PSA-Want Crown Inlays?

[peedenmark7]

Stop torturing me Ethel!

I wonder where Ruth is?

Anyways... prices are going up as Jol has talked about for ages, Hamer has made the final step to phase out crowns which Jol also said was going to happen almost two years ago... There are probably plenty more changes being planned just like every year and Fender doesen't even own them yet. Why don't we credit Fender with the Talladega as long as we're are at it. Let's give it a rest.

I'll bite and say its very possible.... but why phase out crowns even on a special order basis ?

[jisham]

Hmm, i wonder what else will soon be a "no XXXXX" on a CUSTOM order? Bizarre to say the least... I don't see how Hamer can continue to tout custom orders if they keep taking away things people want/like/are willing to pay for.

[HamerHokie]

Stop torturing me Ethel!

I wonder where Ruth is?

Anyways... prices are going up as Jol has talked about for ages, Hamer has made the final step to phase out crowns which Jol also said was going to happen almost two years ago... There are probably plenty more changes being planned just like every year and Fender doesen't even own them yet. Why don't we credit Fender with the Talladega as long as we're are at it. Let's give it a rest.

Ooooo...someone's pushing for board monitor status...

[DavidE]

"I'll bite and say its very possible.... but why phase out crowns even on a special order basis ?"

To take one more step in securing Hamer's own identity?

[jisham]

"I'll bite and say its very possible.... but why phase out crowns even on a special order basis ?"

To take one more step in securing Hamer's own identity?

Could be but to me, it still doesn't make sense for them to take away options potential buyers clearly want.

Stop torturing me Ethel!

Why don't we credit Fender with the Talladega as long as we're are at it. Let's give it a rest.

Hmmm...T body shape and 25.5" scale? Nah.....

[elduave]

"I'll bite and say its very possible.... but why phase out crowns even on a special order basis ?"

To take one more step in securing Hamer's own identity?

Could be but to me, it still doesn't make sense for them to take away options potential buyers clearly want.

There you go. Valid points all around.

Tumbling Victories are out as well. BWWWWWWAAAAAHHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA!

[jisham]

"I'll bite and say its very possible.... but why phase out crowns even on a special order basis ?"

To take one more step in securing Hamer's own identity?

Could be but to me, it still doesn't make sense for them to take away options potential buyers clearly want.

There you go. Valid points all around.

Tumbling Victories are out as well. BWWWWWWAAAAAHHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA!

Pretty soon, you'll only be able to cough up the appropriate dough and just get the guitar they decide to build you. Kinda like the first Fords -- any color you want as long as it's black.

[elduave]

"I'll bite and say its very possible.... but why phase out crowns even on a special order basis ?"

To take one more step in securing Hamer's own identity?

Could be but to me, it still doesn't make sense for them to take away options potential buyers clearly want.

There you go. Valid points all around.

Tumbling Victories are out as well. BWWWWWWAAAAAHHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA!

Pretty soon, you'll only be able to cough up the appropriate dough and just get the guitar they decide to build you. Kinda like the first Fords -- any color you want as long as it's black.

This reminds me of Black Crowes fans bitching about the set list. The Crowes (and Hamer) do what they do, 'cause it's their choice to do it. Folks can choose to buy it, or not, or get bent out of shape about it. I just happen to think that option C is pointless, unless one genuinely feels better after venting. Not a slam on you, JI, just a thought.

[jisham]

It's all good Dave... I've never understood alot of decisions Hamer makes but they still crank out excellent guitars.

[elduave]

It's all good Dave... I've never understood alot of decisions Hamer makes but they still crank out excellent guitars.

Cool. Let's go get a beer.

[zorrow]

Hmm, i wonder what else will soon be a "no XXXXX" on a CUSTOM order? Bizarre to say the least... I don't see how Hamer can continue to tout custom orders if they keep taking away things people want/like/are willing to pay for.

I was about to say the same. At least I do like dot inlays (yeah, I'm a pussy!) and they still build V-shaped bodies --though non-pointy headstocks in Vees are banned... But hell, the meaning of the "custom" word is getting into a very weird dimension at Hamer's!

[Guest Meshuggah]

I can buy the Corporate argument. Drop back to your core business. Do what you do best. Not take on marginal business. Look to the bottom line. Gummit is doing it. But at what price?

In a case I am familiar with, a small cell of individuals within a larger Corporate entity took a stand to provide whatever the customer wanted, whenever the customer wanted it, or act as an honest broker to find them a solution. It was wildly popular.

BLUF: When the world view changed, the PR from the success of the small unit provided a strong argrument for its parents survival in the new order, spawned a totally new business line and gave the parent some breathing room.

Hence my reluctance to embrace backing up under the FMIC Corporate shroud with Hamer.

[kizanski]

Hmmm...T body shape and 25.5" scale? Nah.....

LOL! I you, Jaye Isham!

[Wordupperman]

Pretty soon, you'll only be able to cough up the appropriate dough and just get the guitar they decide to build you. Kinda like the first Fords -- any color you want as long as it's black.

At the risk of being called Hamer's press agent...

Actually Jaye, the one of reasons that the original Sunburst was named as such, was because you could get it in any color as long as it was Sunburst. Of course later you could get it in other colors, but the point is that Hamer has a history of confusing choices, names and policies. Just part of the attraction for me, and also as a historian... it makes it more interesting.

Dantzig has said for some time that Hamer is being "positioned" as a designer brand. With quotes in Tone Quest, Musicians Hotline and in the Sky Radio interview to the effect of (and I'm paraphrasing somewhat) "We're a designer brand, we won't make just anything you want just because you have the money" and "we're not a job-shop". One of my favorites from an article in Musical Merchandise Review years ago was, "When someone comes to me and asks me to build them a Jackson, I give them Grover Jackson's phone number."

My analysis of all this is that Dantzig feels that the custom shop thing is all played out, and ahead of the curve (once again for Hamer) he is steering the company towards a different place. Look at who has custom shops: Peavey, Carvin, ESP, Washburn, Dean, not to mention the five hundred "boutique" builders out there that will do anything for your business. This is most obviously coupled with the need to move away from "copy" or "replica" guitars. Think about this... For new models, Hamer has released only original designs starting with the Newport in 1999. I see the loss of the crown inlays as just one more step in the path that Hamer has been on for quite a few years.

[DaveH]

Eh, so what..... Inlays are for pussies.... ha ha ha ha

I'm going to have to agree with you there!

Yea...what they said!

What you said!

[kizanski]

Actually Jaye, the one of reasons that the original Sunburst was named as such, was because you could get it in any color as long as it was Sunburst. Of course later you could get it in other colors...

I don't know how accurate that is, as I have seen a few early '77 Sunbursts in Natural.

One of my favorites from an article in Musical Merchandise Review years ago was, "When someone comes to me and asks me to build them a Jackson, I give them Grover Jackson's phone number."

One of my favorites from Jol is on his "Guru Tour" Web page, where he claims one of his (many) contributions to guitar history as the "founding of the Hamer Guitar Company in 1973."

Don't believe everything you read.

[Guest Meshuggah]

Just what I fukkin' need. A designer guitar to match my designer Mercedes, my designer coffee maker and my designer dildo, oh wait belay that. I don't really have a designer dildo. Really.

If anything is played out, it's taking a piece of shit, slapping a designer label on it and charging umpteen times it real value for....wait for it...for...I don't have a clue what?

I guess 'cuz this is America. Polishing turds and selling them to suckers is de rigeur. After all. We've have a reputation to maintain. What would penniless Third Worlders have to long for if we didn't have designer brands for them to covet.

Fukk designers.

[zorrow]

...and I don't think we want a Jackson, a PRS or a copy of whatever... We're talking about boomers (to my knowledge an exclusive Hamer signature), as well as crown inlays (a pretty common type of inlays) and headstock shapes they have already done in the past --like it or not, their own design ideas, indeed. To be frank, as a customer I don't really get the point. Maybe they're already swimming in a pool of millions and that's why they're just turning off some potential customers. Jol can say whatever he wants. At our side we have no choice but accepting his (or their) decisions, but that's anyway quite hard to understand, I think.

[atquinn]

...and I don't think we want a Jackson, a PRS or a copy of whatever... We're talking about boomers (to my knowledge an exclusive Hamer signature), as well as crown inlays (a pretty common type of inlays) and headstock shapes they have already done in the past --like it or not, their own design ideas, indeed. To be frank, as a customer I don't really get the point. Maybe they're already swimming in a pool of millions and that's why they're just turning off some potential customers. Jol can say whatever he wants. At our side we have no choice but accepting his (or their) decisions, but that's anyway quite hard to understand, I think.

I have no problem at all with Hamer getting rid of crowns in favor of victory inlays, but I think it's horrible that they won't do boomers since those are a Hamer original. On the other hand, I can see why they would do that since they don't fit with their image and, more importantly, boomers have been, to a large extent, ruined by being put on so many import Hamers.

-Austin

[jisham]

Pretty soon, you'll only be able to cough up the appropriate dough and just get the guitar they decide to build you. Kinda like the first Fords -- any color you want as long as it's black.

At the risk of being called Hamer's press agent...

Who are you then? I don't want "designer" guitars....I want quality-made guitars that look cool while I play them for a price I'm willing to pay, and I AM willing to fork over the dough to get them as seen by my Hamer purchases over the past weeks. And yeah, in the future I can just vote with wallet elsewhere if I don't like what they're offering, as Elduave pointed out. But I suspect there'll be more than just me looking elsewhere.

I don't know what your agenda is but it sure appears there's more to it than just commenting on a message board.

[zorrow]

I've already whined a lot about this and don't wanna start complaining again. In any case, they should know what they are doing in scaling down their production and in offering even less options. But I do think that at a given moment there will Hamers just for collectors and/or rich players. Chug-chug-chug SAD BUT TRUEAAHHH!

[ecnal]

I've already whined a lot about this and don't wanna start complaining again. In any case, they should know what they are doing in scaling down their production and in offering even less options. But I do think that at a given moment there will Hamers just for collectors and/or rich players. Chug-chug-chug SAD BUT TRUEAAHHH!

Seems to me like offering fewer choices won't appeal to collectors or rich players either.

[Wordupperman]

Seems to me like offering fewer choices won't appeal to collectors or rich players either.

Guys, it's just an inlay pattern! Who knows what will replace it as far as options go? Right now the Hamer option list is pretty long. By the way, try getting crowns on a PRS.

Jaye, who am I? What is my agenda? I'm a Hamer fan. I like what they do and I play their guitars. I don't agree with everything that they do but I try to find the "upside" in it because they've figured out how to stay around for 35 years and still get better instead of worse. I'm interested in more than just the inlays.

People come here to discuss Hamer, and that's what we're doing. Just because a few people here think that Hamer hasn't done anything since the Virtuoso, doesn't mean there isn't another point of view.

I won't miss the crown inlays, but what I would miss is if they stopped making guitars altogether.

[hamerhead]

Having never 'heard' a crown, a victory, or even a boomer, gimme dots.........

[zorrow]

Having never 'heard' a crown, a victory, or even a boomer, gimme dots.........