Last update from New Hartford
- Thread starter Northfield
- Start date
I mean look at that thing. It's gorgeous, (the guitar that is /emoticons/default_smile.png ). What kind of a corporate rube says, "Hey ... lets quit making these things."
(If I could have ever custom ordered a Standard ... it'd be just like that.)
(If I could have ever custom ordered a Standard ... it'd be just like that.)
I certainly don't disagree with you in principal. But if they simply aren't selling, then you can't run a business that way.I mean look at that thing. It's gorgeous, (the guitar that is /emoticons/default_smile.png ). What kind of a corporate rube says, "Hey ... lets quit making these things."
(If I could have ever custom ordered a Standard ... it'd be just like that.)
Hell, maybe these guys can start their own company now and do even greater things.
Curious who gets the machinery....
Mike, Dave and Crew...I wish you all the best as I am one of the few lucky recipients on the planet we call earth that have received your best for many years.
ATB,
Brian Ball
Exactly. There are plenty of corporate rubes at FMIC who never even lay eyes on the product. To them it's all about the numbers. Which is as it should be. The ideal scenario involves a balance between business and personal; the latter lends something that (you would think) is appealing to the consumer. In lieu of that balance, the personal aspect should be given zero credence. Because it ain't personal. It's business.
This is why, if you're a guitar enthusiast, you probably shouldn't be in the guitar business. You're too emotionally involved. You could be the face of a guitar company, like Jol or Paul Reed Smith, and thus present the illusion that the personal aspect is present in your business. But you'd better have a person who's strictly business calling the shots.
And yes, that Standard is perfect.
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Mike, your work has given me lots of joy over the years. Like everyone else here I'm very interested in knowing what you end up doing next.
Thundersteel
New member
Thanks for all the artistry and quality you've put into Hamer. My Studio Custom, Artist Custom, and Newport BE are perfect, and they ain't going anywhere!
BCR Greg
New member
If I hired them, I would have no problem paying them. I have one year's backlog of repairs with just me.....If they came aboard I could easily find enough work to keep them busy.
I have owned dozens of Hamer Guitars. The fact that I not only continued to acquire them, but still own a fairly high percentage of those acquisitions, speaks to my opinion of the work done by you-all. And, in my opinion, the quality content was never higher than in the later years.
With the sadness of seeing a good thing end, here is hoping that you all resurface with a new gig(s) and resume making great instruments!
With the sadness of seeing a good thing end, here is hoping that you all resurface with a new gig(s) and resume making great instruments!
Here's another big thank you to you guys who made these finely crafted instruments that pushed all the right buttons--beauty, attention to detail, playability, dynamics, and sound quality.
One thing I'm curious about--FMIC officially shut down the Hamer operation Jan. 2013. We consoled ourselves that at least you were still making fine guitars for Guild and Ovation. The shuttering of the New Hartford facility is the end of your relationship there and dashes any hope of bringing Hamer back. What does it mean for Ovation and Guild? Are they next?
One thing I'm curious about--FMIC officially shut down the Hamer operation Jan. 2013. We consoled ourselves that at least you were still making fine guitars for Guild and Ovation. The shuttering of the New Hartford facility is the end of your relationship there and dashes any hope of bringing Hamer back. What does it mean for Ovation and Guild? Are they next?
crunchee
Well-known member
+1! I'm looking forward to hearing about the next guitar that comes from your talented hands, Hamer or not!
If that's so, then Fender is risking their own name brand acoustics in the same move.
It costs a certain amount of money (probably pretty huge by our perspectives) just to keep the New Hartford facility open. The combined revenue of USA Guild, Fender, and Ovation acoustics need to generate enough revenue to justify keeping the facility open. Obviously the combined sales of those brand names can't do that. And let's not forget that the loss of USA Ovation is as iconic as any of the brands mentioned here. Ovation had the same market impact in the '60s/'70s that Taylor has had in the last two decades.