kanegon

So what does the red light do? My Duotone could use one, so I'd stop leaving it plugged in! Ditto my active bass.

Are you sure you've never done this before? Amazing, really.

Only on some, like the Bardens due to the position of the height screws, but that's not with Fender, Callahams and Wilks. Just make sure the strings are absolutely straight from the hole to the nut and they'll stay put. If not, a tiny notch will do the trick.

I did that too, but the T51 bridge is about 1/4 inch closer to the neck than a Tele, and it was impossible to intonate the low E and G. As much as I prefer the vintage 3 saddle design, I had to settle for a "modern" design that offered more latitude. I like the sound of the Wilky, but the deck/plate is twice as thick as Fender or Gotoh and gets in the way. No, I'm not changing the way I pick just to deal with an odd bridge. It of course has extra long travel. I settled on the solid brass Gotoh 6 saddle, if it's good enough for Keith, it's good enough for me, but you see the low E and G are maxed out (could shorten the spring 'spose).

bang-zoom!

I don't see much Hamer in any of those. Fender's been trying to claw back the high-end market it lost to boutique brands like Anderson, for years. Now, if those had 5-piece set necks and 3/8 inch figured tops, it would be a different story. Wait a minute, what if Fender reissued the T62 or TLE? Or Strats and Teles with 14inch radius? Then again, why resurrect something that Hamer killed years (and years) ago? I'm willing to cut FMIC some slack here, they're struggling too and I do like my Strats and Tele (err...T51).

Nahh, the ink would have to dry GLASS hard. That's the secret to these pre-CBS era Grey Poupon jars.

Guess the RJR era. They were/are still the same shaped jars, the only difference being the labeling was glazed onto the glass for a good few years, till they moved the UPC bars to the lid and eventually the sticker you see now. I loved the Steve Howe meets Glen Branca meets An Index of Metals (Fripp) sorta bowing effect I was getting from the raised UPC code and ingredients list but can't find any more of those jars!

Can't keep anything flat on my lap. I even play dulcimers like a guitar.

Actually, I hold it in my right hand, in place of picking. I slide and bow with it at the same time.

They just don't make them like they used to....

Grey Poupon c. 1980-1990 with the glazed UPC code on the side. I use it as a bow/slide but have not have had one since my last one broke about 10 years ago. The UPC code moved to the lid at some point, boo hoo, and the bottles lost their magic. You don't have one collecting brads in your shop bench do you? Thanks and happy holidays!

He was a formative influence, though I don't play the sitar.

When did this happen? I thought I read it right here -- about an exchang between Letterman and Felicia Colins, in which she mentions her Hamer(s). Of course, she was/is a Hamer endorser and I think it was early in her stint. There was a link to her rig rundown heremand I got curious, looked for more and stumbled across that mention. I haven't seen it, but it sounded awful typical of Letterman. I can just hear him quip, "ah, that company that's famous for...". Don't think it's urban legend, cannot confirm 100%.

As for latter day marketing and brand recognition, it probably didn't help that someone like David Letterman described Hamer as a "company famous for knock-offs of Gibson" on TV. I've got friends that own G&L and Heritage guitars that don't know a thing about Hamer. If you were just shopping, you'd think they were all imported. G&L and PRS were smart enough to rename their import line. Seems Heritage ain't going there at all. But Hamer interests made their decision years ago - though I'm not clear on the Fender factor. Actually, I'm beginning to think PRS is on the same slippery slope, with the SEs becoming less and less distinguishable from their US line.