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" Working Man Guitar "


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A Special? Not interested-been done to death and there are tons out there cheap used. Why bother? A Tally style at least is more unique and would rawk.

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A Special? Not interested-been done to death and there are tons out there cheap used. Why bother? A Tally style at least is more unique and would rawk.

I would much rather see a Tally Shape, but I don't see it with a Standard Headstock. That is all I am saying.

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How about a semi-Tele shape?

To make the guitar more cost-effective why not have a sponsorship for each guitar? A big ad across the front of each guitar would make them more affordable to make.

Maybe Miller Beer could have their logo put on every one of these simple, Tele shaped working man guitars.

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How about a semi-Tele shape?

To make the guitar more cost-effective why not have a sponsorship for each guitar? A big ad across the front of each guitar would make them more affordable to make.

Maybe Miller Beer could have their logo put on every one of these simple, Tele shaped working man guitars.

Or better yet, make the Miller guitar, minus the Miller logo, no advertising...those red logo'd Miller guitars had a flamed maple veneer top, too, so include that. Hey, they're Peter Green approved! B) IxNay on the later style MGD body shape, though.

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I would much rather see a Tally Shape, but I don't see it with a Standard Headstock. That is all I am saying.

I agree also. The Tally shape with the Standard headstock seems like it would look pieced together and not cohesive.

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I was talking about this with my guitar tech (he is primarily a builder but also does set-ups). Our idea of a working man's guitar is a stripped down Tele with a few tweaks. I'm about to ask him to make me a Tele body that is chambered (Tally style). I'll likely ask for a 3 pickup configuration, like a Nashville Tele. There will be a belly cut in the back.

He makes great compound radius necks with stainless steel frets. He is going to try to recreate my favorite, which was mahogany with a rosewood board, and a gun oil finish.

There will be no binding, nothing fancy. Natural finish.

As for wood, I was thinking swamp ash. He feels there might be other, more resonant woods for the top.

I'm not sure which pickups to go with yet, so suggestions would be welcome (3 single coils).

Guy's name is Greg Hails- he runs Aperio Guitar in the Atlanta GA area if anyone is interested. BTW, he started talking about double cutaway guitars the other day... ;)

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I can do a decent bolt on neck myself. No interest, unless it's a Cali. :D

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Updated TLE, 25.5, 22frets, with a 6 in line headstock and a better neck profile than the old ones. Some kind of TLE Meets Tally tmash up?

One of these days Northfield is going to go "Here's what were going to do" and we all are just going to go with it. ;)

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Set neck tele, stop tailpiece, HB bridge, splitable, P90 neck, all hog with a simple cherry wash finish, 25.5" scale.

Minus the Stoptail, I think G Man hit it on page one. This triplebucker ring and pickups I have laying around needs a home.

TLElongscalesNew1_zps892bc8b4.jpg

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TLE is too derivative just like a T62 or Daytona. Too close to a typical seen a million of them instrument.

Don't we want something that has at least some definitive Hamer design/style whether from the recent era or earlier? Talladega has its own thing while has a familiar look.

Maybe a custom order that should have been made a production model like the Electra glide or whatever the triple buckers with p90 was called.

No inlays seems like a no brainer. No binding.

Another idea is to have a Hamer dealer to sell reservations. $1k per spot (or whatever the WMG will cost). Once they collectively sell a predetermined minimum then reservations are non refundable and they will take orders. Options would be the HFC WMG or any Hamer model that has been produced. If you don't go with the WMG you will be charged a fee for a quote to get something else. Quote fees are non refundable and if you go forward with the custom order you will have to pay in advance. I know it's a dream but maybe it would get the bean counters to agree if they have $ upfront. It has been over a year since they "closed" and they are still making Hamers. Where is the love?

Aaaahhhhhhrrrgggghhhhhh!!!

Rant over.

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TLE is too derivative just like a T62 or Daytona. Too close to a typical seen a million of them instrument.

Don't we want something that has at least some definitive Hamer design/style whether from the recent era or earlier? Talladega has its own thing while has a familiar look.

That's kinda where I was going. The Tally is a familiar shape, but the Standard headstock and Sustain Block are distinctly Hamer. And the combination is slightly oddball, which is Hamer. The only thing more Hamer is Boomers, and that can't happen for the $$. A slab body keeps the price down (but forearm and tummy cuts would be pretty nice).

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I submit this again for body shape and neck. All the pup combos said above could go on there, the Sustain Block too. Too blingy? No flashy top and an opaque finish.

post-1271-0-81178800-1389801215_zps316c2

I concur with one Hamer-specific modification: this body

18876_1209237828370_1151455895_30633026_

I'd photoshop the result but I don't have my tools here at work.

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Another idea is to have a Hamer dealer to sell reservations. $1k per spot (or whatever the WMG will cost). Once they collectively sell a predetermined minimum then reservations are non refundable and they will take orders. Options would be the HFC WMG or any Hamer model that has been produced. If you don't go with the WMG you will be charged a fee for a quote to get something else. Quote fees are non refundable and if you go forward with the custom order you will have to pay in advance. I know it's a dream but maybe it would get the bean counters to agree if they have $ upfront. It has been over a year since they "closed" and they are still making Hamers. Where is the love?

Aaaahhhhhhrrrgggghhhhhh!!!

Rant over.

Keep the dealers out of this one. If you want to get the pricing down, the only way to do that here is a direct model. They won't keep lists or handle deposits for free.

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Long rambling rant, probably not worth your time to read:

I object to the notion that only Hamer builders (or even only US builders) can make a top-quality instrument.

That being said, I agree that there is something about Hamer...unfortunately, what that something might be is history.

Unfortunately, I think even if you got all the Hamer builders together on a project, it still wouldn't really be a Hamer.

There is something I call a "Second Generation" problem. I've never encountered anyone else talking about it to know what other names it might have...but it is a clear concept: it is almost impossible for lightning to strike twice for success. A team that wins the Super Bowl falls apart the next year, even if the main contributors all return. Usually, a team can only repeat a championship if they change something significant...but you never know what that significant thing is or should be. More often than not, they get it wrong.

The reason getting the Hamer builders together wouldn't be a Hamer is because each would be bringing their own understanding of what makes a Guitar a Hamer....but those elements probably wouldn't be what Jol would do, or what Paul would do, and probably even wouldn't be what the Hamer fans would want. Not exactly. The problem is that Hamer guitars are as much vision and design as they are wood and steel and craftsmanship. Which former builder would take precedence? What resentments or pet peeves would he bring to the effort? What personal development would he emphasize or add that would change the direction of vision subtly into something non-Hamer?

I'd probably trust Steve Matthes to lead the design and building of a new generation of Hamer guitars...nothing against the guys who have been building excellent Hamers, but it might work better to have Steve lead an entirely new batch of builders, because then he'd have more control over the final result, less conflict of competing visions.

I think it was mirrormj who posted a picture of a guitar he built using Hamer materials and equipment... Or maybe it was built at home, but using good quality materials with his Hamer skills. Gorgeous guitar, but it wasn't a Hamer. And unless I'm wrong, it wouldn't command Hamer level prices if he sold it.

Why? The build quality is, by definition, Hamer. But it isn't a Hamer guitar.

That's why I embraced Jon Kammerer Guitars. They aren't for everyone, apparently, because there are some design elements some can't handle. And he's too stubborn to give up those design elements.

But the result is a guitar that plays well, sounds great, is instantly recognizable in its uniqueness (not just a clone of someone else's design), has top-quality craftsmanship, and uses the level of materials you are willing to pay for. You get a boutique guitar for custom prices, or a custom guitar for stock prices, or a stock guitar for less than other stock brand name guitars.

That, to me, is the Hamer ideal: a guitar maker that gets back down to making a great guitar at an unexpectedly lower price by cutting the corporate fat out of the construction process.

Hamer hadn't been that for years, even before it was shut down.

I couldn't afford Hamer when they were doing that, and hadn't heard of them yet, anyway. Jon Kammerer is he next best thing for me.

A different path, and Northfield guitars might have been the company I embraced. There are certainly others besides Northfield and Jon Kammerer...

Robin is out of business.

Schecter? Peavey? But those are big companies, probably difficult to get a top quality guitar from them without paying premium prices.

I think the best bet is to give up on Hamer, or trying to recreate the magic. Better to find something new that scratches the itch.

Good luck and best wishes to Northfield in doing that! You have an advantage in that you have former Hamer builders as part of your effort, right? Take the Hamer experience to help build Northfield into its own niche, but be Northfield Guitars.

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Long rambling rant, probably not worth your time to read:

I object to the notion that only Hamer builders (or even only US builders) can make a top-quality instrument.

That being said, I agree that there is something about Hamer...unfortunately, what that something might be is history.

Unfortunately, I think even if you got all the Hamer builders together on a project, it still wouldn't really be a Hamer.

There is something I call a "Second Generation" problem. I've never encountered anyone else talking about it to know what other names it might have...but it is a clear concept: it is almost impossible for lightning to strike twice for success. A team that wins the Super Bowl falls apart the next year, even if the main contributors all return. Usually, a team can only repeat a championship if they change something significant...but you never know what that significant thing is or should be. More often than not, they get it wrong.

The reason getting the Hamer builders together wouldn't be a Hamer is because each would be bringing their own understanding of what makes a Guitar a Hamer....but those elements probably wouldn't be what Jol would do, or what Paul would do, and probably even wouldn't be what the Hamer fans would want. Not exactly. The problem is that Hamer guitars are as much vision and design as they are wood and steel and craftsmanship. Which former builder would take precedence? What resentments or pet peeves would he bring to the effort? What personal development would he emphasize or add that would change the direction of vision subtly into something non-Hamer?

I'd probably trust Steve Matthes to lead the design and building of a new generation of Hamer guitars...nothing against the guys who have been building excellent Hamers, but it might work better to have Steve lead an entirely new batch of builders, because then he'd have more control over the final result, less conflict of competing visions.

I think it was mirrormj who posted a picture of a guitar he built using Hamer materials and equipment... Or maybe it was built at home, but using good quality materials with his Hamer skills. Gorgeous guitar, but it wasn't a Hamer. And unless I'm wrong, it wouldn't command Hamer level prices if he sold it.

Why? The build quality is, by definition, Hamer. But it isn't a Hamer guitar.

That's why I embraced Jon Kammerer Guitars. They aren't for everyone, apparently, because there are some design elements some can't handle. And he's too stubborn to give up those design elements.

But the result is a guitar that plays well, sounds great, is instantly recognizable in its uniqueness (not just a clone of someone else's design), has top-quality craftsmanship, and uses the level of materials you are willing to pay for. You get a boutique guitar for custom prices, or a custom guitar for stock prices, or a stock guitar for less than other stock brand name guitars.

That, to me, is the Hamer ideal: a guitar maker that gets back down to making a great guitar at an unexpectedly lower price by cutting the corporate fat out of the construction process.

Hamer hadn't been that for years, even before it was shut down.

I couldn't afford Hamer when they were doing that, and hadn't heard of them yet, anyway. Jon Kammerer is he next best thing for me.

A different path, and Northfield guitars might have been the company I embraced. There are certainly others besides Northfield and Jon Kammerer...

Robin is out of business.

Schecter? Peavey? But those are big companies, probably difficult to get a top quality guitar from them without paying premium prices.

I think the best bet is to give up on Hamer, or trying to recreate the magic. Better to find something new that scratches the itch.

Good luck and best wishes to Northfield in doing that! You have an advantage in that you have former Hamer builders as part of your effort, right? Take the Hamer experience to help build Northfield into its own niche, but be Northfield Guitars.

Those are all great points.We bounce same questions around at the shop. So under what conditions you would say that Hamer and it's legacy lives on....

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Those are all great points.We bounce same questions around at the shop. So under what conditions you would say that Hamer and it's legacy lives on....

I'd say same builders, same tools, same shop, same/similar designs... which is what we're talking about with the WMG.

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Those are all great points.We bounce same questions around at the shop. So under what conditions you would say that Hamer and it's legacy lives on....

From my theory/philosophy, I think there are no conditions in which Hamer's legacy lives on as Hamer.

In the same manner that you can never go home again. You can go back to the place where home is, but people grow and change. If you could freeze "home" and then come back to it 10 years later and have it completely unchanged, it would still be different because YOU are different.

So even if Jol bought the Hamer name back from Fender and hired some of the old workers, it probably still wouldn't be Hamer the way most people think of it. It could be better or worse, but it would still be different. Guitars would be labeled as "pre-hiatus" and "post-hiatus" and people would argue with each other over which was better.

And it makes sense, sort of: Consider the guys who were hired in the 90s, compared to the guitars built in the 80s. Did the new guys making Hamers make them any less "Hamer"? If one guy quit or retired, did Hamer take a significant loss? Or was it still Hamer just chugging along? But as soon as you stop being in the stream of effort, then if you ever try to go back, you are trying recreate the magic, whereas before the magic was inherent. Like Bill Murray trying to recreate the snowball fight the 2nd time in Groundhog Day, it just leaves Andy McDowell staring and thinking "WTF?"

Let's say you have a boat built 300 years ago. Every year you have to replace one board that has rotted away. After 100 years, it is 100% replaced. Is it still an antique boat? Is it still the original boat? Could you still sell it as a restored antique? I'd say you probably could, as long as you repaired it in the same manner as it would have been built or repaired 300 years ago. But if you took that knowledge and built a second boat in the exact same manner, using the same tools and parts and even from the same stand of trees you took to renovate the original boat, I think you would be called a fraud if you claimed the second boat was an antique. The first is replacement within a continuum, the second is a deliberate copy. The 2nd can be just as good or even better (a new Hamer could actually produce better guitars for cheaper), but it still wouldn't strike people as original (the guitars still wouldn't have the mojo of the upstart "vintage guitars at stock prices" guitar company).

In my humble and overthought opinion.

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I've said it before, so my apologies for the repeat - i trust what the gentlemen in the shop can come up with for a working man's guitar. Period.

The magic behind any guitar isn't in it's shape, wood, bridge, or the name on (or shape of) the headstock. It's the sum of the parts, and the guys in the shop have an immense mass of knowledge on what works and what doesn't.

We've mentioned a slab tally with sustainblock and a standard headstock. (sounds pretty cool to me, actually :) ) But - the magic in the Tally is not just the body shape - at least not the "outline" of the body. There is a ratio that is preserved between the size/mass of the body in relation to the scale length that have a direct impact to its sound. The Tally is also chambered. To simply turn it into a slab may or may not "work", especially if we cobble it together with parts we like and change the headstock. Not to criticize or single out that particular concept: It's great brainstorming, and i do the same thing.

But it gets me to the point: These fine gentlemen take the concepts and tweak the designs to make guitars that are incredible. *That* (IMFO) is the legacy. Jol was a part of that. Jol's legacy is continuing with Dantzig Guitar Designs. There's no reason the legacy can not also continue through Northfield, Bm, and crew as well. The legacy is irrespective of the name on the headstock, the shape of the guitar, or any other specific detail. It is the knowledge and experience that was gained and honed through it all.

OK, now i sound like a motivational video, i'll move on...

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I'll put it very simply: If Northfield and NEWMAN60 are building it, I'm going to find a way to buy one. I don't need 100% to have the Hamer logo on there. To me, those guys are a huge part of the magic in the guitars I know and love.

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