Hamer STD-BK

From Hamer Import, this is a 2001 Standard Bass. Its an Explorer type bodied bass. Production started in 2001, and it was made in Korea. 34" scale, 22 frets. 2 volume, 1 tone control. 2 passive Humbucker pickups. The body and neck are Alder, with a rosewood fretboard. It only comes in black with white pickguard. Bidge is traditional. All hardware is chrome. Its a very cool looking bass. The neck is very wide and very fat. This is a very heavy bass. Paid $135 for the case separate. Its big enough to sleep in.

This bass is pretty much made for rock. It can have a good full blues sound if you want it to. But its sound matches its look. It ain't for jazz. I'm playing through a Yorkville 400b, with a yorkville BC210 and a Warwick Pro 115 cab. the Humbuckers aren't noisey. I play rock and blues and this bass with my rig gets the sounds I need. It gets a fat, full sound great for pounding bottom end rock songs. I used it in the studio, and it sounded great on most tracks. I went back and redid 2 tracks with a thin necked Ibanez SR640. That was because the neck is so thick and fat, on 2 songs with alot of stretches and runs the smoothness in note transition wasn't there. I don't have big hands. Sometimes its hard for me to get smooth transitions and runs with this neck. Also, its very heavy, and will get heavier the longer the gig goes. Its not for chicks (unless they are big and storng), small people, or people with back problems.

I got this bass off from a music store Ebay. Someone bought it in 01, didn't like it and returned it (in mint condition) after a short time for another model. The action was very high. I adjusted the neck and lowered the strings on the bridge (almost bottomed out) and its much better but still higher than normal. But the jumbo frets are high also. The paint and finish are not durable. When the bass was shipped, I received it with a ding in the box. It didn't look bad, but when I opened it there was a paint chip. The paint and finish are not very thick. Thats the worse flaw of this bass.

Back to the paint and finish. I don't see gig alot with this bass before it starts to cosmetically show. Other than that, its built very solid. Its a very heavy bass and well put together. I can tune it, play a long gig, throw it in the case, get it out a few days later and it is still in tune! I've had the bass 8 months, with no problems. But the paint lowers this grade.

Trying to find a case for this monster was a pain. I finally found someone who was an Ovation dealer, contacted Kaman (who owns Hamer and Ovation), and got me a case even though he said he wasn't supposed to. Basicly, Hamer gives dealer info on the web site and you are supposed to got to the dealer. I had problems because all of the listed dealers in my area no longer handled Hamer. Direct help from Hamer would have been nice. Also, they do not transfer the warranty to subsequent owners.

I bought this because it was practically brand new and I got a great deal. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise. If something happened to the bass, I wouldn't buy anouther one unless I got a similar deal. Its a big heavy bass, thats not real easy to play. But I play with my fingers instead of a pick, and the Humbuckers make for a very comfortable thumb rest. It kills your back after a long night of playing. That said, it looks very cool, and has a great ballsy, warm, full rock sound. It sounded great in the studio. I wouldn't use this as my only bass, but if your man enough to handle one, its a very good weapon in your rock and roll arsenal.