Need advice on suitable Hamer to acquire

[JoeO]

Hi folks, new member/first post, and looking for advice on getting a Hamer (hope this is the correct sub-forum, let me know if otherwise).

Hers the “backstory” : been playing guitar since high school (back in the dim mists of time…), but not regularly  – grad school/marriage/family/career provided the usual incursions. So much so that in 2012 I sold my ’79 LP Custom (had it since purchased new) due to lack of playing for years. A year or so later the wife gives me a (not good/not bad) Ibanez acoustic for my BD and over the past few years, been playing it quite a bit, got my “chops” back (such as they were) and am ready to get another electric. Yeah, I know, should have kept the LP (sold for 2K$, now worth closer to 3K$), but consider it now an opportunity to try something different.

And here is where Hamer comes in. I have always been a big fan of Martin Barre (and prog rock in general), and I suppose I’ve always tried to emulate his style/sound (hence the LP purchase when a teen), and also that of Steve Hackett.  I am now ready to “graduate” from the LP to a Hamer (no more “headstock” stigma!). The obvious thing is to look for a ’79 or ’80 sunburst like Martin used. But there aren’t many about. Moreover, I’m used to the ebony fretboard of the LP (my LP custom had a really nice low and easy action – they sometimes called them the “fretless wonders”, I think) – how does the playability of the Hamers compare to the LP? Rosewood vs ebony?  If not the Sunburst, what other model should I consider? I’ve seen (online) the Studio, Studio Custom, and Special – how do they compare amongst each other and to the Sunburst? (NB – I am not interested in other models (Artist, Standard, Chaparral, Monaco, etc.) – they just don’t do it for me aesthetically).

Right now in order of preference I think I’m leaning towards:

 

Sunburst

Studio Custom

Studio

Special  

 

I’m not in a rush to purchase now – I can wait a couple months to see what come on the market. Also, I’d like to keep the cost under $ 2,000 (preferably under $ 1,500). Also, I don’t want to get anything from outside the US – don’t want to deal with shipping/customs hassle.

 

So I’ve looked around on ebay, reverb, the usual suspects, and found the following Hamers for sale that more or less appeal to me… I’d be really appreciative to hear people’s thoughts on these, how are the prices, which one would be the best value, which one would suit my needs (at least as I have articulated them), any years to avoid, etc. I know, in  a perfect wrodl I'd go and try each of them out, but...

 

Thanks in advance for the collective wisdom of the HFC.

 

Hamer Special 1980 (pretty beat-up ?)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1980-Hamer-Special-electric-guitar-TRANSLUCENT-RED-FLAMETOP-made-in-USA-Dimarzio-/381877148906

 

Hamer Studio (no year given, in Japan)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hamer-USA-Studio-Good-used-condition-With-hard-shell-case-/302135039166

 

Hamer USA GATSLD-59C DC (?), also in Japan

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hamer-USA-Studio-Good-used-condition-With-hard-shell-case-/302135039166

 

Hamer Studio Custom (no year?, maybe 2005 from S/N?)

https://reverb.com/item/356164-hamer-usa-studio-custom-59-burst-ships-world-wide

 

Hamer Studio (also in Japan, no year)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HAMER-USA-Studio-GATSSO-59-Burst-Used-w-Hard-case-/172416195678?hash=item2824ce5c5e:g:YzQAAOSwAuZX40QS

 

“New” Hamer Studio (looks like 2008 from S/N?)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hamer-Studio-Custom-Vintage-Natural-098-/252488430734?hash=item3ac97bb48e:g:1XgAAOSwtnpXo5Fl

 

Hamer Studio  (1995 – this one is local, could go over and check it out)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1995-Hamer-Flame-Maple-Studio-in-Amber-w-OHSC-/112072364101?hash=item1a18089045:g:kn8AAOSweXhXl~SQ

 

Hamer sunburst (1979… like Martin’s? Bit pricey it seems)

https://reverb.com/item/3298180-1979-hamer-sunburst-usa

 

Hamer Studio Custom (says it’s “brand new”?)

https://reverb.com/item/1429163-hamer-studio-custom-red-quilt

 

 

 

[vitass]

perfect match

 

 

[killerteddybear]

Welcome to the board, JoeO! Leave your wallet with your wife before your surf here.

Vitass has a good suggestion. There's also this one:

 

[JoeO]

10 minutes ago, vitass said:

perfect match

 

Ah, I should have mentioned my color/finish preferences... I prefer a "tobacco" or brownish sunburst finish first of all, then a red ("cherry"?) sunburst, then natural finishes. I don't like solid colors. My preferences :

[JoeO]

5 minutes ago, killerteddybear said:

Welcome to the board, JoeO! Leave your wallet with your wife before your surf here.

Vitass has a good suggestion. There's also this one:

 

Wow - that may indeed be the one!  Beautiful, and looks lie a great price. What is the sound/playability like of that guitar, compared to e.g., my 79 LPC?

[murkat]

Welcome JoeO!

A. nothing sounds like a les paul. They come close... but...

B. I second what has been already addressed, Michael_B's studio custom. Very nice Hamers, LP killers.

Great price. Good looks. Great playing. They Rock.

 

[murkat]

3 minutes ago, JoeO said:

What is the sound/playability like of that guitar, compared to e.g., my 79 LPC?

The studio will be more close to a LP standard tone print, with a lil more thickness, girth in the mids.

Studios are fine candidates for pickup swaps to fine tune in your tone print desire.

But, an ebony board (LPC) guitar has it own "timbre", "tone", "snap" to it...

That studio thou.. a very nice example of an intro the the Hamer USA line up coming from a norlin era LPC...

maybe even better... (and I am a LP kinda guy   )

[django49]

24 minutes ago, murkat said:

Welcome JoeO!

A. nothing sounds like a les paul. They come close... but...

B. I second what has been already addressed, Michael_B's studio custom. Very nice Hamers, LP killers.

Great price. Good looks. Great playing. They Rock.

And, if I might add, Michael is a great person to deal with, on top of a great guitar at a very fair price.

 

[Michael_B]

Thanks for plugging my Studio that's F/S.  

FWIW, I've got a '79 Sunburst and a '79 Sunburst Custom and one needs to go.

[gorch]

17 minutes ago, Michael_B said:

Thanks for plugging my Studio that's F/S.  

FWIW, I've got a '79 Sunburst and a '79 Sunburst Custom and one needs to go.

Pic please!

Welcome to the boards JoeO!

[JoeO]

Thanks for the warm welcomes everyone, and I appreciate the helpful input!

Michael_B, your Studio Custom is on my (very) short list. Can you tell me (either here or in PM) about the differences between the Sunburst, Sunburst Custom, and Studio as regards playability, action, neck size/shape, sound etc? Still learning about Hamers so trying to understand which would be the best fit for me.

murkat, I get what your saying about the LPC vs LP Std - the ebony board gives it a "sharper" or "ringier" tone maybe, whereas the rosewood may have more, I don't know, "breadth"? Simple-mindedly I'd say the LPC is the "Steve Hackett" sound and the LP Std. is Martin Barre (to use two of the guitarists whose work I'm most familiar with/appreciative of). I was actually more interested in the Martin Barre sound when I bought my LPC, but instead of the Std which he played (as I later found out) I went for the Custom thinking it was more "upscale". Hey, I was 18 at the time... and we didn't have the internet then, only GP mag. Yeah, I even changed out the original Gibson pups with Dimarzio SD and PAFs. Anyhow, it sounds like the Studio will more closely align with what I was originally looking for tone-wise. And of course late 70's early 80's Sunbursts? 

[cynic]

45 minutes ago, Michael_B said:

FWIW, I've got a '79 Sunburst and a '79 Sunburst Custom and one needs to go.

wth?  We're just making up names now?

For what's it worth, I find the arch top of the Studio to be more comfortable to play than the flattop Sunbursts.  If it were me, I'd look for an early 80s Special.  All mahogany and more comfortable rounded edge, no frills, and almost always sell well under your $1500 budget.

[Michael_B]

45 minutes ago, cynic said:

wth?  We're just making up names now?

As soon as I hit <enter>, I regretted typing that.  But not enough to edit the comment.  

It has a bound neck and trapezoidal inlays.  

[murkat]

1 hour ago, JoeO said:

And of course late 70's early 80's Sunbursts?

Those are a different beast all together due to the sustainblock bridge (if it has).

The sustain block bridge gives the Hamer a quality snap to the attack, known around these parts as "tele on steriods" top end.

Not a bad thing, esp if that is what you want, the almost perfect marriage of the two, three specific iconic guits,

Tele / double cut / LP ish.

And a good healthy understanding on how to USE the volume, tone controls and pup switch to voice in a plethra of tones.

[mrjamiam]

Someone seeking to learn about Hamers should be aware of The Book.

But as far as the models on the short list, it goes something like this:

Late '70's to early '80's - Sunburst (flat top at this point) with binding and either dots or crown inlays and sustainblock bridge, DiMarzio  humbucker pickups

1980 to early '80's - Special, a Sunburst without binding or fancy inlays

...

\m/  Shredder years  \m/

...

Very early '90's - Sunburst reintroduced with sustainblock, Seymour Duncan pickups, usually JB/bridge and 59/neck

A little later - Sunburst Archtop added an arched top (duh!) and Special reintroduced, some with flame maple tops, using TOM bridge

Soon after that to the very end, but mostly in the '90's - Sunburst Archtop renamed the Studio; Studio Custom with binding and fancy inlays; neck sizes get fuller as they go; some with wraptails for a while in the mid '90's; some korina Specials in various configurations, but mostly P-90 wraptails

 

Did I get that right?

[cynic]

Early Sunbursts/Specials didn't have the Hamer Slammer pickups, but Dimarzio DP103 PAF's.  Slammers didn't show up until '83ish, and went through a couple changes as well over the years.

[killerteddybear]

Not to be the frog in the pudding, but there are some LP Customs on Reverb in your price range...

[Ting Ho Dung]

What the hell is up with those prices on ebay and reverb? And why is Japan listing guitars that aren't in their possession? More than one dealer selling the same guitar. Ebay is really sucking more and more. 

The only one in the OP I would consider is the one from Wilcut. If I were to spend $2400 on a guitar. 

As for Michael_B, he's honest and has some great rigs. 

Maybe I've been under a stone but Studio Customs = $1500 max (used) unless something makes it noteworthy

Studio used, under a grand unless noteworthy and you should be able to find plenty for around 800

Special used, under 800 but more like 600

I don't follow the prices of the Sunburst as they are generally over 2k

Don't know if you've looked up the specs but the Sunburst is pretty much a hog guitar with a vanier maple top and sustain block bridge. I've heard some of the necks are rather rubbery. But I don't know that for fact.

The Special would be closest in build to the Sunburst as they are generally all hog though there is a FM with a maple cap. You can find Specials with sustain blocks pretty often as well.

Studio is my goto for Hamer. No binding. I believe the maple cap is 5/8" as is spec for other Hamers. I like the wrap bridge.

Studio Custom is as above but with bling, i.e. binding, crown or victory inlays, special orders have ebony boards. I had one that had the tenth inlay and ebony board like the LPC. Another member here had an ebony board with no inlays and a FR IIRC.

Welcome to the club JoeO @JoeO. I think you will do far better here than on shitbay and possibly Reverb as well. Take your time here and you will find 5 or 6 you will snatch up when your wife isn't looking. 

Also if you haven't considered it, the Monaco Elite is very LPish. And there is an all hog Monaco Elite that can be had for less than a grand. No frills though. 

--Ting

[JoeO]

Ting, thanks for the reality check re: prices. I was surprised that some of the Hamer offerings were asking prices closer to what LPs command (which I think can reasonably be higher solely based on their "collectability", not inherent quality or sound/playability). Late 70's Norlin-era LPCs are all asking > 3k, probably getting 2500 ?  Anyhow, I want to "try something different", so another LP isn't on the radar.

I tend to like a little "bling" on my guitars (mostly binding and block inlays), since I'm not a gigger and play only at home. Guitar doesn't travel so it's not hard to keep something nice looking that way. From your description of the different models/features, sounds like I would not be too happy with a Special and a Studio (Custom?) or Sunburst (tricked out, later ones with the sustainblock bridge) should be my focus. (And I'll stick to the one first, to make sure I actually spend more time playing guitar (coming out of  hibernation, so to speak) than looking for guitars!).

This is what I sold ~4 years ago for 2k$. Probably could have gotten a bit more but buyers bemoaned the fact that I had swapped out the pups (I did find the original pups eventually w/o gold covers; one was falling apart and would have needed to be rewound). It was in very nice cosmetic shape an excellent action/playability. Would like to find a Hamer in similar nick.

Once again, thanks everyone for the input and advice!

[Armitage]

IMHO, if you don't have a Standard or Standard Custom, you don't have a Hamer.  People can disagree with me, but they're wrong.

[Ting Ho Dung]

53 minutes ago, Armitage said:

IMHO, if you don't have a Standard or Standard Custom, you don't have a Hamer.  People can disagree with me, but they're wrong.

LOL. 

1 hour ago, JoeO said:

Ting, thanks for the reality check re: prices. I was surprised that some of the Hamer offerings were asking prices closer to what LPs command (which I think can reasonably be higher solely based on their "collectability", not inherent quality or sound/playability). Late 70's Norlin-era LPCs are all asking > 3k, probably getting 2500 ?  Anyhow, I want to "try something different", so another LP isn't on the radar.

I tend to like a little "bling" on my guitars (mostly binding and block inlays), since I'm not a gigger and play only at home. Guitar doesn't travel so it's not hard to keep something nice looking that way. From your description of the different models/features, sounds like I would not be too happy with a Special and a Studio (Custom?) or Sunburst (tricked out, later ones with the sustainblock bridge) should be my focus. (And I'll stick to the one first, to make sure I actually spend more time playing guitar (coming out of  hibernation, so to speak) than looking for guitars!).

This is what I sold ~4 years ago for 2k$. Probably could have gotten a bit more but buyers bemoaned the fact that I had swapped out the pups (I did find the original pups eventually w/o gold covers; one was falling apart and would have needed to be rewound). It was in very nice cosmetic shape an excellent action/playability. Would like to find a Hamer in similar nick.

Once again, thanks everyone for the input and advice!

Sounds like the Studio Custom would fit you well. 

ETA: Have you looked at the Triple Threats? Similar to a Studio Custom but a one piece neck with a 17 degree angle. Maybe more bling but someone who has one could fill you in there. The pickups are special somehow as well though they are Seymour Duncan unless they have been swapped. You may also want to look for an Earthen Maple Studio. There was one here for sale not long ago. Maybe I'm wrong here and hopefully someone can correct me, but I think there may be a Studio that has similar appointments as the Artist Ultimate. 

[cynic]

I too am a late comer to Hamer (bought my first around seven years ago), but have owned/tried pretty much everything they've made.  If I were looking for something different from a double humbucker guitar that distinguishes itself from the Les Paul, I would buy a Newport Pro, an Artist Custom, or a Talladega.  The Tally comes with single-coils, but excels with humbuckers.

[Michael_B]

10 minutes ago, cynic said:

I too am a late comer to Hamer (bought my first around seven years ago), but have owned/tried pretty much everything they've made.  If I were looking for something different from a double humbucker guitar that distinguishes itself from the Les Paul, I would buy a Newport Pro, an Artist Custom, or a Talladega.  The Tally comes with single-coils, but excels with humbuckers.

Today, a working musician who was new to Hamers came by my house and tried out just about every one in my collection.  His favorites: Talladega, Artist, Newport and '79 Sunburst.

[JoeO]

45 minutes ago, Ting Ho Dung said:

LOL. 

Sounds like the Studio Custom would fit you well. 

ETA: Have you looked at the Triple Threats? Similar to a Studio Custom but a one piece neck with a 17 degree angle. Maybe more bling but someone who has one could fill you in there. The pickups are special somehow as well though they are Seymour Duncan unless they have been swapped. You may also want to look for an Earthen Maple Studio. There was one here for sale not long ago. Maybe I'm wrong here and hopefully someone can correct me, but I think there may be a Studio that has similar appointments as the Artist Ultimate. 

Didn't know what a Triple Threat was, so google to the rescue. Beautiful guitars, I guess a high-end limited -run version of the Studio Custom with the greater headstock angle. But prices are north of 3k$... I'm trying to stay under 2k$ or 1.5k$.

[Dave Scepter]

Do you need a maple top?.. I myself prefer just a solid piece of wood & let it resonate~~~~~