Travis

You know, I was trying to check it out and I couldn't quite get close enough to tell. I didn't get the nerve to ask him. But it was a nice watch, though.

David's Guitar Loft in Webster Groves, MO

Well, I had the distinct pleasure of attending Mr. Dantzig's "Guru Tour" last night here in St. Louis. Let me start off by saying that both Mr. Danztig and Mr. Frank Rindone were true gentlemen and it was a real pleasure to meet and speak with them both. They are both two of the most down to earth guys, and were very approachable and easy to talk to. Mr. Dantzig is very passionate about the guitars he makes and it was very obvious by the way he spoke and presented. He started off by recapping the history of Hamer guitars from the very beginnings all the way to the current shop in Connecticut. This was done in conjunction with a slide show illustrating everything from the humble beginnings in the Grassroots shop, to a ton of pics of the famous artists who have played and endorsed Hamer guitars over the years. Aside from a few technical difficulties with the head-set microphone, it went along very well and was very informative and entertaining. Next, we went through a bit of a Q & A. I got to ask a couple of questions and have them answered in a very thorough and complete manner. Again, very informative. At the end of the night, those of us who brought in our Hamer guitars, got to have the man himself sign them. I wrestled with the choice of which one to bring, but in the end I decided on my '01 Artist Kornia HB that my wife bought me (he said that she's a keeper!). Mr. Dantzig expressed his like for the top on my particular Artist and commented on how attractive the grain was, flamed chevron pattern Korina. I had him sign the control cavity plate as I thought that would be the best place (I'm not much one for writing on the finish of my guitars). Again, it was an amazing experience to hear him talk about something I love. It was nice to know that the man who makes the guitars of which I am so fond, is so passionate about his craft. It really puts something special on top of the whole thing. Thanks so much again to Mr. Dantzig and Mr. Rindone for a great night of great guitars. So, without further ado, PICS!!! The beginning (nice wall o' Hamers huh?) Talking about the dovetail neck construction on a Studio Custom The man and me with my Artist Korina HB

I'm in a big power metal phase right now, a lot of the bands from Europe. I don't know if I should feel guilty about that or not.

Damn! That is scary. At least the thought of you in the shower is. Thanks, bro.

Some people are just dumbasses. Others think that they can offer a certain price to make the whole process easier for both parties. I don't know, I've never sold anythign on ebay and I've never asked to end an auction early those rare times I do buy.

I've got a pair of Pearly Gates in my Special FM and I really like them. Can anyone compare the BBQ to those at all?

That's a sweet guitar, and a cruel thing to do to a brother.

wise guy, huh?

will do, thanks a bunch

Who is it here that can sell those? Thanks a bunch.

Charvel 650xl. I've had it the longest and every guitar I get is compared to it. It is a shred metal tone monster. Lately, my pair of Charvel 750xl's have been getting a little more play as well. I sold my two Hamer shredders so the 3 I have left are for my more mellow moods.

Copy the following link and paste it in the address bar of your browser: http://www.m90.org/gallery/video/airguitar0-1349.wmv That still takes me to Google. WTF?!? Now it's going to be a total let down when I finally do get to see it.

I'm still getting Google. What the hell?!?

Nope, nothing.

I sensed that I was needed here. The Duncan Distortion is my absolute favorite pickup. At one time I had 8 of them in various guitars. Some were bridge only, and a couple had a pair in them. The only difference between a JB and a Distortion is the magnet. They are both wound with the same materials to the same specs, etc. But, that ceramic magnet in the Distortion makes a huge difference in tone. To me, the JB was always a little thin and kind of shrill. It had too many upper mids and not enough beef to the low end. The Distorion on the other hand is perfect for me. It is aggressive but not too harsh. The highs cut through but are not shrill like the JB is to my ears. It has quite a bit more lower mids which account for the more "mid-sounding JB" characteristic. The lows stay ultra tight even when pushed with high gain. Harmonics jump out of this thing like you wouldn't believe. And yet, it cleans up rather nicely as well. You might need to mess with the volume and tone knobs to dial in just the right clean sound, but it doesn't take that much effort. Granted, you're not going to get a vintage Strat tone out of the pickup, but split it is very similar to a hot Strat single coil. I've used it in a variety of guitars ranging from mahogany body set necks, alder body bolt ons, and even a true neck through. Any way you slice it, the Distortion works for me. It does everything from dirty blues up to the hardest metal. I wouldn't suggest it for celan jazz, but you get the point. Hope that helps.

Oh mama. I am drooling now. Between that and Mobster's Watson, I might have to wait on my korina Vector I've been thinking about. Damn you all!

I'm thinking about a custom 24 fret, short scale korina XTRR. With dual Duncan Distoritons, of course.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

What do you guys think? With the right pickups in there pushing the right amp, do you think a korina bodied guitar could be a formidable shredder? I mean, mahogany guitars are great for that type of music in my opinion. Anyone ever try it?

That's exactly what I do. I tend to play in the classical position while sitting so I adjust my strap so that the guitar rides nice and high with a steep angle.

I always thought the Duncan Distortion was the most inaccurately named pickup.

I've never really connected with a PRS like I have a Hamer. Every Hamer I pick up feels instantly familiar and comfortable even if it has a dramatically different neck shape. As far as quality goes, Hamer is every bit as good if not better. I'm not anit-PRS. I just don't care for the feel of them.

It's all about the 3 M's: Music, money and Mmmmm pussy. That means I like the Jr.

First of all, welcome. Second of all, you are required to post pics of your new Hamers. As far as the pickups go, without owning either the Jr. or the Monaco, I can say that I tend to prefer the hotter ceramic pickups. They just respond to my playing style a little bit better. There are only two guitars I own that still have the stock pickups, my Hamer Artist Korina HB and my Mirage I. Most of my others have a Duncan Distortion in the bridge, some have the Distortion in the neck as well. But that is neither here nor there. My impression of Hamer's choice on pickups is this: pickups are a very individual kind of thing. It would be extremely difficult to provide a pickup in a guitar that is loved by everyone. After all, how many people have you heard of who swap the pickups out of the Historic Gibsons or the Custom PRS's. Hamer may just be trying to keep the cost down on the guitars by offering "assembly line" Duncans. But what the hell do I know. I'm not an old fart who likes the AlNiCo pickups.