Hamer Cruisebass USA

My Hamer Cruisebass was built in USA in the early 80's (pick gaurd)
serial no 2 6347
4 string full-mahogany construction with glued-in neck
urathane finish
P-bass + J-bass DiMarzio's
Shaller bridge and tuners
at the time some of the best hardware

iv'e been playing it for over twenty years in rock/blues/pop/50s/60s bands
i mainly use a hybred amp> valve preamp/400w mosfet power amp into a cerwin vaga 18 & 2x10 celetion
the P pickup has lots of depth and very good definition
the J pickup is VERY bright and cutting
i rewired it so the J pickup is out of phase
by ajusting the volume controls there's lots of sounds eg>tight J bass, big P bass,nasally ricky
i never use effects the high output over drives the valve pre amp to pefection & with lots of control
i find the over all balance of sound is good
but the G string sounds a tad thin (i play keys through the same rig & the 10's are bright)
the rig cuts it agaist a double 4x12 mashall stack
the Hammer is very punchy

well made
i ajusted the neck & bridge for a higher action
i sometimes play very hard

this is the work horse from hell
the fretts are pretty worn>but there only there for a rough guide.....
there's no stopping it!!

N/A

20 years hard use>at one stage i was play 4 gigs a week
had a choice between the hammer & an origonal 60's J bass when i bought it>the J bass would be worth a lot now, but i don't think it would have done the miles

i made the right choice

My Hamer Cruisebass was built in USA in 1982.
It's a 4 string full-mahogany construction with glued-in neck and a similar body shape to the Hamer Phantom guitar, with a transparent finish.
Mine has still a black J-bass style pickguard but this was deleted on later basses.
Later this bass was also available in a five string version.
This bass is quite light, you can play it for hours without getting fatigued.
The pickup configuration is the quite typical P-bass + J-bass, the pickups are DiMarzio humbuckers, with a pretty hot output and a good definition.
Bridge and tuners are by Shaller, very good quality.
An original Hamer hard-case was included.

The Hamer Cruisebass is a very professional and versatile instrument.
I mostly play rock and I often use a pick: this Hamer just seems to be designed for that kind of aggressive sound (I would describe its tone like a kind of very edgy mixture between a Gibson Thunderbird and a good Precision: deep, growly but also very defined).
But in some other, more "quiet" environment, I was also able to produce some wonderful, mellow colours, very fenderish and old-fashioned (and still focused and punchy).
Sometimes I even slap on it (with good results, you can definitively reach a warm and round slap tone with this instrument), even though I own some better basses for this special purpose.
The neck is a bit thicker than my other Hamer (a 1990 Chaparral), so I needed some time to get used to it - but it plays and feels great.

I bought this bass use on ebay: when I got it, it was quite poorly adjusted.
But I didn't have any kind of trouble: I changed the strings (D'Addario 0.45-100), I quickly adjusted the neck and the bridge (reaching a very confortable, low string action) and immediatly this wonderful, old Hamer bass could show its great tone and quality.
The finish was in a quite good condition too.
Only the controls were not in perfct working order, but what would you expect from a 22 years old bass? Anyway they weren't broken, only a bit dirty.

I didn't play this bass for a very long time, but I guess it won't let me down.
It's a very simple, good built, straight-forward instrument and everything seems to be designed to last.

I never had big trouble with my Hamer basses, so I have no opinion about that.
But I had some mail exchange with Hamer a couple of times, looking for some information, and they were very friendly and helpful indeed.

I own many basses, and I truly love them all, but I play Hamer most of the time.
I just love everything about these instruments: the powerful and defined sound, their slim, light body and their fast neck.
I was looking for good backup for my Hamer Chaparral but I couldn't find any (unfortunatly they're quite rare).
I didn't know much about the Cruisebass but I'm really happy about my purchase...Honestly, I can't say what's my favourite now :)
So, if you find one of these basses, just take some time to check it out: if you're looking for a great all-rounder with a true R&R heart, you won't be disappointed.