Info on 3-Hole Duotone w/ P-90s

[Moxie]

Hi Gents,

Hoping you can shed some light on my Duotone. It's S/N 6-44379 and was originally sold by D W Sound, in Lexington, Kentucky. I only ask because I've only ever seen or read about three other 3-holers with P-90s and am wondering how many Hamer ever made. I read on Premier Guitar that they only did the Duotones with P-90s in 1996, like mine, but this gent says his is a '95: http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/sidewinders-bar-grille/71895-so-what-other-guitars-do-you-have-2.html#post416735

Anyway, just curious since it seems these are a bit oddball and rare-ish. Either way, I love it.

Thanks,

Matt

P.S. I assume these are Duncans? I've never popped them out to check.

[cmatthes]

I believe my Goldtop P-90 Duotone was a '95 too.

[BlueRedWhite]

is that..the same gold duotone...i have??

Just curious

[Moxie]

Nice! I remember seeing a goldtop on eBay once.

I guess part of the reason I'm asking about these is because my first guitar was my '82 Sunburst and I have three other Hamers in addition to the Dutone. I can blather on about all of them except the Duotone. When people ask me about it (which they always do), why/how Hamer decided to make the P-90 version, etc., I'm just completely ignorant and feel like a bit of an idiot.

[BubbaVO]

I had one. Nice burst finish. Like every other Hamer USA I've had a chance to play, it was very well made. I thought I'd love it. But I just couldn't bond with it. Away it went to TX.

[tomteriffic]

If they're unmolested, I believe the P-90's were Duncans. My P-90 Hamers from that era have all been Duncans. Serials can be a little iffy, especially with respect to model year vis-a-vis catalog dates. My 2008 Standard was started and mostly built in late 2007 but got serialized in early 2008.

And has often been noted, never say never when it comes to Hamers with certain features, dates, etc.

That's a nice one!

[ZR]

I just bought a black '99 3-holer and it has Bartolini's in it. Was that a Custom

order? I have the dimensions from their website but have not compared it to SD's or other brands P-90's. Anyone want to post a measurement on width and height?

BTW, the B's are not P-90 wannabees,more of a humbucker sound and nice (silent) single sound. via push/pull pot.

When were the last 3-holers made?

[cmatthes]

They switched over to the new style by '99, although the 3 hole option was available on a custom order basis.

[hamerhead]

Anybody else think the 3 holes are just waaay cooler than 'f' holes?

[Studio Custom]

It may have only been a standard option that year, but as all things Hamer, exceptions were possible if Jol was in the mood.

[ZR]

I was going off what the seller told me but it's actually a '95. Serial. # 543xxx...right?

Were these Bartolinis stock then or aftermarket? Were Bartolinis an option on Hamers? I took measurements and the Bartolinis are 85.7mm long vs SD p-90 of 68mm, and the Bs are 34.3mm wide vs. SDp-90s of 36mm.

Also, my Cruise Bass serial is 616xxx in yellow ink. What year is that?

When did they switch to stamped serials?

[cmatthes]

Your Cruisebass is a 1986 model. They started with the impressed serial numbers (again) in '88, if I recall correctly.

[Moxie]

Slightly off-topic, but since I've seen or read about several different makes and models of P-90s in these 3-holers, just thought I'd mention that in addition to the Duotone above, I have a stock Grosh ElectraJet Custom with G-90s and an Epiphone Elitist Casino that I put Kinman P-90 Hx pups in. If one can compare similar pickups in different guitars, I'd have to say the Kinmans wipe the floor with the Duncans and Groshs, and the Groshs in particular are really good. But there's just something about these Kinmans. They're still gnarly and grindy as hell or chimey sweet, minus the noise. Silent, like EMG silent.