specialk Posted June 24, 2008 Posted June 24, 2008 Hi everybody,My brother is a bass player who loves his Ibanez SR1500. I am finally bringing him around to checking out a Hamer USA bass. He is afflicted with the family curse of small hands/short fingers. I am too. But my Hamer USA 6 strings (T-51 and Special K) fit in my hands wonderfully! I have never picked up a Hamer USA bass. A real generalized question here, but would they be good for smallish hands ya think?If so, he's not ready to buy a Monaco bass, but is willing to check out a decent Cruise bass.Any help/advice/leads would be much appreciated! Thanks,specialk
cmatthes Posted June 24, 2008 Posted June 24, 2008 Do you have a price range in mind? High to low?That might be a good indicator of what is out there. Early Cruises tend to be on the lower end pricewise, although they are great, solid basses. Regular Chap basses are kind of middle of the pack and 2nd Generation Cruises (Bolt ons) tend to be right there in the mix with those.The double-cut and multi-course strings (along w/the Monacos!) are going to be on the higher end of the range, as is any crazy or custom stuff.
Mindseyes Posted June 24, 2008 Posted June 24, 2008 I have a 96 and 97 cruise bass and both have pretty thin necks compared to my 86 FBIV witch has a baseball bat for a neck.I dont know how much the cruise's varryed in neck size over the years, but i think it would be safe to say he would feel at home on one.
specialk Posted June 24, 2008 Author Posted June 24, 2008 Thanks for the info, guys! And apologies to the mods if I posted in the wrong forum. I'm just guessing his price range would be $300-$700. He is different from me in that respect. I would spend $2k for the right guitar. He never would but has no problem spending $500 apiece for four average guitars. So it would definitely be in the lower price range. He does like exotic woods though and would pay for that. Again thanks!specialkON EDIT: I only know of the Hamer Cruise, Blitz and Monaco basses, although there must be other models out there. I told him to make sure to get a Hamer USA bass. Are the Cruise basses USA made? Thanks (I seem to keep saying that a lot here...)
hamertek98 Posted June 24, 2008 Posted June 24, 2008 They have import cruise basses, also. What condition does he want. I have a 1st edition Cruise that's been around the block and a Chap with granite finish in excellent shape.I don't have a camera yet, but I may be able to have someone post pics.
mc2 Posted June 24, 2008 Posted June 24, 2008 Hi everybody,My brother is a bass player who loves his Ibanez SR1500. I am finally bringing him around to checking out a Hamer USA bass. He is afflicted with the family curse of small hands/short fingers. Well...if his small hands are happy on the longscale Ibanez SR, then he will be fine on a Hamer Cruise Bass. the 90s US Hamer Cruise bolt-ons are similar to an SR but a bit better, somewhere between an SR and a Fender Jazz in feel. They came with either a Fender-ish type bridge or the 2TEK bridge (a little heavier but more desireable to some) but either is fine.You just missed one on EBAY for under $400!! Be careful when you buy because there ARE import Cruise basses that look identical to the US ones. Make sure there is a small "U.S.A." on the headstock after the "HAMER" logo.The '80s Cruisebasses are also a good bargain. They are setneck mahogany ones, not bolt-on. Again, a cross between a Fender Jazz feel and a Gibson Thunderbird. One went for $285 on EBAY last night!! Some player wear but a steal.Many of the other Hamer bass models have neck feels that vary, sometimes a little chunkier like a Gibson EB Series, so best to try those first before buying blind on EBAY. The Cruise Basses are the most consistant neck feel for small hands and a safe bet.
specialk Posted June 24, 2008 Author Posted June 24, 2008 Thank you very much everyone! I have passed along your responses. He is looking for a 4 string USA Hamer bass, cosmetic condition not a big issue if the purchase price reflects it. Mechanically very sound with no work needed on it. And he'd like to stay away from black. Any other color is fine! specialk PS... This is great! I have been trying to get him into a Hamer USA bass for a long time now!
mc2 Posted June 24, 2008 Posted June 24, 2008 Thank you very much everyone! I have passed along your responses. He is looking for a 4 string USA Hamer bass, cosmetic condition not a big issue if the purchase price reflects it. Mechanically very sound with no work needed on it. And he'd like to stay away from black. Any other color is fine! specialk PS... This is great! I have been trying to get him into a Hamer USA bass for a long time now! The Ibanez SR Basses are decent workhorse basses for the money. I've had a couple and have also even written the guitar abd bass catalog for Ibanez and been to their PA warehouse/HQ. But I MUCH prefer the Hamer US Cruise Basses to the SR Basses, especially the 4-string bolt-on 90s ones with the 2TEK bridge. I prefer the passive pickups, although they also were available with active PUPs. You can probably find a REALLY nice one in the $500-600 range but may get luckier. The ones with the non-2TEK bridge usually go for $100-150 less.
BCR Greg Posted June 24, 2008 Posted June 24, 2008 http://www.bcrmusic.com/detail.asp?product_key=393
Bass Guy Dave Posted June 25, 2008 Posted June 25, 2008 Main difference I've noticed between the set-neck early cruises and later bolt ons, is the necks on the set necks stayed narrower in the higher registers, where the 2-TEK era Cruises are wider around the octave area.Both would make a great bass. I've got at least one of each and love 'em all.Best Wishes
specialk Posted June 25, 2008 Author Posted June 25, 2008 Fantastic! Basses are new beasts to me and this is a real crash course. Thank you all for your time and effort in sharing your knowledge. It's looking like the set-neck Cruise USA may be the way to lean, although he did mention now liking the Standard body style. I'm guessing everyone likes the Standard, so they must be in the higher dollar range. I just want to get a Hamer USA in his hands to start with, because I know once he does, he won't be looking back! That happens a lot... BCR: Thanks for the pic! I know I said not black, but I'm pretty sure pink is out of the question too! Thanks again, specialk
hamertek98 Posted June 25, 2008 Posted June 25, 2008 The Standards (Blitz) can be had relatively cheap in the bass market. I got one in great shape for around 400. They do have a Korean (?) Standard. I would venture away from that. Someone posted before about the usa on the headstock. It's right nest to the R in Hamer.
tobereeno Posted June 25, 2008 Posted June 25, 2008 hard for me to generalize as my only setneck Cruise bass is a custom, but it sure is narrow - five strings packed into a 4 string width neck! Definitely was made for small hands (the Mary James w/pickle finish). With normal or long-fingered hands some interesting reaches can be made.
jorg Posted June 25, 2008 Posted June 25, 2008 Interesting. I believe mine is an '88 model and I know what I paid for it. About how much should it have sold for new with EMGs? I ask because mine is in the same shape as when I bought it new and I wouldn't sell it for the prices being mentioned here. I'm not a big guy and it feels very good in my hands. I'd recommend it for most anyone. http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=27814
specialk Posted June 25, 2008 Author Posted June 25, 2008 Well, they say you learn something new every day, so I think I'm covered for the next month or so. So am I right in that both Chaparral and Cruise basses are both imported and USA Hamers? Thanks,specialk
adgc Posted June 26, 2008 Posted June 26, 2008 Original 1982 Hamer Cruise Bass Cherry with white pickguard & OHSChttp://cgi.ebay.com/Original-1982-Hamer-Cr...1QQcmdZViewItem
cmatthes Posted June 26, 2008 Posted June 26, 2008 Correct in that Hamer has USA versions of the Cruisebass (early 80s: setneck, pickguard; mid 80s: setneck, no guard; Mid 90s: Bolt-on w/or w/o 2TEK bridge) and Chapparal (late 80s/early 90s set and bolt neck versions).The import versions of the Chapparal from the early 90s "Slammer" Series and the regular MIK line aren't bad, but nowhere near the quality of the USA counterparts. In the mid 90s, they also made a MIK version of the bolt-neck Cruisebass that is a passable instrument, but again, can't hold a candle to the USA versions. Avoid the newer imported "Cruisebass" models. Not good in my experience.
Caddie Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 Presenting The Dynamic Duo. The tobacco burst '95 Studio (courtesy of sw686blue) & the tobacco burst '90 Cruise Bass, setneck (courtesy of RJoseph133) Sorry about the lo qual jpg. Noooooooo, don't waste your time or mine asking, its not for sale. Posted only for titillation. Unless of course you have stupid large wads of cash that you will give to me when you come out to pick it up.
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