Hamer Dave Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 I would have suspected half that. Especially with the iffy neck joint I'd expect only about $800.
HamerHamburg Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 For $800 I could fly over the pond for a personal pick up and still be cheaper than what is paid/asked for here in Germany !
HamerHamburg Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 Show me somebody who will sell a 1980 Sunburst in original condition for $800 ! ...
ARM OF HAMER Posted January 4, 2015 Author Posted January 4, 2015 Well first off the early "Sunbursts" like Steve [serial] and other HFC experts have mentioned were made in small batches due to the fact that at the time Hamer couldn't even make the whole guitar in house.[They had Tom Holmes doing the body, necks, and fingerboard installations] Recently it was stated that there were probably around 1500 of the original[Tom Holmes era] "Sunbursts" made with a few carried into 80 with left over parts.Back when Gibson was making guitars in the 70s they were building what?,............ over 200+ guitars a day!,its probably double that now! [Murkat can tell you that I'm sure] Even though the "Sunburst" was Hamer's first production guitar it was hardly produced in big numbers,if you read "The Book" it was a struggle just to do what they did. Rare is a word that can get attached to a lot of things to make them seem better or to try to attract a higher value.The "Sunburst" is certainly a uncommon guitar to come across................by comparison I owned a 78 Gibson L-5S, what many people would consider a very rare Gibson.They were made 72-83, the first ones shipped in 73................ in 1974 they built and shipped 555 of just those guitars alone and they were made for a decade! So I consider the "Sunburst" a VERY uncommon guitar to find and I'm kind of surprised that they don't sell for more.....................more often.
ARM OF HAMER Posted January 4, 2015 Author Posted January 4, 2015 BTW HamerHamburg this was just posted by another forum member http://www.ebay.de/itm/HAMER-E-Gitarre-Baujahr-1979-Vintage-Sunburst-/141530370815
Hamer Dave Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 I too wondered why Sunbursts sold so much less than 4-digit Standards. I do realize the difference though now. Some of the early Sunbursts can be a bit squirrelly. It's mildly mentioned in the 'book'. Had a 78 back when a teen in the early 80's. I know it had the bulls eye tuners. That neck was like a wet noodle. Seen/heard of others. Then came the three piece neck.
ARM OF HAMER Posted January 5, 2015 Author Posted January 5, 2015 The "Standards" were all handmade guitars so a "Sunburst" was a different animal but with some great similarities.The problem you talk about has been mentioned by others as well as far as neck issues,They solved that with the 3 piece neck...............one of my Black 79s has the one piece and thankfully no issues at all,the one I just got here recently has the 3 piece and again it has no problems at all. Maybe I just got lucky ..............you always take a chance when you have to buy w/o a chance to view the guitar in person,play it,and so forth.You just have to have good photos and ask lots of questions before you buy then throw your hat into the ring and hope you get what you paid for................the last Black "Sunburst I bought was 1,200 miles away from me here where I live so I just pulled the trigger and hoped not only would it be a good one but that it would make it here in 1 piece............. yet another issue you deal with when a guitar is "Out Of Town".
The Shark Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 I paid $1,200 for this one four years ago... I paid $2,400 for this one two years ago... Nice to know I might make a profit someday.
HamerHamburg Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 BTW HamerHamburg this was just posted by another forum member http://www.ebay.de/itm/HAMER-E-Gitarre-Baujahr-1979-Vintage-Sunburst-/141530370815Yep, my buddy told me yesterday ... He's looking for a Special with a decent price tag-
HamerHamburg Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 I too wondered why Sunbursts sold so much less than 4-digit Standards. I do realize the difference though now. Some of the early Sunbursts can be a bit squirrelly. It's mildly mentioned in the 'book'. Had a 78 back when a teen in the early 80's. I know it had the bulls eye tuners. That neck was like a wet noodle. Seen/heard of others. Then came the three piece neck. Mine stays in tune very well actually. No complaints at all. But indeed, I think the neck is kinda "soft". Altough I can easily control it and keep it stable, I can also use the back and forth motion for light vibrato ...
ARM OF HAMER Posted January 6, 2015 Author Posted January 6, 2015 I paid $1,500.00 for this one a few weeks back.
cmatthes Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 I paid $1,200 for this one four years ago... Nice to know I might make a profit someday. But that's a Special, not a Sunburst...
vicjoy1945 Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 I use to see this all the time on ebay regarding other collectable items (I've collected militaria for the past 20+ years)...two people really "want" it and submit extremely high bids thinking that "well...no one will bid anything near this" and that "I'll get it for much less." All of a sudden it sells astronomically high and the second bidder is thinking "man...glad I didn't get it" due to the resulting high hammer (no pun intended) price. You have to look at where the third bidder came in to get a better feel regarding value.
serial Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 Sunbursts were selling in that range before 2008.
atomicwash Posted January 6, 2015 Posted January 6, 2015 Sunbursts were selling in that range before 2008.And worth it if they are in the right condition. I love the two Sunbursts I picked up last year. They play well, sound great, and have an untouchable coolness factor. They gave me a new inspiration for vintage instruments.
filtre_ Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 I just joined the club and bought a 1979 Sunburst because the guitar-addict in me told me so. Will post pictures and more details here in this thread: http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/topic/68768-psa-ebay-germany-hamer-sunburst-1979/ The funny thing is that I was - and still am - really into the strat-type guitars like the Chaparrel, the T-62, or the Centaura. Thanks to you guys in this forum and to "the book", I got interested in the Hamer LP-type models. So I got a '93 Special FM and was immediately hooked. I believe Hamer USA guitars have always been underrated. I don't get why so many people shop for a Fender or Gibson these days. So USD 2000 for a 30+ year old Hamer Sunburst in well kept condition sounds totally reasonable to me. I probably wouldn't offer more than USD 350 for a 1979 Gibson Les Paul.
ARM OF HAMER Posted January 7, 2015 Author Posted January 7, 2015 Welcome!Very Cool and Congrats! A great way to make a entrance here on the HFC...............by "Bursting" onto the scene with one of the best guitars you will ever have the pleasure of owning.............every time you open that case you will be glad its yours.
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