HFC History

[bruce919]

I was thinking about this the other day.

When did the HFC start? I think it was mid 98' when I first found it.

[serial]

The HFC started in late 1996 I believe. My memory is a bit dusty, but I've been here since early '97. At the time, it was pretty quiet, but pretty much everything on the internet was by comparison to today's standards.

You'd post a reply to a thread and it might take a day or two before someone would post something else, but it took off a lot by mid-1998.

[DavidE]

It all started at a 5,000 watt radio station....

[MCChris]

The Hamer Freaks/"eyeball rotating around T51" gif on the Hamer site is what got me here. Must have been early '99 when I signed on, shortly after I got my current job where we can surf the web with impunity as long as we get our work done.

[cmatthes]

I found it around the holidays in 1996/early '97. I was doing some random surfing (actually looking for a B-12s) and came across it. At the time, I think it was just the guest list and I think I remember the Hamer Girl picture from close to that time too.

Once the message board took shape, I posted a bit. It did take off a lot after October, '98.

[silentman]

I remember the rotating eyeball and the old style message board as well as the guest list. I posted very rarely back then.

Here's a snapshot of some of the old clowns that still are around:

http://web.archive.org/web/20001214103100/...d&Board=hfc

[Feynman]

There has to be a pre-Meshuggah and post-Meshuggah era.

[Thundernotes]

You'd post a reply to a thread and it might take a day or two before someone would post something else

There are places where that still happens...

[Craig S]

I've been here since early 97' or late 96' with more than one or two screen names. As mentioned, there wasn't much going on early on. There was a period when it got pretty nasty here, all you had to do was say 'hi' and you would get flamed from multiple directions. It's my opinion that's when Hamer adopted a more hands off attitude to the board...as I said that's my opinion though. The boards evolve a lot since the early days... hat's off to Ted for sticking with it for all these years.

[Jorge]

BTW, what the heck happened to Ted?

Is he OK?

Does he read his own board anymore?

[Steve Haynie]

The HFC was around about six months before I found it. I got my computer in March 1997 and Internet access a month later. It was late 1997 when I found the HFC.

[BCR Greg]

I came aboard in late mid 1997, using a computer at a local coffee shop. I think there were 10 or so members at the time, with only 5 or 6 regularly posting. This site became a pattern for many other sites related to other manufacturers. I have tons of old threads saved, it would be cool to put them somewhere. A great place, and it has certainly had a big impact on my life. I have made some life changing friendships here, and owe Ted a huge debt.

The big shame is that the ebb and flow is not documented, there have been so many cool things that were lost with server changes, etc. Bottom line, this is a great place, great people and easily the best forum on the net.

[cmatthes]

BTW, what the heck happened to Ted?

Is he OK?

Does he read his own board anymore?

Ted's alive and well, just undertaking a massive project that has occupied the majority of his time for the last several months. Hopefully, there will be news soon...

[BCR Greg]

Fun stuff, here...

http://web.archive.org/web/20001121043000/...merfanclub.com/

Ted's interview with Rick was very cool.

[serial]

I remember in the early days before Greg had regular internet access, I'd get a couple of calls a day about what was going on. I even posted for him for a while until he manned up and got his own computer thing.

[seeker]

The big shame is that the ebb and flow is not documented, there have been so many cool things that were lost with server changes, etc. Bottom line, this is a great place, great people and easily the best forum on the net.

I'm a relative late-comer, 2001. It is a bit sad, so many things have been lost (otoh, some fights are best left in the dustbin). There was this gig-story thread I printed out in 2002 that was eye-tearing hilarious. Been trying to find it for the last few weeks. It's gotta be around here somewhere!

[savethematches]

I had placed an ad for my TLE on harmony central and got an offer that I thought was ridiculously low. I did a search on Hamers and found this site. After making my initial post, I discovered that the offer was indeed ridiculous and received multiple better offers from HFC'ers. The guitar eventually sold to Hectorp, btw.

[BLuesBuster]

I remember signing up in mid to late '98, how things have changed since...

[cmatthes]

I remember signing up in mid to late '98, how things have changed since...

Definitely! For one, you have a far more interesting avatar.

[Disturber]

I was a lurker now and then to find what had happened to Hamer post-shredder years. I signed up in 2000 I think. First replies from C Matthes and BTMN, that much I remember

[BillW]

"I was a lurker now and then to find what had happened to Hamer post-shredder years. I signed up in 2000 I think. First replies from C Matthes and BTMN, that much I remember (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)"

Ditto, late 2000

There was quite a community by the time I signed up, but I used to read the posts for months before that

[Hackubus]

I was a lurker around '00ish. Never manned up til a couple years back.

[tomteriffic]

I first signed up in about 1998, mostly as a lurker. Then for a long while I was locked out of posting due to my forgetting my user stuff, and I couldn't find an e-dress for Ted (and even when I did there was some sort of technical snafu). We finally got that straightened out. I watched some great stuff go by that I couldn't respnd to.

[DEMENTED]

I remember getting my 1st Hamer in '99 and finding the HFC then but didn't figure out how to sign up and use the boards for a year or so after that I think. Duh, me 'puter illiterate then and now.

I found me on that list, Feb. 6th, 200 was when I finally figured out how to post something, duh.

[Turdus]

I think '98 or '99. I remember creating a temporary message board when this one was down for awhile. Then there was Hamer Bytes. If you remember that, you've been around a long time.