Hamer Cruise 2Tek

I have resisted writing a review for a year whilst i get to know the bass. The conclusions i have reached are based on doing about 100 live shows, some recording sessions at pro and amateur studios and practising at home. I have used the bass with lots of different amp combinations but it likes to be played through my Little MarkII/Ampeg 4 x 10 best.

I think this is a 95 Cruise with a 2 Tek bridge in Deep Red Sunburst. It has the normal passive jazz bass pickup configuration. When i bought this bass it (allegedly) had some Fender 60's custom shop pickups. I replaced them with some SD Quarter Pounders. I might change them back again, who knows. The tuners are GOTOH and solid as a rock - it goes into the case and comes out ready to play most of the time. The bass doesn't have many features but what it has is of high quality. I am giving this 9 due to the quality of the features that it has and because of the bridge. The 2 Tek bridge is a real piece of art and the sustain and tone is something else. It really is a class act.

I play funk/soul and this thing is just the baby for it. Slim neck, low action, piano like sustain from the bridge. Plugged in to the Little Mark II this thing growls like a very vicious dog! Surprisingly quiet pickups and it has a great range of tone from a vintage Super Phat Bottom on the neck pickup to a Jaco like mid sounding solo bass on the bridge pick up. It does lots of things in between. To up the vintage sound i sometimes plug it into a SANSAMP RBI to get some of those earlier valve funky tones (think Average White Band) without the hassle of a 100 lbs amplifier and all that tube swapping PITA. I'd give it a 10 but feel like you wouldn't believe it.

I don't know about factory setup but when i bought this bass it was setup perfectly. So much so it made me revisit my other basses and have a fresh look at them. Since i had new PuPs installed they were adjusted perfectly and the balance of tone across the bass is perfect. I don't want to bang on about this but this bass has been built to a very high standard. Manufactured in the US it blows away any of the new Fenders. It just feels and sounds quality. I can't believe the price of this bass. I would have paid double. I have been playing bass for 20 years and done the Fender route - MIMs, American Jazzes, custom shop this and that etc but would never go back. This Cruise bass has changed my outlook.

Like i said, i have done 100+ shows with this and intend to do many more. It does weigh a lot so get a big strap but its worth it. You could run this thing over - stick it in a rocket and fire it at a wall. Set it on fire and i believe it would still be fine. The strap buttons are/were solid - i always change these for strap locks though. I would depend on this bass if it were just me and it against the worls. I can't see it letting me down. I would use it without a backup but like to show off and bring another bass cos i can.

They are now part of Gibson. Never had to deal with them so no idea.

I have been playing 20 years - i have had Fenders (paying for a logo in a lot of cases these days), fancy boutique basses like Tobias' and MusicMan. I am now down to a vintage Yamaha BB1100s, G&L Tribute 5 and this Cruise. My cabs are AMPEG and heads are Little MArk. In addition i have been known to use a SANSAMP RBI and/or an EBS mulicomp compressor.

I picked my 96 2-Tek Cruise late 97, fretted. The bass had not been modified at all but was still set up beautifully. Looking at the user reviews, it looks like I payed more than most, but it was still worth it. I've played alot of different models over the past 12 years, and this is the ONLY one I've ever recorded or gigged with.

The sound was great, but I always wanted a better slap tone. In the summer of 04' I gave this thing a serious overhaul that I would reccomend to anyone. It cost me an additional $500 in parts and labor but along with my BBE and this bass itself, it was one of the best purchases I ever made. I had the bass routed and installed A set of EMG 45DC active pickups for this thing. I also intalled EMG's 4 band active EQ BQS controller which is out of this world. This dream bass now requires two 9v batteries that required no additional routing. The bass is a 4, but opted for the 5 string pickups. The frequency range of the 5 string pickups was wider and a smart choice. All of the brilliant tones that I gotten out of this thing before now had revolutionized my sound and playing. I can get my "Jaco" mids out of my bridge, slap tones are similar to a Modulus when using both pickups, and when running just the neck, it has a tone very similar to Marcus Miller's custom shop Fenders. I've spend about $1200-$1300 on this bass and all the modifications and was worth every penny.

I bought it used, about a year old. It was set up beautifully

I've never once had this thing let me down. Problem free for 8 years

Never had to deal with them

I've been playing for about 12 years. I probably could have gotten it cheaper somwhere else, but I'm an impulse buyer. I would encourage anyone to try to find one of these. I've seen them on e-bay anywhere between $300-$600. The pick-ups that I put in with parts and labor came to about $500. That wasn't a rip-off, I know my tech very well.

Made in USA '96 Hamer Cruise Bass bought used in 09/03 for $550 US. I was looking for an amp, and when I played and heard this axe, I bought it right away.

Basically a jazz bass on steroids. 2tek bridge is a thru-body unit. 2 passive Seymour Duncan pickups sound sweet. 3 piece laminated neck with rosewood fretboard. I believe it has graphite rods in the neck too. Schaller tuners. Plateless neck bolts. Volume and tone controls work nicely, though I normally play with everything full-on. Tone knobs roll the treble off nicely when I need to.

Note: this sucker is heavy! That's my biggest gripe.

The tone and sustain have to be heard to be believed. I use it for worship band on Sunday, classic and retro-rock, blues. Sound is versatile for many applications. Single coil pickups can be noisy, but I normally use both full on which cancles hum.

Can't comment on factory setup, but it plays like a dream now. Better than my old Rick 4001 and WAY better than 70's P-bass i had. Fit and finish are superb. Take the (aluminum) back cover off to see neat wiring and soldering, and shielding paint in the cavity. I just laugh at my buddy with his Fenders.

Bass is pretty solid, though I treat it like a first-born child. (Like I treat all my instruments.) Quality material, constuction and hardware. Rarely needs tuning, tho i always do. Do people really gig without a backup??

No clue.

Been playing off and on for almost 30 years. (geez) If it were stolen, I would definitely get another one. For sound, quality and price, I've never seen anything comparable. I wouldn't have dished out the $1350 list price new, but for what they are available for used they're a steal.

USA made Hamer Cruise bass with the 2Tek bridge, vintage sunburst body w/ tortise shell pickguard, maple neck/rosewood fingerboard, EMG JV pickups w/ the EMG BTC preamp, and Schaller tuners. Came with a gigbag too. All in all, it's a Jazz bass, but much better.

Punchy, warm, big, and very alive. I hate using those totally cliched and very subjective terms, but...they're all true. Excellent sustain too. Perfect for blues, rock, jazz, funk, country, soul, etc.

I bought the bass used, so I can't comment on the factory setup. However: super tight neck pocket, perfectly straight neck, excellent fretwork, all hardware mounted straight, etc. Top notch, from what I can see.

I've had it for a week. Seems pretty solid to me.

No warranty for me. It's non-transferable, and as I'm the second owner...

I've been playing semi-professionally and sometimes professionally for 16 years, and have played nearly everything out there in my quest for the "right" instrument. I've been lucky enough to find a few basses that were killers, and I bought them. This is one of those basses. I'm a Fender Jazz bass guy, and this is WAY better than any of the USA Fender J basses. It's crazy how good Hamer made these things. If you find one, get it. And if you find one as cheap as I found mine, you'd be an absolute fool if you passed it up.

I have a four string fretted model w/ the 2-tek bridge. I believe solid alder body, 34" scale hard rock maple neck and rosewood board. Standard passive jazz controls: vol-vol-tone. Schaller tuners, passive pickups J-J. Trans-white finish.

This bass sounds like a jazz bass. Perfect, in my opinion, for blues, jazz or rock. Like all passive jazz basses, the pickups can be noisy when soloed. Also, I thought the pickups lacked a little in upper end definition although had plenty of depth and punch. I replaced them with a set of Seymour Duncan active jazz pickups. Now the bass is quiet, has more hifi mids and highs, and still has lots of booty.

I bought it used in good condition. The quality of the bass is surprising. The neck and frets are flawless. After removing the rear plate (which is machined metal instead of plastic!) I saw a very neat wiring job and a perfectly coated shielding paint job. My bass is semi-transparent antique white and color which reveals the wood below. It looks like a vary nice piece of alder. My one gripe is tuners. I prefer elephant style fender tuners that turn smoothly. These Schaller tuners are small and a little sticky, but otherwise OK.

I haven't abused this much but this is a solid bass. I have never broken a string on the 2-tek bridge and have never had crackling in the pots. I would and have gigged with this bass w/o a backup.

I visited a guy who did a 2-Tek mod. to an American Standard bass. Ever since he showed me that bass I was intrigued - and I wanted it. Since, at the time that guy wasn't selling the bass, I looked for another. That's when I came across the Hamer USA Cruise 2-Tek. I'm glad I got it because not only does it have the cool bridge, but it is actually built better and with more care than a newer Fender Jazz. Unfortunatly they don't make the Cruise USA or the 2-Tek bridge anymore. So if you find one of these babies for sale, snatch it up. You'll be glad you did.

This is a 1996 made in USA Hamer version of a Jazz Bass with the 2TEK bridge (what a hunk of metal!). The original Duncan pickups were replaced with a set of passive Sadowsky's and it has the traditional volume, volume, tone knobs. Alder body in 3 tone sunburst, 3 piece maple neck with a rosewood board and Schaller mini's. It came with a garden variety gig bag. Other than a touch of normal fret wear (a long way from a grind and polish) this bass was in mint condition! I give it a 9 only because the electronics are not active.

This bass sounds great! I'm in a dance band that covers everything from 50's through 70's plus standards. It gives a nice rich tone that retains definition. The sound is clean with nice snappy highs. Since I don't slap I don't worry about quick EQ changes to accomodate that. However, I find that trying to vary the volume between p/u's creates tones not as suitable (for me) due to the varied loading between them, so I leave them wide open with the tone rolled back just a bit. I use a Tech 21 Bass Compactor pedal to add a little compression and control overall volume with all EQ at the amp. My rig is an Ampeg SVT3 Pro and an Aguilar GS212 cabinet.

The 2TEK is a great bridge - I always wanted a bass that had one. The sustain is excellent.

Like I said, the bass was nearly mint. Finish is great, neck is in great shape. No tarnish on any of the hardware. The neck will need a tweak of the truss rod soon, but that's to be expected. It has been my experience that nearly every bass (including my Alembic and Ken Smith) has notes on the neck that aren't really "dead" but don't sutain as long as others. The better ones have much less of it and it can be compensated for with the electronics. Anyway, where on most Fenders I find it to be the 5th or 7th fret on the G string, on this bass it's the 8th and 10th fret on the D string. Once you know about it, it's easy enough to work around, and since this is comparable to a Jazz Bass I find it completely acceptable.

The day after I got this bass I took it on a gig but I brought a spare just in case. No more. This bass is built like a tank and completely reliable. Everything is quality brands and good solid workmanship. No problem bringing just this bass without backup. Since I haven't had it long I don't know how often I'll have to adjust things, but my experience tells me once I get it settled in where I want it I needn't worry about it.

N/A

I've been playing over 30 years. I have 9 other basses and I do use them all (Alembic, Ken Smith, Music Man, Warwick, Fender, Gibson, Warmoth, custom Jazz, Reverend). I think I got pretty lucky to find a bass like this in this condition. It's real easy to play, sounds great and I would grieve if it was lost. Maybe someday I'll add a preamp to it because I've found that for me, active is the most flexible system. Each of my instruments has its own personality and I like every one of them. I'm happy to be able to add this to my arsenal.

I got this 4 string bass from Ebay $575. Blue finish with matching headstock. 3 piece maple neck and rosewood board. 2 jazz pickups/active S.D. preamp. 2Tek bridge. Schaller tuners, white m.pearl pickguard, year 1996 model.

I can't believe the tone and sound of this thing, even better than
my other BA$$ES.

I got this item used,is in the heavy side and a few small dents
keep it away from perfection.

An "cheap" 90' bass... with high-end solid quality construccion!

I really don't care about it!

I bought this Hamer Cruise 2 tek bass for the (+)reviews and the bridge, besides that I got a very well made beautiful bass,with
good playability and powerful warm but clear sound. I really like it! I just got 2 unsolved problems: I need to get a new case for it and
to answer: NO,I DON'T! to the constant buyer offers...

Not sure what year, most likely 96 or 97. Made in the USA, solid alder body with maple neck and rosewood fretboard. Candy apple blue with matching headstock. Passive SD Vintage Jazz pickups, 2 volume/1 tone controls. Pretty much a Hamer-version of the Fender Jazz. Of course, mine also has the wonderful 2 Tek bridge. A VERY nice, well made bass! The only thing I would want different is a maple fretboard.

Very punchy when used with roundwound strings, I have Dean Markley RW's on mine and it sounds great. My only amp is an old Peavey TNT130 and it even sounds great through that! Has that "growl" that you expect from a good Jazz. I play primarily classic rock with a little slap'n funk occasionally and this bass does it all.

I got mine second hand from a dealer; it was essentially NOS and mint but I'm not sure if it was still factory-configured so who knows? NO flaws, however. I am actually the first real owner this bass has ever had, even though it was at least 3 years old when I got it. I can't believe this bass didn't sell well enough for Hamer to keep making them! A MIA Fender Jazz simply does not compare to these basses.

I have had NO problems with this bass, and I feel confident that none will occur over time. It's a exceptionally well-made bass. I did install some Schaller strap-locks that I had laying around. It comes with Dunlop strap-lock buttons, but mine did not include the parts that would go on the strap itself.

I have never dealt with Hamer personally so I cannot comment on that.

Playing for 15 years; lots of basses have passed my way but this one is a keeper! I originally bought it for 2 reasons: ONE, it got a perfect score in the Bass Player magazine review, and TWO, it's a BEAUTIFUL bass with it's candy blue finish and white mother-of-toilet-seat pickguard. It has the cleanest, punchiest sound of any bass I have ever owned, including a MIA Fender Jazz that I used to own. Better than my Ric 4003. If I could change anything, I would give it a maple fretboard and maybe active electronics. If you can find one of these for under $500 you would be CRAZY to let it get away! I plan on buying another one as soon as I can.

This is a US made 4 string Hamer 2tek cruise bass w/ 3pc. rock maple neck, thick rosewood slab fingerboard w/ jumbo frets and graphite strips inside, has a neck volute for stability, schaller mini-tuners, jazz bass style body of ash w/ beautiful creme see thru finish and 2tek bridge. I bought it used on Ebay in immaculate condition. It has after market Bartolini active pickups and controls are volume / p/u balance and concentric bass treble tone knobs. The neck is somehow in between a jazz and a p-bass......has the curve of a pre-cbs p-bass and the narrow spacing of a pre-cbs jazz, it's on the fat side for most people but I've seen fatter...call it in the middle, but I like that. I hate the newer very thin front to back necks that require constant tweaking.

I've been playing for almost 30 years on a 1965 fender p-bass. I've owned several fender jazz basses including a 60 mary kay and sold them ALL. The sound of this bass is both warmer and more articulate than any fender jazz I've owned due to the bridge. WHile not a fan of actice p/ups I realize their usefullness in the studio...quiet.....live this bass has it all, it is very punchy and has no dead spots. The controls do anything you need...from Jaco to Rocco and in between. I've played rock/blues/jazz/soca/ and reggea on this. IT's extremely well made, tight joint, great hardware, perfect finish. I've tried all the boutique jazz basses out there; lull,abasses, sadowsky,warmoth,lakland ..etc etc. For a "modern" jazz this bass is the best of them for a hell of a lot less money. I can't find anything to dislike.

This bass playes extremely well. it's really quick and has very low action, the relief can be set flat. I have to remind myself not to over-play. 16th and even 32nd notes are well defined...no mush at all if you've the technique to pull it off. The back of the neck is smooth satin and fast, not heavy lacquer...no sticking. It almost plays too easy, can't get use to not fighting it. Set up was perfect when I got it and I lowered the action even more to 3/32" at the 12 fret E string.

VERY well made. A nice cross of old and modern. Refined jazz bass. Everything on this bass is solid, especially the tone. Sounds great live....even in a boomy town hall w/ the right eq. I havent had to adjust the truss rod at all. The strap buttons are larger than a fenders and solid. The finish looks great and I don't expect any problems.

Never had to call them.

been playing too long! I'd buy another.

American made Jazz bass clone. Calling it a clone is not sufficient. If Jazz basses were GREAT BASSES, this might be a clone. Stomps EVERY jazz bass I've ever played.

The 2Tek bridge has to be one of the greatest inovation ever for bass. (My understanding is that 2Tek is bankrupt. I rushed to find a 2Tek equiped bass while I still could!)

American Hamer Cruise basses come with Duncan vintage Jazz pickups with2 volume & 1 tone pots. I replaced these with EMG active pickups & active tone controls. (The Duncans were good pickups, I just wanted actives.)

The body is ash with a cool 3-tone sunburst & a tortoise shell pickguard. The neck has 22 frets (high F) and it plays like the wind.

I play in a party band, we play anything & everything. This bass just has a solid tone. The clarity (I attribute much of this to the 2Tek bridge) and punch are worth the price of admission.

I play throug a home made "mini-kit", a Peavey TBRaxx tube preamp, an Alesis 3630 compressor, & a Carvin F-150 power amp into a ported 1x15 cabinet. This bass throug my amp gives me an excellent "studio" sound on stage.

I actually liked the original pickups better for live applications, but the EMG stuff is perfect for recording. Even with bass & treble turned full up, there is almost no hiss!

Bought this bass used, so I have no knowledge of its original setup. Other new Hamers I've played were set uo very well.
The neck/body joint is rounded and tapered; the upper notes are a breeze to reach. The action is so low, it almost plays itself.

Tuners are mini Schallers; holds tune for weeks at a time!

Very neat work wiring & shielding the control cavity.

The neck is graphite reinforce; no Jazz bass dead spots!!! Again, this thing will dust off any Jazz bass!

I've never adjusted the truss rod. Plays like a dream, always has!

The only thing that is a dependabilty issue is the active EMG stuff that I installed. Just have to have spare batteries, & unplug it when I'm not playing.

Don't need no stinkin' backup!

Used -- no idea

I have several other basses, but this one is the only active bass I own. That, & the 2Tek bridge, really make this thing stnd out.

Go buy one of these while you can still find 'em! I bought it for the bridge, then found out what a really well made bass it is!!!