#89

[cmatthes]

Awesome!  Great piece of wood...

[soli'd]

1 hour ago, hamerhead said:

BCR Greg talked Hamer into doing a run of Sustain Block guitars in '02. I made about 30 of them, some going on guitars, some sold separately. I stashed one for a future Hamer CO, then they went away.

I had two questions for Mike: could he put the switch on the upper horn, and would he use my last Sustain Block. Having my parts on a few Hamers and now a Shishkov is pretty amazing.

Well my question was more how you came to make a batch of sustain blocks than whether you had. 😁

That's really cool, do you work in fabrication/machine work?

[hamerhead]

Machinist for 30 years this January.

[Northfield]

While there’s a lot going on with #89, It all came together great and looks really cool!  Josh did a fantastic job with the pickups - I thought It sounded great.  It was fun working on it with you @hamerhead!   Rock on! 

M

 

we tried to get pics that showed the flame in the top, but it was hard to capture   

 

[Travis]

10 minutes ago, Northfield said:

While there’s a lot going on with #89, It all came together great and looks really cool!  Josh did a fantastic job with the pickups - I thought It sounded great.  It was fun working on it with you @hamerhead!   Rock on! 

M

 

we tried to get pics that showed the flame in the top, but it was hard to capture   

 

LOVE it!  Outstanding job once again!

[specialk]

DAMN!

Just when you think you've seen it all and they can't possibly get any better… 

AMAZING!

[BubbaVO]

14 hours ago, Northfield said:

While there’s a lot going on with #89, It all came together great and looks really cool!  Josh did a fantastic job with the pickups - I thought It sounded great.  It was fun working on it with you @hamerhead!   Rock on! 

M

 

we tried to get pics that showed the flame in the top, but it was hard to capture   

 

Dang.  It’s the first steam punk Shishkov.  I mean that as a compliment.   

[ArnieZ]

Outstanding in every respect!!.

I really love your choice of inlays😀

arniez

[hamerhead]

I wonder who I stole that from.....Thanks, Arnie!

 

On 7/24/2020 at 9:37 PM, Northfield said:

Great shot! The flame is tough to get.

On 7/24/2020 at 9:37 PM, Northfield said:

^^^ It's funny because it's really pretty stripped down - no binding, no pickup rings - but Mike still made it look like a jewel. I keep finding new details.

 

ETA: And because it's 2020 I can't really play it because I got wild parsnip up both arms, which are now burning, itching, and blistered AF. The lone bright spot of the year and even that gets messed up. Damn.

[bubs_42]

Send it down here, i'll take it for a spin. I'm going to have to wait until like Wed or Thursday for mine to arrive. 

The last guitar you sent me arrived safe and ... Nevermind, just keep it up there. 

[BoogieMKIIA]

Maybe a video would capture the flame as the angle changed. So much to look at on the top, really like the color.

[gorch]

On 7/25/2020 at 4:37 AM, Northfield said:

 

Wonderfully executed! Great pickup selection. What's the character of them? The fake binding nicely plays with the wood figuring. I have really seen this elsewhere, if ever.

[hamerhead]

So - finally - I got to open it up a bit and plug into my gig rig WITH THE REST OF THE BAND!!!!   !!!!! 

Before that, I initially thought it was too bright, that maybe the P90 in the bridge wasn't the smartest idea with the Sustain Block, Ebony and Maple. But in a band setting, It. Was. Killer. Not bright or harsh, but articulate and punchy like the 30th Anniversary was, which was the target going in. Great cut in the mix. Josh absolutely nailed it once again, with the neck single coil playing beautifully with the bridge. When combined, it doesn't sound like anything I've had before - I'm having a real tough time describing it - but it's almost like 2 guitars through one amp rather than 2 pickups through one cable. Very distinct but blended perfectly.

And the neck by itself doesn't have the woollyness you get with a lot of neck pickups. It still sounds like a neck pickup, but with a nice crisp edge. Until you roll the tone control back, then it's the 'woman tone' (whatever that means - my woman's tone is waaaay harsher.) in spades.

This thing is something else. Ho. Lee. Shit.

[bubs_42]

I cannot say enough about Josh's neck pickups. KILLLER

[Jakeboy]

Just last week I went back to filters in my Newport but for the last year and a half I had a set of  Rumpel singles just like yours in the Newport and they were and are wonderful.  Love everything about your guitar.

[DaveH]

On 7/24/2020 at 4:56 PM, hamerhead said:

Machinist for 30 years this January.

Yeah, I bet... In my mind I'm seeing you bouncing around the mountain tops with your wand, and with each boom and puff of smoke these beautiful tail pieces are just magically appearing! 😂

Seriously though, I remember that run and the blocks being made. Where does time go? But what a gorgeous guitar man, congrats!

[hamerhead]

And did anybody notice that Mike uses water-soluble packing peanuts? TAKE NOTE, SHAWN.

Best. Invention. Ever.

[Travis]

2 hours ago, hamerhead said:

And did anybody notice that Mike uses water-soluble packing peanuts? TAKE NOTE, SHAWN.

Best. Invention. Ever.

Puffins?  The ones made from cornstarch?

[bubs_42]

On 9/6/2020 at 4:05 PM, hamerhead said:

And did anybody notice that Mike uses water-soluble packing peanuts? TAKE NOTE, SHAWN.

Best. Invention. Ever.

 

[Travis]

1 hour ago, bubs_42 said:

 

That is crazy...

[hamerhead]

^^^^ That is AWESOME!

...and my kid made the mistake of saying she needed plastic bags, so guess where they live now.

[bubs_42]

@hamerhead well be sure to pass that video along.  

[hamerhead]

I did!

[bubs_42]

Somebody I know is getting a plastic bag sweater for Christmas.  

[hamerhead]

With a backwards hood.