bobbymack Posted March 17, 2005 Posted March 17, 2005 My '96 T51 and '96 Artist Custom are both fantastic guitars. Keepers, period.I also have had a killer '97 AC, a sweet Mirage II from either '95 or '96, and a regular '96 Artist that was great. My 25th is a guitar I never should have sold... My 00 Newport was a VG guitar, but my 02 Monaco Elite only lasted about 2 weeks with me. My 01 Korina Artist didn't last long either.So for me I'd say the mid to late 90s was the period...interesting given the move to CT in the middle of that period. Of course, ymmv...
Jack C Posted March 17, 2005 Posted March 17, 2005 I also have had a killer '97 AC, a sweet Mirage II from either '95 or '96, and a regular '96 Artist that was great. My 25th is a guitar I never should have sold... I bought that 96 Artist from you and later sold it. We were both stupid - it is a killer guitar.
Mike_C Posted March 17, 2005 Posted March 17, 2005 My oldest Hamers are a 95ish T-51 ,a 96 artist custom and mid 90's Special FM . Everything else has been from '98 on to 2004. So I'm squarely in the newer Hamer's. I just never bonded with my older Hamers THe daytonas cali's, A-5 Phantom, Vector, and a 78 Sunburst that sounded great but couldn't deal with the skinny neck. The new ones to me are just a magical as the old ones. It's just my luck that I dig the direction and style of the new Hamers.
princeofdarkness56 Posted March 17, 2005 Posted March 17, 2005 One of the early Specials with a sustain block and a checker board headstock. They are the epitome of simplicity, function and class. They just seem to screem rock and roll.
atquinn Posted March 17, 2005 Posted March 17, 2005 I like the new stuff too, but I picked the old Hamer because I always want what I can't have -Austin
Craig Posted March 17, 2005 Posted March 17, 2005 The only thing that keeps me from a brand new Hamer is price. I simply make about 1/2 of what I did before 9/11 with 10X the number of monetary obligations. If Hamer (hopefully) is still making guitars in 10 years, I'll be happy to order one then!
Hamer_SS_guy Posted March 17, 2005 Posted March 17, 2005 Well, I own only Hamers from the "shredder"-era. I'd like a Duotone, but else I am satisfied with the shredders. I personally would have liked more variation in design and a bigger choice of bass models, but I don't mind Hamer's policy, I have everything I need.
David B Posted March 17, 2005 Posted March 17, 2005 To me, older Hamer means Standard, Sunburst, Special, Prototype, Vector. Phantom, Blitz etc... I like that stuff the best. I also love Scepters & Scarabs. The new stuff is great too, but I don't care about the jazz style guitars.
JohnnyB Posted March 17, 2005 Posted March 17, 2005 As far as picking up and playing a Hamer, I prefer the current stuff for flawless construction and the airy, woody tones of chambers and hollow bodies built around first-class wood.I also appreciate the older ones for the creativity and variety, the experimentation and that "anything is possible" attitude. Still, tonally I'd take an Artist Mahogany HB over an Eclipse any day.
black magic Posted March 20, 2005 Posted March 20, 2005 Deffinately the 80`s Shred Era, and mostly the Chap Set neck models, and especially the Chap Customs, all with the Hockey Headstocks. That being said, I like the Special FM -Special HB and Special also and Studio Custom. Jack.
doody Posted April 22, 2007 Posted April 22, 2007 Id be happy with the taledega with a t51 headstock.
Guest Meshuggah Posted April 23, 2007 Posted April 23, 2007 and belly carve, but anyway....the era that produced my 95 wraptail and 96 duotone and 25th.That be the mid-90s, yah?Simple, elegant, delicious.
Punkavenger Posted April 23, 2007 Posted April 23, 2007 Wow. I'd have to say, as a disclaimer, I like old stuff in general. I'd rather have an old musclecar than a new one ... old Harley (or Vincent, oh yeah) etc.The Hamers I currently own are a 2003 Special, 96 Daytona, 82 Blitz. I'm lusting after a older mahogany Standard and a fixed neck Chappie. I'm drawn toward the older stuff and yet... My 96 Daytona is my favorite at this time
KH Guitar Freak Posted April 23, 2007 Posted April 23, 2007 The older ones appeal to me more than the new ones...But all are good guitars none the less... and if I had too much money... I'll buy guitars from all eras...
Hamerica Posted April 23, 2007 Posted April 23, 2007 "The best sounding Hamers I've ever heard (to me) are the original mid 70s Standards." - Serial "I think play more consistently." There IS a "Feel" (note that I didn't say "vibe" or "mojo") to the old ones that I can't describe, but there is a certain magic about them." - Serial "I think the new stuff is top notch. If they were still making superstrat's they'd be killer too." - SilentmanZR, I would like to yield my time to vote to the fine membership of the board. I don't think I have enough experience to declare any positon to vote as the subject matter is to broad. I can tell you, at one time, I was definitely in the "Pre-Kaman" era. Then I spent some quality time with a few Kaman subjects and I had to change my position. I honestly don't think I could vote today and say "yep, here is the time line for me." four digit standards - "they just has it." Korina standards - "that just has it." Virt - "just has it." Vees out that ass "that just have it". Futuras - "that just has it" 1978 Sunburts (2) "that just have it" I have one Sunburst in particular that I love. It sings. I can't tell you why but it is just the bees knees.I have had a few that Hamers that were good just for some reason, not quite as good as numbers xx, xxx, or xxxx. There is defintely something to be said about the overall quailty and workmanship of the current hamer line. No, they currently don't make everything I want them to make. I have recently been playing more of the Cali and Chap styled guitars than anything else. I recently have thought that they should bring back the Cali set necks.
Bernard from Belgium Posted April 23, 2007 Posted April 23, 2007 I LOVE SUSTAINBLOCKS!!!!!!!Someone wrote those oldies are extremely good value. Indeed, I bought 3 Hamers recently, costing me something like 1.300 USD per guitar. Quality is absolutely great. Maybe the only issue might be that the building of newer Hamers is more consistent. I have to admit that my 3 Hamers (2 Specials, 1 Sunburst from 1980, 1981 & 1982) all are slightly different in neckshape and sound. My conclusion is definitely that I love the neckshapes from those days...
petedz Posted April 23, 2007 Posted April 23, 2007 Let's see... four Californians, a bolt-on Chaparral, a Vintage S with a Floyd, and a thin necked Sunburst with a Floyd. I guess it's pretty clear where I'm at on this issue.
darc Posted April 23, 2007 Posted April 23, 2007 Meant to vote old, clicked new by mistake. I think I got confused because the new guitars seem, um... older. The new guitars are beautiful, but the vast majority are Gibson-derived guitars w/ tune-o-matics etc. and that's just not my thing. I definitely prefer the variety of the old days.
Devnor Posted April 23, 2007 Posted April 23, 2007 I'm discouraged by Hamer's facination with Bigsbys, F-holes and non-adjustable bridges. I checked older Hamer. It's a shame they dont realize how freakin' cool it would be to put a set-neck Cali in that catalog.
Bloozguy Posted April 24, 2007 Posted April 24, 2007 There should be a third choice...sort of an "all of the above" option. I miss my old Standard, Vector, and Special and I should have bought an Eclipse 12 when I had the chance (maybe I can talk BruceM into selling me his!), but I'm pretty hooked on my Archtop GT and Bruce's old Newport Pro (if you can call 1999 old).Just my $0.02
ford Posted April 24, 2007 Posted April 24, 2007 My favorites are the Daytonas and T-51's...although I love a great "Special" and many other set neck Hamers. Of course I have to get another T-51 now that mine was stolen last week. Luckily they missed my Daytona!rockbford
BubbaVO Posted November 20, 2007 Posted November 20, 2007 Older. Hamer was really innovative back then - unique bridge designs, adding a floyd to a production guitar; the manufacturing techniques, a marketing strategy that embraced the likes of players from Gary Moore all the way to Glenn Tipton; guitars that broke the mold (the DuoTone); guitars that filled the cracks - Phantom / Mirage. It was really easy to get excited about what they were doing.Now. Better construction to yield greater consistency. The standards are really nice but they've been around for a while - and studios are the foundation for almost every guitar in their line. The newports..nice ... yawn. There's hope...the new Talladega is a seriously kick as$ guitar. Let's have more innovation.
Jack C Posted November 20, 2007 Posted November 20, 2007 Question: Would the guitars that were being made way back when this thread was started be considered new era or old?
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