Any love for the Hamer USA Special?

[camf]

I just bought one at a great price. It's the Blue/Purple FM (Flame Maple?) model from 93 and it is such a beautiful guitar. I was on Denmark Street this week and there were afew there, but they seemed to be going for really silly money... quite literally almost ten times what I paid. But a really, really well made guitar. Great hardware too.

[shobet]

Yep, Hamer make some lovely guitars. A hugely underrated maker in my opinion. Personally I prefer the ones from the 80s with the original bridges. I'm assuming yours has the tuneomatic bridge if it's a 93 and not the sustain block bridge of the originals.

Any chance of some pics?

[WezV]

i like hamers, but have never forgiven them for the price of a hamer korina junior.... simple guitar, fashionable, but no more expensive than mahogany wood .... massive price (about $4000)

[Philly Q]

My first "proper" guitar was (and still is) an '81 Hamer Special - it's sunburst with a maple veneer top and originally had the little sustain block bridge (I replaced it with a Kahler many years ago).

I've had a few other Hamers over the years but this is the only one I kept.

It's in a bad state though - and it hasn't been out of the case for several years, so I shudder to think what it might look like now.  :(

[shobet]

My first "proper" guitar was (and still is) an '81 Hamer Special - it's sunburst with a maple veneer top and originally had the little sustain block bridge (I replaced it with a Kahler many years ago).

I've had a few other Hamers over the years but this is the only one I kept.

It's in a bad state though - and it hasn't been out of the case for several years, so I shudder to think what it might look like now.  :(

You put a Kahler on it! YOU PUT A $%&#ING KAHLER ON IT!

Do yourself a favour, take it out of it's coffin and give is some love. Then beat yourself over the head with the case for putting a $%&#ING KAHLER ON IT!

[WezV]

ah, come on philly - surely its worth sorting


think what you would probably spend on your next gas excursion - spend it on fixing or restoring the (what is probably now) vintage hamer instead.  well, it doesnt have to cost as much as a new guitar - depending what you want

for me the 80-90's hamers have always been at that halfway point between the gibson and PRS, and from the few i have played i guess quality matches that too.  hardtail aint everyones first choice for a junior shaped guitar but i must admit the first two juniors i made were hardtail and absolutely no worse for it!!  Those old hamers are pretty much all i could want from a guitar


nothing wrong with kahlers - as long as they are set up right!!!

[Philly Q]

You put a Kahler on it! YOU PUT A $%&#ING KAHLER ON IT!

Do yourself a favour, take it out of it's coffin and give is some love. Then beat yourself over the head with the case for putting a $%&#ING KAHLER ON IT!

What can I say, it was 1985....

To be honest, the sustain block bridge was shite because the saddles were too wide for the bridge plate, so they fanned out and the high E string ended up almost off the neck.

I wish I hadn't done it, though, of course - if I still had the bridge I'd have replaced the saddles by now.

[Philly Q]

ah, come on philly - surely its worth sorting

think what you would probably spend on your next gas excursion - spend it on fixing or restoring the (what is probably now) vintage hamer instead.  well, it doesnt have to cost as much as a new guitar - depending what you want

Yeah, you're right.  I will try to get it sorted out.  Hope it isn't so bad that it needs a refinish!

(To be fair to myself, I haven't given in to GAS for months now - the 339 is the only actual guitar I've bought this year, and I haven't even bought any Warmoth bits since June!)

[shobet]

ah, come on philly - surely its worth sorting


think what you would probably spend on your next gas excursion - spend it on fixing or restoring the (what is probably now) vintage hamer instead.  well, it doesnt have to cost as much as a new guitar - depending what you want

for me the 80-90's hamers have always been at that halfway point between the gibson and PRS, and from the few i have played i guess quality matches that too.  hardtail aint everyones first choice for a junior shaped guitar but i must admit the first two juniors i made were hardtail and absolutely no worse for it!!  Those old hamers are pretty much all i could want from a guitar


nothing wrong with kahlers - as long as they are set up right!!!

Is that why yours fell apart at the BKP Manchester meet? ;) It's the spongy wishy washy feel of them, ikk, it makes me go funny thinking about them even now. Fantastic piece of engineering when set up properly, but you have to ask if it was such a superior piece of hardware, why did they have to make a copy of the Floyd called the Steeler to try and keep in business?

[shobet]

You put a Kahler on it! YOU PUT A $%&#ING KAHLER ON IT!

Do yourself a favour, take it out of it's coffin and give is some love. Then beat yourself over the head with the case for putting a $%&#ING KAHLER ON IT!

What can I say, it was 1985....

To be honest, the sustain block bridge was shitee because the saddles were too wide for the bridge plate, so they fanned out and the high E string ended up almost off the neck.

I wish I hadn't done it, though, of course - if I still had the bridge I'd have replaced the saddles by now.

Ooooh nice Vector.

[shobet]

There is hope - http://www.rsguitarworks.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=210

I know it's a Standard but, just imagine...

[Philly Q]

Ooooh nice Vector.

Selling that was my biggest guitar-related mistake.  Wish I still had it.  :(

[camf]

A little thing, but they do seem to have excellent volume/tone pots. Really smooth. I just love the feel of them... they feel like they've been created with feeling. Aw shucks, I'm getting all smoochy.

[WezV]

so its a kahler flyer is it?

its either worth seeing what needs to be done to that to make it work proper, or its worth fitting a newer kahler deign like the hybrid

no reason that bridge should mean years wihtout it coming out a case, too nice a guitar to not consider doing something with it

yes, i do kinda love them far beyong their actual value ;)


edit:  mine did have issues at the manc meet from some apparently extreme usage. i was a bit dissapointed by that - but my main memory from the day was that the kahler had a slight issue, moments later with minimal tools it was locked in place and the guitar was usable again - not many trems you can say that about.  i still stand by kahlers, but i do realie its quite different to a floyd. i do have pcitures from that day

JDC playing, Matt77 walking out the door:


the resulting damage the next day:


a screw had popped out, but after locking the trem off the guitar still worked fine, and the fix was minor

now where is that pic of shobet playing matt's feline through one of martins amps with a nice gurn going on... cant seem to find it at the moment

yeah... kahlers aint floyds, there is no fight against the springs when divebombing, and when going down you do sometimes find it lacks sustain, but if set up properly they are fine as a normal bridge and even the more dodgy 80's flyers still have more than enough sustain for divebombing (and normal playing) if set right. takes just a little more control than a floyd, but they are no-where near as bad as some people who installed them badly insist

[Philly Q]

There is hope - http://www.rsguitarworks.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=210

I know it's a Standard but, just imagine...

He did a fantastic job, but (just to be awkward) I have to say I preferred it with the original cherry burst in the top picture.  That's a proper Hamer look, now it looks too Gibsonish.

But.... the Kahler will be staying put on mine if/when I fix it up, I like the maple top, and the colour, too much to replace it.