Hamer News?

[marcnorth]

The first thing to go in tough economic times are the luxuries. Unfortunately, that is what Hamer is to those who are not pro musicians.

I'm not a pro musician, at least not anymore. I lost my job 6.5 years ago and still don't have another one.

I don't consider my Hamer's a luxury, I would sell off everything except the Hamer's if hard times hit me. I just let go of 3 nice ones, two of those being custom orders. I picked up 2 more in a trade for the V8 and have another one coming soon. The Hamer's are too bright sounding for Blues and I'm using a Jazz Bass in the blues band I'm playing in but my first choice if I'm looking for a new toy is still a Hamer.

[veatch]

I was so pleased with my custom order (understatement) that i had another (quite killer, IMFO) custom order sent in through Greg within about three weeks after receiving the guitar.

I was surprised (another understatement) at 2 things:

1. Some of the things that were said yes to
   
2. The price
   

If there is something that you've wanted, now might be the time to ask, assuming you have the $$$. Me? I would have had to sell off half of my current collection (or my car) to pay for what i wanted. I couldn't justify it.

The boys in the shop are making some killer instruments. It would be a crime for that to be at risk. It's good to hear they are still there, just working on other Fender nameplates. I truly hope the Hamer custom shop can be profitable while still being an affordable alternative to a hack like me.

[cmatthes]

Time for 4-digit Standard relics for less than the vintage ones. "For less than the vintage ones" is probably THE roadblock. Oh, well. It was worth spending a fleeting moment wishing.

We'll probably see 4-digit Standard reissues when they can put a $10k price on them and have buyers.

For now, the real deal is going for less than half that.

[Citrus]

If you can no longer get them unless they are a custom order........

does this mean our Hamers will become more valuable??

[JohnnyB]

Gee, thanks Fender, (@$$holes)....

The current incarnation of Fender has an impressive track record for respecting an acquisition's heritage and propagating it. Whereas Gibson bought up a lot of small-shop icons and ran them into the ground (e.g., Tobias and Steinberger), Fender has brought back some great names and applied a high level of QA to re-establish their credibility (e.g., Guild and Gretsch). Gretsch was always dogged by dodgy consistency and later by a series of owners, but Fender turned them back into what they represented at their best, unit after unit.

If you look at Hamer USA, it started as a custom shop for a few years before it really put out a product line. The time since saw the guitar boom years of metal and shred and the bust years of the rise of rap, hip-hop, boy bands and girl glam. Looks to me like Hamer's returning to its roots to survive--thanks in part to a benfactor by the name of Fender.

[atquinn]

If you can no longer get them unless they are a custom order........

does this mean our Hamers will become more valuable??

I seriously doubt it.

-Austin

[Thundersteel]

The current incarnation of Fender has an impressive track record for respecting an acquisition's heritage and propagating it.

I respectfully disagree. What about Fender's acquisition of Tacoma Guitars? Sure, they made Guild guitars for awhile, but now they don't even exist! What happened to Guild? They are made in China now!

To me, Fender takes companies that were great and destroyed them. I hope the same thing doesn't happen to Hamer!

[mirrorimij]

I respectfully disagree. What about Fender's acquisition of Tacoma Guitars? Sure, they made Guild guitars for awhile, but now they don't even exist! What happened to Guild? They are made in China now!

The USA Guild's are now produced in the same facility that houses Hamer USA. In fact, some of the Hamer boys are helping out with the transition and that may be contributing to this. There is only so much talent to go around and that talent might be focused on Guild right now instead of Hamer USA.

These rumors of Hamer USA closing, getting bought out, etc existed long before Fender owned them.

Until we hear something from Hamer I'm inclined to believe this is a temporary shift in focus. I bet once the warehouse is cleared out and Guild is up and running it will be business as usual.

edited to add - If these rumors are coming from sales reps on the street take it with a grain (block) of salt. I've been in that position. Usually they are too far removed to know what is really going on.

[JGale]

"a likely future development would be an increased focus on product enhancement and innovation resulting in more expensive lines. "

Like, say, computerized tuning machines or laser cut holes through the body or...what?

It's a slab of mahogany, a maple cap and a neck joint. What possibly can be more innovative than the crap coming out of Gibson?

When Hamers surpass Hubers, I'll consider dropping coin on a custom order.

Maybe they could make a guitar with five necks...oh wait.

[BCR Greg]

I respectfully disagree. What about Fender's acquisition of Tacoma Guitars? Sure, they made Guild guitars for awhile, but now they don't even exist! What happened to Guild? They are made in China now!

The USA Guild's are now produced in the same facility that houses Hamer USA. In fact, some of the Hamer boys are helping out with the transition and that may be contributing to this. There is only so much talent to go around and that talent might be focused on Guild right now instead of Hamer USA.

These rumors of Hamer USA closing, getting bought out, etc existed long before Fender owned them.

Until we hear something from Hamer I'm inclined to believe this is a temporary shift in focus. I bet once the warehouse is cleared out and Guild is up and running it will be business as usual.

edited to add - If these rumors are coming from sales reps on the street take it with a grain (block) of salt. I've been in that position. Usually they are too far removed to know what is really going on.

My info is from the top brass.

I applaud KMC for NOT closing Hamer. 10 years ago, you couldn't sell a Hamer to the average customer, they didn't know or care about the brand. Now, the attempt to make Hamer a "boutique" brand by raising prices to PRS and Huber levels has backfired. When the company figures out where they fit, times will hopefully get better. Until then.......

[burningyen]

I just hope the company survives long enough to find its place. It's sad to hear that people behind the scenes have been leaving.

[Thundersteel]

The USA Guild's are now produced in the same facility that houses Hamer USA.

I didn't know that. Still, to me, a Guild isn't a "real" Guild unless it was made in Westerly, RI.

[polara]

I applaud KMC for NOT closing Hamer. 10 years ago, you couldn't sell a Hamer to the average customer, they didn't know or care about the brand. Now, the attempt to make Hamer a "boutique" brand by raising prices to PRS and Huber levels has backfired. When the company figures out where they fit, times will hopefully get better. Until then.......

Wonderful guitars, and a brand/marketing history that is as all-over-the-place as any guitar company. Remember all the crazy directions Fender and Gibson have gone in attempts to get people to buy new instruments over used? What a tough business, to be at once edgy and appeal to the vintage fetish we often have, while paying US wages to get top quality while competing with very competent Asian imports at a fraction of the price.

Maybe I'm not a typical Hamer customer. A month's pay for a Studio -- and this is when it's half off list -- is too much for me. Mortgage, retirement and family expenses of course come first, and after a while I have to say that while I LIKE 14 coats of hand-rubbed lacquer and perfect inlays, it's that level of detail work that take it far beyond the "tool" I need to perform and bring it into the realm of fine crafts.

Example: a guitar I kick myself for selling was my 2007 Gibson Melody Maker reissue. Three-fiddy brand new, light, stayed in tune, sounded rockin.' I did some fine sanding to the neck to get the finish more playable and added strap locks. I'm not saying Hamer should just try to make the cheapest imaginable US-built guitars...PERIOD. But I wonder how big the market is for super-swanky customs. It doesn't include me, I'm afraid.

Not knockin' Hamer in any way. I guess they have soem tough decisions to make.

[bizzwriter]

The USA Guild's are now produced in the same facility that houses Hamer USA.

I didn't know that. Still, to me, a Guild isn't a "real" Guild unless it was made in Westerly, RI.

That's kinda like saying it's not a "real" Gibson unless it was made in Kalamazoo, or a "real" Fender unless it was made in Fullerton, or a "real" Hamer unless it was made in Arlington Heights...or Wilmette.

[HSB0531]

I'm not going to speculate anymore.

I'll just wait until the official news is released.

[cmatthes]

I'm not going to speculate anymore.

I'll just wait until the official news is released.

My thought is that THIS is the best course.

Nobody here knows what is really going down, and I've heard plenty of rumors from inside and outside too.

[Feynman]

Well, I respectfully disagree. I for one enjoy speculation.

[mirrorimij]

I'm not going to speculate anymore.

I'll just wait until the official news is released.

+1

[marcus2]

This all makes for fascinating reading.

I've been a Hamer fan since 1994. I was in grad school and would save and save and save to slowly get my first Hamer.

Since I got out of school and secured a "real" job, I added to the collection because, though not inexpensive, the bang for the buck factor was amazing.

Plus, this forum and its long time members created a "clubhouse" atmosphere where people who "got it" could share thoughts, buy/sell gear, etc.

A few years back an accident made Hamers hard for me to play. So, my purchases stopped. I have only sold a few of my Hamers, deciding to keep the majority. Mostly out of the sentimental value they have.

Had I not hurt my fretting hand, I could no longer afford a Hamer. I'm floored by how expensive they have gotten. It's interesting to read here what may have prompted such price increases.

I do wish the best to the company and its employees. I'll be curious to read the skinny when it comes to light.

marc

[JohnnyB]

The USA Guild's are now produced in the same facility that houses Hamer USA.

I didn't know that. Still, to me, a Guild isn't a "real" Guild unless it was made in Westerly, RI.

Guild was founded in 1953; original location was New York City. In 1966 Avnet bought Guild and moved it to Westerly, so Westerly represents their output after their first buyout. Fender has moved the Guild operation first to Corona, their USA mfg facility, then to Tacoma to be built by Tacoma guitar craftsmen, and is just now being moved back to New England. I get the feeling that the moves have been to keep Guild's quality high while keeping the brand viable, not to run it into the ground. For awhile, Fender negotiated for Guild to build the standard models for master luthier Bob Benedetto, so they've worked hard to elevate Guild's status, not turn it into another badge-engineered acquisition.

And Tacoma is still around. Granted, Fender cut back their model range, but they're focusing on what was unique about Tacoma--the offset soundhole and resulting punchy open sound that comes from the bracing changes. They even still make the 4- and 5-string Thunderchiefs and the baritone Thunderhawk. They just don't make all the roundhole guitars or the jazz archtop anymore. Neither was particularly competitive AFAIK.

I stick by my original assertion. I've seen hamfisted acquisitions ruin or compromise great musical instrument companies since CBS acquired Fender, Rogers, Gemeinhardt, Lyon & Healy, Leslie, and Steinway in the mid-'60s. Fender does not fit that pattern. They work hard to save a brand, promote its roots and strengths, and make it viable.

[GaryT]

I looked for a Guild Starfire IV 5-6mths ago on the Fender sight. You couldn't even buy one from them then.

Tough Times, everyone is feeling this.

[JohnnyB]

I looked for a Guild Starfire IV 5-6mths ago on the Fender sight. You couldn't even buy one from them then.

Tough Times, everyone is feeling this.

Right now the Guild website just shows acoustic flattops. No archtops, no ABGs, no electrics, no basses. For now Fender has taken a sharp turn away from jazz archtops. Ten years ago they started Guild making the lower line Benedettos, and they also offered a D'Aquisto line through Fender itself. Jimmy D'Aquisto had inked a deal with Fender to make his archtop designs just before he died. In fact, I think he died on the return trip. They had also revived the Coronado series IIRC. Now all the Fender electric hollowbodies, semihollows, and archtops are gone (except for what comes out of Hamer). Their electric guitar line is now Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, and Mustang.

Anyway, it looks like Fender has had to cut back, cut losses, and play strengths in the current economy. But to their credit, they seem to be doing their best to keep their acquisitions alive to see better times down the road.

[elduave]

Now all the Fender electric hollowbodies, semihollows, and archtops are gone (except for what comes out of Hamer). Their electric guitar line is now Strat, Tele, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, and Mustang.

If we're including "what comes out of Hamer" we should also include Gretsch, which means "Fender" electric hollowbodies are alive and well, yes?

[The Shark]

Time for 4-digit Standard relics for less than the vintage ones. "For less than the vintage ones" is probably THE roadblock. Oh, well. It was worth spending a fleeting moment wishing.

We'll probably see 4-digit Standard reissues when they can put a $10k price on them and have buyers.

My point exactly. It ain't ever gonna' happen. One can wish!

[Citrus]

"Anyway, it looks like Fender has had to cut back, cut losses, and play strengths in the current economy. But to their credit, they seem to be doing their best to keep their acquisitions alive to see better times down the road. "

If Hamer did the same, we'd have Boomers, Flat top Sunbursts with crowns, and sustain blocks, Standards with correct headstocks, pickups other than Duncans, and finishes other than 59 bursts.

Possibly even a shredder or 2.

Maybe Jol would start building guitars that we want instead of what he wants.