Was "Hameritis" ever cured?

[Armitage]

It's never been a warranty covered item, as I recall, but I could be recalling incorrectly.

It's typically a pretty simple fix - I've done it myself, even though it never bothered to begin with - but to Mr. Fuzzy's point, if somebody is spending $3k on a new guitar, I'd think they'd be well within their rights to bitch about something like that.

Buying a used guitar? Ah - just deal with it!

I get that, but is a 2008, a 5 year old guitar really New?

Now if this appeared in 2008. Then bitch away.

But seriously 5 years? New?

I apparently live in an alternate reality.

If you are the original purchaser, it is just NOW appearing, and the warranty period is sufficient, than why not? "New" has little to do with it if it is a potentially covered manufacturing flaw.

My point is, if you purchased a very expensive custom order v. a used/preowned guitar (where the warranty doesn't transfer), you'd have every right to be pissed - no matter whether you live in Mr. Fuzzy's alternative universe or not.

Absolutely. Factory issues (i.e. not customer generated) should be taken care of responsibly by the company, not brushed under the carpet with a Microsoft answer of "we know it's a problem, and it'll be fixed soon, buy another one and it should be OK... if not, buy another the next year."

[gorch]

It really does not matter at all to me whether you bring down the house at Madison Square Garden on a regular basis, or knock shit off the walls in Mom's Spare Bedroom.

Play often and enjoy the hell outta your stuff - beats any number of less worthy alternatives!

I enjoy the hell out of gigging, but as Danny Gatton once said, the best guitarist in the world has probably never left his basement...

That'll keep me going.

[Hfan]

Anyone care to speculate on the percentage of Hamers that develop Hameritis?

I only have one Hamer a 93 Special (my avatar), the finish is perfect knock wood.

I'd also like to send out an atta boy to the builders, the guys on the floor. I was shocked by the level of build quality on my Special irregardless of the price I paid used. Even the electronics cavity had the neatest layout, solder work I ever saw. I'm sure no one would blame you guys for what occurs with the finish formulas you where given to use.

[cmatthes]

I have owned dozens of Hamers over the years, and played hundreds more. I've only owned one that had the MILDEST form of Hameritis - at the side of the nut only, and not seen all that much.

Like real '59 Les Pauls, I think the true number is far less than what we hear about out there.

[polara]

I had a P90 GT that was just awash in Hameritis. It didn't BUG me in that I kind of don't care what a guitar looks like.

But if I were running a company and saw a pattern of something happening that made my product seem to be at a competitive disadvantage I'd fix it. Other guitars don't seem to have suffered from this, so I'd be concerned that it would keep people from buying my product. Just business sense.

And to jackass' point, I'd go talk to the guys applying the finish and say "Hey, this is happening. Why do you think it happens, and what steps might we take to correct it? Let's do some experimenting."

[Armitage]

One of my Standards had dusty hand prints all over it and the finish was separating around the neck joint, fret board and the nut. I can't imagine it all showed up between shipping and the shop, someone had to see it when they put it in the case, but maybe not... It was a real problem to get Hamer interested in it at all, finally they stripped and refinished it. Smoking guitar now.

[MCChris]

I've owned four mid-late '90s set-neck Hamers. All had some degree of Hameritis.

[anathemata]

I've owned four mid-late '90s set-neck Hamers. All had some degree of Hameritis.

My 98 Artist has it pretty bad around the neck joint.

What I want to know is if there is cure for wanting more Hamers.

[cmatthes]

Joe - I think we're all patiently waiting for a cure for that.

[coolfeel]

One cure is buying a Dantzig custom order...

[Jackass]

I had a P90 GT that was just awash in Hameritis. It didn't BUG me in that I kind of don't care what a guitar looks like.

But if I were running a company and saw a pattern of something happening that made my product seem to be at a competitive disadvantage I'd fix it. Other guitars don't seem to have suffered from this, so I'd be concerned that it would keep people from buying my product. Just business sense.

And to jackass' point, I'd go talk to the guys applying the finish and say "Hey, this is happening. Why do you think it happens, and what steps might we take to correct it? Let's do some experimenting."

Thank you! If you keep thinking that way, you'll be running a successful company someday. Unless you already are.

Bm

[Toadroller]

This thread is worth five pages?

[telecat]

I had a 95 or 96 wraptail studio in Salmon Blush that I bought new that had it on both sides of the fretboard.. I sent it to Hamer in the late 90's to address an unrelated issue. Hamer contaced me when they got the guitar and said it would take longer than they thought because they waned to fix the finish lifting on the neck while it was there. I thought that was really cool of them. I never mentioned that when talking to them, they did that all on their own accord under warranty.

I currenty have a 96 Special FM that has is a bit on the neck but my 97 Artist Custom is flawless...

[bubs_42]

The second kind occurs at the neck/body joint where the finish (or clear coat) lifts slightly. Has anybody seen this happen on single cut guitars? Isn't this what happens when unyielding polyester finish is applied to a neck joined to a double-cut body at the 21st fret? This wouldn't happen to a nitrocellulose finish which is softer and maintains some flexibility.

Nitro. is actually fairly brittle unless it's that stuff Gibson has been using for a few years now. Hameritis is the color coat not adhering to and delaminating from the sealer coat. I'm sure the folks who were(are) there can correct any misinformation on my part as I'm going on answers to questions I had at the last open house. When they stopped using nitro. 92ish the sealer and top coat clear was a catalyzed urethane from Lawrence McFadden. LMF called it "Urethane Guitar Lacquer" (because of it's "Lacquer like drying times") and Jol refered to it as Urelac-the tech guy at LMF told me there's no lacquer in it. Early on they were still using nitro. for the colors and later PPG basecoat paint. The issue is that neither one chemically bonds with the sealer coats, they are just relying on the sanding scratches from when the sealer was leveled for a mechanical bond. Trouble is neither one is great as a first coat over a sanded substrate. With nitro. if there's a nitro. based sealer there's will be a chemical bond and in most basecoat/clearcoat systems some type of catalyzed primer(epoxy/urethane) that has a good "grip" is sprayed on the sanded substrate and the basecoat color and subsequent clears form a more cohesive film.

This is why this guy paints my guitars.

[Caddie]

I see two types of finish separation called "Hameritis." One occurs on Arlington-era instruments along the sides of the fretboard, where finish raises and flakes off the rosewood or ebony. Given the high oil content of these woods, his area should probably have masked off and unfinished and should probably be buffed off. End of problem.

The second kind occurs at the neck/body joint where the finish (or clear coat) lifts slightly. Has anybody seen this happen on single cut guitars? Isn't this what happens when unyielding polyester finish is applied to a neck joined to a double-cut body at the 21st fret? This wouldn't happen to a nitrocellulose finish which is softer and maintains some flexibility. It also may account for PRS's oversized neck heel. I consider it the nature of the beast. There is a fix for it if you want to have a luthier modify your guitar a little bit:

That was no luthier's work, that was done by a lumberjack.

[gorch]

...

This is why this guy paints my guitars.

I bought my guitars painted.

[bubs_42]

...

This is why this guy paints my guitars.

I bought my guitars painted.

We transform ugly guitars into masterpieces. Well I pay for them anyway, Jay and Stike do the work.

[Northfield]

I had a P90 GT that was just awash in Hameritis. It didn't BUG me in that I kind of don't care what a guitar looks like.

But if I were running a company and saw a pattern of something happening that made my product seem to be at a competitive disadvantage I'd fix it. Other guitars don't seem to have suffered from this, so I'd be concerned that it would keep people from buying my product. Just business sense.

And to jackass' point, I'd go talk to the guys applying the finish and say "Hey, this is happening. Why do you think it happens, and what steps might we take to correct it? Let's do some experimenting."

Thank you! If you keep thinking that way, you'll be running a successful company someday. Unless you already are.

Bm

It was cured in 97-98. There was a simple explanation for the problem and a really ingenious solution to fix it.

[sixesandsevens]

Was the solution really to inject CA glue into the site of the Hameritis with a syringe?

I've read that both on this thread, and an oblique reference to injecting "something" at the site in a Dantzig interview a while back.

[Boomerang~Junkie]

My buddy, (am I allowed to say he is a luthier or is that forbidden language here?) is trying ^^ this ^^ very process on the neck joint of my Phantom Custom, but can not get it to work to save his life and he is incredibly talented. Any suggestions here?