Advice on "restoring" a 1995 Hamer 12-string bass

[hairbo]

Hi,

I recently purchased a used 12-string bass made in 1995 (picture attached). I can't confirm this with 100% certainty, but I'm fairly certain there were some after-market modifications made to the bass that I'd sort of like to unwind. I'm posting here because I'm hoping that somebody who has some experience with 12-string basses can review this post and offer advice, encouragement...or discouragement if I'm about to do something irretrievably stupid.

In addition to the standard three pots (one volume for each pickup, then one overall tone knob), there is a 3-position pickup switch, and then a switch to kick on an onboard preamp. The switches don't match, and they're both in sort of a haphazard spot, so I'm guessing that they were added after the fact. Plus, why would you need a pickup selector if you already have individual volume controls for each pickup? Also, the onboard preamp introduced considerable static into the signal, so I had to remove the battery altogether to get a pure tone (on an unrelated note, the nut needs to be raised and the tuners adjusted, but that's another matter). The bass gets plenty of output without the preamp (more than my active-electronic Stingray), so kicking the preamp on was almost silly.

The neck pickup is a P-bass style DiMarzio. The bridge pickup is a humbucker, but has no label on it, so I can't tell what kind of pickup it is. Maybe because the two pickups "look" different means one or more was replaced after the bass was initially made? And last but not least, the wiring in the electronics housing looks, to my untrained eye, as being pretty slipshod--e.g. the battery for the preamp was just floating in there, not attached with a clip.

What I think I'd like to do is gut the electronics, put in an EMG P-style pickup in the neck, and an EMG DC35 humbucker at the bridge. Those should both be drop-in replacements, which means no routing needed. Then, I would get rid of the two switches entirely, and install an EMG BTC preamp, which has one volume control, one pickup pan control, and then stacked bass/treble controls. Then I have a bass that's closer to what Hamer puts in their stock models: EMG pickups and just three knobs.

Does this seem like a sensible plan?

Thanks in advance,

Ben

[murkat]

Hey Ben, I would not discount it being not factory.

Could have been ordered that way, Hamer was a "custom shop"....

Need some CPA (control pickup cavity) pics.

Other Hamerites will chime in post haiste....

[hairbo]

Thanks for the reply. I'll post some CPA pics tonight.

[MCChris]

Plus, why would you need a pickup selector if you already have individual volume controls for each pickup?

You could ask the same question about a Les Paul. Just sayin'!

Welcome to the board! Nice bass you've got there!

[hairbo]

Hey MCChris,

I've never owned a Les Paul, but I'd ask the same question of that, and I really mean it. What's the point of both pickup selectors and individual volume knobs? That seems like an unnecessary amount of control. What am I missing?

[MCChris]

The capability to do the Ace Frehley/Randy Rhoads quasi-kill switch thing. Duh lol.

My guess is to facilitate changes on the fly, but that's actually a very good question.

[Hamer Dave]

Hey MCChris,

I've never owned a Les Paul, but I'd ask the same question of that, and I really mean it. What's the point of both pickup selectors and individual volume knobs? That seems like an unnecessary amount of control. What am I missing?

Kill switch effect, and instant volume transitions between various pick ups? Just a couple reasons.

btw... cool bass. Is yours also, like 900 lbs!?!

[hairbo]

Fair enough. Sudden volume changes and kill switch stuff don't seem features I'd ever use on a bass. Does seem like it might make some sense on guitar. The thought had never occurred to me. Thanks.

Yeah, it's heavy as hell. More interesting to me, though, was the sudden need to use a pick. After *never* playing bass with a pick, you sort of have to with this thing (I know some guys play these basses with their fingers, but I think it really needs the attack of a pick). I played it pretty intensely for 3 or 4 days, and my right shoulder blade is just killing me from having to hold my right arm at what for me was an odd position. ow ow ow.

[veatch]

I got nuthin' too add except welcome, and killer bass!

[rj2858]

The capability to do the Ace Frehley/Randy Rhoads quasi-kill switch thing. Duh lol.

My guess is to facilitate changes on the fly, but that's actually a very good question.

I belive it's the "Pete Townshend quasi-kill switch thing" since I don't recall anything pre-dating its use on 'My Generation'

You nail it on the "changes on the fly" part, but you already know that.

[serial]

The toggle switch is far more useful than a Kahler or other trem on a bass, but there were lots of those installed in the 80s on basses!

[hairbo]

Wait...people didn't put whammy bars on basses, did they?

So far I'm not getting a lot of people telling me I'd be stupid to do the electronics swap/upgrade I'm pondering. I'm taking that as a good sign...

[Shark]

The Dimarzio pickup combo with Split P and the X2N (from what I see in that pic) is one of the best setups for a multistring bass IMHO.

Wouldn't change anything ...

[specialk]

Welcome and congrats! She's a beauty.

And we have some very knowledgable bass players here that will no doubt be along soon to answer your other questions.

[cmatthes]

Sounds like a lot of monkeying around under the hood.

Pickups should have been EMGs to start with, and the toggle(s) are likely unoriginal. Hamer's wiring is extremely neat/tidy, and minimalist, so even without a control cavity pic, my guess is that not much of anything in there was in there when that bass left Arlington Heights.

Awesome bass - I still want one of those, despite the spine-bending weight they all have.

[hairbo]

Thanks, cmatthes. Yeah, you must know your stuff if you knew this one was made in Arlington Heights. I had a nice email exchange with a Hamer tech who, based on the serial number I provided, was able to confirm that it was made there in 1995. He was able to say that it's a custom color, but no other details past that, since they don't keep records on custom stuff dating back that far.

[hairbo]

Hey Shark,

Thanks for the reply. You're the first one who has had a guess about the bridge pickup. I found a thread about it relating to their use in 12-strings:

http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?action=printpage;topic=4419.0

Looks like there is some difference of opinion: some folks love it, others think it has too much midrange and not enough low end.

This is only the third bass I've ever owned (first being a fretless Kubicki, the next being a Stingray), and is the first one where I've even vaguely considered swapping pickups, so I really know nothing about them. I'm grateful for all the education here.

Ben

[Jack C]

My two cents: don't put EMGs in it. They can sound kind of brittle and harsh on the octave strings. Give the current pickups a shot.

[HSB0531]

Great color on that one.

Yeah they're heavy, and takes a lot of getting used to curving your fingers around the neck to hit the octave strings.

Play around with the pickups a bit before you change them.

If you do, look into Bartolini pickups. www.bartolini.net

As for the big toggle, switching between pickups is a quick way to change the sound without twiddling with the volume knobs.

Neck, Neck + Bridge, Bridge Only

[hairbo]

Thanks to everybody for replying. I took some pictures of the electronics cavity, and will post them in this post and the next

[hairbo]

next cavity pic

[polara]

That is not up to the usual Hamer wiring spec, and agreed the pickup selector switch is in a very odd place and I've never seen a factory preamp on-off. I'd guess what you guessed is absolutely correct: someone went mad scientist on the electronics. I'd leave the selector switch and you can prolly get the micro-toggle hole filled and touched up so it will be visible but not glaring. I like having a pickup selector switch as I usually will have the neck volume lower or (if it has its own tone) the tone rolled down so i can cover three basic sounds without twiddling or looking down.

I've had a B12S, a B12L and a B8S. Also an EMG equipped Godin and a Bartolini equipped Pedilla. Very hard to compare apples to hand grenades, but the EMGs have had a crispness that, on the Hamers, bordered on shrillness. The Pedulla was a fantastic bass in every way, and made me wonder if Barts aren't the way to go. The pickups in your bass now may be great though. I also briefly had an old Blitz bass and the Dimarzio P bass pickup was great.

And welcome to our clubhouse!

[Bobby Marshall]

That model is great. I have a B12S (double cut shape) and it is a really great sounding bass, not overly heavy.

I would put in an X2N bridge and put a decent p in the neck, get the pots and caps right, and crush small communities with that bad mutha.

[Hamer Bass Head]

Short of re-topping it, the only thing I wouldd do would be to put a chrome cover and creme ring on the humbucker; and maybe leave the preamp permanently on wrapped in tape while adding a series/parallel switch in it's place for more sonic options.

[Andrew]

That wiring looks after factory and the 3-way toggle is in the wrong place and the wrong type, always a longer black tip. The mini-switch is likewise suspect. Most likely EMGs on this model in 95. The original pre-amp was usually the EMG AXB, also on the tone pot.