Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Mark66 on December 30, 2008, 11:26:57 PM
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I've been thinking of shifting a guitar or two for a while, to help fund a PRS McCarty
Then I came across THIS!
http://www.guitars4you.co.uk/guitars/2006.htm
I Never considered a Hamer, but this looks awesome, and it seems like Hamer quality rivals PRS.
Anyone have any experience of Hamers? Are they really worth PRS money?
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Lovely by all accounts, but the resale value sucks :(
PRS is a 'safer' option, but if you play that Hamer and fall in love then so be it :)
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As Twinfan said:
If you might want to sell it again get a PRS.
I got my Hamer Studio Custom (1990) for 500£ but it still is an absolutely stunning guitar.
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I've owned 5 Hamer guitars and 3 PRS (although I haven't tried a new Hamer for quite a few years).
Apparently Hamers are mostly hand-built whereas PRS use more CNC equipment etc.... whatever, I think it's the end product that matters, not how it got there. But anyway, Hamers are built every bit as well as PRS and deserve to be much better-known than they are (maybe they changed their designs too often to really grab their own corner of the market).
Having said that, based on the ones I've owned I think PRS win hands-down on playability and general mojo. But maybe that's just because I never got on with the Hamer neck shapes.
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Hamer lover here...a USA made Hamer has incredible resale in the USA-rivals anything..dont know about "across the pond"...my Californian from the USA custom shop is incredible-I will not worry about resale, cause it just Aint gonna happen!!
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/cavatator/cali004.jpg)
RAWK ON!!!! 8)
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Awesome, but 2 things bugs me: The place of the stop-tail, closer to the end of body than on LP and the ugly control layout...
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Are they worth PRS money? :lol: Hamer are hand made by a team of 7 builders that do 3-4 guitars a day 8)
The resale is indeed shiteeeee so buy used ;P
It's more of a style choice IMO, Hamer are more geared toward vintage style guitars with modern apointments and PRS make more progressive guitars.
You wont be dissapointed with the build quality of either! 8)
Shaman, that Californian Custom isn't from the custom shop, there's not or ever was a custom shop :)
They were called Custom(Boomers and Ebony) at first and later called Elite, which later got used for set neck Cali's.
Incidently Calis have been going for some crazy prices recently, check out this one http://jamguitars.co.uk/secondhandstock.htm
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Well... for me, someone had to TELL me the Hamers were a high end instrument. To me, they looked mid-range. This is from pictures and not picking one up.
But with the PRS, I knew right away it was an expensive instrument. At least the Custom 24's anyway... the mira's... another story.
If i wanted a Hamer, i'd get a Feline, get exactly what i wanted.
But a PRS is a PRS. Mmmm, buy a second hand PRS and i doubt you'd ever loose a penny on it.
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Are they worth PRS money? :lol: Hamer are hand made by a team of 7 builders that do 3-4 guitars a day 8)
The resale is indeed shiteeeeee so buy used ;P
It's more of a style choice IMO, Hamer are more geared toward vintage style guitars with modern apointments and PRS make more progressive guitars.
You wont be dissapointed with the build quality of either! 8)
Shaman, that Californian Custom isn't from the custom shop, there's not or ever was a custom shop :)
They were called Custom(Boomers and Ebony) at first and later called Elite, which later got used for set neck Cali's.
Incidently Calis have been going for some crazy prices recently, check out this one http://jamguitars.co.uk/secondhandstock.htm
true, Lew....I should have only said "USA",ehh..?Hamer was considered a "custom shop" until the overseas models, I suppose...this is a USA Custom..and well worth it!!!not leavin' my collection
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Ye, sorry, being anal retentive goes hand in hand with being a Brit 8)
I had one like yours earlier this year, but sold it on because of some issues that I wasn't aware of when I bought it.
The Cali is such a kick ass guitar 8)
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You're both sort-of right :P . Hamer say they don't have a custom shop as such, but the tagline on their website reads:
"We don't have a custom shop. We are a custom shop."
And then again, over the years they've built custom models for the likes of Rick Nielsen, Glenn Tipton, KK Downing, Jeff Watson, Vernon Reid, Jeff Waters... whereas you and I can't specify details if we buy one. So I guess they did have a custom shop of sorts.
It certainly seems to be true that you'll never go into a guitar shop and see six identical Hamers hanging on the wall (mind you, in the UK you'd be lucky to see any six Hamers in one place). They're definitely not mass-produced.
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You can specify your details when your making a 'custom' order through the erm... normal shop ;P ... it erm, just takes longer and costs more :lol:
...bugger off to bed will ya Philly it's late :lol:
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Incidently Calis have been going for some crazy prices recently, check out this one http://jamguitars.co.uk/secondhandstock.htm
Reminds me of a Caparison Horus.
AND OMFG A SUHR S5 WENT FOR £1200 - LUCKY bar-steward WHO GOT THAT!
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Ye it looks very similar to the Horus... but nu uh, I'm not talking about the C brand here again :lol:
The prices have risen loads on Suhr because of the damn dollar, I bought a very similar looking s5 new a few months ago for £1400 ;P
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You can specify your details when your making a 'custom' order through the erm... normal shop ;P ... it erm, just takes longer and costs more :lol:
...bugger off to bed will ya Philly it's late :lol:
OK, good point, well made. And it is indeed late.
'Night all! :)
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You can specify your details when your making a 'custom' order through the erm... normal shop ;P ... it erm, just takes longer and costs more :lol:
...bugger off to bed will ya Philly it's late :lol:
OK, good point, well made. And it is indeed late.
'Night all! :)
Well I was just trying to save a little face tbh because I think you're right :lol:
Sleep well, I shall join you after this bottle of Cobra is finished... well I wont literally be joining you, unless?... nah nevermind. :D
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Incidently Calis have been going for some crazy prices recently, check out this one http://jamguitars.co.uk/secondhandstock.htm
Reminds me of a Caparison Horus.
AND OMFG A SUHR S5 WENT FOR £1200 - LUCKY bar-steward WHO GOT THAT!
...not to split hairs, but the Californian was before the Caparison...of course, I wonder who first produced the extended cutaway necks...Hamer?? Washburn??...someone else??ever seen the HAmer Virtuoso??36 frets..... :o
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Hamers have great necks. Very fast and still enough meat. And especially the upper fret access is amazing.
I would go to the shop and compare. If you're sure about the guitar being right for you, it should anyways never be sold.
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Sleep well, I shall join you after this bottle of Cobra is finished... well I wont literally be joining you, unless?... nah nevermind. :D
Nah.
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If i wanted a Hamer, i'd get a Feline, get exactly what i wanted.
Quite right!
To be fair I have been inspired by the work of both Hamer and PRS, and have owned several of both brand.
USA made Hamers are nice - I would avoid oriental made ones unless it really felt great to play
PRS - some I have loved and some were so-so
I kind of really liked the ones made prior to the change in production methods (about 1993)
I have played a couple that were nicer than anything I ever played on, but they weren't for sale - one belonged Doug Chandler (my boss at the time) and another with an awesome redwood top belonged to a customer.
Since then the necks have felt a bit chunky, but the quality has remained spot on.
But with the falling exchange rate going for a UK made custom is becoming more attractive.
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I would go to the shop and compare. If you're sure about the guitar being right for you, it should anyways never be sold.
That's pretty much how I feel, but resale value is still a concern. However good I thought it was, I still wouldn't feel too
good about spending two grand on a guitar, only to see it lose half it's value six months later. I Think I'll just have to try some, then see how I feel and probably look for a good used one either way.
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I would go to the shop and compare. If you're sure about the guitar being right for you, it should anyways never be sold.
that's what i'd have thought. I should add that I've never tried a USA hamer (tried a couple of the import ones, but that's not the same thing), but i'm always extremely wary of the "buy X as it has better resale value than Y" advice... if you're buying something you don't like as much only because it has a better resale value, you're actually increasing your chances of selling it, surely? if you like both equally, then i guess it might be worth considering, but how often does anyone ever like two things equally?
depends on the type of person you are, too, i guess. i rarely if ever sell anything, so i'm generally buying for keeps... :lol:
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I was in that store, in Ashbourne, a few months back and played one of their USA Hamer Studios (it was a cherry burst, though I saw the honey finished guitar also and that, too, looked great). It was a very nice guitar, and lived up to the description I've read before about Hamer Studios being a "better Les Paul than a Les Paul" which I say as a pleased owner of a Les Paul too (overlooking the differences in design, of course). I was very tempted though needed to save up some more money first.
I ended up getting a Hamer US Studio Mahogany (no maple top) because it was much cheaper (although plainer!). It's a great guitar and I don't regret getting it though part of me still wonders whether I should have stretched to the flametop as it looked, played and sounded excellent!
I never really bonded with PRS guitars which just adds further weight to the argument that what works for one might not work for another. One thing I would say about the Hamer Studios is that the necks are certainly not pencil thin so if you don't like necks on the beefier side it would be worth trying them out first. Guitars 4 You also has loads of really nice PRSs so if you can make it there you can try Hamer vs PRS.
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I would go to the shop and compare. If you're sure about the guitar being right for you, it should anyways never be sold.
That's pretty much how I feel, but resale value is still a concern. However good I thought it was, I still wouldn't feel too
good about spending two grand on a guitar, only to see it lose half it's value six months later. I Think I'll just have to try some, then see how I feel and probably look for a good used one either way.
it's interesting to note that Hunter's comment about the right guitar being bought for 'keeps' is a common one among guitarists. it's common with certain purchases, but not others - cars and most electrical equipment are accepted to lose much of their value soon as they're bought. otoh, if you were buying a house would you have the same opinion? - I doubt it.
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^ at the minute all bets are off on houses... :lol:
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prs all the way man i,ve only got an entry level se tremonti,but for build quality,set up and playability,nothing in myprice range came close,for me its all about the scale 25 feels just right,for the big bucks,i,d go modern eagle anytime,hamer are cool looking axes,but they don,t match prs in my own opinion,but as they say its all down to personal preferance :D
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Never tried PRS but I do love (old) Hamers.
I currently have 1 USA Centaura. It went for 250$ on Ebay!
It's currently my main guitar (my others are USA Jacksons).
I'd love to have another Centaura and a Californian (love the boomerangs :P). Pity they don't do superstrats anymore.
Current models are top notch, but not my kinda thing (though it's been a while since I played one, maybe I'd have another opinion if I played one today).
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I have both, an old 79 Hamer Sunburst and 3 PRS's (90 Standard, 91 EG 4 & 93 Artist II). Mine are very different guitars. The Hamer is more an old school feel and is a great LP substitute with full neck access. PRS's are much more of a modern feel with faster necks and a lot more switching options. Workmanship wise, they are both really well made so I wouldn't let that ben an influence. If I was buying one today, then I would probably go for a PRS because it is more versatile and I like the PRS neck shape more.