ARM OF HAMER Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 WOW! I would love to have this one ..................but with the end of my playing out days and being a "HOME" guitarist it would be impossible to think about buying something like this. Wanting something like this YES! ...................buying something like this................YES! .................... I mean No! THIS IS COOL! and stunningly beautiful to me anyway, what craftsmanship Hamer put into this guitar! Amazing!And yes quite a amazing price also ...........what do these usually sell for when they do sell? http://www.ebay.com/itm/HAMER-IMPROV-ELECTRIC-HOLLOW-BODY-ARCHTOP-GUITAR-CUSTOM-BUILT-MASTER-LUTHIER-/111820422397?hash=item1a09043cfd:g:AiMAAOSw5VFWQRvX
django49 Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 As much as I (sometimes) appreciated having owned an Improv. I do not recall ever describing it as "orgasmic". Now knock the price down 50% and there may be some interest....(Not to repeat many past threads on love and otherwise for this model.......)
Boomerang~Junkie Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 The black Improv posted above is the only other custom finish Improv I've seen and most likely the only black one they ever crafted. I realize finish is not necessarily a guaranteed indicator of a higher value on all guitars - but it is at least something to percolate on.
mc2 Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 Agree that the black color bumps up the value, being likely the only one.I just sold my '74 Gibson Les Paul Signature, also a rare model and one of only two or three black ones ever made....for almost the same price as this Improv. Seal's guitarist had offered me more than this Improv is listed for a couple years back but I wasn't looking to sell it at the time. Sold him a Sunburst same model/year one for a couple grand less....so the rarity of color DOES make a difference.
ghamerinfrance Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 On 25 models worldwide, knowing there are at least 2 on the market, this is maybe as well because they have not really reached their targets, marketwise...So true for the color but the price is relative high...and the sale (or not ) will decide if there is a market for it.Good luck for a loverly model in any case
cmatthes Posted November 10, 2015 Posted November 10, 2015 The seller originally stated that the guitar was "made by the Hamer Master Luthier in their custom shop located near Chicago, IL".Fact check, and the ad has been corrected. He was completely unaware that Hamer no longer exists, so that unsigned warranty card isn't really worth a whole hill of shit...The seller is listing it for a personal friend of Frank Untermyer's, who is the original owner. To say that the black on that guitar is stunning is probably an understatement. There is also a Cognac one out there, a couple in Sunburst, and I'm not sure if any others were done in anything other than Natural.
Boomerang~Junkie Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 I bet the black on that Improv is - in every way - bad ass.The cognac Improv (#13) was crafted by Hamer for Kal David who I believe chose that color.
anotherfreak Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 also, the tailpiece is different. It seems to have a maple layer under the ebony. the same as the truss rod cover. STILL pisses me off that I see them with specific things I was told "absolutely not" on. at liest none of 'em have crowns or electrosockets A great guitar, and even cooler in black right?
Disturber Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 I wonder how it would sound through my 50w Marshall JMP Lead, with a treble boost in front? Might be worth buying it just to give it a try.
Studio Custom Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 I was an original owner of a jazzburst and had seen a few more at the time, so I'd venture to guess the number is more like five or more if sunburst = jazz burst for this conversation.
Boomerang~Junkie Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 That's Kal's pool not mine. (Sorry Michael). Good eye on the tail piece on #18, that's a cool little flair.
Boomerang~Junkie Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 Wasn't there some sort of a registry type thread on the Improv's or am I imagining things?I've never seen a SB finish - anyone have a photo of these ellusive beasts? Sounds very cool. It would be interesting to know the Horatio of all these finish options JB, SB, natural and others.
MCChris Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 I wonder how it would sound through my 50w Marshall JMP Lead, with a treble boost in front? Might be worth buying it just to give it a try.Whenever Improvs come up for sale I always post an inquiry about the high gain tones, simply to be an ass.Scarily, it never fails that a few people chime in to answer the question as if it were serious, and at least one current/former Improv owner actually attempted to achieve those tones.
django49 Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 Wasn't there some sort of a registry type thread on the Improv's or am I imagining things?I've never seen a SB finish - anyone have a photo of these ellusive beasts? Sounds very cool. It would be interesting to know the Horatio of all these finish options JB, SB, natural and others.This one is STILL in stock:http://willcuttguitars.com/hamer-1/hamer-improv-vintage-sunburstThe old Hamer site shows 2 color options for the Improv. I much prefer the natural. But that is just me.BTW, the Willcutts site shows a used (natural) Improv for $3999. Apparently reduced from whatever they were asking before.FWIW, I am talking to someone about a "one off" from a high end maker that almost seems to have some parallels to the "aim" of the Improv. Although, truth be told, closer to an original PRS "Archtop" than an Improv.......Which, I think, makes it more usable in the real world. (And it will almost certainly end up being more than I can justify spending.
Boomerang~Junkie Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 Don,Yes I've seen that one too - isn't that finish called Jazzburst?If I remember correctly, Willcutt's had a used natural for sale a while back. I havent been on their website in in quite a while.
anotherfreak Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 As for the Improv vs the PRS hollow II.I would say the PRS is a more versatile guitar, especially with the piezo bridge. The PRS is a LOOKER as well, I have seen pictures of some AMAIZINGLY beautiful guitars. Aside from one Natural spruce/mahogany Hollow II they pretty much all felt the same, lots of different tones, but a bit sterile. There is no comparison to how the Hamer FEELS, it just seems alive, and notes really pop and it plays like no other guitar. No, it's not as versatile, and it doesn't like light strings(unless you stick the bridge down) but if you want a touch sensitive, expressive guitar, you will be hard pressed to find a better one.
django49 Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 FWIW......I had the above mentioned Improv for quite a while, before it headed off to another member here in a trade.A thought or two (if anyone is interested) on the comps to PRSi. I did have one of the first HBIIs with piezo. It was indeed unsatisfying from a tone standpoint. The later ones had better (much!) pickups, upgraded piezo and a better (as in less thick glop) finish. NIght and day difference. A friend's was SO much better that I upgraded the pups and with a good amount of tweaking got NEARLY the same tones. PRS was willing to redo the whole guitar, but would have cost more than the damn thing was worth.I did stumble into a "modern" one with the PINK flame top and back (posted here before) at a "fair" price, so the original one went away.In some respects the PRS Archtop was a closer match to the Improv, in terms of the "Hollow" nature, It too had uninspiring (the same) pickups. There are way too many discussions of pros and cons on the Improv to repeat. For me, as much as I liked it, that guitar had way too thick a top to be a true "jazz/acoustic" and was limited in the ability to play live for my uses (NOT overly loud or high gain things). For my uses, a George Benson model works much better.Ironically the "archtop" I am looking at now is owned (custom built for) a former member here who lusted after an Improv, but ultimately checked out of that pursuit when he got a chance to play a friends (and, apparently, a couple of the "prototypes", which implies he was once quite invested in Hamers). The one he is (trying) to sell does have more the pure acoustic sound/feel and is quite versatile (no piezo) for live use. It is a smaller body shaped guitar, like the Improv (sort of) but with a deeper body for a more acoustic nature. However, at more than twice the discounted asking price of the used Improv at Willcutts, it would be an uphill fight for me to justify it.No knocks on the Improv. Someday I may own another, esp if I found one for as little as I paid for the first. . But I would go into it with more open eyes than the first time around.
coolfeel Posted November 11, 2015 Posted November 11, 2015 I wonder how it would sound through my 50w Marshall JMP Lead, with a treble boost in front? Might be worth buying it just to give it a try. on a volume scale of 1-10, anything under 1 should allow you to play without incessant feedback...
Disturber Posted November 12, 2015 Posted November 12, 2015 I wonder how it would sound through my 50w Marshall JMP Lead, with a treble boost in front? Might be worth buying it just to give it a try. on a volume scale of 1-10, anything under 1 should allow you to play without incessant feedback... I could just stuff old t-shirts in the cavity, to stop it from feedbacking. Have a punk rock friend who does that to his 335's. Easy fix!
django49 Posted November 12, 2015 Posted November 12, 2015 I bought a Gibson ES-330 once (more hollow construction than the ES-335). The prior owner had CRAMMED the inside full of styrofoam peanuts. I guess it "worked", but it was a royal pain in the ass to fish all that crap out of it.
Studio Custom Posted November 12, 2015 Posted November 12, 2015 I bought a Gibson ES-330 once (more hollow construction than the ES-335). The prior owner had CRAMMED the inside full of styrofoam peanuts. I guess it "worked", but it was a royal pain in the ass to fish all that crap out of it.You can use a razor knife to cut them in half and a vacuum hose. Just be careful to not cut into guitar body. Those retractable razor knives where it's a 4" long blade would be best IMO.
anotherfreak Posted November 12, 2015 Posted November 12, 2015 The cavity doesn't have to be "stuffed" but the air has to be stopped. Old jazz guys would blow up balloons (condoms) or tape over the f-holes. whatever worked. I have made covers out of seat cushon foam and that craft foam that work great and are removable.
Disturber Posted November 12, 2015 Posted November 12, 2015 I bought a Gibson ES-330 once (more hollow construction than the ES-335). The prior owner had CRAMMED the inside full of styrofoam peanuts. I guess it "worked", but it was a royal pain in the ass to fish all that crap out of it.You could have put on wollen socks and rubbed your feet on an afghan rug. Once charged with electricity just put your belly next to a hole in the guitar, and those styrofoam peanuts would have come flying out, sticking to your body. Would have been fun too!
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