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NGD - Hamer Monaco Superpro - plus pickup question


clay49

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Just picked up this beauty from Dave’s guitar shop. Really stoked to get this fine instrument. So to save me the hassle of popping the pickups out of the guitar, I was just wondering if anybody knew what the stock pickups are… Dave had no idea.

 

182CB1B6-22EF-46CE-805E-B032A9568E44_zps

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The stock pickups are the perfect match for the Superpro. Trust me. Don't mess with them. Use the volume knobs if you want a bit less output. 

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39 minutes ago, Disturber said:

The stock pickups are the perfect match for the Superpro. Trust me. Don't mess with them. Use the volume knobs if you want a bit less output. 

Agreed.  However, I’m not a huge fan of covered pickups, so I’m probably going to purchase a set of these same pickups in open zebra coils.  
 

Any tips on swapping out these pickups?  I’ve changed hundreds of pickups in guitars with control cavities...never seen one with no access point!

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Nice score! Congratulations!

"Any tips on swapping out these pickups?  I’ve changed hundreds of pickups in guitars with control cavities...never seen one with no access point! "

Check YouTube for videos. PIA. But not impossible if you take your time and pay attention. I like surgical tubing, but some use string with good results.

Or you could just remove the covers. It would eliminate all that fishing.

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17 minutes ago, clay49 said:

Any tips on swapping out these pickups?  I’ve changed hundreds of pickups in guitars with control cavities...never seen one with no access point!

You'll need to do it like a semi hollow. Tubing pressed onto pot shafts, fish them out through the bridge pickup rout, using enough tubing to have plenty left sticking out of the pot holes after you have the pots out of the rout, run the neck pickup wire down through to the bridge rout, protect the top well, solder, pull the tubing the opposite direction from outside the pot holes on the top, slap it all back together.

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24 minutes ago, gtrdaddy said:

You'll need to do it like a semi hollow. Tubing pressed onto pot shafts, fish them out through the bridge pickup rout, using enough tubing to have plenty left sticking out of the pot holes after you have the pots out of the rout, run the neck pickup wire down through to the bridge rout, protect the top well, solder, pull the tubing the opposite direction from outside the pot holes on the top, slap it all back together.

😳

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I played a couple of superpro’s in stores when they first came out. I never would’ve thought that pickup combo would work in that guitar. They did... Knowing what I know about guitars, tone woods, pickups, magnets, etc... I NEVER would’ve chosen those pickups in that guitars. But they work. 

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29 minutes ago, Hbom said:

Or you could just remove the covers. It would eliminate all that fishing.

Aren’t these wax potted? If they are, that would be a mess trying to get all of that wax off the top and sides of the pick ups without gunking up the guitar, and, I would almost bet that there are double black coils under there, which is not the look I would want to go for.

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33 minutes ago, clay49 said:

😳

It’s easier than it sounds. Piece of cake. But, and a big BUTT- the stock pickups work incredibly well. I wouldn’t bother!

27 minutes ago, clay49 said:

Aren’t these wax potted? If they are, that would be a mess trying to get all of that wax off the top and sides of the pick ups without gunking up the guitar, and, I would almost bet that there are double black coils under there, which is not the look I would want to go for.

Yes, potted and black.

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29 minutes ago, gtrdaddy said:

But, and a big BUTT- the stock pickups work incredibly well. I wouldn’t bother!

Alas, I am a perpetual tinkerer… Love to try a different pickups in different guitars.

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9 minutes ago, Toadroller said:

By the way, that’s gorgeous.  And welcome aboard the good ship HFC

Thanks, so much! I was actually considering a 60th anniversary Gibson custom shop R9 when I saw this… Glad I bought this and saved myself $5000! This is an exquisite instrument, the neck is perfect, the craftsmanship is impeccable, love all of the binding.

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There is no way a Super Pro’s construction or material choice would give a bridge pickup like a Custom Custom more bass in the bridge and give the Custom less bass in the neck... it’s just not possible.

Hamer repeatedly proved they have tin ears when it comes to pickups. The JB + ‘59 combo that went into soooo many guitars is a SHIT combination... how about putting two identical pickups in the neck and bridge where the middle position was “out of phase” like they did from 1985-1988?

hell, the stock Centauras had a bridge pickup that was the same polarity as the middle pickup... position 2 was out of phase garbage.

The Californian slanted neck design where the neck pickup was slanted with the unwound strings getting more treble and the wound strings getting more bass and this very insanity was repeated with the fucking Diablos?!?

Sorry, when it came to pickups, Joel was a fucking moron... he deliberately did counter productive shit that made Hamer guitars less than they could be.

 

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1 hour ago, zenmindbeginner said:

There is no way a Super Pro’s construction or material choice would give a bridge pickup like a Custom Custom more bass in the bridge and give the Custom less bass in the neck... it’s just not possible.

Hamer repeatedly proved they have tin ears when it comes to pickups. The JB + ‘59 combo that went into soooo many guitars is a SHIT combination... how about putting two identical pickups in the neck and bridge where the middle position was “out of phase” like they did from 1985-1988?

hell, the stock Centauras had a bridge pickup that was the same polarity as the middle pickup... position 2 was out of phase garbage.

The Californian slanted neck design where the neck pickup was slanted where the unwound strings got more treble and the wound strings more bass and that was repeated with the fucking Diablos?!?

Sorry, when it came to pickups, Joel was a fucking moron... he deliberately did counter productive shit that made Hamer guitars less than they could be.

 

I couldn’t agree more!!! The first thing I do with every Hamer I’ve owned with stock pup’s is change them out. One exception was the Pup’s in my Newport! They sounded good with that guitar.

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1 hour ago, clay49 said:

Where does “non-medical personnel” procure surgical tubing for such a job as this???

I bought mine at a fishing supply store. Fisherman use it for attaching lead weights. I think 3/16" tubing has the correct ID for slipping over potentiometer shafts.

 

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54 minutes ago, zenmindbeginner said:

There is no way a Super Pro’s construction or material choice would give a bridge pickup like a Custom Custom more bass in the bridge and give the Custom less bass in the neck... it’s just not possible.

Hamer repeatedly proved they have tin ears when it comes to pickups. The JB + ‘59 combo that went into soooo many guitars is a SHIT combination... how about putting two identical pickups in the neck and bridge where the middle position was “out of phase” like they did from 1985-1988?

hell, the stock Centauras had a bridge pickup that was the same polarity as the middle pickup... position 2 was out of phase garbage.

The Californian slanted neck design where the neck pickup was slanted where the unwound strings got more treble and the wound strings more bass and that was repeated with the fucking Diablos?!?

Sorry, when it came to pickups, Joel was a fucking moron... he deliberately did counter productive shit that made Hamer guitars less than they could be.

 

I agree with you in every aspect except for the Monaco pro. The only two hamers I’ve ever had where I did not change my pickups were my ‘78 sunburst and my ‘83 vector. That would’ve been blasphemy. Every single other Hamer I’ve had, which were plenty, had pickup swaps.  
 

but the Monaco pro just sounded flat out amazing with the stock pickups. Granted, I only ever played one in a store and never at home or at a gig. So take that for what it is. 

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5 hours ago, kizanski said:

And it's perfect the way it is.

                                                                                                                                          YES IT IS! Beautiful Score!

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Just to be contrary, maybe......A herd of Hamers have passed through here. The relative few that remain include my possible all time favorite Hamer, A CO Superpro with a few key differences......F holes, korina body and neck. But, my reason for a reply.......It came with Lollar Imperials. The reason it is still here is that I (personally) like them , in this guitar, better than the other Hamers I did have with the Custom/Custom Custom setup.

YMMV, of course.

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