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Is this one of the reasons why Hamer is going away?


crunchee

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Hamer had a 38-year run, better than many higher profile brands. We've gone over Hamer's marketing and manufacturing choices over the past three decades that may have contributed to their vulnerable position, ad infinitum. How long are we going to vilify Fender for not making Hamer USA their chronic charity case? Maybe Fender's and Gibson's current attempts at finding marketing angles and market niches is a symptom of the shrinking percentage of guitar-based rock in the world of pop music, in which case Hamer USA would be a low priority. It's not like Hamer could lift Fender above the fray.

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Fender is Chevy and Hamer went the way of Pontiac.

Point taken, but I'd liken Hamer more to the Packard or the Pierce Arrow for first-rate materials, meticulous build quality and attention to detail.

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My point of bringing up Fender's intro of the high-end "Select" series, was that I thought it ironic that FMIC just killed off Hamer USA; which, last time I checked, WAS a high end brand. It's unrealistic to say that Hamer would've directly 'competed' against the "Selects", since Hamer USA was nonexistent to all except custom orders for the last year or so (edited to add: I'm not including the imports, which is/was for the budget market anyway), but it might have been a distraction to Fender's marketing, therefore just another reason to shut the doors.

That come-on line, "Select Instruments for Select Individuals", seems to me to be very out of touch with how the economy STILL is (anybody here still remember the bone-headed across-the-board price list increase Fender did in early 2009?). Maybe they're trying to round up the last bunch of rich noob buyers out there that want this variation of "select" guitar, but I've seen a lot of Fenders that looked very similar to these not all that long ago (1990's?), like maple veneered versions and "Foto-Flame" models. I wasn't impressed then, and I'm not impressed with the new bunch.

If I want a Fender and have the cash, I'll go to their plain-Jane, (preferably) USA-made RIs every time. If I want a Tele, it'll be a '52 RI, or a '62 if I want a rosewood fretboard. If I want a Strat, it'll be a '57 (maple neck) or a '62 (rosewood) RI. Same goes for the other model guitars or basses. Unless it's substantially different (like a '72 Tele Thinline RI or something with a Floyd; or the rare exception of a well regarded variant, like a Cabronita Tele), why bother looking for much else on Fender's production lines? I'm not seeing anything THAT different with the "Selects", IMO. :mellow: Of course, YMMV.

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"Select Instruments for Select Individuals"...with a select amount of money to burn, apparently. <_<:huh:

Good lord, those damned things are FUG-LEEEEE!

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There might be cheaper ways to come to pieces of quartersawn maple.

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My point of bringing up Fender's intro of the high-end "Select" series, was that I thought it ironic that FMIC just killed off Hamer USA; which, last time I checked, WAS a high end brand. It's unrealistic to say that Hamer would've directly 'competed' against the "Selects", since Hamer USA was nonexistent to all except custom orders for the last year or so (edited to add: I'm not including the imports, which is/was for the budget market anyway), but it might have been a distraction to Fender's marketing, therefore just another reason to shut the doors. ...

Fender has had various forays into premium set neck guitars going back 20 years or more. They offered a line of D'Aquisto-designed arch tops in the '90s until around the time Jimmy died. As owners of Guild, they also built the standard line of Benedetto arch tops for awhile. I think the fact that they abandoned these ventures in the '90s is fair indication that Fender was finding that the public has trouble warming up to setneck Fenders and that their setneck-making resources were better spent elsewhere, such as making Guilds.

As for these new limited editions you linked to, it's the first time Fender has come off as being more desperate than creative. It's fruitless to take it personally if they ditch Hamer but come up with their own premium line. In their minds--and experience--the two have little or nothing to do with each other.

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Fender is Chevy and Hamer went the way of Pontiac.

Point taken, but I'd liken Hamer more to the Packard or the Pierce Arrow for first-rate materials, meticulous build quality and attention to detail.

/\ this. Though, my personal experience and knowledge are a little weak on those two particular autos. ;) I agree that Hamer was (and is) better than the Pontiac counterpart.

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^ ^ ^ ^ ^

That last line sums up one of the most obvious problems I've been seeing in the last few years with the changing guitar industry.

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Not to bash any US auto brands, but I think Hamer is (was :mellow: ...) more along the lines of Audi, BMW and the likes....even though those are alive an kickin'.

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^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Maybe SAAB would be a better parallel?

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Say whatever you want, but I kinda like that "Fender Select Carved Maple Top Jazzmaster® HH" :ph34r:

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I don't see much Hamer in any of those. Fender's been trying to claw back the high-end market it lost to boutique brands like Anderson, for years. Now, if those had 5-piece set necks and 3/8 inch figured tops, it would be a different story.

Wait a minute, what if Fender reissued the T62 or TLE? Or Strats and Teles with 14inch radius? Then again, why resurrect something that Hamer killed years (and years) ago? I'm willing to cut FMIC some slack here, they're struggling too and I do like my Strats and Tele (err...T51).

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I think a manufacturer describing its product as "high-end" reads kinda tackily. Same would go for BS descriptors like "collector grade" and other self-conscious pronouncements.

What they're really saying is, "...here's why you should believe in a Rolls Royce version of our same-old brand mascots...and pay even more."

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I saw an add for the "Select" series on the back of some guitar mag and to me it says "a better guitar sor the SELECT few who can affort it" it was like a posh gentleman in a high-rise style appt with very regal decor and a very high maintenance(high price) lady on the bed. The guy wasn't even playing the guitar, he was just looking at it like "yeah, I can afford it" Totally lost me as an add, and totally put me off as a consumer.

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Select or Signature. It's all marketing crap nobody really needs but desires because life would be boring without a bit of fun.

I don't have fun. I play Hamers. B)

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Fender is Chevy and Hamer went the way of Pontiac.

Point taken, but I'd liken Hamer more to the Packard or the Pierce Arrow for first-rate materials, meticulous build quality and attention to detail.

Better example for sure. Fender and Gibson are like Chevy and Ford and while it's sad to see the lesser but better brands go, I would rather end it all than have the Hamer name just on cookie cutters. Maybe Fender is doing final justice to the Hamer USA owners (and the 1st few years of imports :) ) by not allowing just an Indonesian guitar that looks like a Hamer but sounds nothing like it, to continue to dilute the pool.

I still contend that the balance of the USA's to the recent imports is good enough where Hamer will be remembered as 100% quality. Guitars companies like Kramer have 100X the number of rust bucket imports on the net and in the pawn shops. If someone calls you and says there's a Hamer in the Pawn shop, chances are still decent that it's a USA Model.

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^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Maybe SAAB would be a better parallel?

Avanti.

Just to keep it 'merican based.

*If* Avanti could have survived and evolved past their early days.

Eh, who am i kidding. I got nothin'...

Dude, an Avanti reference. You don't get that every day. For those of you who don't know, google it. Very cool.

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