Hamer Cruise 5 Bass

5 string, 22 fret, korean make, 2005. solid top, in surf green (yes, that was the stock color, it was brand new in surf green. if you do research on this bass you will find that it doesnt come in that color). There is a tone knob and two volume, one for each pickup. I believe the body is maple, and the neck/headstock is flamed maple. (Yes flamed). Passive electronics, two j bass pickups. Bolt on neck.

i really play anything and everything, and this bass suits it. if you want a muddy, really bassy ballsy sound, you can get it. if you want an all treble/compressed slap sound, you can get it. its a very versitale bass. through my amp though, if you have the tone all the way up, there is some buzz. that can be fixed with a new amp though.

everything was fine when i got it, i did eventually change its action to my liking.

this bass is great. everything holds up on it, and i have gigged with it without a backup. so yeah. put that in your pipe and smoke it.

i have yet to deal with the hamer about anything concerning the bass.

this bass could make babies cry.

This one is the Korean passive non 2tek version. 22frets I purchased this 5string, as an temporary replacement, when my Yamaha trb5II was stolen.

It was chosen on the basis of price ($339) since I had a Peavey Cirrus 5 on layaway at the time. I had never had a Hamer but I knew the name so I got it with next-to no expectations, but that it would hold me till I got my Cirrus.

This was essentially a Fender Jazz 5 with a different shaped pickguard. 2 vols and 1 tone and Jazz type pickups.

It was bargain basement so I upgraded the pickups to Barolini 5-string Jazz replacements and WHOA!!

I play mostly gospel, with a little pop rock and funk on the side. My playing style is very 70's r&b ish. So I plug this sucker in after the pickups are in and BAM!! There is this sweetness that SOME American Fenders have. I mean this thing has MWAH and its not fretless!!

The Low B doesn't match the other 4. But this is a sub $400 passive 5 with a 34" scale. It takes a light touch on the B for the sound not to fall apart, but follow that warning and you are rewarded with a BEAUTIFUL Jaco tone!! This is a Jazz bass design so there are only so many sounds in it, but who knew that they were this good.

Kinda chintzy on the fretwork, but the finish was a gorgeous emerald green with these microfine sparkles. Sounds garish but the effect is subtle and beautiful.

Is it me or do volume knobs seem like a good place to cut corners? Other than that it feels like a tank

for what?

Lost it to a Pawn Shop. Trying to figure out how to buy it back. This was just supposed to be a place holder while I got my "Real" Bass. This thing was a sleeper. I've played more expensive basses than this that didn't sound as good.

Bang for the buck.

Not sure of exact production year, but it's recent. Made in Korea. Fretted, 5-string, bolt-on neck. Passive electronics, with three knobs: 1 for each pickup volume, 1 for tone. Jazz-style body, tobacco sunburst finish. Not sure of body material, but very lightweight. Obviously cheap tuners, but surprisingly responsive. Padded gig bag included.

I play in a three-piece hard rock band, and for straight-ahead, 4/4, "A" and "E" string pounding, it's unparalleled. Dunno if it's the light wood or what, but it's got a biting, mid-range tone that cuts through the drums and guitar. However, upper fret work gets lost in the mix, and the neck is uncomfortably wide for me (it's a bolt-on, and I'm accustomed to a set-in).

With both pickups on full tilt, noise is minimal. Anything less, however, and there's a nearly deafening hiss/buzz. Since this was a $200 e-bay purchase, I'm considering investing in active electronics.

Good set-up, even after hanging on a dealer's shelf for a couple of years being banged-on by every fifteen-year old Billy Sheehan wannabe who entered the store. Bass is stamped "Second Quality", for a couple of very minor flaws in the finish. Otherwise, I receive many comments on the attractiveness of the guitar.

Again, since it's a $200 bass, I resolved to pound the hell out of it from Day One, and it's withstood the abuse admirably. As I mentioned, the hardware is not top-notch, but I trust Hamer (even the imports) to deliver an instrument that will last forever. I've not added strap locks, and may not; the bass came with extra-wide buttons which hold the strap very securely. The bass hasn't required neck or truss rod adjustments. I use it primarily as a back-up to my custom shop Gibson Les Paul 5 Bass. My band downtunes a half step, so I keep this one in standard tuning to play along with CD's.

I've owned another Hamer bass for 17 years, and never had to deal with Hamer customer service for repairs of any kind. I only contacted them once with an inquiry, and they were prompt and courteous.

I've wanted the American version of this bass for a long time, but finances prohibited it. The price was right, so I went for it, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality of the bass. I've been playing for fifteen years, and have owned a Hamer for most of those years, and they've never disappointed me. My primary bass is a very pricey 5-string Gibson Les Paul, and while nothing could ever replace it, this Hamer is a worthy backup. The Hamer sound is unparalleled. It doesn't matter how old the strings are, they still ring like a grand piano. My primary complaint is that the pickup output is very weak, but the purchase price allows the installation of active electronics while still making for a very inexpensive, quality instrument. Until I can afford the U.S. version, this will do nicely.

Made in '95 (first year of production) at Hamer USA, in Connecticut I think. 22 fret rosewood fretboard with dot inlays, really cool "chameleon" blue finish, Basslines Active Jazz for Five String pickups, added an EMG BTC system preamp with volume, blend, and stacked bass/treble, alder body, quartersawn three piece maple neck, J-bass style body, 2TEK bridge, Schaller tuners, 34" scale. It's everything I need in a bass.

I play mostly old rock (Zep, Police), soul (classic Motown), and jam music (Allmans, ARU). Going straight into the rig the bass sounds great--nice and warm. The EMG preamp that was installed gives me control over the tone so I can EQ it to sound like most anything. The 2TEK bridge gives each note a nice clarity--sort of like playing the low strings on a piano.

Hamer is well known for its attention to detail. Every part of this bass reflected this--great fretwork, setup, everything. I gave it a 9 because it's not quite a Sadowsky (but pretty darn close, especially for the cost).

I've used this bass on every gig for the last three years. It's been dinged up a little, but it's finished in 14 coats of lacquer, so no probs. I use it on every gig without a backup--but eventually I'll buy a backup just so I can have twins! The only thing is that one of the wires to the output jack got desoldered once. But that's actually my fault (aftermarket preamp).

Dunno--probably wouldn't need it.

I've been playing guitar for 10 years, bass for 3 of them. I own a five string fretless by FBB Custom Guitarworks of Massachusetts. My rig is a Trace Elliot V-Type preamp into a Stewart World 1.2 power amp, with an Acme Low B-2 cab. I used to play through an SWR Redhead and a Big Ben 1x18 cab. I love this bass. If it were stolen or lost? - don't wanna think about that. I like it because it's an updated version of a Fender Jazz. Sounds great, plays great, and I've become very attached to it over the years. We've been through thick and thin. Try one out for yourself and you'll see.

This bass was USA made in 96. It was on sale for $1000. It has a solid alder j-bass body, 34 inch scale 3 piece maple neck with rosewood board, 2 duncan active j-style pickups, with 2 vols and one tone. It has the fabulous 2-TEK bridge
It's an excellent bass for the money. In effect it's a five string jazz bass, but better made and better playing than any fender 5-string. I think it ought to be compared to the higher end of j-copies, like Mike Lull or lakland. It may not be quite there, but it's very close in terms of features, It doesn't have an active preamp, but I'm kind of fed up with preamps anyway.

The sound is what sold me on this. I have a couple of other basses with the more modern "hi-fi" sound, and while they sound great solo or recorded they don't have the snarl or cut you need. I play blues and R+B, some jazz, through an SWR redhead, and this bass nails that vintage tone much more closely, but without the defects you get in j-basses. It's not a polite bass--it's loud and there's a LOT of bottom. But because of the 2-TEK bridge and 3-piece neck it has no dead spots whatsoever, sustain is extremely long, and you get a great combination of very deep, powerful fundamental and lots of clear high end articulation. It's dead quiet because of the active pickups, and I like the simplicity of the single tone knob. It could use a better range tho--all the effect is in the last third of the rotation.
It's not quite the vintage sound--a compromise between vintage and new. It's a fender tone, but beefier and more consistent.I'm considering trying passive j-style pickups, to see what difference it makes, but I'm very happy with the sound of it as it is. I have a Ken Smith, a ZON, and a p-bass, and this Hamer is the one I'm going to most often. It's less of a soloist's bass, and more of a bass player's bass. It really fills the bottom out--the whole band floats on a cushion of bass. The B string's little loose, but very playable.

The factory did an excellent job of set up. It's got a very nice red finish, which may not be poly, as it has a different "feel" to it even though it's very glossy. You can see some of the joints where the body was glued together if you look in the right light--not good for this price level. The finish might be nitro laquer. It looks great, with the exception of those seam lines. The color seems "deep." It has schaller tuners and most important, a 2-TEK bridge. The neck has a very nice feel to it also--not quite satin finish, but not gloss. It's a VERY fast neck with narrow string spacing. The frets are very well finished, but the finish on the edge of the neck is coming up in a couple places--I think as the wood shrinks and the fret ends protrude a bit. It's very minor and cosmetic, but overall it lowers the level of finish quality. The neck pocket is excellent, but one of the pickup routes seems a little loose to me.

Looks to be very durable, ahs been so far. I wish it had a battery compartment--why the hell don't they put battery compartments on ALL active basses? Even worse, this has one of those "Battery wrapped in foam and secure with rubber band" deals going on--really bullshit. The hardware seems sturdy and durable--I'm not at all worreid about reliability

It's an excellent bass--it's not Vic Wooten's Fodera, but it doesn't pretend to be. If it were lost or stolen I would want to replace it right away. The four string verison of this bass are really excellent as well
I've heard they're discontiniung this model, and that future versions will be made overseas--I don't know if they'll be any good. But if you're looking for a jazz bass without the shortcomings, give Hamer a look.

5-string, 22 frets, Active electronics, basslines pickups, Schaller Tuners, came with hard case.

The sound on this guitar is very vesatile. I use it mostly for heavy metal, but it also sounds great for blues or jazz. The two pickups are space for jazz, but it still can create harsch, growling tones out of the fifth string for heavy metal. Overall sounds wonderful

The fit and finish seems very nice. My bass had some scratches on it when I bought it, which is why I got it so cheap. The rest of the finish looks great.

This is the most dependable bass I've ever owned. the only thing I have replaced were the tuners, and that was because they were bent when I bought it.

Haven't had any troubles, so I don't know about customer support.

I tried Ibanez, Yamaha, Fender, Rickenbacker and other guitars when looking for my bass. The cheapest guitar which sounded about as good as the Hamer was a 92 Ibanez that was $700. The Cruise 5 is a great sounding guitar, and the best value out there. There is nothing I would change about the guitar, other than the damage on the one I bought.