Hamer Standard outrageous prices

[Jeremy]

Is anybody actually paying more the $6K for Hamer Standards or are the sellers just fishing the ocean for bites?

[cmatthes]

Depending upon the years, but absolutely.   Most 4-Digits in clean original condition are bringing near or beyond the $10k price point all day long.

 

[Hamerica]

Jeremy, 

I don't know about  "outrageous" or any other adjective on the asking price for some of the USA Hamers.

The answer is Yes to both part A and part B of your question.  However does that answer your question? 

There are several Hamer USA Standards which  are priced and selling at more than $6,0000.  I would submit to you on almost every level, they should have an asking price above $6K.   Now should a regular cataloged  '95 Hamer USA Standard sell for more than $6,000?  The market determines FMV.   

Me personally, I'm not one to criticize the asking price of the current market - I am no longer in the guitar buying market.  For whatever the reason, call it "Dad Money", "Fixed Income" "Retirement" or et al. 

However as an  example, the expectation of being able to buy a clean or even semi clean original Hamer USA Four Digit Standard under $10,000  today is going to be very, very, very  rare. Probably a feat more rarer than the actual guitar.  If that's your goal, then good luck.  There are several reasons but probably the main reason is someone has set the Hamer Four Digit Standard Market Asking Price at $XX,XXX.  It's not uncommon for this to occur.  The price for a barrel of oil the first time it hit $100 per barrel, as a consumer I wanted  the guy to get lynched.  As a long term Hamer USA owner, hell I'm rooting for him.      

Regarding current Hamer USA Standard Pricing I would leave that to cmatthes or Serial Steve they are fairly knowledgeable about the brand and the marketing thereof.

The other USA Hamer Model Pricing is even worse to comprehend and I don't know anyone who can explain it - (I guarantee, it certainly was not the Hamer Company)    

While I certainly have bought more than my share of USA Hamers over the past 30+ years.  That would not happen today.  I thought Hamer USA guitars were criminally undervalued compared to the offerings of other manufacturers.  I responded as such both in the new and vintage market.  I am certain there are those who thought I was nuts. 

Another example for you to evaluate for me personally is someone who is a fan of Carroll Shelby's automobiles.   One of Ford Mustangs marketing slogans was "Ownership not essential, Enthusiasm is."  Yeah, that doesn't apply to Shelby's. Only those who have watched from a distance (non ownership) actually hold dear to that maxim.      

There are many significant factors in purchasing a guitar.  In the case of a Hamer USA Four Digit Standard, a Limited Edition Hamer USA offering or the work horse '59 Burst from the 2000's your income, your age, and your idea of a  "holy grail" are going to determine what you are willing to pay and if you ever own one. 

Whatever the reasoning for the question I'm sure you will find someone who can write a more satisfactory explanation than I. 

Now get off my lawn.

Best wishes,

Hamerica    

[Biz Prof]

Based on what I've seen the last few years, 4-digit Standards are actually selling for prices well North of $9,000.  I can recall lurking and digitally window shopping late '90s Standards a few years ago when a buyer could occasionally snag one for $1,200-$1,500.  It appears those days are long gone, as well.  $3k+ seems to be the new normal for newer Standards, and the really blinged out custom orders and limited run Korina models are fetching over $5k.

ETA:  Like Hamerica, I'm not often inclined to refer to guitar selling prices as "outrageous", but I have used that term with increasing frequency tin response to how Gibson prices many of their production line guitars.  And that's more of a response to the "bang for the buck" element than just the price by itself.

[diablo175]

Shee-oot. I paid (what I thought was) a pretty penny (just north of 4K) for my B & C  '98 Custom but don't regret it for second. Since then, I've seen several like it listing for the low- mid 4Ks.

 

[tommy p]

Vectors are the same.  Years ago I decided I wanted a korina Vector and started looking.  They were listed fairly often but the prices were hovering around $2500 and I had a "less than $2000" limit in my head.  After a year or two of not finding one at "my" price, I upped my expected cost to $2500, but by that time $3000 was the norm.  Some time later I adjusted again, to $3000, but by that time you'd be hard-pressed to find one at an asking price of less than $5000.  After being behind the pricing curve for all those years, I realized the good ship Vector has sailed for me.  I'm not a $5000 guitar level player and due to a recent medical issue I've yet to post about, I never will be.

[Jimbilly]

2 hours ago, Hamerica said:

  *** I thought Hamer USA guitars were criminally undervalued compared to the offerings of other manufacturers.   ***

 This is much of what drew me to Hamer in the first place. When I was buying 15-20 years ago, I sometimes wondered if maybe these would never have any real value, but it didn't matter because they were great guitars for low cost, and couldn't possibly be worth less than they were selling for at that time, and of course I sold quite a few for what now seems to be far too cheap.  I'm probably one of many here who likes playing something a bit different and finding the hidden treasure that most everyone else is overlooking (I don't own any Fender guitars, and just one Gibson; an '80s Designer Series Explorer bass).  Many of us were wondering when the rest of the world would figure it out about Hamer. Supply is obviously fixed at this point, demand is hard to predict.

[Cboss]

Reverb sold listings on USA Hamer standards, not one over 10K

https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=hamer usa standard &show_only_sold=true

One for sale right now, less than 10K, here you go https://reverb.com/item/73073726-hamer-usa-standard-1999

[Dave Scepter]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/145578156551?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Skj0wxP4QCu&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=_1NhtMMuTXK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

🤣

[velorush]

No longer just high-quality used instruments.

Collector money comes in.  Utility is no longer the primary determinate of demand.

Same thing happened to the sunburst Les Pauls in the late 1970's.  I remember being in college and being shocked at hearing about a dude giving $3,000 for an original Les Paul! 

I picked up an S9 Strat in 1986 for $250 - it was 'one of those crappy three-bolt CBS guitars' after all!  They're bringing a lot more now and the CBS stigma seems to be completely gone.  Utility is no longer the primary determinate of demand.

Like everything else, they're worth what someone will pay.  Unless one can exert Hunt-Brothers power (and we all know where that wound up), the market will determine the price following shifting and evolving determinates of demand.

[Biz Prof]

11 minutes ago, velorush said:

I picked up an S9 Strat in 1986 for $250 - it was 'one of those crappy three-bolt CBS guitars' after all!  They're bringing a lot more now and the CBS stigma seems to be completely gone.  Utility is no longer the primary determinate of demand.

This singular anecdote is a perfect example of the logical fallacies I saw in the burgeoning vintage guitar collector frenzy of the early '90s.  At that time, I attended a few guitar shows with a collector friend of mine and I heard myriad dealers and collectors remark derisively about '70s Strats and Tele as well as Norlin-era Lesters. Some of those same dealers and collectors are now pumping up the virtues of these guitars as "vintage" and "collector" pieces.  So...they were dog shit until they aged another 20+ years.  Now, they're great!!!  Caveat emptor.

[velorush]

Exactly!

ETA: in the guitar's defense, it really wasn't bad at all.  Like most of those late-seventies (northern) ash-bodied Strats, it weighed north of ten pounds, but it played and sounded fine to my ears.  The three-bolt neck never bothered me, but the amount of vitriol levied on those guitars was incredible, especially owning it during Fender's great mid-80's comeback.  Those MIJ guitars were spectacular right out of the box.

[Biz Prof]

By the way, that same collector friend of mine did not share my enthusiasm for Hamer and was really perplexed as to why I was so fond of the brand.  He called the brand "Shamer" due to the designs that mimicked old Gibson shapes.  At one point, there were three dealers in the Raleigh market selling Hamers and Fat Sound, in particular, was moving a lot of units, making Hamer a more frequent sight on stages across the region.  He just refused to buy into the idea that Hamer was making better stuff than either Gibson or Fender.  The less-than-stellar resale value for Hamers during that era didn't exactly help my argument.

On one of our jaunts to scour the pawn shops around Fort Bragg, I ran across a pristine "Miller High Life" guitar with the six-inline headstock and OHSC.  The shop wanted $400 for it.  I began to make a deal on it until he talked me out of it.  We're still friends, but I hated that I let his Gibson/Fender arrogance influence me on that purchase decision. Whenever a Hamer goes for big bucks in an auction or online sale these days, I send him a link to educate him.  You should have seen his face when he saw the news that Joe B bought his first 4-digit Standard from the notorious Dr. Fung for several thousands of dollars.  Lol

[cmatthes]

On 1/30/2024 at 12:50 PM, Dave Scepter said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/145578156551?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Skj0wxP4QCu&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=_1NhtMMuTXK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

🤣

It’s a ‘79, not a ‘78.