Small-Bodied, Solid-Bodied Non-Chambered Monaco: Did/Does It Exist?

[crunchee]

Just curious, did anybody here ever try to spec or order one of these from Hamer? I've been playing a Gibson Les Paul Studio lately, and the one thing it has over my old double-cutaway Hamers, is that the neck doesn't 'flex' nearly as badly and throw off tuning, because the LP has a neck to body joint at the 16th fret, instead of higher up the neck as double-cutaway Hamers do. Monacos ALSO have a neck to body joint at the 16th fret...but the bodies are chambered/semi-hollow, and (maybe?) they're a fair amount larger in size than a Special/Studio or a LP, too (edited to add: I'm not sure, I've never owned or played one, but that's been my impression, correct me if I'm wrong). A solid-body Monaco in it's 'regular' body size would likely be too heavy (?); but downsized, they might be just the ticket. Anybody ever ask? Or, does anybody know if one was ever in the works but killed off? If it sounds a lot like a LP, that's actually kind of the point. TIA!

[django49]

Monaco Elite? But I am not sure if that matches the desire for a "small body". Gets into the territory of a Les Paul, IMO.

[crunchee]

A LP body is roughly 17 1/2" long by 13" wide. According to the Hamer website, a Monaco Elite is 16.85", a Monaco SuperPro is 17.6", I'm guessing that's body length as it doesn't specifically say, and the measurement is too big for width. It does give 5/8" as the maple top thickness for both, but no other body dimensions that I can find...and I can't tell if they're wider than a Hamer Special or Studio, or a LP for that matter. Perhaps someone here on the board can measure the body on one model or the other, or both if they're lucky enough to have them? TIA again!

[JohnnyB]

Yeah, Monaco Elite.

It's pretty well known that a single-cut guitar such as an LP has a more rigid neck than a DC that joins the body around the 22nd fret such as the Hamer DCs and the Gibson SG. In fact, even though electric bass has a long-ass neck and most have double cutaways, there's a movement especially among the boutique brands that brace the neck on the thumb side to an extreme. As an example, the Elrick Evolution 4 Single Cutaway. I'd love to see how this thing would play.

[sixesandsevens]

Teuffel's Tesla is like that too:

http://www.teuffel.com/english/guitars/tesla/neck.htm

[django49]

Another option is to look at guitars that have an extended neck tenon. Such as one that goes all the way under the pickups, if not the end of the body (neck through). One of the examples is linked below. Even the Phantom (bolt on) is anchored very securely, having SIX bolts at various distances into the body. And having the pickups secured directly to the neck is not a bad thing.

BTW, their rosewood necks are especially rigid and the BRW necks are just plain luscious.

Naturally, such as these (or the Teuffels) are in another orbit, cost-wise.

http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Scott_Walker_Guitars

[django49]

BTW, an older picture shows the relative sizes of the various Monaco models, with 2 Elites on the left side. (Oops, how did the Newport slip into that picture?)

Note also the "shelf" in the cutaway on the Elite. It does seem to offer an added bit of mass around the neck joint (plus the obvious support on the upper/bass side, unlike the typical Hamer double cut) without seeming to have much impact upon reaching the upper notes. But there seem to be different opinions on the latter.

Oh.....And the Monaco III also has the larger body, but it is a different animal than what you are looking for.

[cmatthes]

I've found that most of the people who complain the loudest about the "shelf" on the Monaco line have either never played one or else rave about single cut LP Jrs, which have the exact same design.

It has no impact on upper fret access, and if it does...you're doing it wrong.

[Jakeboy]

I had a Monaco Elite mahogany that weighed around 8.5 # . Neck didn't flex like my double cuts and the body was manageable. Shelf was a non-issue. Should fit the bill exactly.

My Korina Special Jr has a rock solid neck due to not having a neck pup and it is a double cut.