Hamer Standard Made in Korea

[BigDaddyDRP]

Hey all,

Looking for some help.

I am looking into a Hamer Standard and came across a Korean made one for $425 w/Hard Case (Pictured below) and was wondering if this is a good price for this guitar. The serial # is 8081494 but I have not been able to find any info regarding Korean Serial Numbers.

Thanks for your help.

Dom

[Victor (Fret Friend)]

Korean serial numbers mean zip! I'll tell you straight: $450 is too much for any Korean made Hamer. The very best of the Korean Hamers were the Hamer Slammer Series (made between 1992/1998). Mine was made at the Cort factory in 92 but I can't say for sure if all Slammer Series were made by Cort. Some later (non-Slammer Series) were also made in Korea up until 2002 (or thereabouts) such as the deluxe superstrats (I had a Korean made Cali Deluxe).

Chances are the one you have found is still a very good guitar. It just isn't worth $450 IMO. Some of the other guys here will surely be able to give you more info than me...

[gorch]

This one is from the series before the XT line. Those are great guitars you won't regret buying it. With case, discuss the price below $400 and it's yours.

[sledhead44]

Vic is right that the best Korean Hamers are the ones that have the small "Slammer Series" under the Hamer logo....BUT None of the Korean STANDARDS ever had a "Slammer Series" printed on the headstock, so what you are looking at IS one of the good ones.

I personally would avoid any import Standards that have "XT Series" or "Slammer by Hamer" on the headstock.

$425 is a little too high. See if you can get the price reduced to under $400 like Gorch says. I like them as you can see...(I also have a black one, not in the pic).

[Victor (Fret Friend)]

To give you an idea of price: My 92 Diablo 'SLAMMER SERIES' cost me $500 new in 1996. After a Gotoh FR upgrade ($150), EMG pickup upgrade ($150) [some may not agree that EMGs are an upgrade LOL], complete respray 'Ernie Ball Slinky Pink' ($200), I sold it for $350 (and I struggled to get that)...

I personally wouldn't go over $350 for an import (I've had a US Centaura for less than $350)...

[gorch]

Vic is right that the best Korean Hamers are the ones that have the small "Slammer Series" under the Hamer logo....BUT None of the Korean STANDARDS ever had a "Slammer Series" printed on the headstock, so what you are looking at IS one of the good ones.

I personally would avoid any import Standards that have "XT Series" or "Slammer by Hamer" on the headstock.

$425 is a little too high. See if you can get the price reduced to under $400 like Gorch says. I like them as you can see...(I also have a black one, not in the pic).

Hey Sledhead44, I knew you had a fancy collection of them. Seeing the groupies in one shot certainly has sex appeal.

Sorry Chris, I had to borrow.

[cynic]

The great thing is even if you choose to pay the $425, you've only overpaid by $75. That amount is low enough that it shouldn't be a show-stopper if you like the guitar.

Personally, I've seen more sell for $400+ than below that, so the price isn't unreasonable.

Just buy the darn thing so you can start enjoying it.

[sledhead44]

Hey Dom,

I sold the Natural one with the red pickups for $425 on ebay. Pickups were upgraded to DiMarzio Air Norton and Tone Zone. It was near mint.

I sold one of the flame ones for $375 on Ebay. Pickups were upgraded to Seymour Duncan SH1N and SH4B. It had some clearcoat flaking issues on the back of the headstock and was marked as a "2ND".

Both included a hard shell case. Both prices did not include shipping. Hope that helps.

[tommy p]

Looks like everyone else is vouching for the quality but I'm going to advise you to be careful - I played one of those when I first got into Hamers and wanted a Standard and it was just the heaviest, deadest piece of wood. As we all know, there are duds in every brand, series, style, etc.

[BigDaddyDRP]

Thanks everyone. Great information, just what I was looking for. Owner has agreed to $375.

I'm going to meet the owner and check out the guitar on Tuesday and if it's as good as I hope it is, I will be the proud owner of a new Hamer axe.

Thanks Again. Your help was much appreciated and extremely valuable.

Dom

[BTMN]

Sounds and looks cool enough. Enjoy!

[Ting Ho Dung]

Hey Dom, If you think you will like the Standards made in Korea you should really like the ones made in Korina.

Welcome to the board. Let us know how you made out today.

[gorch]

Those models have a Korina top on a maple body and neck. Therefore, appear to be stronger as the generally used alder.

Anyways, good guitars.

Edited to add: the Korina models came with original Seymour Duncan 59s.

[zorrow]

Great news! Just share with us your final impressions, please.

PS: BTW, those MIK Standards were pretty good, IMHO.

[BigDaddyDRP]

Here it is! Absolutely awesome Guitar. The condition was beyond what I expected as it looks brand new. Not a scratch, nix or bit of tarnish on any part of this beauty. seller even had the original knobs.

plays great. Action is a little to low with slight buzz in low E & the A string, but that is easily remedied, however it does not come though when amplified.

All in all I could not be happier with this purchase. Guitar looks and sounds fantastic.

Thank you all for you advise it was immensely useful.

[gorch]

There you go. Another happy HFCer.

[sledhead44]

Congrats!!!

[aknapp]

You may like a pickup swap to Alnico2 to tame the maple (or not).

I just put a set of '57 Classics in my MIK Standard - nice'n'creamy!

Nice guit, BTW.

[svl]

+1 on the Gibson '57 Classics. Put 'em in my Epi Korina Explorer and they put that baby into a whole new ballpark.

[BigDaddyDRP]

You guys sure know these guitars.

One thing I did notice was that the sound was a little thin, especially at the bridge PUP. To compensate for now I was blending a little of the volume with the neck PUP to sweeten up the tone a little.

Do you have any recommendation on vendors and prices for the '57 Classics. Also, would you suggest swapping out both PUP's or maybe just the bridge PUP.

[aknapp]

One thing I did notice was that the sound was a little thin, especially at the bridge PUP. To compensate for now I was blending a little of the volume with the neck PUP to sweeten up the tone a little.

Exactly what I heard, too. I used the same solution (both PUPs).

[aknapp]

Do you have any recommendation on vendors and prices for the '57 Classics. Also, would you suggest swapping out both PUP's or maybe just the bridge PUP.

I did both PUPs.

I only used '57 Classics because I got a fair deal from an HFC'r. You can probably find used ones on EVILBAY.

Another fellow HFC'r used GFS (GuitarFetish) A2's and was satisfied with the results - significantly cheaper, if cost is a factor. This was my original plan, but I couldn't pass up on the '57's.

[sledhead44]

I wanted to do an experiment with tones in these MIK Standards to find what I liked best. I tested all my stock MIK Standards before any pickup swaps to make sure they all sounded the same so I could accurately compare them after the pickup swaps. They all sounded very similar. All of them had Duncan Designed 103's in the bridge, except one came with a Duncan Designed 102 in the bridge. Some I bought already modded, but I figured they must have sounded the same (pre-mod) because all my stock ones did.

So far, beside the stock pickups I have had the following Bridge Pickups in my MIK Standards:

Seymour Duncan SH-4 "JB"

Seymour Duncan SH-6 "Duncan Distortion"

Seymour Duncan SH-12 "Screamin Demon"

Dimarzio DP-155 "Tone Zone"

Dimarzio Super Distortion 3

I BY FAR prefer the SH-6.

I do not like the '57 Classics at all....you may love them. I never had them in a MIK Standard, but I have had them in several different Les Pauls. Depends on what tones you are trying to get. We all have different tastes and playing styles.

I rarely use the Neck Pickup.

I have a USA Standard that just sounded "meh" to me. I was kinda dissapointed with the sound and thought about selling it. But changed pickups to see if that would help. I put an SH-6 in the Bridge and a Pearly Gates in the Neck. It was one of those OH-MY-GOD! moments. This thing is a MONSTER. My search is over! It's my #1.

[gorch]

Dimarzio Super Distortions do a great job in those guitars. Also consider Phat Cats.

Lift the tone a bit to cut of some highs too. I like to run the tone at 80% when the bridge is on.

[BigDaddyDRP]

I did some experimenting at the studio this past Friday. First time playing though anything larger then my Gallien-Krueger ML250 at home.

Played through a clean Marshall with a simple distortion with all amp controls at a mid point and I have to say the sound wasn't as thin as I had expected. In fact I liked it and my guitar player thought it had a good sound with plenty of body.

I absolutely Love this Guitar.

Thanks All

[BTMN]

Great looking guitar and a fair price.