Sentinel Posted April 28, 2006 Posted April 28, 2006 Hi there, fellow Hamerlovers! I'm a newbie from across the Atlantic (Stockholm, Sweden). After having been lurking here earlier I believe that I'm qualified as a member of this forum now, since I have recently bought my first Hamer (a brand new Monaco Elite Aztec Gold)! As my guitar for some reason hasn't been sold earlier (It was made in Dec 2002) - and as it's one of the first made - I'm curious about the history of this model. So... with respect for you - knowledgable hamerologists... 1 Tell me about your Elites - are they as fine as mine is? (Color, setup, finish, etc.) 2 Which pickups were fitted on the first models...? I read somewhere about only SD Customs, and on Hamer's website they're supposed to be one Custom and one Custom-Custom... 3 Aztec gold finish - does it age / darken? (Post your Aztec Elite pics, please!) /Curt ---
princeofdarkness56 Posted April 28, 2006 Posted April 28, 2006 The only thing I know about them is that I want one. Yours looks sweet. I am sure you will get the lowdown from fellow HFC's.
Scooter Posted April 28, 2006 Posted April 28, 2006 That's a beauty! Welcome aboard! I really don't think the Axtec Gold will darken, but I could be wrong. The pickups that were in my Elite were the same as yours. Custom and Custom Custom. Special orders might be different. The fit and finish you're raving about is standard on all Hamers from what I've seen. The Elite is a great guitar. Enjoy it!
Sentinel Posted April 29, 2006 Author Posted April 29, 2006 Thanks.... It seems like not a lot of you guys have discovered this gem of the Hamer builders!? No more Elite users around?
BCR Greg Posted April 29, 2006 Posted April 29, 2006 Welcome aboard, matey!!! I have had a few unique Elites made. Somewhere I have pics, I'll post them. Neat guitars. Here's my chambered Elite(the first one)... The pickguard was on with doubletape, as a joke. Guys would ask "Which Les Paul is that one?" You are gonna love it here!
Sentinel Posted April 29, 2006 Author Posted April 29, 2006 Great! Thanks! Yes, you seem like a pleasant bunch of guys!Cool idea (the pickguard!). I can't wait to see your custom made ones! (Already I'm planning on getting a custom Studio Custom! (Later!!))
belgian Posted April 29, 2006 Posted April 29, 2006 Welcome, Stockholm must have the highest number of Hamer fanatics is Europe, I guess. Great entry....
Zipper Neck Posted April 29, 2006 Posted April 29, 2006 I got my Elite on Ebay (shameful, I know). It has a quilted top with a cherry sunburst finish and an ebony fingerboard. It also has a pickguard, which at first I thought looked a little weird. It had the Custom and Custom Custom pickups, but I replaced the Custom in the neck with a Phat Cat p-90.
clmazza Posted April 30, 2006 Posted April 30, 2006 Congrats on the Elite! She's a fine looking specimen. Here's my 03 GT.... Sweet guitar!
Zipper Neck Posted April 30, 2006 Posted April 30, 2006 I should probably take pictures of mine. I just don't know how to take decent pictures though.
Zipper Neck Posted April 30, 2006 Posted April 30, 2006 Here are some photos of mine that I just took.http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Dodecka/DSC00431.jpghttp://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Dodecka/DSC00434.jpg
Sentinel Posted April 30, 2006 Author Posted April 30, 2006 ...I replaced the Custom in the neck with a Phat Cat p-90.(Sweet guitar!)So, how was the Phat Cat, compared to the Custom?
sw686blue Posted May 1, 2006 Posted May 1, 2006 Here are some photos of mine that I just took.http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Dodecka/DSC00431.jpghttp://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Dodecka/DSC00434.jpg Beautiful guitar but get rid of that pickguard. Too nice of a top to be hiding it with that.
Zipper Neck Posted May 1, 2006 Posted May 1, 2006 Here are some photos of mine that I just took.http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Dodecka/DSC00431.jpghttp://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f373/Dodecka/DSC00434.jpg Beautiful guitar but get rid of that pickguard. Too nice of a top to be hiding it with that. I thought the pickguard was weird at first, but it has grown on me. For some reason, I feel that without the pickguard, the guitar is just way too elegant and sexy for me to be standing behind it. As for the Phat Cat, it sounds awesome. I've played Strats mostly, so I've found single coils to be much better for clean. Humbuckers just seem too overpowering. Plus, I just like how fat it sounds. You can get a real punchy-ass tone with it, or you can roll the tone back for some nice warm jazz sound. I like it.
Zipper Neck Posted May 1, 2006 Posted May 1, 2006 Here's a shot of my Elite in Indigo: I think I might be dead.
anotherfreak2 Posted May 1, 2006 Posted May 1, 2006 Mine! It hung in the store for two years, I even had it tagged at $1795, no one stepped up, so I added it to my stable
Sentinel Posted May 2, 2006 Author Posted May 2, 2006 How much extra do they charge for custom color on your (my next?!) Hamer?
Disturber Posted May 2, 2006 Posted May 2, 2006 Welcome, Stockholm must have the highest number of Hamer fanatics is Europe, I guess. Great entry.... We are all fanatics here in Stockholm. Some of us are also Hamer fanatics Welcome aboard Sentinel. I think we are about four, five Swedes here on the HFC. Perhaps even more. Nice Monaco by the way. Now let me know your address so I can come and relieve you of the burden of owning such a fine instrument. I will even give you 350 for it
Sentinel Posted May 2, 2006 Author Posted May 2, 2006 Nice Monaco by the way ... I will even give you 350 for it Sorry... but for 35.000 swedish kronor it's yours! Actually, I will NEVER sell it! It's too precious! :-)
Sentinel Posted May 3, 2006 Author Posted May 3, 2006 Thanks for all feedback and the nice pictures! You have made me feel welcome here!I love this model so much... but I guess that the Elite hasn't really caught on...?! It is a fairly new model, right?! And perhaps it looks too "classy" for the younger (?) rockers. The Standard and the Studio are more of "rock" I guess. (I agree!) My next guitar WILL be a Studio Custom!! (When I have won the lottery!)Anyhow, I think that all of us Monaco Elite's owners know how special they are and have probably stopped longing/looking for another Les Paul. :-)
HamerHokie Posted May 3, 2006 Posted May 3, 2006 How much extra do they charge for custom color on your (my next?!) Hamer? Hamer has two classifications for special order colors.They make stock guitars in a limited range of colors, but they have other colors that they will use for zero upcharge. Those would include trans black, indigo, trans red, and some others.Then there are true custom colors that need to be mixed to customer specs. Those would be an upcharge, it used to be $100, but I don''t know what it is now. I would expect that 'aquaburst' to be an upcharge, some other nonstandard bursts, and colors like purple.People here have had good success at supplying Hamer a color sample and having them match it closely.
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