $225 shipped from Music Go Round), or a medium professional quality PAC 721 or 921. I got my RGX 1220 neck-thru for just under $500, and it is the equal of my best Hamer USA shredder. It would go for $1200 or more if it had Hamer on the headstock. Hamers overall are better. I have USA Hamers that have unique qualities that no Yamaha has ever had, so I wouldn't want to say get a Yamaha instead of a USA Hamer. But if Hamer USA is AAA level, and import Hamers are B level, a $300 Yamaha is A to AA. So you can get a better quality guitar than the import Hamers for the same price, or you can get a guitar that can, in some aspects, equal a USA Hamer for much cheaper. When you have the money, I'd recommend owning a few of both, but that's just me. 2) You seem to have a very particular requirement for cut-down neck heels. To the best of my knowledge, Hamer doesn't really do much of this. The Mirage, as shown, has a cut-down neck heel, and maybe some of the set-neck shredders like a Californian or Chaparral. But Yamaha has several inexpensive neck-thru guitars that have a reduced neck heel. Like my RGX 1212: The Pacificas are all bolt on, but the 6xx and above have the Total Access Neck Joint that really provides great access to the higher frets: Here's my PAC 921:

From my theory/philosophy, I think there are no conditions in which Hamer's legacy lives on as Hamer. In the same manner that you can never go home again. You can go back to the place where home is, but people grow and change. If you could freeze "home" and then come back to it 10 years later and have it completely unchanged, it would still be different because YOU are different. So even if Jol bought the Hamer name back from Fender and hired some of the old workers, it probably still wouldn't be Hamer the way most people think of it. It could be better or worse, but it would still be different. Guitars would be labeled as "pre-hiatus" and "post-hiatus" and people would argue with each other over which was better. And it makes sense, sort of: Consider the guys who were hired in the 90s, compared to the guitars built in the 80s. Did the new guys making Hamers make them any less "Hamer"? If one guy quit or retired, did Hamer take a significant loss? Or was it still Hamer just chugging along? But as soon as you stop being in the stream of effort, then if you ever try to go back, you are trying recreate the magic, whereas before the magic was inherent. Like Bill Murray trying to recreate the snowball fight the 2nd time in Groundhog Day, it just leaves Andy McDowell staring and thinking "WTF?" Let's say you have a boat built 300 years ago. Every year you have to replace one board that has rotted away. After 100 years, it is 100% replaced. Is it still an antique boat? Is it still the original boat? Could you still sell it as a restored antique? I'd say you probably could, as long as you repaired it in the same manner as it would have been built or repaired 300 years ago. But if you took that knowledge and built a second boat in the exact same manner, using the same tools and parts and even from the same stand of trees you took to renovate the original boat, I think you would be called a fraud if you claimed the second boat was an antique. The first is replacement within a continuum, the second is a deliberate copy. The 2nd can be just as good or even better (a new Hamer could actually produce better guitars for cheaper), but it still wouldn't strike people as original (the guitars still wouldn't have the mojo of the upstart "vintage guitars at stock prices" guitar company). In my humble and overthought opinion.

They always said to stick with what you're good at. I'm good at angst and overthinking.

For what it is worth, I was one who used to insist the gap between USA Hamers and import Hamers was smaller than everyone around here claimed. Over time, my opinion changed to the point that I no longer desire any import Hamers. They can be very, very good, but even at their best, they lack some of the sheer awesome badassery of the USA Hamers. But it's cool to fully investigate the imports. You may be like me and eventually learn to appreciate the upgrades of the USA Hamers. Or you may be so satisfied that you never get the itch to try one. At some point, however, you should come to an HFC gathering to try out a USA Hamer risk-free. You might be pleasantly surprised...

Honestly, I think for the price you are looking at, you would probably be happiest with a Yamaha. Look for Pacifica, RGX, or SE. And anything 6xx or higher. They have great tone, good workmanship, and the fit/finish of any 9xx or 12xx is as good as any top quality guitar you care to name, including Hamer USA, and you can find even 12xx series Yamahas for under $300 with a little patience. If you want to try Hamer, I second the Hamer Stellar. The Hamer Slammer Series Centauras and Californians are excellent guitars, too. The SATFs of every generation from Sammer Series to XT can be very, very good. Al of these guitars come with Duncan Design pickups, so while they sound decent for playing in your basement, they won't have tone that brings tears to your eyes, nor are they ideal for gigging. Since you have some specific wiring requirements, I think you could be extremely happy with a Slammer Series Centaura if you take it to a local guitar shop for a pickup swap to a professional quality pickup and have them wire it to your specifications at the same time. Ebay has had a bunch of people trying to trap the unwary and listing import Hamers with USA Hamer prices. They can be good enough to be worth those prices when compared to the overpriced used prices of Fender and Gibson, but the lesson there is that USA Hamers are an even better deal, you just need more money to get there. So if you want to try an import Hamer, search through Guitar Center with a $300 limit, or through Music Go Round websites with a $300 limit and see what catches your eye. Both chains will take extra pictures for you, and often will even test out the guitar and give you an idea of tuning stability, action, electronics condition, etc, and both will ship for about $50. Good luck. Report back what you find.

Long rambling rant, probably not worth your time to read: I object to the notion that only Hamer builders (or even only US builders) can make a top-quality instrument. That being said, I agree that there is something about Hamer...unfortunately, what that something might be is history. Unfortunately, I think even if you got all the Hamer builders together on a project, it still wouldn't really be a Hamer. There is something I call a "Second Generation" problem. I've never encountered anyone else talking about it to know what other names it might have...but it is a clear concept: it is almost impossible for lightning to strike twice for success. A team that wins the Super Bowl falls apart the next year, even if the main contributors all return. Usually, a team can only repeat a championship if they change something significant...but you never know what that significant thing is or should be. More often than not, they get it wrong. The reason getting the Hamer builders together wouldn't be a Hamer is because each would be bringing their own understanding of what makes a Guitar a Hamer....but those elements probably wouldn't be what Jol would do, or what Paul would do, and probably even wouldn't be what the Hamer fans would want. Not exactly. The problem is that Hamer guitars are as much vision and design as they are wood and steel and craftsmanship. Which former builder would take precedence? What resentments or pet peeves would he bring to the effort? What personal development would he emphasize or add that would change the direction of vision subtly into something non-Hamer? I'd probably trust Steve Matthes to lead the design and building of a new generation of Hamer guitars...nothing against the guys who have been building excellent Hamers, but it might work better to have Steve lead an entirely new batch of builders, because then he'd have more control over the final result, less conflict of competing visions. I think it was mirrormj who posted a picture of a guitar he built using Hamer materials and equipment... Or maybe it was built at home, but using good quality materials with his Hamer skills. Gorgeous guitar, but it wasn't a Hamer. And unless I'm wrong, it wouldn't command Hamer level prices if he sold it. Why? The build quality is, by definition, Hamer. But it isn't a Hamer guitar. That's why I embraced Jon Kammerer Guitars. They aren't for everyone, apparently, because there are some design elements some can't handle. And he's too stubborn to give up those design elements. But the result is a guitar that plays well, sounds great, is instantly recognizable in its uniqueness (not just a clone of someone else's design), has top-quality craftsmanship, and uses the level of materials you are willing to pay for. You get a boutique guitar for custom prices, or a custom guitar for stock prices, or a stock guitar for less than other stock brand name guitars. That, to me, is the Hamer ideal: a guitar maker that gets back down to making a great guitar at an unexpectedly lower price by cutting the corporate fat out of the construction process. Hamer hadn't been that for years, even before it was shut down. I couldn't afford Hamer when they were doing that, and hadn't heard of them yet, anyway. Jon Kammerer is he next best thing for me. A different path, and Northfield guitars might have been the company I embraced. There are certainly others besides Northfield and Jon Kammerer... Robin is out of business. Schecter? Peavey? But those are big companies, probably difficult to get a top quality guitar from them without paying premium prices. I think the best bet is to give up on Hamer, or trying to recreate the magic. Better to find something new that scratches the itch. Good luck and best wishes to Northfield in doing that! You have an advantage in that you have former Hamer builders as part of your effort, right? Take the Hamer experience to help build Northfield into its own niche, but be Northfield Guitars.

Can't argue with that. Frankly, I pretty much agree. Nothing can replace the USA Hamers in my collection.