Hamer 12-String Bass Fun, Haven't Seen These Before

[crunchee]

Just stumbled upon these videos today while looking for something else, old videos but this guy does like his Hamer 12 basses:

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2025 by crunchee

[django49]

But you need these bass drivers!

[JGale]

1 hour ago, django49 said:

But you need these bass drivers!

https://www.svconline.com/proav-today/ascendo-claims-the-worlds-largest-subwoofers

 

[Steve Haynie]

Quote

For greater serviceability in the field, the subwoofers include a field-replaceable re-cone kit.

Hmmm...  How much fun would you have trying blow those giant speakers?  

[crunchee]

IMO, the 'punch' and distinctive sound of the 12-string bass is helped out a lot by the thinner gauge strings.  Take away the midrange frequency strings, and all you've got is a short-scale (usually, depending on the model) 4-string bass.  Midrange is where the clarity lives anyway, otherwise if it was all very low bass frequencies, you might have a tough time trying to figure out exactly what tune was being played; just like if you were being passed by a car blasting a loud stereo, where all you heard was buzzy low end.  The Mythbusters TV show once had an episode where they built one huge speaker mounted in the entire passenger area (interior removed) of an old Mercedes.  It was plenty loud (measured at about 160db), but the speaker eventually self-destructed while the car and windows didn't.