Why Hamer Originally?

[diablo175]

Like others on here have mentioned, Hamers were being used by some noteworthy artists, Glenn Tipton, KK Downing, Rick Nielsen, Vernon Reid, Neil Zaza, Steve Stevens, Tommy Shaw and others, and that was a good selling point for me back in the 80's. That and it was often referred to as the Gibson Killer and I hated Gibbys back then. Still kind of do-

The USA ones were a little (okay a LOT) out of my price range but I finally snagged a red metal flake import Cent(?) and it was badass! Eventually got hold of a USA Diablo and that was even better! Pretty safe to say the Diablo got me truly hooked on Hamers.

[BTMN]

Nice thread Thorn.

[chromium]

Honestly? This:

...it just took me thirty+ years to finally get one of my own

[Studio Custom]

A friend who was a local guitar hero had a Californian, he let me borrow. I liked it but preferred a shorter scale so he recommended the SS, and given Rebel Yell was the reason I picked up the guitar, it just fell into place.

[The Shark]

Jethro Tull on March 11th, 1979. Martin played the famous black B&C Sunburst, but he also had a killer sunburst Sunburst. I had been playing for about two years. I remember receiving the Music Emporium catalogs at about the same time. Here's a photo of the catalog and a Polaroid of me in mid-1979 with a black B&C Standard I purchased from Music City in Orlando. It had terrible neck problems and we sent it back. They sent me a blonde B&C Sunburst in early 1980 to replace it. I have no pictures of that guitar. Traded it for B.C. Rich Eagle. Dope...

[gorch]

Cheap Trick,

Cheap Trick, and

Cheap Trick.

This guy named Rick is guilty me making my dream of youth happen 25 years late. That's 11 years back from now. It worked I think.

[FGJ]

My buddy was a top sales guy at a small music shop, and when I walked in with my import Kramer back in early 1990 and asked him what it would cost for a refret, he pulled out a new (1989) seafoam green Californian and told me just to buy a new guitar instead. I never even heard of Hamer before then, but it looked cool with 27 frets and he offered to give it to me at their cost ($700), so I bought it.

It wasn't until the several years ago when I got back into playing and I decided to research my Hamer on the internet that I found out what a gem that guitar was and what a great favor my friend had done for me. Since then I've acquired a 1994 USA T-51 and 2000 Newport. (Okay, I did buy a Wolfgang since then, but I put it in the case and listed it for sale after owning it for only two weeks. My Cali blows away that guitar. I figured it would, but I had to experience it for myself, despite the warning by others on this forum. I learned my lesson. Hamers RULE).

[Disturber]

In the 80's Hamer was the coolest brand you could see on album covers, in videos etc. if you wanted something other than Gibson and Fender. Many other brands played by artists I liked were super strats of some kind (Jackson, Charvel, Ibanez). Hamer had way cooler models with Floyds, that was not to pointy either.

A friend had a Hamer that some gypsys stole from a music store, that my friend ended up with. It was a hot item, so he could only play it at home. It was a Hamer Protype with a new wave kind of a finnish. A black & white graphic that was about the coolest I've seen. I really wanted that one so bad.

That music store had some other Hamer's, but they were way to expensive for a 15-16 year old. Then they got this pink Steve Stevens in that was used. I could afford it if I took it on an installment plan, like over a year or so. I had enough for the down payment. The rest is history.

But this cover with Steve and the Hamer Steve Stevens almost had as much to do with it as well. We loved this album. Got drunk to it every weekend. I thought that the Hamer was just awesome looking. No shredder, it was more punk and rock at the same time. Just right up my alley. I wanted something different, so that I could stand out in a crowd.

You know what they say: "only dead fish swim with the water". Playing a Hamer was the total opposite to that statment. Still is. It's like driving a Citroen. Only the ones that does it know why, and they are so happy with their cars, would never drive anything else.

[Michael_B]

I don't remember whether I had even heard the name "Hamer", during it's heyday. I recorded and toured playing bass with a NJ hardcore band, in the late 80s. I wasn't into gear and I considered anything over $150 to be the realm of pros and the financially reckless.

A few years ago, I happened across a picture of a Talladega Pro body. I realized, at that moment, that was exactly the guitar I wanted: an absolutely stunning take on the T-body, with LP influences. The only clue that I had as to the manufacturer was the distinctive inlay. Harnessing the marvelous power of the World Wide Web, I found out that some company named "Hamer" (pronounced "Hammer", rhyming with "Slammer") made it.

I came to HFC looking for one at a reasonable price. Ended up with a Tally ("close enough", I thought) and was blown away by the sound, feel and workmanship. Having become financially reckless and powered by the GAS of HFC, I picked up a few (maybe, a lot) more Hamers. Latter-day Hamers have become the guitars by which I measure all others. But, the brand still has no particular emotional meaning for me.

[TheDan]

Glenn Tipton played 'em, Jeff Waters played 'em and Gary Moore played 'em, so it was a no-brainer really.

[KH Guitar Freak]

Mine's strange. I started playing electric guitar, so I needed my first electric guitar. Dad took me to a local music store, to which a salesperson gladly attended to us. Told him that I was n00b at guitar, and was looking for my first electric guitar. There wasn't a budget in mind. So the salesperson immediately suggested a high end Korean made guitar. My dad refused a Korean made one and insisted for a USA made one. The salesperson immediately went to the back of the store into the storage area. Took him several minutes before he pulled out my first guitar, a Hamer Diablo II USA. Bought it, and the rest is history. After making payment for it, the salesperson told me a local session guitarist already tried her out and wanted to buy her, but didn't have the monies at that time

[seeker]

The saturday after 9/11 I was still reeling from it all (plane that hit the pentagon flew 50 feet over my head). Went to a local shop, Classic Axe, and looked around to take my mind off of things. Russ pulled a used Special FM off the wall, handed it to me. First strum, I was amazed and mezmerized. Plugged in even better. Instant therapy. Had to have it.

Hooked.

[Greg G]

In late '92 I was in the USN and teaching at Great Lakes. Hadn't played guitar in many years and had the itch to try it again. Got a part time job at the base gym and saved some cash. Soon to be ex-wife hated the idea but screw her, it was my money. Visited several music stores but didn't find anything I liked that I could afford. Read a Hamer ad in GP talking about "modern vintage". That was up my alley. Then I noticed they were in Arlington Heights. I called them & asked who sold their guitars locally and they gave me the names of a couple of stores. I went to Flynn's and bought a white p 90 special. Spiteful spouse went after the guitar in the divorce, stating anything purchased during the marriage was community property. I sold it to a buddy in Ohio who just hung on to it for me until the nasty stuff was over, then sold it back to me. Sold it again in the late 90's, which was dumb. You don't see many white ones. Somewhere along the line I stumbled on to this Forum. I have 3 very nice Hamers, all purchased from members of this board: 95 Korina Standard #46, a Korina Jr, and a 94 Studio (Archtop?) custom with ebony board and bound headstock. Thanks, guys!

[mathman]

Cheap Trick, but for me it was Tom Petersson and this song.

Need your love

[Hbom]

Years ago I had an uncle full of wise old sayings.

One that I remember was "Even a blind squirrel will find a nut sometimes."

This Half Blind Old Man took awhile but I finally figured it out.

[dragan]

I loved the sunburst bound tops on their original guitars.

[velorush]

Cheap Trick was nice enough to grace our little "at" school every year and I would work a spot or something most of the time, so I got access before anything started. If you look now, guitars are always in multi-guitar road cases, but my recollection from back then was a huge collection of guitars off stage on stands - most of them Hamer. They were just the coolest!

Then came Eddie Martinez! He was constantly showing up on some live broadcast with Robert Palmer, always with an ever cooler Hamer (including this breakneck-paced version of "Simply Irresistible")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z8-iDd8b4Q

[DBraz]

For me it was the first time I saw a Cali Elite FM in a shop in Soho. I was probably 13 or 14 and it was a game changing moment in guitar desirability for me. I never paid much attention to Hamer before that moment but learned quickly afterwards.

It took me a LONG time before I was in the position to buy one just like the one I saw in the shop in Aztec Gold. Wonderful.

[humfree]

Martin Lancelot Barre - Martin on Marimba, hooray!

[Boomerang~Junkie]

Many of the points posted above hit it for me too. The overall excellence of their builds, their cool Boomerangs and the fact that several of the rock bands that I thought were awesome had guitarists that rock them like they'd had them since they were born. It should be noted, like some other areas, Hamer's were hard to market in this area as everyone seemed to be fixated on the typical big brand F & G nonsense. Peavey was the only brand that seemed to break that mold here.

So right after being fortunate enough to have graduated college with no student loans - I was still stone broke. A couple of years later after having a job, I befriended a very cool, guitar playing gentleman through my work who was the sales manager at one of the metro area's guitar shops (Guitar World - now long since closed). I had no idea where he worked when I met him - he was just a cool guy and we stayed in touch. He would regularly call me to come in an look at their new electric guitars - and of course try to get me to buy one - or two and always resisted. They did have all the very cool brands and models - including a few Hamers. Important note: I had already told him more than once that I was saving to buy my first house and could not afford any damn toys for the next few years. This did have the caveat that it would have to be an insane deal/value for me to even consider buying a guitar. Yes, the $350 thing is in all of us HFC members' DNA.

Then one day in 1989 - out of the blue he called me and with a dead serious tone he said, "do you remember when you told me only to call you if a deal on an awesome electric guitar came up that you couldn't live without? Well you need to come in to the store today before we close". He wouldn't tell me what he had for me. I was at work and had to take time off to hall ass out there - wondering the whole way - what on Earth did he have that caused him to call?

Once I got there, he said they'd had "this one" for a few weeks now - it was still brand new. It was ordered by another long-time customer who for some reason refused to buy it after seeing it ?!?! I played it and although my playing sounded terrible (and still does), I absolutely loved the guitar. He did cut me a seriously great deal. I almost cleaned out what little extra money I had in my bank account - I think I still have the sales receipt somewhere.

Long story, longer - this is how literally lucked into my Ice Pearl, 1989 Chap, custom elite - it was my first Hamer. Lurking and joining the HFC sealed my fate for the H.A.S..

[tomteriffic]

I was working as a go-fer in a recording studio in the middle 70's when some of the very first Standards came through the doors. I was smitten, stupid head-over-heels in love. One of the guys let me fondle his (it was actually borrowed for the session) and that sealed it. However, I was only scratching by and actually getting one was out of the question. In the next year or two they seemed to be all around me. I was a north side kid, and I'd been in Northern Prairie Music, Jim Beech's shop etc. And I was still a broke-ass kid. The damn things were taunting me from every angle.

The years, the ads and the videos went by, but the guitar, the money and I never seemed to get it together. For quite a while it was because there wasn't a Hamer dealer in my town. Finally, in '93 or '94 a dealer down the street was carrying them and I got my first, a '94 Special FM. I still have it. Many more have come, a few have gone. These days I'm still known colloquially as "Oh, the Hamer guy?"

[hamerboy_]

I used to see Neil Zaza just about every other weekend in my formative years.

-Bobby

[David B]

It was '83 & I had a Univox that I was taking guitar lessons with but it was time to upgrade. I went to Sam Moss Guitars & he steered me away from the bolt on BC Rich NJ Series guitars & into the right direction. My mom bought me a new gold Hamer Blitz that had paint chips on the side where it had fallen in the store so it was price friendly.

[cmatthes]

Sam was da man...da Bag Man!

[Thundersteel]

I was a Gibson fanboy for years, but eventually got tired of their increasing prices along with their decreasing quality. Wanting something different, I found Heritage, and was a fanboy for them for years. I was even a moderator over at the Heritage Owners Club site.

Heritage Guitars were soon doing the same thing that happened to Gibson--higher prices and lower quality (IMHO). I had heard about Hamer before, and finally bought my first one (Studio Custom) from el duave's store. I now have 3 Hamers, have sold all my Heritages, and am in the process of selling all my Gibsons.