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Hamer's best times?


When do you think Hamer was really on top of their game?  

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Hey Rock D: Sorry for confusing you with troll. 9 posts under a new name and gettin' all indignant .....You had me going there! :)

It's not like the "facts" haven't been gone over a dozen times, but I'll try again: Hamer doesn't make shredders any more because pristine used ones sell on ebay for about 1/3 what Hamer would need to charge for a new one. They're already busy as hell building the guitars you hate and getting a lot of money for them. :lol: Hey, IBM won't build a typewriter either, even though that's what made them so successful! :lol: That's one view of it anyway. Then again, Carvin just reintroduced their 80's pointy guitars in large part because of devoted fan demand. Of course, those are largely machine made and it might be easier for them.

Like you, I love 70's and 80's rock, and shred music too. But if you turn on the radio, it sounds like our music is what's dead! It's so much drop-tuned pablum now. Maybe the good stuff will come back. If it does, then maybe Hamer will see an actual market for those guitars again. A few of us middle-aged guys holding on to the past isn't going to cut it, obviously. :lol: There are a lot of models I'd like to see again too, along with the custom paintjobs. It's probably not going to happen, but that doesn't make the company "dead" to me. I fear what's really gone.......is my youth.

--------------------Youth is a frame of mind, and as long as you remember that, you'll never grow old :lol: Certain models of Hamer are bringing enough money that Hamer could make them on limited basis and make a tidy profit, they just don't want to :) However, even if this was NOT the case, if I as the comsumer wanted to CUSTOM ORDER something, and I was willing to pay the price and was willing to wait as long as it took.......there is simply NO REASON for them to turn down my business.

I think a lot of the problem is the simple fact that Kaman really made their money from other sources, and certainly not from Hamer. If they had to see PROFIT from this company for survival, things here would be a LOT different. As for the music of today, some of it I like, some I hate, but it was that way for me back in the old days as well. Things go around in circles, and what we love will come around again, and we are already seeing the signs of it...........................Rock D

RockD and I have had loads of conversations over the past decade about Hamer stuff and he certainly knows Hamer stuff and has lots of first hand experience with the 80s custom stuff from their heyday (hairday? ;P ). He's been around a long time, despite what the registration date listed says. I like that stuff too, but I also dig the old Sunbursts and four digits. I remember the first few discussions about the Hamer Sunburst when it came out. You could get it in any finish you wanted, as long as it was sunburst. That soon changed though and some people didn't get the "Sunburst" name on a black guitar...

---------Hey Serial, good to see that you're around :lol: Lately, I've been seeing a batch of really flamey Sunbursts pass by, and I was suprised, since it seems that I see that kind of stuff FAR less than I used to :lol: I see the vintage market has been good to old Sunbursts and Specials, and prices have done well :lol: I wouldn't be suprised if the upcoming reccession digs a few of them as well as a batch of 4-digit Standards for sale. Strangely, I have a lot of dealers now asking me about 70's Hamers :lol: and they mainly want pricing and model info(for those who don't know, I deal vintage guitars :lol: ). I think we may be on the verge of seeing 70's Hamers bounce a lot higher in price.......................Rock D
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Agreed. I'm seeing 4-digit Standards crack the $5k range and '70s Sunbursts in excess of $2,500-$3k. Not sure if its the weaker dollar or not, but that's how the deals seem to be going - all uphill!

FWIW, no, I don't have any for sale!

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  • 10 months later...

Wow another great thread, really enjoy reading through this one!

Man I hope I don't get booted for saying this ...

But Hamer in the 80's with the Chaparral's was my favorite era ... they were good and cheap. I'm really not into these expensive tiger striped, inlay laden stuff ... solid painted, flat top, sea-foam green shreddres that if they get stolen or broken it's not a big deal.

Hamers to me are like Landcruisers .... used to be rock solid, cheap bush-buggies but have evolved to be rock solid, expensive non-bush buggies luxary SUV's (LX450's).

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I took delivery of a brand-new Standard Custom two weeks ago. It's absolutely the best instrument I ever laid hands on, way surpassing my 4-digit standard from 1979. The finish is flawless, it plays like a dream, and the only thing I had to do was loosen the truss rod one-eighth of a turn - presumably rough freight handlers and a freezing cargo hold whilst en route to the UK hadn't helped.

Apart from that.......utter perfection. And yeah - IT'S A FULL-ON, CHROMED-UP, SHAVED NECK, FLOYDED SHREDDER.

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Is it sea-foam green?

I took delivery of a brand-new Standard Custom two weeks ago. It's absolutely the best instrument I ever laid hands on, way surpassing my 4-digit standard from 1979. The finish is flawless, it plays like a dream, and the only thing I had to do was loosen the truss rod one-eighth of a turn - presumably rough freight handlers and a freezing cargo hold whilst en route to the UK hadn't helped.

Apart from that.......utter perfection. And yeah - IT'S A FULL-ON, CHROMED-UP, SHAVED NECK, FLOYDED SHREDDER.

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Sea-foam green? That's not very metal is it? :lol:

Or is that an 'old-school' Hamer custom colour like baby-poop brown, old-man's pockets grey, auntie's cardigan beige, Ken'n'Barbie purple, or Borat cheese-shop 'what-is-a-this' yellow?

It's METAL. It's BLACK. What other colour is there? (Apart from very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very dark grey?)

Pics to follow................

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  • 11 months later...

Best era is when Gary Moore toured 1987 with his entire band band playing Hamers, to include Billy Joel and Hamer was considered what PRS is today.

But they were promoting an era prior to, '79-83ish.

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  • 2 weeks later...

For imagination and innovation, 1980's. For quality of craftsmanship, NOW. Also, I personally like their move into chambered and hollowbody designs.

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...Also, I personally like their move into chambered and hollowbody designs.

I think there has been a dramatic change in their philosophy over time. Chambers have become a very popular feature and are a basic design element of the newer models as well as being added to old ones, i.e. the Standard. They even have a broad range of hollows with the Monaco, Newport, Artist, Duotone and Improv. Counting the Standard and Talladega chambered, there is not much left on the solidbody side. From a model perspective, there is the Studio and light weight Korina made Special and V. That's not much classic solidbody, is it?.

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  • 2 months later...

Agreed. I'm seeing 4-digit Standards crack the $5k range and '70s Sunbursts in excess of $2,500-$3k. Not sure if its the weaker dollar or not, but that's how the deals seem to be going - all uphill!

FWIW, no, I don't have any for sale!

Yeah, just wait until the general public reads here that Hamer has stopped making guitars altogether!

GOLD RUSH

I kid, I kid.

Kris

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I love the early stuff (1974-1985). I've got a 4-digit bass.

But after receiving my Standard 12 bass a week ago, I can say that right now is the best.

And they'll probably keep getting better.

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  • 1 year later...
Has there ever been a "bad stretch" in quality & workmanship for Hamer products?

Skinny Necks On Set Neck Models was a bad period.

Why? I have a hamer sunburst from 1992 with a skinny neck, awesome guitar. Period.

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Best era is when Gary Moore toured 1987 with his entire band band playing Hamers, to include Billy Joel and Hamer was considered what PRS is today.

But they were promoting an era prior to, '79-83ish.

Gary's Hamer period was 1984-early 1986, badically around the Run For Cover album.

Live he used the Hamer Gary Moore models for the videos with Phil Lynott, "Out In The Fields, Military Man, and "Still In Love With You", which was dropped to fade on the TV appearance annoying Gary at the time.

By the time 1987 rolled around he was using PRS's, a Jackson Soloist and his pair of newly arrived Charvels.

Gary never toured with the Hamer's or officially endorsed them, he told Danzig if he likes a guitar he will play it live, ect.

yngwie308

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Best era is when Gary Moore toured 1987 with his entire band band playing Hamers, to include Billy Joel and Hamer was considered what PRS is today.

But they were promoting an era prior to, '79-83ish.

Gary's Hamer period was 1984-early 1986, badically around the Run For Cover album.

Live he used the Hamer Gary Moore models for the videos with Phil Lynott, "Out In The Fields, Military Man, and "Still In Love With You", which was dropped to fade on the TV appearance annoying Gary at the time.

By the time 1987 rolled around he was using PRS's, a Jackson Soloist and his pair of newly arrived Charvels.

Gary never toured with the Hamer's or officially endorsed them, he told Danzig if he likes a guitar he will play it live, ect.

yngwie308

I don't like metal. Maybe that's why, I don't really dig any of the 80's models (and they were mainly oriented towards metal people, weren't they?)

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  • 3 months later...

Since this thread has been resurrected:

I have owned / own Hamers from 3 periods: 1979 Sunburst / 1992 FM Special / 2006 Newport.

All are / were great guitars with great workmanship. Mojo / vibe are very subjective categories, especially when thinking of long gone instruments (Sunburst). The Sunburst turned me on to Hamers, the 80's shredders turned me off (I didn't like any shredders back then, no matter what company put them out...),

my FM Special, that I bought unseen from the internet reassured me of the quality I once knew from the Sunburst. I bought the Newport KNOWING what I would get - again unseen over the net!

In objective terms, I would say that workmanship and quality of the Newport is ahead of the other two.

Mojo and vibe? Only time will tell...

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  • 4 weeks later...

late 90's/early 2000's

I think the artist mahogany, korina artist (vanguard, 25th anniversary

if you will) I'd also add the newport. Those dudes, took what they learned

in the 25 previous years and just hit it out of the park, nice woody tones,

big necks, and... at the same time they realized they had to up their

game with nicer tops. and oh yeah, no hameritis...

the stuff after this got a little too pricey...

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It needs now a new period: post-Jol years. :rolleyes:

Those guitars will be rare.

Later we might call them "the financial crisis limited run".

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I can't vote because i've never had the chance to handle one of the early ones. But i do know ones out of the "new shop" era are remarkable. Can't say i've every touched a better set neck,(ok, a soco was hanging in there), than any one of the beauts i have now. Truly top quality!!!!

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