Today I found an old letter I got from Hamer in 1988.

[Stike]

38 years ago I was 17 and my prized Hamer Sunburst was stolen from my parents house. I had purchased it used but found out after the theft that it had been a special order for the guy that ran a store in nearby Raleigh called Audio, Light & Music, there's still one in Norfolk VA. In the 80s Floyded carved top Sunbursts IIRC were not a standard offering and was told that it was one of just a few (maybe even two?) made and another went to Andy Summers. I wrote to Hamer to get an estimate to have another built and this was the reply. I had forgotten about it but was going through my late father's file cabinets earlier today and came across it, though it might be of mild interest to the group.

I didn't place the order...I took the check from the insurance company and had the luthier at the store where I bought the used Hamer (Oxbow Music in Chapel Hill) build a super Strat with Tom Anderson parts and got an ESP M-1 as well a bitchin' Randall RG100ES head instead. That old Hamer as far as I know has never popped up for sale anywhere in the last 38 years.

Frank spell my name wrong, not the first time that's happened. 😄

[Biz Prof]

Oxbow Music. Shitfire, I haven't thought about that place in decades.  Tried out a couple of Seymour Duncan Convertible amps there and eventually bought a Kitty Hawk M3 from them. Store was in an old clapboard house.

Now, AL&M was THE place during the hair metal era. First Jackson USA and JEM 777 I ever saw were at that store beside the rails on Beryl Road near NCSU. My mom bought my Kramer from them in '86. Good times.

[Steve Haynie]

$3190 back in 1988 would have gotten you an Alembic bass.

[Bluesking]

That's $8600 in 2025 dollars.

Crazy.

[Stike]

8 hours ago, Steve Haynie said:

$3190 back in 1988 would have gotten you an Alembic bass.

Yes but the Hamer would have been aestheticly pleasing. 😄

[Stike]

10 hours ago, Biz Prof said:

Oxbow Music. Shitfire, I haven't thought about that place in decades.  Tried out a couple of Seymour Duncan Convertible amps there and eventually bought a Kitty Hawk M3 from them. Store was in an old clapboard house.

Now, AL&M was THE place during the hair metal era. First Jackson USA and JEM 777 I ever saw were at that store beside the rails on Beryl Road near NCSU. My mom bought my Kramer from them in '86. Good times.

Growing up in Chapel Hill Oxbow was a lot of used stuff and B&B Music carried pretty much just Fender, Ibanez and Peavey. First time I walked into AL&M I was maybe 14 and was like "Woah!!!", first place I ever saw a Hamer in person. 

[hamerhead]

6 hours ago, Bluesking said:

That's $8600 in 2025 dollars.

Crazy.

I was gonna say $3190 in 1988?? They reeeeally didn't want to build that guitar!

[Cboss]

9 hours ago, Steve Haynie said:

$3190 back in 1988 would have gotten you an Alembic bass.

It would have gotten you a 440 6 pack cuda.. that was a lot of money back then

[Cboss]

7 hours ago, Bluesking said:

That's $8600 in 2025 dollars.

Crazy.

How much was a b&c sunburst in the 88 catalog? 900 bucks?

[Biz Prof]

3 hours ago, hamerhead said:

I was gonna say $3190 in 1988?? They reeeeally didn't want to build that guitar!

Definitely sounds like a nuisance quote.

[HSB0531]

15 hours ago, Stike said:

38 years ago I was 17 and my prized Hamer Sunburst was stolen from my parents house. I had purchased it used but found out after the theft that it had been a special order for the guy that ran a store in nearby Raleigh called Audio, Light & Music, there's still one in Norfolk VA. In the 80s Floyded carved top Sunbursts IIRC were not a standard offering and was told that it was one of just a few (maybe even two?) made and another went to Andy Summers. I wrote to Hamer to get an estimate to have another built and this was the reply. I had forgotten about it but was going through my late father's file cabinets earlier today and came across it, though it might be of mild interest to the group.

I didn't place the order...I took the check from the insurance company and had the luthier at the store where I bought the used Hamer (Oxbow Music in Chapel Hill) build a super Strat with Tom Anderson parts and got an ESP M-1 as well a bitchin' Randall RG100ES head instead. That old Hamer as far as I know has never popped up for sale anywhere in the last 38 years.

Frank spell my name wrong, not the first time that's happened. 😄

1988: $3,190.00  2025: $8,861.49 !!!!!

[HSB0531]

7 minutes ago, Biz Prof said:

Definitely sounds like a nuisance quote.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[Cboss]

6 minutes ago, HSB0531 said:

Exactly what I was thinking.

What is a nuisance quote? 

[HSB0531]

3 minutes ago, Cboss said:

What is a nuisance quote? 

It's a quote given that is so high, almost no one would accept it and place an order.

[Cboss]

22 minutes ago, HSB0531 said:

It's a quote given that is so high, almost no one would accept it and place an order.

And the idea is just to get rid of the customer?

That is so prickish; here's our loyal customer whose cherished guitar gets stolen, let's just get rid of him

[Stike]

45 minutes ago, HSB0531 said:

It's a quote given that is so high, almost no one would accept it and place an order.

Also known as a "fuck off price".

16 minutes ago, Cboss said:

And the idea is just to get rid of the customer?

That is so prickish; here's our loyal customer whose cherished guitar gets stolen, let's just get rid of him

Technically I bought it used so not exactly a loyal customer. 😄

3 hours ago, Cboss said:

How much was a b&c sunburst in the 88 catalog? 900 bucks?

I could be wrong but I think the carved top Sunburst wasn't wasn't a stock offering until 91?

[HSB0531]

14 minutes ago, Cboss said:

And the idea is just to get rid of the customer?

That is so prickish; here's our loyal customer whose cherished guitar gets stolen, let's just get rid of him

Ask Frank U.  Last I heard he was working at Martin Guitars in Nazareth, PA.

[HSB0531]

6 minutes ago, Stike said:

Also known as a "fuck off price".

Technically I bought it used so not exactly a loyal customer. 😄

I could be wrong but I think the carved top Sunburst wasn't wasn't a stock offering until 91?

I think you're right.

[HSB0531]

To add:  I really love the carved top version of the Sunburst.

[cmatthes]

Could also have been an Insurance settlement quote?

[Biz Prof]

7 minutes ago, cmatthes said:

Could also have been an Insurance settlement quote?

Certainly possible. I had not considered that angle.

[Biz Prof]

1 hour ago, HSB0531 said:

It's a quote given that is so high, almost no one would accept it and place an order.

A very common practice in the skilled trades over the last several years. In a state like North Carolina, where there is massive positive migration, tradespeople can take their pick from sometimes hundreds of jobs. It's always better to at least give a quote so as to avoid developing a reputation of ignoring potential customers. 

Commercial/industrial hvac and electrical provide some of the best examples. The quote sheets on the repairs that I have to consider at my place of work can be downright comical. In addition to parts and hours of labor are these ridiculous line Items: "truck fee", " fuel surcharge", "travel surcharge", "shop supplies", etc. These make an eight thousand dollar Hamer custom order look like child's play.

[Stike]

35 minutes ago, cmatthes said:

Could also have been an Insurance settlement quote?

It was.

[kizanski]

Well, Heir Steikeleather, perhaps Frank Untermyer thought you were German.

[Cboss]

6 hours ago, Stike said:

Also known as a "fuck off price".

Technically I bought it used so not exactly a loyal customer. 😄

I could be wrong but I think the carved top Sunburst wasn't wasn't a stock offering until 91?

 they made the sportomatic in 84