Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center

Well, it was fun....... but it's over.


BCR Greg

Recommended Posts

I'm sure the former workers at the Guild factories will be thrilled to hear that Fender decided that a New-England based guitar factory making acoustics and electrics is a good idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"No more new Hamer guitars. No more custom orders. Everything in progress gets built, but no more new orders.

It was a blast, wasn't it?

Shit."

Greg, Are you going to go full force with COs with Dean?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just another reason to hate Fender...

I'm not sure why everyone blames Fender....Hamers hardly sold that well when Jol was running the place before the Kaman take over. Why would Fender continue funding a brand that made zero money for them? Just my opinion though...YMMV.

The best part for me though is the friends I've made here on the forum.

Fender could have marketed the brand. They didn't. They bought Hamer and essentially scrapped it out.

As many of you know, I lost my Dad after a long illness last February. His last couple of years if was never a question of 'if,' it was a question of 'when.' Same thing here. Hamer's been on life support as they dropped production and reallocated resources to support other brands.

Along with marketing, for years Hamer refused to build custom orders that people wanted. Doubt if that would have saved the brand but it would have helped sustain the relationships they built over the years.

I hope someone comes along, buys the production line and markets the brand. Until then, we've got nearly 40 years worth of legacy instruments floating around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know, those Hamer luthiers are awesome builders. If Fender is hundred of orders behind schedule with Charvels and stuff, they better put their workforce in the right place, or else they will have to cope with many angry customers and lower incomes. So, it makes sense putting Hamer on pause until better times, and making the builders (and the tools) to focus on unblocking the production line that is a bigger source of income.

I'd be f-ing thrilled to have the Hamer luthiers take on some of the Charvel and Jackson custom orders. I have a custom shop Charvel Star that really is the tits and can only imagine how it be if the Hamer crew had their hand in it. For that matter, I'd welcome their assistance on my Jackson custom order, especially if it speeds up the 24 month delivery and ensures Hamer USA quality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"No more new Hamer guitars. No more custom orders. Everything in progress gets built, but no more new orders.

It was a blast, wasn't it?

Shit."

Greg, Are you going to go full force with COs with Dean?

Greg at bcrmusic dot com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any time a quality, niche product gets picked up by a global, mass-producing mogul of a company, you know you're at the beginning of the end . So much for the 'we want a high end' custom product arm for the division; we will leave them alone to do their thing BS".....

Greg Condemi

Oh, like the way they've destroyed Guild, Gretsch ,Gretsch Drums, Latin Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, Takamine, Gibralter hadware, Ovation, and Adamas?

With all the brands FMIC has acquired and protected, and the different business models they tried to make Hamer USA viable, I have to conclude that there was insufficient market demand to keep Hamer USA open. They gave them five years, folks.

These assertions that FMIC bought Hamer (they didn't "buy Hamer," they bought Kaman Music Corporation) and shut it down to eliminate the competition is patently ridiculous. If that were the case, why didn't they shut down Gretsch, Guild, Takamine, Ovation, and Adamas? Those brands are far more competitive with Fender than Hamer USA ever was or could have been.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there brand equity? Hard to say

Is there brand loyalty? Yes. Once in, you're in.

Did the brand ever damage itself from a quality-of-product perspective? No, for the USA prods. Not really, for the imports... unless the "Slammer" brand is considered. Ugh.

Can the brand be revived? FMIC has determined that Guild has more brand equity, which it probably does. Brand revivals can fail or thrive- think Kramer (Music-Yo, Y'all?) and Electar as failures. Think Mini-Cooper, Star-Trek as successful brands (franchises?). Question Fiat.

How could it be revived? Diluting the brand (Slammer. XT); Boutiquification; Re-Opening business as usual (but with product innovation); Wait and return in a wave of nostalgia- if pointy-guitars had a resurgence, but they'd have to take a number behind Kramer, Charvel, etc. Modern-Vintage played out. Vintage is owned by Gibson & Fender, Ricks and Gretsch. Smaller unique's by G&L, MusicMan; the 13-year-olds by Ibanez, Schecter, Epiphone (??)

How does Peavey fit into all of this?

It hurts to see a brand, a company, die. Brands are fashion statements. To me, Hamer says discerning, off the beaten path, and man-in-the-know; alternative. But die they do, from TWA to Pan-Am.

Be glad the losses were absorbed by the risk-takers (Yes, FMIC).

Be glad of the 50,000 some-odd well put together hunks of straight-necked, vibrant wood and steel were assembled, sanded, polished and wired up.

Be glad for HFC, Craigslist, eBay, PayPal, and Google for helping us find them, play them, store them, trade them, show pictures of them, and bring them out on occasion in Chicago or wherever gatherings may happen.

I'm at 6 Hamer USAs and I still don't have a Standard, a Vector, a Cali, a Chappy, a Monaco, an A5, a Newport, or a Tally. Many lands yet to explore.

I'm going to go plug in my Daytona, relic'd as it is from over-playing, and enjoy its neck and its soul.

My boy Henry does.

P9194688.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As for latter day marketing and brand recognition, it probably didn't help that someone like David Letterman described Hamer as a "company famous for knock-offs of Gibson" on TV.

When did this happen?

I thought I read it right here -- about an exchang between Letterman and Felicia Colins, in which she mentions her Hamer(s). Of course, she was/is a Hamer endorser and I think it was early in her stint. There was a link to her rig rundown heremand I got curious, looked for more and stumbled across that mention. I haven't seen it, but it sounded awful typical of Letterman. I can just hear him quip, "ah, that company that's famous for...". Don't think it's urban legend, cannot confirm 100%.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, it's probably not Dave's game to talk about stuff that 99% of the population doesn't give a damn about.

And even if he did, 99% of the population doesn't give a damn, so I doubt it would have had any significant impact.

Well, he talks about himself a lot... QED.

:P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No more new Hamer guitars. No more custom orders. Everything in progress gets built, but no more new orders.

It was a blast, wasn't it?

Shit.

Yes! It was fun while it lasted.

I knew it. The second I heard Fender had acquired Hamer I knew that sooner or later it would be shut down. Hamer is just not profitable enough. And what do ALL companies seek? Profit.

Granted, Hamer may have lived on longer this way, but I knew Fender wouldn't try to save it. Even if they claim they have. I don't believe it.

With all those great guitar players and million dollar bands out there you would think that they'd like at least one Hamer guitar each and that would have saved Hamer I think.

Hamer was one of the very few last high quality and genuine brands left. Every great and genuine company gets shot down in the stride for profit and money. When will it end?

That's so sad...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very sad, but expected.

Rick was constantly sending guitars to the factory to fix them up after getting beaten on the road. I wonder where he'll go now. For that matter, I wonder how he feels about this, considering he is.....or was....... the #1 Hamer endorser.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hamer was one of the very few last high quality and genuine brands left. Every great and genuine company gets shot down in the stride for profit and money. When will it end?

It will end when it never begins. Didn't this whole thing get rolling when Hamer sold out to Kaman? Somewhere along the way, this cute boutique manufacturer decided to play with the big boys.

And while we're on the subject, what great and genuine company survives without profit? Every business that wants to STAY in business, makes the most of the resources it has. The bigger the company, the colder and harder that fact becomes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just saw a post on fb by Chris M about this (regarding the Rick and Jane guitar) and am in shock! So many great memories of the factory tours and good friends that were made through our mutual love of Hamer. I'm so sad to hear that that era has come to an end.

Hamer is, was and always will be special.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great names have come and gone throughout our lives, and will continue to do so long after we're gone. The best we can do is relish the memory, and appreciate & enjoy the legacy. With my Newport in hand, knowing that it was featured as the prime example of the model in the last Hamer catalog published, will be a memory that I will love until the day they close the lid on my life.

Here's to all the guys I had the opportunity to meet when I had the chance to visit NH. A nicer gang of artisans you'll never meet. Thanks for the memories...

present-1.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Someone on Facebook asked Jol what he thought of the news. He replied:

"There are those who believe that products are like a sports franchise, and that even though the players are traded and hired and fired it remains the same entity.
I don’t.

For me, the dream ended quite a while ago, and now the denial has finally caugh
t up with the reality.

I was devastated when the decision was made quite a few years back, so any announcement just seems like picking up an old newspaper. It hurts, but not as much as it did at first.

As for the torch bearers of the brand, we have all moved on and are all doing what we’ve always done. For me, that means making the guitars. I think that’s telling.

Thanks for caring about something so dear to me."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately this has happened now, I have been having the unsettling feeling that it would eventually happen for some time.

Apart from the obvious (hoping that all the Hamer employees stay employed and get to do fulfilling work),

I hope that the enthousiasm for Hamer guitars is going to further be conveyed by the members of the HFC and others,

and that we hopefully can keep and bring Hamer guitars for sale in/into the "family".

I realize that this somewhat of a pointless post, but it's all that I can contribute at the moment.

Regards,

Tobias

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...