Your favorite Hamer guitar story

[Turdus]

How 'bout some stories on what you went through to get a particular Hamer... or maybe the one that got away?

I've got 2:

Blue Studio Custom. Won an auction on Ebay. Paid for the guitar, and it never arrived. Took 30 days for me to get my money back. 6 months later, the guitar reappears on Ebay. Same serial # from the auction I'd won. I contact the seller and tell him he has a hot guitar, and proceeded to tell him why. Since the guitar had been sent to me, via USPS, I contacted the local Postmaster, and explained the situation. When the USPS paid the claim, the original seller never included a S/N. Therefore, I was told that the PO could not do anything, and I could proceed in purchasing the guitar free and clear. I did buy it. However, I asked the seller where he got it. He said a pawn shop that was in the same town as the PO where the guitar was orignally "supposed" to have been shipped from, lol.

Red Studio Custom: Won this one on Ebay as well. Never paid for it. Never heard from the seller. Contacted him multiple times, and no response. Then, I ended up on a large email thread from people who'd won items from this guy, and never received them. Since I'd never paid, I was not out anything, but I really wanted the guitar. It's a red studio custom, 90's, with an opaque finish... not transparent. Never seen another like it.

[harry65]

my fave hamer guitar story involves a natural finish daytona with fralins installed , a few marsupials , a latvian hooker named bubbles and an economy sized vat of canola oil , figure it out yerself.......................

[Feynman]

I like the ones that begin with someone being a new member, and that he or she is content with their one and only Hamer, or their imports, inevitably saying they won't be needing any others...

I guess my own most significant Hamer story is buying the LOTT Standard multiple times. I -really- loved that guitar but sadly it didn't love me back. Still, it haunts me sometimes.

[gwayne]

I guess my own most significant Hamer story is buying the LOTT Standard multiple times. I -really- loved that guitar but sadly it didn't love me back. Still, it haunts me sometimes.

The neck was to die for.

My favorite story is when Admiralb ordered a Hamer case from MF and it showed up with a guitar in it (Korina Artist I think). He calls MF to tell them and tries to arrange sending the guitar back. The customer service rep tells him everyone would be better off if he just keeps the guitar and pretend this never happened.

I miss the Admiral, hope he's doing well.

[burningyen]

My favorite story is when Admiralb ordered a Hamer case from MF and it showed up with a guitar in it (Korina Artist I think). He calls MF to tell them and tries to arrange sending the guitar back. The customer service rep tells him everyone would be better off if he just keeps the guitar and pretend this never happened.

LOL, no way!

[crunchee]

My favorite story is when Admiralb ordered a Hamer case from MF and it showed up with a guitar in it (Korina Artist I think). He calls MF to tell them and tries to arrange sending the guitar back. The customer service rep tells him everyone would be better off if he just keeps the guitar and pretend this never happened.

LOL, no way!

Hey, that was MY guitar! Not.

[blackfbiv]

The Tale of the $75.00 Hamer

Few years back I saw a posting for a Hamer Guitar on a for sale site down Calgary. I phone the guy. He's young and kinda hard to understand because he's Vietnamese with a heavy accent. "Asking $75.00 ...it's really strange looking and all pointy." Scarab was all I could think...

I get his info and tell him my buddy Jim is going to come by at the agreed time since I'm up in Edmonton .

He gets there and the kid meets him at the door with the guitar . Jimmy's got $75.00 in his right hand and places it in the kids left hand while taking hold of the guitar with His own left.

"Thanks" says Jimmy

Kid says " I have been getting lots of calls about this guitar, maybe I'm not asking enough."

"Hey kid, a deal's a deal." replies Jim.

"I don't know...", responds the reluctant salesman.

"C'mon kid, here's your cash."

Mom and pop are peeking around the corner from down the hall. A little guy of 3 or 4 is below them looking out as well.

Both Jimmy and the kid give a little tug or two. The kid obviously wants the cash, but he's afraid his selling some buried treasure too cheap. Finally the kid let's it go.

"Thanks kid! Have a good night." says Jimmy and away he goes.

It was a Scarab, dustier than heck with some nasty bruising... ended up at AnDy's house if I recall correctly...

[Bloozguy]

How 'bout some stories on what you went through to get a particular Hamer... or maybe the one that got away?

I've got 2:

I’ve got 2 (actually one story in 2 parts) as well:

Part 1:

In 1994 I went to work for a startup company in NE Minneapolis. As we grew, we ended up hiring three other guitar players (probably bad HR skills ). Before too long our lunchtime ritual ended up being a music store crawl at least 2 to 3 times per week. One of our local music stores had an abused cherry red 1993 P90 Special hanging there: at one time it had a Roland synth pickup mounted between the bridge and bridge pickup...with screws big enough to make dime-sized chips in the lacquer on the top; an ill-fitting screwdriver had hacked up the tailpiece studs badly enough that they would draw blood if you brushed your hand over them; the bridge adjusting nuts looked like someone worked on them with a Vise Grip pliers; and the finish on the back of the neck had been sanded down to the bare mahogany.

I had seen it hanging there many times and never gave it a second look. I had a mahogany Standard and Vector back in the early ‘80’s so out of curiosity one day I grabbed it off the wall. Instant lust! The neck felt great. Light to medium weight. Acoustically it rang like a bell. Plugged it into a little Naylor amp and it sang on the neck pickup and growled on the bridge pickup. The owner of the shop was glad to see it go and sold it to me at a price that reflected that.

I decided to fix the abuse so I brought it to a luthier friend of mine who said he could redo the finish if I got the proper cherry tint for him. I called Hamer in Arlington Heights, explained what I had, and told them that I wanted to buy new tailpiece studs, new bridge adjustment nuts, and some cherry tint. Whoever I talked to asked me for the serial number of the guitar and when I gave it to him he said “cool…I worked on that guitar.” He asked me for my address and said he would send me the stuff at no charge. He said “just play the hell out of it when you get it fixed up.” And I did. I regret not writing down the name of the person at Hamer, but whoever they were they were the absolute epitome of customer service.

My friend made it good as new. A buddy of mine who owns a late ‘50’s Les Paul Special played it once and said “I want this if you ever sell it. It plays better than my old Special.”

Now the crappy side of that story is that there was a black and white graphic Special hanging right next to the red one that, because I didn’t know how sought after they were, I didn’t ever touch.

Part 2:

Since that guitar store was a regular on our music store crawl route, I got to know the owner fairly well and bought and sold a few guitars there over the years.

I don’t know if he was ever an authorized Hamer dealer but in 1996 he ended up with a brand new Archtop GT (predecessor of the Studio P90 Goldtop). I’m kind of a sucker for goldtops so it caught my eye the next time I walked into the shop. I couldn’t afford it at the time, but the owner was kind enough to let me wank on it…probably at least once a week for better than a year!

One day I walked in and it was gone. I was bummed but really breathed a sigh of relief because now I could stop lusting after it.

Over the next few years I got busy and traveled heavily internationally so my once a week visits dropped to once every month or two.

In 2002 I was in the shop talking with the owner. We were busy lamenting guitars we wished we had never sold when I said “how about guitars we wish we had bought...like that goldtop Hamer you had a few years back.”

He looked at me, smiled and said “do you still want it?”

I said “Hell yes!”

He walked into the back room, thrashed around quite a bit, walked back out and handed me a dusty Hamer case.

I opened the case and there was the goldtop…still brand spanking new but 6 years old.

I think he noticed the WTF look on my face and said “it wasn’t selling so I put it back in the case, stashed it in the back room and over the years it got buried and I forgot all about it.”

I bought it for what he had into it and still have it to this day. Now has Fralin underwound P90s and it’s a MONSTER!

And the Special? As soon as I got home with the goldtop I called my buddy and asked if he still wanted it. He was at my house with the cash in about 20 minutes.

I like the ones that begin with someone being a new member, and that he or she is content with their one and only Hamer, or their imports, inevitably saying they won't be needing any others...

My Archtop GT was my only Hamer until April of 2007 when my girlfriend bought me my Newport Pro from BruceM. While I was at his house picking it up he said “you should visit the Hamer Fan Club Messageboard.” Bad move. Since then 39 Hamers have gone through my hands and 27 have stayed. It's all Bruce's fault

[ArnieZ]

I guess my own most significant Hamer story is buying the LOTT Standard multiple times. I -really- loved that guitar but sadly it didn't love me back. Still, it haunts me sometimes.

The neck was to die for.

My favorite story is when Admiralb ordered a Hamer case from MF and it showed up with a guitar in it (Korina Artist I think). He calls MF to tell them and tries to arrange sending the guitar back. The customer service rep tells him everyone would be better off if he just keeps the guitar and pretend this never happened.

I miss the Admiral, hope he's doing well.

I thought the Admiral did return the guitar and re-ordered the case, only to have a 2nd case sent with another Korina Artist inside. It was then that he ended up keeping it. Is my memory playing tricks on me or am I just making up shit, like usual

ArnieZ

[cmatthes]

That's the way I recalled it too, Arnie. Maybe we're both making the same story up?

[Disturber]

Well there is the story about the 4-digit Standard... I was up north skiing and a friend called me when im in the slope, said there was an old Hamer for sale on the internet. Local sale.

When I came back to town, like a week later, the ad was still up so I shot the guy an email with some questions. I didn't have the cash he was asking so I could not buy it then. It didnt sell and one or two months later I mailed him an offer, about a two thirds of what he was asking. He declined the offer.

I mailed him again after another couple of months, he still decleined backing down on the price. Then I kinda forgot about the guitar for a while. I think the ad was up for about seven, eight months, then I saw it again. I sent him another email asking him if he would go down some on the price, I had some cash then and thought I could pay more than I had first offered. He declined backing down on the price again.

Then about a year after I first heard about the guitar I got a mail from the guy. He seemed in need of cash quickly. I was offered to buy it at a lower price. We sent some mails back and forth and suddenly he was ready to sell for what I first had offered. Swell. I got a 1979 Standard!

This was perhaps seven years ago. I don't think an old Hamer up for sale would last more than a week now. The word has spread.

[gwayne]

That's the way I recalled it too, Arnie. Maybe we're both making the same story up?

Both of you are probably right - either way it's a cool-ass story.

[bubs_42]

Best and only one I got.

82 Trans Red Prototype Craigslist Guitar. Paid $175 bucks for it with no case. Drove to Chicago and made a Drop in RacerX's place and then proceeded south in 7 deg weather to pick up the guitar close to the Zoo. I call the seller and said I was having trouble finding his street so he asked me what I was driving. I told him and he said drive 2 more blocks and i'll meet you. I drive 2 blocks stopped and called him again. I said "Where are you?" he said to your left.... All I see is a young kid in the street corner waving a Cherry Red Prototype over his head without even a gig bag !!!!!! I whipped it to the side snagged the guitar and put it in the back where is wasn't so hot. Handed the kid his money and drove home. When I got home and rubbed the guitar down my rag ended up red from the color that bled out when it was going up and down with the temp.

[dobieboy]

My best story was about a Standard that I never bought.

In 1998, I visited Outlaw Guitars in Greenbrook, NJ for the first time, among guitars they had was an original Hamer Std Custom with a clear plastic pick guard screwed into the top, an old Dean Z, Dean ML and an Ibanez Destroyer in a "Korina" finish and a couple of 80's Jackson Soloists.

About a month later, I bought an '87 Jackson Archtop Soloist there, which was my dream guitar for about 15 years.

I wonder where that Standard went..IIRC, it was going for about $1,500

[mathman]

Mine is not at all unique or special but I love this bass so I'll tell.

Me and the guys I played with are all cheap trick fans. I desperately wanted a 12 string bass but didn't have the cash. We were cruising in Fort Walton beach and stopped in a music store that had a used Cruise bass for sale for $450. Rushed home to raid the cash jar and went back and bought it. Still have it to this day.

[serial]

My best story was about a Standard that I never bought.

In 1998, I visited Outlaw Guitars in Greenbrook, NJ for the first time, among guitars they had was an original Hamer Std Custom with a clear plastic pick guard screwed into the top, an old Dean Z, Dean ML and an Ibanez Destroyer in a "Korina" finish and a couple of 80's Jackson Soloists.

I wonder where that Standard went..IIRC, it was going for about $1,500

it was #0105 and I ended up with it in early '98, but I didn't get it from Outlaw. Some other place in NJ-got it for @$1250 in trade and some cash. Forget what I swapped for it-I think a RI Strat and $200. I've been in Outlaw (on Rt 22), many times since my wife's family lived in Pissthataway.

[Armitage]

I think the HFC itself is the best story...

Lots of great people together sharing their love of Hamers, their stories and information. Always willing to help each other out.

[DaveH]

Mine is a mixed emotion story involving my #013 Korina Vector. A good friend of mine had purchased #013 Korina Standard from the run in '96...later he purchased #013 Vector when they built that run to have a matching set. The Vector stayed in the case and stored away, never played, for nearly 10 years. He decided to let it go (I even ran pics and an ad on here for him). I wanted it, but declined since I didn't have the money. No more was said about it, and several months went by when I inquired about it, but it had already been sold to someone he knew. So I kicked myself for not moving on it and looked around for the next couple years, finally being convinced I would never get my 1 of 72 korina Vectors. Around this time the person who had purchased the Vector from Rich passed away, and nothing was known about the whereabouts or status of the guitar....until this past April. An estate sale was announced online, and the Vector was there. Fortunately, I had just received a big chunk back from the IRS or I'd have been screwed on it (I was actually *supposed* to pay off a bill with this portion, but you know how that goes, lol). I went to the sale accompanied by my bud who originally had it, had to outbid some guy from New York who wanted to take it away (we're in SC), but it came home with me. So, I hate that the circumstances had to unfold the way they did for me to get the Vector, but I'm glad that it's home with me now.

Another elusive one, a Martin D15. I was looking at Taylors and Gibsons at GC on one of the rare occasions I go into that place. I was bouncing around these $2K to $3K guitars when I saw this drab little $800 D15 hanging there....I grabbed it off the wall, and couldn't believe my ears! Instant love! It had a rich, growly rock n roll tone, almost an overdriven acoustic tone if that makes any sense. Again, I procrastinated, and left without the guitar. I thought about it more throughout the week and decided I had to have it....went back the following Saturday and it was gone. From time to time I would go in there and look in the acoustic room, but they never had another one. Fast forward about 3 years....I walked in the acoustic room, and saw this drab little D15 hanging there with a used tag on it! It still had the pickguard plastic on it! I pulled it down strummed a few chords (convinced it was my same guitar), and headed for the front counter with it. As we were checking out I relayed the story to the clerk, he said " Oh yeah, it's the same guitar. It's the only D15 we've had, they sent us whatever they wanted when we opened, and we don't get those for stock". So, I got my drab little D15 that beat the crap out of Taylors costing 3 and 4 times as much. Not a Hamer, but a happy ending for me!

[BTMN]

On the day I decided which 5 guitars to sell to buy this sweet Korina Vector from fellow HFCer Bruce919 I hit the Florida Play4 number for $2600. So in theory the vector cost me a dollar with change left over.

Life IS Good!

[coolfeel]

In 1986, at the age of 14, I went to the noted local guitar shop with my pop to pick out the guitar I wanted for Christmas. I owned a black Washburn V that I would use to trade in on whatever we selected.

I was tinkering with some of the used guitars and spotted a used cream colored Kramer Pacer with black hardware that had been in the shop for a while. I picked it up and played it thinking "yah that's the one". It was cool, played and sounded well and wasn't too expensive.

In the meantime, my pop was asking the shop owner what he recommended in terms of quality, sound and the all the rest - basically what was the top of the line he had in stock. We were directed to the brand new Hamers, namely a brand new Hamer Chaparral Custom. I remember looking at that guitar saying to myself "that is awesome and there is no way I am getting that guitar for Christmas". We chatted with the owner a little while longer and then left with my thoughts centered squarely on how cool I was gonna to look and sound with my new Kramer Pacer. Needless to say I was very excited at the thought of my first real guitar. Christmas couldn't come quick enough for this 14 year old.

So Christmas morning rolls around and my brother and I get up early to rush into the kitchen where the Christmas tree was. I spotted the case for my guitar and hurried to place it on the table so I could open it, noticing the guitar case had been neatly decorated with bows covering the branding on the case.

So I open the case and I guess you know what was staring at me from inside...Let's just say that I was the luckiest and happiest 14 year old in Winston Salem that morning...

For those who care to know, the shop was Sam Moss guitars and here is that beauty that I still own to this day...

[BTMN]

/\ That story is right up there in Cool factor!

[dobieboy]

My best story was about a Standard that I never bought.

In 1998, I visited Outlaw Guitars in Greenbrook, NJ for the first time, among guitars they had was an original Hamer Std Custom with a clear plastic pick guard screwed into the top, an old Dean Z, Dean ML and an Ibanez Destroyer in a "Korina" finish and a couple of 80's Jackson Soloists.

I wonder where that Standard went..IIRC, it was going for about $1,500

it was #0105 and I ended up with it in early '98, but I didn't get it from Outlaw. Some other place in NJ-got it for @$1250 in trade and some cash. Forget what I swapped for it-I think a RI Strat and $200. I've been in Outlaw (on Rt 22), many times since my wife's family lived in Pissthataway.

Outlaw ended up moving shortly thereafter to Raritan, NJ as Mercenary Guitars, then onto their current home in Hoboken, NJ as Hoboken Vintage. I felt like a kid in a candy store...that Standard was the first time I saw one in the flesh..I was in awe and I visited the store as often as could, just to play it.

[Jason01]

I just posted my best one here a few days ago

http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46579