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Serial number question....USA?


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Hi guys,

I've got a serial number database I maintain at https://www.stillkickinmusic.com/blogs/still-kickin-blog/the-serial-bowl

This forum was very helpful to me when I was doing the entry on Hamer guitars. I recently had a guy reach out to me and ask for advice about his Hamer that I am not qualified to answer. He bought a Hamer Explorer and he believes it is USA made. I've attached the pics he sent me here. I'm no Hamer expert, but from what I've seen, this does not appear to be USA made. I feel bad for the guy because he thinks he got a USA Hamer and said he paid $850 for it. 

I thought I'd run it by the experts before I answer him. He thought it said "USA" on back of headstock, but looks like that might be "USED" to me. Any info appreciated.

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USA Hamers did not have "USA" stamped on the headstock, they had "USA" in tiny letters after the "Hamer" on the front.

If the front logo is just "Hamer", it is Korean made.

The serial number for USA Hamers is never a sticker. It is stamped (or painted, I guess, I think) on the back of the headstock.

 

I think this is a Korean-made Hamer.

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17 minutes ago, kizanski said:

They started doing that in 2000, I believe.

image.png

I offer a 100% money-back guarantee for what you paid if any of my opinions or observations turn out to be wrong.

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but more seriously, is that only on the 3x3 headstocks?

I was thinking of the shredders when I said that. None of my Calis, Cents, Diablos, or even the Vintage Ss had "USA" stamped anywhere.  But, since you mention it, I do remember the USA on the more Gibby-ish models.  I just so rarely bought one of those.

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The "USED" stamp suggests he not only bought an import, but a factory 2nd.  Fortunately, he didn't pay a US Hamer Standard price.  Unfortunately, he paid double+ it's real-world value.

3 minutes ago, Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame said:

None of my Calis, Cents, Diablos, or even the Vintage Ss had "USA" stamped anywhere.

Those are all pre-2000 guitars.

5 minutes ago, Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame said:

is that only on the 3x3 headstocks?

This is a 2002 Standard

cmgpjpwa6g9fjc4iq2o4.jpg

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1 minute ago, cynic said:

The "USED" stamp suggests he not only bought an import, but a factory 2nd.  Fortunately, he didn't pay a US Hamer Standard price.  Unfortunately, he paid double+ it's real-world value.

Those are all pre-2000 guitars.

This is a 2002 Standard

cmgpjpwa6g9fjc4iq2o4.jpg

Ah. Doing math in public is always perilous.  Thanks for the knowledge

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My message back to him will run something like this:

"Unfortunately, after confirming with some people who really know Hamer guitars, I can say for sure your Hamer was not made in the USA. Probably a Korean made guitar. The "US..." imprint at the tip of your headstock most likely said "USED" and denotes a factory 2nd. USA Hamers usually say USA on the front of the headstock, or after 2000 may have said it on the back but would have come along with a serial number imprinted into the wood."

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Man I feel like about 10 tons of dog crap breaking this to the owner of that guitar. Well, thanks again for all the help. cheers

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What do the glue in MIK's normally go for? The bolt ons are $500 so I would expect the glue in neck would be a bit more. So $850 probably isn't too far off; could have been a lot worse thinking he was getting a US made model and paying those kinds of dollars... Classic color combo anyway, if it plays nice, let her rip!

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The early version of the MIK Standards like this came with real SD 59/JB pickup's later they changed to the Duncan Designed pickups. Out of all of the Asian version's of this guitar shape I think the early MIK Hamer's were/are the best. Your friend did overpay by $300 - $400 on the going rate for those now. 

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11 hours ago, StillKickinMusic said:

My message back to him will run something like this:

"Unfortunately, after confirming with some people who really know Hamer guitars, I can say for sure your Hamer was not made in the USA. Probably a Korean made guitar. The "US..." imprint at the tip of your headstock most likely said "USED" and denotes a factory 2nd. USA Hamers usually say USA on the front of the headstock, or after 2000 may have said it on the back but would have come along with a serial number imprinted into the wood."

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Man I feel like about 10 tons of dog crap breaking this to the owner of that guitar. Well, thanks again for all the help. cheers

It is most likely a late 1990s to very early 2000s Korean-built, Hamer licensed guitar (Hamer USA had absolutely NOTHING to do with the import lines - those were KAMAN licensed products).

For clarification, with maybe a couple exceptions, USA Hamers ALWAYS had a "USA" after the Hamer logo on the headstock face.  

USA-built Hamer Standards always had the serial numbers impressed into the wood at the back of the headstock - as noted above, in the very early 2000s, a "USA" stamp was placed under the stamped serial number.  Standards were not inked, and USA guitars did not have stickers/decals for serial numbers.

The import versions, which had serial number decals/stickers, were stamped with a "USED" character on the headstock rear when guitars were either rejected, damaged in shipping and later repaired, or had an obvious flaw - The original serial number decal (or sticker, depending upon the year) was then removed or obliterated.  The then unserialed and marked guitars were passed off to resellers and they were sold without warranties and usually at a reduced price, at auction or online.  These turned up on eBay pretty frequently in the early 2000s, but I honestly haven't paid much attention to the imports on eBay, Reverb, etc. in the last few years.

A numbered label on the guitar pictured may or may not be a serial number associated with that instrument - it could also be an item or lot number used by the auctioneer or reseller.  In any event, it is not original to that guitar.

Hopefully, the person inquiring about the guitar didn't pay the going rate for a USA built Hamer.  The Korean-built versions of the Hamer Standard as pictured sell in the $300-$500 range if all original and not stamped "USED".

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No I guess he paid less than going USA at $850 but paid too much for Korean.

Is it my imagination or might there have been some early USA Hamers that didn't have the "USA" designation on the headstock. I could have sworn I had a very early one that just said Hamer but was obviously early USA. Maybe I made that up in my mind...anyone else ever see that? May have been a prototype too...

thank you again for all your help 

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1 hour ago, StillKickinMusic said:

No I guess he paid less than going USA at $850 but paid too much for Korean.

Is it my imagination or might there have been some early USA Hamers that didn't have the "USA" designation on the headstock. I could have sworn I had a very early one that just said Hamer but was obviously early USA. Maybe I made that up in my mind...anyone else ever see that? May have been a prototype too...

thank you again for all your help 

Tell that guy somebody owes him about $750.

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14 hours ago, cmatthes said:

 

USA-built Hamer Standards always had the serial numbers impressed into the wood at the back of the headstock - as noted above, in the very early 2000s, a "USA" stamp was placed under the stamped serial number.  Standards were not inked, and USA guitars did not have stickers/decals for serial numbers.

 

Here is one of those exceptions to the rule and never say never with Hamer.  They did ink-stamp a serial number on this Standard.  One could argue, there wasn't a Standard in '86 so then it could be considered a Blitz with Standard selector switch positioning and bound maple top.  While I have owned 4 bound maple top blitzes, only one had a hockey stick headstock and none of them had the standard selector switch on the horn.  I think I know my Standards and this definitely walks and talks like one. The fun of Hamer guitars-just when you think you have seen it all, along comes Polly.

Enjoy

Peter

IMG_5898.jpgIMG_5899.jpg

 

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If anybody would find/have one, it'd be you!  

 

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6 hours ago, StillKickinMusic said:

No I guess he paid less than going USA at $850 but paid too much for Korean.

Is it my imagination or might there have been some early USA Hamers that didn't have the "USA" designation on the headstock. I could have sworn I had a very early one that just said Hamer but was obviously early USA. Maybe I made that up in my mind...anyone else ever see that? May have been a prototype too...

thank you again for all your help 

Unless it was a refin, that's not likely at all - even the first serialed Hamer (#0000) had a "USA" after the Hamer logo.  There is a prototype (an actual prototype of a model, not the "Prototype" model) that lacked a USA after the logo, as well as a Standard - maybe two - that had the earlier pearl inlaid logos without "USA", but certainly nothing from early on that I can recall.

 

RicksPicks00006-1 (1).jpg

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