JLester

I went by the local store today and they were out of 151's, so I got a 152B (stereo) instead. When I went to unsolder the original one, it was also a 152 stereo jack. It is defininitely the original since I custom ordered this guitar. Whoever was soldering that day made damn sure it was grounded. The ground lug was flattened down over the pot and then completely covered in solder. It took a while to get it hot enough to finally let go. Anyway, the new jack is installed and working now. Thanks for the help! Jason

I'm having trouble with the output jack on my Monaco Elite. The cable tip doesn't seem to be making a good connection. If I put pressure against the side, it will sound fine, but otherwise is crackly or no output at all. I took the backplate off and it is not only soldered to the ground wire, but also to the pot closest to it. Is it normal to do both? Any recommendations for a replacement? Thanks, Jason

I've spent the last week getting acquainted with my new Monaco Elite (see pictures and details HERE. I've wanted a nice singlecut solid-body for several years and a USA Hamer since I was a teenager. First of all, the fit and finish is amazing. I haven't been able to find a single flaw anywhere on the guitar. Over the past couple of years, I've played everthing from PRS Singlecuts to Gibson Custom Shop LPs trying to decide what I wanted. I would put this at least on par with the PRS (probably better in most cases) and of much higher quality than most LPs that I've played. I've only played superstrat-style bodies up until now with fairly thin necks. The Monaco has the vintage carve which is much more comfortable to me. I know some here have expressed concern with the Monaco's shelf, but I can't see any way that it would interfere with my playing. In my case at least, my fingers wrap around the shelf when playing without even touching it. The heel is a little annoying, but not to the point that it restricts access and no worse than any other singlecut I've tried. My guitars up until now have always had EMGs. I've VERY impressed with these Duncans though. I play through a Vox Valvetronix for the most part. They clean up beautifully (probably the best clean sound of any guitar I've owned), have the proper growl with mild to medium "classic rock" type distortion, but also maintain good clarity when cranked into the triple-rect territory. I've actually looked at my amp a couple of times to verify that I was running a dry signal because of the overtones and harmonics that I was hearing. I thought I had accidentally turned on the delay or chorus because of what I seemed to be hearing. The acoustic sound of the guitar is also very good. At "normal" home playing volumes, I can actually hear (and feel) the unplugged sound of the guitar along with the sound coming from the amp. I've never noticed that with any other guitar. Finally, the guitar just seems to speak to me like no other. It makes you want to pick it up and play. The Stevie Stevens model that one of my instructors had years ago was the same way. Call it "mojo" or "vibe" or whatever, but there is definitely something intangible about this one. I've played more in the last week than I have in a long time. Thanks to Dave at Rocketeria and all the guys at Hamer for making it happen. Jason