Ting Ho Dung Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 I was reading about the Triple Threat and the ad touted that it has a 17 degree headstock. Isn't that just 3 degrees more than normal? Why is that such a selling point and if it is aren't all the other Hamer's built below optimum string / nut tension? Does this 3 degrees make the guitar play / sound different? They also touted that the TT has a one piece hog neck. I thought Hamer touted the 3 piece neck for strength / rigidity / reliability. I need to be enlightened.
polara Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Thanks for asking. Now that you state it, I do wonder… seems like a steeper angle might drive the strings harder onto the nut for more resonance, coupled with the more resonant one-piece neck.But the tradeoff in tuning stability and resistance to neck twist over the years… Then I remind myself I just need to practice more, 'cos Hound Dog Taylor could rip my head off playing a Teisco.
G Man Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Its all marketing hype to convince the Les Paul purists to buy Hamer.
Ting Ho Dung Posted May 12, 2014 Author Posted May 12, 2014 Its all marketing hype to convince the Les Paul purists to buy Hamer. Are Les Paul's 17 degrees?
ptm1diver Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Thorn my son, Let the Gods of Guitar Enlightenment guide you upon your quest for divine knowledge and guidance. 1st, the Hog Neck is preferable because it has natural bacon grease lubricant to allow the player to slide and glide up and down the neck like greased lightning, or Crisco shortnin if yousa in da south. 2nd, the 17 degrees of headstock are to promote and stimulate the economy when it cracks and snaps off. Does thee understand now? -------------------------------------------- Nice to see you back again.
G Man Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Its all marketing hype to convince the Les Paul purists to buy Hamer. Are Les Paul's 17 degrees?I believe the originals, and now the Historics all have 17 degree headstocks.
it's me HHB Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Whats the third threat? I know one piece neck, vintage headstock angle and what? ABR bridge? Unpotted pickups? Brazilian board?
django49 Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Did y'all never see "Spinal Tap?" "But it goes to ELEVEN. It is ONE BETTER!"The Triple Threat, at 17 degrees, is THREE better!In more seriousness, it WAS promoted as being the most LP-like Hamer ever. The third of three threats is/was the thicker body, designed to give that fatter tone that only a fatter hunka 'hog can. The BRW is cool, but was not counted as a "fourth threat".I like mine a lot, more so with upgraded pups. On any given day, I usually consider it my best sounding Hamer....But I SHOULD get a better pictures than the one below.BTW, the other Hamer many folks point to as a good LP-ish guitar is the Monaco Elite.
stonge Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Mine had a two-piece neck courtesy on FedEx; maybe the third threat was the vintage - spec heel break.
cynic Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 Whats the third threat? I know one piece neck, vintage headstock angle and what? ABR bridge? Unpotted pickups? Brazilian board?According to Hamer: neck, headstock angle, and bridge."We are pleased to unveil a very special limited edition model that I call the Triple Threat. It's named after the three most unique features of the guitar and is a reference to three esteemed design collaborators at the dealerships that will exclusively offer this model this year. Each instrument is a little different—some tops are flat-sawn and some are quarter-sawn and all are under 8.5 lbs. In addition to our '59 burst, colors are Ic'd-T and Wash'd-T.In order to capture a different timbre, we've employed a single element neck design crafted from aged honduras mahogany. To provide maximum stability we have used seasoned wood and allowed the finished necks to normalize for a long period before curving and fretting the Brazilian rosewood fingerboard.The second bold feature is the 17 degree headstock angle which makes this instrument unique among modern Hamers.The final touch is the use of a TonePros AVR II vintage style bridge and matching TonePros tailpiece in cast zinc. All hardware is nickel finish. This was a very fun project with a great group of people, but when these are gone... that's all folks!"
Jeff R Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 My Steinberger GM series had no headstock, much less an angle, and it sounded like the grace or the wrath of God depending where I put the volume knob.** see? **
Disturber Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 It's been debated before, but what is "Les Paul tone". Is it Zack Wyldes terrible distortion, pinched harmonics assault, or Brian Robertson/Scott Gorhams warm Lizzy tones? Or is it Slash GnR tone? Or is Mr Les Pauls own cleaner tone? The Triple Treats were a publicity stunt from Hamer. I am sure they are great guitars. But I doubt they are "better" than an ordinary Studio Custom. And in a blind test I seriously doubt any of you would hear the difference. I can get a Les Paul and my Hamer's to sound pretty damn similar through my own amps. When we mixed our songs we had a Les Paul and a Hamer on all tracks. It's impossible to tell which is which if you just listen to them one by one. You need to know which channel has which guitar to know which is which. My '86 Custom Dan Armstrong Hamer has the same body thickness as a 70's Les Paul. I don't know what the headstock angle is, but it can sound like an LP on the spot. It's got a thicker maple cap. I think that is more the trick. Then again, my Sunbursts can sound pretty much like the other guitarists all mahogany Les Paul Custom. But, we all know the tone is in the price tag. So if the Triple Treats were more expensive than the ordinary Hamer line, then of course they sound better. There is nothing more to discuss.
mirrorimij Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 In about 1999 or so, Hamer built a Les Paul for Frank Rindone. Somebody shipped us a very nice historic for us to spec out, etc. We absolutely nailed the dimensions, specs, etc but left it with a standard Hamer neck (stressed neck system, shallower headstock pitch, etc). Played side by side with the reissue it was spec'd from, the Hamer didn't sound like the LP. We deduced that, if the body was exact and the materials were top notch, it had to be the neck that made the difference in the sound.Fast forward a few years and you get the Triple Threat. No publicity stunt. Everything was done for a reason.
atquinn Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 ...Played side by side with the reissue it was spec'd from, the Hamer didn't sound like the LP...In what way did it sound different? I'm assuming the traditional Hamer neck is stiffer than a one-piece neck, but I'm not sure what the difference would be sound-wise.-Austin
polara Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 Lotta variables in getting a "Les Paul" sound.WHICH LP? Which pickups? Which era? What grade of wood? Which Les Paul sound?As Disturber pointed out, THE Les Paul sound would be what Mr. Paul hisself produced: so a Les Paul Recording, with the low-impedence pickups, clean?It's kind of interesting from an academic or gear-geek perspective but I still think if you want a better tone, practice more and write better songs.
dragan Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 wasnt the volute added & head angle changed cerca 1970 to keep form breaking the head stocks off ? seems like thats what I remember being told then .
django49 Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 ^^^^ Interesting thing.......And the guitars with volutes seem to be less appealing. Less "authentic". I suppose. Sorta fun to look at different approaches to necks/headstocks that, in part, address those issues. One example that will surely not appeal to everyone:
gorch Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 ...Played side by side with the reissue it was spec'd from, the Hamer didn't sound like the LP... In what way did it sound different? I'm assuming the traditional Hamer neck is stiffer than a one-piece neck, but I'm not sure what the difference would be sound-wise.-AustinWhat were the differences in the pickups?
G Man Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 ^^^^ Interesting thing.......And the guitars with volutes seem to be less appealing. Less "authentic". I suppose. Sorta fun to look at different approaches to necks/headstocks that, in part, address those issues. One example that will surely not appeal to everyone: Damn, that is quite the volute, even putting old Martin's to shame, killer headstock though.
mirrorimij Posted May 13, 2014 Posted May 13, 2014 Sorry I can't answer the questions about the Hamer Les Paul. Too much time has passed for me to accurately describe the differences in sound. I can't remember what pickups were in the Hamer but, if I had to guess, they were probably Duncan 59s.I know what some of you mean by the different Les Paul sounds.......one of my favorite sounding Les Pauls belonged to a friend. It was a pancake body Norlin with a maple neck and a repaired headstock break. It had everything "wrong" for a purists LP, but the damn thing sounded like rock and roll should.
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