Search the Community

I work for a lighting company called High End Systems in Austin, Texas; High End's parent company, ETC, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and will be hosting various events throughout the year. The first one was last Tuesday, and included live music in the demo room. I ended up being the MD for it, coordinating who played what on what song, etc. There are a lot of employees who play, so it was a bit of a juggling act to make it all fit together. But overall I think it went down pretty well, and even the big bosses down from ETC headquarters in Wisconsin were pleased with it. The plan is to do it again next year, if not sooner. The bass player standing behind me and the drummer are from my band SUIT (they both work there too). My main guitar was my 2020 Shishkov DC, although of course I brought my beloved '81 Hamer Special along as a backup. Playing my 2005 Galveston resonator while manufacturing engineer Tom sings a rousing rendition of "Man of Constant Sorrow." (Tom was in a metal band in the 80s and pictures exist of him with big poofy hair and spandex pants.) Customer service rep Robyn sang "Free Fallin'," and I used my Eclipse-12 with a capo at the third fret. The father-son team of Juan and Xavian on bass and guitar - along with young drum phenom Eric - needed a singer for "Paranoid," "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" and "Sad But True," so they recruited me. I used my 1955 Supro lap steel for the closer, "Let's Work Together."

One day in October of 1984, while living in Houston, Texas, my friend/bandmate Kato called and said he was going to look at some speakers for his bass amp and asked if I would like to come along. I said sure. We went to Musician’s Shop, a small music store in a strip center on Bissonnet Street in nearby Bellaire. While he was engrossed in conversation about speakers with one of the sales staff, I wandered over to the guitar area. By this time I already had two Hamers: a 1978 Sunburst, purchased used from Lake Charles Music (Lake Charles, Louisiana) in 1982, and a new Blitz, special ordered through Evans Music City in Houston in 1983. But I was always on the lookout for another. There, on the left-hand side of the store on a floor-level rack, was a black Hamer Special. It was new – it still had the Hamer hang-tag attached – but it looked like it had been there for a while. The finish was smudged with fingerprints, it was out of tune and was missing a string. The hand-printed price tag read $820.00. I put my left hand around the neck and knew it instantly: I had found The One. It if was a movie, blue lightning effects would have been added in post-production to indicate the “electric” connection between the guitar and me. For many guitarists – including me – the shape and feel of a guitar’s neck is of utmost importance. I like them on the thinner side, while some players prefer the opposite; it’s a matter of personal preference. But this neck was perfect. (Many years later, when Mike Shishkov was building a guitar made to my specs, I sent him measurements of Blackie’s neck for reference.) I didn’t say anything to the Musician’s Shop employees, but after Kato dropped me off at home I gathered some cash I had squirreled away for just such an occasion and drove back to the store. I got the attention of the guy behind the counter and said, “I’m kinda interested in that black Hamer, but $820 seems a little high. Anything you can do?” “Hmm,” he said, and poked at his desk calculator. “How about $775?” “I don’t know,” I said, “that still seems like a little too much.” “All right, lemme see what I can do,” he said, and in a classic used-car-salesman move disappeared into the back of the store. After several long minutes, he came back. “Okay. I can do $725.” I’ve never been much of a negotiator. I don’t like “haggling” and have always hated the ridiculous cat-and-mouse game traditionally associated with buying a car. So I don’t know what came over me in that moment, but suddenly I was bursting at the seams with a buyer’s confidence I’ve never experienced before or since. Maybe it was because I knew, without a doubt, that that guitar and I were destined to be together. Ignoring his $725 offer, I calmly said, “How about this: I give you THIS” – I pulled $600 cash out of my pocket and laid it on the counter – “and you give me the guitar?” He hesitated for a beat and then said, “I’ll go get the case.” Beneath my calm exterior, I was ecstatic. He was gone for a long time. While I waited, I browsed some guitar straps on display near the front of the store and selected a blue nylon one. (I always liked the color combination of black and blue.) He finally returned and said, somewhat sheepishly, “We couldn’t find the case. I’ll make it $525 and you can have this one” – a generic rectangular one-size-sort-of-fits-all guitar case. “Works for me,” I said. “Oh, and I’m taking this strap too.” He glanced up briefly from writing up the sale and said, “Yeah, that’s fine.” And that’s the story of how I got Blackie. For many years I assumed it was a 1984. But, later, when I learned more about Hamer history and how to read their serial numbers, I realized it was a 1981 – which explains why it was so dirty and the case was nowhere to be found. It sat there in the store for three years, waiting for me to come in and rescue it. It’s been my constant companion ever since. It went with me every day to GIT when I was going to school there – and it became part of my identity. (At Musician’s Institute in the 1980s, where guitar nerdiness was elevated to extreme levels, people were often identified by the guitar they played: the guy that plays the red Ibanez RG, etc. I was The Guy That Plays the Black Hamer.) I’ve always been careful with all my guitars, but any instrument that gets as much use as this one is going to end up with some battle scars, and Blackie has plenty. Like where the finish has been worn off where my right forearm contacts the body, or chips in the paint where it got hit by a falling cymbal stand. One night in 2007 during a Rhythm Dawgs gig, the stitching on that blue nylon strap – the one I got from Musician’s Shop all those years ago – came unraveled and the guitar went crashing down onto my pedalboard. The impact knocked several chunks of paint off the lower edge of the body and put a huge gouge in the neck between the nut and high-E tuner. But thanks to rock-solid Hamer craftsmanship, nothing broke. As my guitar collection has grown over the years it doesn’t get quite as much playing time as it used to, but I know it’s always there for me. It always gets played at gigs, even if for only one song. I’ve changed the bridge pickup a few times – Duncan Distortion, Duncan JB, DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary – but a couple of years ago I came across the original in a box of old stuff, so if I ever decide to put it back in I can. A while back longtime Dawgs/SUIT drummer Bill Asa asked me, “When was the last time you did a gig without that guitar?” My answer? “Before I got it.” 1990: 2023:

Time for some house cleaning. All prices include shipping. Would prefer to use some form of payment that doesn’t charge fees, but If you’d like to pay using PP we can adjust accordingly. All include OHSC unless stated otherwise. Additional photos on request. 2010 PRS 25th Anniversary Mira 245 Soapbar w/Wolfetone Mean/Meaner. Regular/Standard neck profile. Condition is 9.5/10. Asking $1100 1996 Hamer Daytona. Dimario Area pickups installed in non-factory guard w/ master volume, master tone. Original guard, pickups, and electronics included. Condition is 9.5/10. Asking $800 2012 Gibson Les Paul Custom Classic. 60s neck profile. Condition is 9/10. Asking $1450 2009 EBMM 25th Anniversary. Medium C neck profile. Condition 9.5/10. Asking $1250 2003 P90 Special. SOLD 2011 Larrivee Bakersfield. Med to full C neck profile (modeled after early 50s blackguard), 1.75” nut. Condition 9.5/10. Asking $1250 2010 Larrivee RS-2. 25.5” scale. Very lightweight. One of the early runs with Larrivee Gen-3 humbuckers. Condition 9/10. Asking $675 1995 Hamer Eclipse 12. Finish has lifted from high-E side of the fretboard over the entire length, and has chipped away completely for the first four frets. It’s happened in one or two small areas on the low-E side as well. The only time I notice it while playing is where it’s completely chipped away along the first four frets, but it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Numerous impressions/dings here and there. One small paint chip on the back of the neck at the 9th fret where wood is exposed (size of a match head). Ships in Hamer branded era appropriate HSC that was purchased separately. Condition a very conservative 6.5/10. Asking $650 1999 Hamer Newport. Phat Cats swapped out for TV Jones Classic Plus (Br) and TV Jones MagnaTron (N). Bigsby front roller and main string shaft were swapped for Callaham replacement parts. Tonepros bridge was swapped for Babicz Full Contact Hardware tune-a-matic replacement. Condition 8.5/10. Original pickups, bridge, and Bigsby parts are included. No longer for sale. Hamer import Jazzbox w/Bigsby. Very cool and inexpensive for what it is, but it’s simply just too big a guitar for me to handle comfortably. Condition 9.5/10. SOLD 2009 Fender Custom Shop Custom Classic Stratocaster. 22 Fret, modern C neck profile, A.Ybarra ’69 CS pickups. Condition 9.5/10. Asking $1700 2011 Gibson Custom ES-339. 30/60 neck profile. Condition 9.5/10. Asking $2600

Bum bucker . BTW thats going to be my signature pickup from now on - mine! No affiliation with the listing. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hamer-Virtuoso-/261516527339?pt=Guitar&hash=item3ce39986eb Bennys Bumbucker. Got lots of bottom end.

Looking for a hamer artist custom over here. No offense, but not a green one. obv pre 2008 as well. open to paying cash or trade or a combination of the two.

FS: Hamer Jazz Box guitar with original Bigsby tremolo. Near-mint condition. Incredible flamey sides and back. I’d give it a 9.8, not really any dings or marks at all on it. (You can see the 3 small screw holes on the bottom edge, where the old tailpiece was mounted.) Plays really nice with low action and huge tone plugged and un-plugged. Perfect axe to live out your Pat Methany fantasies! 100% original except for added Bigsby (I don't have the old tailpiece). I'm just not playing it much in my non-smoking home. Comes with a really nice, TKL hard-shell case too. Yes, it's an import model, but, it's a killer sounding/playing Jazz Box no less. SOLD!

So, as long as I am on a roll, why not post these here before elsewhere? So, here is a TENTATIVE, as something is in play. Situation.......The Tigers Eye is pretty much the fully tricked out "NAMM" sorta thing. The sunburst has been upgraded to Lollar Imperials.....I like the sound of those in this guitar better than the stock. The former was way over the top, cost wise. Having paid up for bling, I might as well keep it. Before the end of the week I will probably have decided to swap pups and sell the sunburst (returned to stock). That being the case, I am thinking $1800 net would be right in there, market-wise. Turner Model One. SOLD........Yep, get your L Buckingham on. This is the chambered version, pretty much fully tricked out with the usual rotating pup, piezo, blend, built-in 18 volt "boost/active tone" circuit, as well as coil split and wood upgrades. I do have two friends that have been interested for a while, but time passes and neither has sealed the deal. Netting $3200 seems in the ballpark, given the market (small as it might be). See: http://store.heartbreakerguitars.com/Rick-Turner-_c_13.html G&L Legacy Swamp ash, pretty much exactly what I think a "Strat" should be. But such guitars never quite "do it" for me. Maybe I should just buckle down and LEARN how to play one. Novel concept, that. Has a heavy duty gig bag, no HSC. I would like to think $750 net is not out of line. G&L Comanche Speaking of "Strats" not doing it for me. Bought this one new. It was going to be "the one". List, IIRC, was $3500 or thereabouts. Will get my butt handed to me here. Asking $1250 net. Feel free to ask about anything I have posted. And, yes, I DO know I could stand an intervention. But I have a wife that is a saint (as long as I keep the excess from spilling out into HER areas).