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Something I've noticed since Jol left


ecnal

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I did notice on the blog that the last pic of the last update that had a guitar we're waiting on was deleted. In fact, I've put some pics on the Facebook page that have been deleted.

I noticed that too! I had been kinda excited that my guitar, ordered by Dave, was the last one ever mentioned by Jol on the Hamer site. Oh well, there goes my historical resale value. ;)

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So what did you order?

The Vector III was mentioned on Jan. 29.

I wonder if my C/O was the last Bass completed while he was there.

There was a single shot of a B12A, but no other info after that.

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So what did you order?

The Vector III was mentioned on Jan. 29.

I wonder if my C/O was the last Bass completed while he was there.

There was a single shot of a B12A, but no other info after that.

It was cool to see your build documented so well. I think that adds a lot of fun to the process, plus it's good advertising.

Mine was the Standard hanging in the background, mentioned in the last sentence of the post. It's a non-standard Standard with maple fretboard and Kahler and EMG's and locking tuners. People can rightly question my taste.

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Guest JackButler

Al, iirc on that Firebird approval.. didn't they also say that the only way they'd do it was that it HAD to be neck thru.. THE RIGHT WAY and NOT like the ones they'd done in the past?

On Mike's points that Serial quoted above.. AGREED 100%. I think that the mentality got there to the point of almost being a bit arrogant.."aww no you don't want THAT.. what you REALLY NEED is THIS!"

THAT can't be blamed on the crew at all. That's not the builders OR anyone on the shop floor's call.. that would HAVE to have come from higher up.

Same with the decision for the pricing of certain options.. IMO that was done to blatantly discourage folks from ordering the options that they threw out there as bones.. but REALLY didn't want to do.. like the Floyd upcharges..

In terms of quality and whats come out of the shop in the past several years.. the LOOKS and the build quality has been looked museum caliber.. but there've been a few bungles too.. like with the reverse head red standard and a Watson.. little things that just shouldn't happen at all.. especially with pieces demanding that kind of coin.

Maybe now that changes are happening, we'll see more wiggle room for build approvals and a bit more of an open mind towards tweaks and available options.

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So what did you order?

The Vector III was mentioned on Jan. 29.

I wonder if my C/O was the last Bass completed while he was there.

There was a single shot of a B12A, but no other info after that.

It was cool to see your build documented so well. I think that adds a lot of fun to the process, plus it's good advertising.

Mine was the Standard hanging in the background, mentioned in the last sentence of the post. It's a non-standard Standard with maple fretboard and Kahler and EMG's and locking tuners. People can rightly question my taste.

Yes, yes! I remember that. I think there was other pics of the body a while back. That's something very unusual for a Standard btw. (maple neck that is).

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Al, iirc on that Firebird approval.. didn't they also say that the only way they'd do it was that it HAD to be neck thru.. THE RIGHT WAY and NOT like the ones they'd done in the past?

About 5-6 years ago, a few of us were actually discussing a run of 80's style FB basses with the Hamer folks. The feedback we got on those was that they would have to be set necks. After a few months went by, the whole thing got quashed and we were told that Hamer didn't want to do any Gibson copies. This was right around the time of the whole PRS Singlecut suit, so that explanation made perfect sense.

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Guest JackButler

Al will have to set the record straight on this, but I remember Frank saying that the ONLY way they'd do an FB this time would be if it WAS neck thru.

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Al will have to set the record straight on this, but I remember Frank saying that the ONLY way they'd do an FB this time would be if it WAS neck thru.

They probably didn't want to do them to begin with, and by saying that, would mean that it would be REALLY expensive to take through a design stage to a prototype stage and then to actually build one. When we were talking initially about the basses, it seemed a lot less involved, but never made it past the discussion phase really. That was Summer/Fall '04, and we got the final "NO SOUP FOR YOU" in early '05.

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Al will have to set the record straight on this, but I remember Frank saying that the ONLY way they'd do an FB this time would be if it WAS neck thru.

that was the information that I was given

Sheesh - I don't even want to know what that would have cost to build! ;)

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Listen man, I know how much motorcycles and boats cost. You are missing my point.

Game Over

You have got to be kidding...

Have to agree with Z here. Hamer can't continue to hope for sales to the unobtainium crowd. As fine as the guitars are and everything that Jol might have wanted to do in terms of direction would be fine if we weren't in the serious economic condition we're in and if the brand name had a different association, but it doesn't. people's buying habits have changed-ask any of the Harley Davidson workers in this area. That's why at least one well-known dealer has how many high end Hamers on his stocklist still with serial numbers dating back several years? Too many newish Hamers on the market being fire-sale'd at half the street price of a new one because people who used to have disposeable income now don't (or who are playing things safer) or because the list prices accelerated faster than actual demand.

Custom-only is probably a good plan at least in the short term, but when you outprice 95% of your customers (like me, who ordered 5 customs between 2000-2003), you need to have a better business model to stay alive. If I wanted a new Hamer right now, I could move a guitar or two, but current prices are past what I find reasonable for me to spend on a guitar. If I buy anything anymore, it's either utility instruments or vintage stuff that will hold more of their value. Hamer just doesn't have the "snob appeal" among most high-end purchasers that I can see. And I might be one of the biggest Hamer fans on the planet.

One SOB's opinion only.

Agreed.

Hamer may be comparable in quality or even better than PRS or Gibson, but right or wrong I don't think they have the market cachet that allows them the luxury of charging what PRS and Gibson do for some of their guitars. And if you're not moving a lot guitars at $2500 list, simply raising the prices to $6,000 isn't going to move more guitars.

I thought the Anniversary Edition was a step in the right direction - a solid, quality built no-frills guitar at a price that casual hobbiests could afford. Then, a couple of years later Jol is showing us the $7,000 Improv. Huh? My household income is nothing to be ashamed of, but I can't see putting $4,000 to $6,000 or more into a guitar. It's just not a priority, plus I have a closet full of Hamers already, most of which cost less than ten or twenty percent of the list of a custom order. Don't get me wrong - I don't begrudge anyone who can afford or justify the price of a custom order, but that isn't most of the guitar buying population.

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Listen man, I know how much motorcycles and boats cost. You are missing my point.

Game Over

You have got to be kidding...

Have to agree with Z here. Hamer can't continue to hope for sales to the unobtainium crowd. As fine as the guitars are and everything that Jol might have wanted to do in terms of direction would be fine if we weren't in the serious economic condition we're in and if the brand name had a different association, but it doesn't. people's buying habits have changed-ask any of the Harley Davidson workers in this area. That's why at least one well-known dealer has how many high end Hamers on his stocklist still with serial numbers dating back several years? Too many newish Hamers on the market being fire-sale'd at half the street price of a new one because people who used to have disposeable income now don't (or who are playing things safer) or because the list prices accelerated faster than actual demand.

Custom-only is probably a good plan at least in the short term, but when you outprice 95% of your customers (like me, who ordered 5 customs between 2000-2003), you need to have a better business model to stay alive. If I wanted a new Hamer right now, I could move a guitar or two, but current prices are past what I find reasonable for me to spend on a guitar. If I buy anything anymore, it's either utility instruments or vintage stuff that will hold more of their value. Hamer just doesn't have the "snob appeal" among most high-end purchasers that I can see. And I might be one of the biggest Hamer fans on the planet.

One SOB's opinion only.

Agreed.

Hamer may be comparable in quality or even better than PRS or Gibson, but right or wrong I don't think they have the market cachet that allows them the luxury of charging what PRS and Gibson do for some of their guitars. And if you're not moving a lot guitars at $2500 list, simply raising the prices to $6,000 isn't going to move more guitars.

I thought the Anniversary Edition was a step in the right direction - a solid, quality built no-frills guitar at a price that casual hobbiests could afford. Then, a couple of years later Jol is showing us the $7,000 Improv. Huh? My household income is nothing to be ashamed of, but I can't see putting $4,000 to $6,000 or more into a guitar. It's just not a priority, plus I have a closet full of Hamers already, most of which cost less than ten or twenty percent of the list of a custom order. Don't get me wrong - I don't begrudge anyone who can afford or justify the price of a custom order, but that isn't most of the guitar buying population.

Interesting point. The guitar in the link below is a relist. It was originally listed at $2800, but the auction ended with no bids. Then the guy relists it at $3500. Maybe he works for Hamer? I guess if it doesn't sell this time, it goes to $5000. When it gets to $7500-8000, I'm all over it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

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I always wondered if your DA got done. How did that turn out, Al? I remember seeing it when you were handing it over to Jol.

Greg

I had some rather cool guitars made

the first non improv with that binding

korina junior (which later became a catalog model as I spec'ed it)

reverxe headstock standard with floyd rose and sustainiac

and yeah and for the record I was the one that got the punisher inlays approved although the buyer ultimately did not order the guitar from me.

many cool guitars were approved less were not. most of the time it was an issue that the cash it would take to order the instrument was too much.

Jol was good to me, rebuilt my d'angelico and always was receptive to what I had to say even if he did not agree.

it's a new dawn

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It too a few years to complete the rebuild but it did get finish and the guitar is awesome.

it is absolutely the best playing and sounding instruments I have ever owned.

I cannot thank them enough for the wonderful restoration of the guitar.

meticulous attention to detail

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