Hamer Archtop

2000 Korean made
Sunburst

It's an import of the Hamer Studio. It resembles the Les Paul DC, but much lighter. Nothing too fancy.

This is the weakest aspect of the guitar. The Duncan Designed pickups are terrible. I replaced the bridge with a Duncan JB, and it sounds great, so I recommend replacing both pickups to everyone who buys this guitar.

The set up when I originally got it was very comfortable as it still is today. Some minor tweaking to the bridge, but nothing I couldn't handle myself.

The finish is beautiful. There are slight imperfections, but for a $300 guitar, this exceeds my expectations.

I've had it going on 10 years strong, and it has no indication of falling apart or anything. I've used it for gigging without any problem as well.

Never needed to contact Hamer.

For the money, this guitar is very hard to beat. It's very comfortable, well built, durable, and eye catching. Isn't that what everyone wants? At the time when these were coming out, there wasn't another import guitar that could match the quality it had. I recommend a change in pickups, and possibly tuner heads (they're ok, but not the best). Otherwise, finding these for sale on Craigslist or Ebay would be a cheap investment on a great guitar for all skill levels. This could easily be a go-to guitar for any gigging players who don't want to pay much money. Personally, I just never saw the point of bringing a $3000 guitar to a $300 gig.

This is an '01 Korean made Archtop. Black finish on a double cut Paul body style, wide cream colored binding, solid mahogany, with a mahogany set neck. 3+3 tuners on a 14 degree tilt headstock. 24 3/4" scale 22 fret rosewood fretboard with "brother o' pearl" dots. Stop tailpiece with a stanard "tun-a-matic" bridge. 2 vol, 1 tone, 3 way switch. And 2 of the ever present "Designed by Duncan" humbuckers.

Not being plugged into an amp, there's this beautiful resonance, where the guitar rings. All notes sounded clear, with some impressive sustain. Plugged in however....

On a clean amp, the pickups don't do this guitar justice. The "Duncans" are a low output pickup. Normally, that's fine with me. Less output, more tone. Not on these. The neck is almost lifeless. There's none of that GROWL that humbuckers give in the neck position. A lot of midrange, enough to get that Billy Gibbon's PING tone for those "La Grange" covers, but none of that growl. A shame really.

The bridge is just crappy. There's no other polite way to put it. On the clean amp, it just sucks. Pure and simple.

Distorted however, The pickups are fine. They don't stand out, they just work. If you're into metal or the like, these will suit you. But if you need a more adult tone, you'll need to replace thes pickups.

Volume controls and switch are fine, but I find that the tone control needs to be set at the "3" position to give it tone.

Here I have nothing but compliments! The neck is a flattened "C" shape that your hand melts into. The frets are well seated and polished. there's none of that fretboard edge razor that some of the imports have. (Ok, I HATE the plastic nut! Kills the sustain and tone, and made the low E string buzz. A new bone nut improved it vastly!)

The body is comfortable. The arch is classic, and the binding adds that touch of elegance. The neck is joined to the body, with plenty of room to reach the 22nd fret. Even the jack placement is well thought out.

It was used, and well kept. Some pick swirls on the body, a minor ding in the headstock, and that was it. Haven;t played live with it yet, and won't till I dump those pickups, but I feel she'll handle it well.

The finish is substancial, hardware seems solid, and the strap buttons are good.

Haven't dealt with them, but their site seems to have forgotten this model.

I'm just glad I got a "pre-Fender" one. I think that Fender's purchase of Hamer is going to destroy this great company. (Just as they did with Guild, Gretch, Charvel/Jackson, and the others they own.)

27 years or so of playing and being a tech. This is #24 of my collection, (Look for some on eBay soon according to my wife.) and it's a keeper. With pickup changes of course.

I have 23 others ranging from a '65 Gibson firebird, to a '06 squier Tele. This could end up in the top 5 of my go to guitars. (Firebird, Tradition Paul clone, Electra X155, Sunlite GS140 Strat clone, are the main 4, the 5th changes daily.)

Minus the crappy nut, and lifeless pickups, this is a great guitar. Fantastic Paul feel without the hefty tag. Much nicer then the $700 Epiphones, and very distinctive in it's own right.

Not sure what year this one is, bought it used. set neck construction, Gold (rustable) hardware, cherry sunburst flametop, goldhardware and gold vol/tone pots...yeah. 22 frets, Duncan Design pickups, PRS looking kind of body.

Upon buying this guitar, of course it beat my Mexican Fat Strat. However, it wasn't until I purchased a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom pickup to give it good tone. Dont listen to what the other reviewers say, they just nitpick...I play fast, aggressive rock and roll hardcore, and plugged into my 5150 I dont know how it compares to other expensive guitars but man, with this new pickup this guitar delivers the goods

The finish is pretty, sure. But this guitar looks like something taht an old guy over the age of thirty would use like maybe the guy from that supercool band Creed. I haven't paid attention to much of the action and fit stuff...i just plug in and play. I know all older guitar players who have no life outside of guitar will say, "Ha, punk kid who sucks at guitar, doesnt know what he's reviewing..." I know what i am reviewing, and for the price i paid this guitar is good. have you ever heard someone say, "Give any good guitar player any kind of guitar and amp, and they will still sound good." Yeah fellas, there's some inspiration for ya.... though im sure maybe the action could be improved...afterall it was NOT made in America ya know what im sayin?

I play shows regularly, toured with this guitar. The guitar stands up like any other guitar under $1000. However, the gold hardware is starting to rust, as all of my guitars start to rust in the bridge (but never the tuners like it is now)...i rock out when i play, and i do sweat. my strap button was loose when i bought it, but it wasnt anything that Krazy Glu and a couple o'toothpicks couldnt fix. I only bring my Strat as a backup ontour incase i break a string (which an E A and D string lasts only a few practices for me, on any guitar. You can think the Koreans for the construction job they made. The other day i noticed the nut that holds down the top of the tuner is starting to get loose...never had that happen before. The durability is mediocre or less, yeah. The other day my pickup switch broke off (there's still enough slack to flip the switch though) through a gig bag...dont have a hard case, that's probably why. Well, atleast it still plays. Oh yeah, and it stays in tune. Rock and roll, brah.

never even tried...i just go to the local music shop for all repairs and supplies.

I have been playing guitar for 8 years, i play punk rock hardcore rock and roll stuff that's fast, plenty of power chords and pentatonic scale. I play this guitar w/ a Seymour Duncan pickup through my Peavey 5150 amp (ooh yeah). the sound is good, it's a lot better than my old Mexican Fat Strat, i just wish the construction of the guitar was more rock solid. In conclusion, it stays and tune, it looks, sounds, feels good. Rock and roll brah.

Curled maple Aztec Gold, SD designed PU's. Awesome finish.

I've been playing Jazz, Blues and Rock for 36 years, in sessions recordings and live performances. This guitar delivers even with stock PU. I use Carvin Quad X preamp combined with my trade secret all-tube amp, this guitar will put the expensive counterparts to shame.

As with all my other 17 guitars, I have to make few adjustments on the truss rod, PU height, relative string gauge, etc. to fit my style. I am very pleased because all my parameters were met and satisfied

I added Straplocks and changed the PU selector due to my demands in playing this instrument. I always have a back-up but it rocks.

N/A

I will buy another guitar (or 2) if I will have another chance.

2000 model Hamer Archtop with Aztec Gold finish. This guitar was imported from Korea. It has 22 frets and two Duncan Designed humbuckers. There are two volume knobs and one tone knob. A three way selector switch is also one of the many features of this guitar. The guitar resembles a PRS. The tuners are generic but do a decent job.

I play classic rock, metal, and progressive rock. This guitar fits all of these styles very well. The Duncan designed humbuckers sound pretty good. The neck pickup sounds a little too thin for my taste though. I use a Fender Princeton 65 amp. The guitar sounds very good on the clean channel. The distortion channel is a lacking, but that could be due to my amp.

The guitar was set up perfectly for me. The action is low. The Aztec Gold finish is beautiful. There are no flaws whatsoever. I unfortunately cannot say the same about other guitars I have seen in this pricerange.

I just jam at home, but I believe this guitar would be okay for klive gigging. It seems like it is very well made.

Never dealt with them. However, the Guitar Center I bought it from was outstanding. GC takes a lot of flack but I had a great experience with them.

I have been playing for about two years. I have had this guitar for over a year. I have played many guitars in this price range since I purchased this guitar. There is no guitar in this price range that can touch it. If this guitar were stolen, I would get another without hesitation. The only faults that I can find in this guitar are the pickups could be better and so could the tuners. But for 300 bucks this is still an awesome guitar.

USA Archtop gold hardware, Aztec Gold Finish, 24 frets, 2 humbuckers -controls: treble volume bass volume and tone. 3 way selector
PRS look and style (double cutaway), jumbo frets

I play all sorts of styles of music, from christian worship to hard rock, and pop rock and emo types of music and more.
I've had this guitar about 10 months now.
I put on average I'd say at least 10-15 hours into playing it per week.
The treble and bass humbuckers have great distinction and give a lot of versatility and option to the player.
Plus your volume knobs are like the output for each of the humbuckers so if you ever want to set them and use them together you can get some very nice sounds.
I personally think the guitar has great sound to it.
You couldn't ask for a better treble sound out of a humbucker, and I haven't changed the pick-ups like others have.
And as far as the bass goes, this guitar was definitely designed with metal heads in mind, because it's literally rocks.
I was blown away by the sound of this guitar when I first plugged it in, sure my last guitar was a pretty sad Ibanez, but still, personally I think for the price the sound quality of the guitar is top-notch.

One of the things that stands out about it is the action.
It has a great feel to it.
You can always adjust things such as bridge height and position and what not, and it plays wonderfully.
The jumbo frets help out a lot, and the fretboard has a nice feel to it.
Basically the things just really comfortable to play.
It's simple to adjust the bridge if you're getting any buzzing, or you feel the strings are to high up, or you're not getting enough punch so to speak.
As far as flaws, the only problem I had was with my selector switch, but I took into the store and it took five minutes to fix, plus it was under warranty so.

This guitar is built to take a beating, it has and will continue to withstand gigging and live playing for me.
It's the real deal here folks, without the price tag.
The hardware seems pretty good, I suppose you could have to replace a switch or a tuner sometime in the things lifespan, but it's not like the hardware seems cheap either.
The thing's got 14 layers of laquer finish, 14 layers! I don't think that seems thin and I couldn't see it ever wearing off unless you put steel wool to the thing. Of course I'd hope you're smarter than that.
It you're going to do that on anything, take out your stratocaster, because once you have a a guitar like this, that thing will be collecting dust.
Yeah the starp buttons seem fine, they've lasted this long, i'd say they're solid.
Yeah, I depend on this thing. I don't use a back-up, and I think I've broken one string in the entire 10 months that i've owned it.

Yeah, I got it repaired.
Like I just said, the selector switch and jack, they just put in a new one, and yes it was covered under warranty.
I want to say it's got a lifetime warranty, as long as you've got you're receipt of course, plus i've got the card the came when you buy the guitar and it has all the details of the warranty and what not.

I've been playing more than 5 years now.
Guitar-wise, I sold my first acoustic guitar and an electric, then I got this one.
If it were stolen I would definitely get another one, no question, I love this thing.
Basically, I got this thing on sale, and for the money you couldn't ask for anything better.
The thing has great sound, great quality, great looks, and it plays, and for the price I paid, the thing's a dream come true.
Hamer's got good quality guitars and it might not be a PRS, but it's close enough for me and an heck of a lot less.
Some minor upgrades and you've got a guitar that'll rock as good as anything.
I love it.

2001 Korean model, 22 frets, mahogany body w/ arched maple top, black finish, 2 Duncan Design humbuckers (chrome covered), hardtail bridge, thin neck-very comfortable, double cutaway body design-sorta like a Les Paul or a PRS, only smaller and lighter.

It sounds way better than my old guitar (2000 model Ibanez RG220b), but I'm taking off some points because it buzzes when I hit any notes on the first fret.

I'm predominantly a metal player, but I like all kinds of music, everything from Fear Factory to BB King. I preffer playing with a shitload of distortion, and this guitar can really get the job done. The bridge pickup has a dirty, but fairly warm and inviting tone-perfect for Sabbath-esque riffs. The neck pickup sounds excellent on a clean setting. It also sounds pretty good unplugged-perfect for practicing scales and shit while watching TV.

I play through an Ibanez Smash Box *Deftones-esque crunch guaranteed*, Ibanez Chorus/Flanger, Boss Digital Delay, and a little 30 watt Marshall.

The action was surprisingly good. It's a little low-I need to get it set up properly. The finish is absolutely flawless. Beautiful guitar.

I love the neck on this guitar. It's not too thin, but thin enough. I hate fat necks.

I'm in the process of writing some tunes, and possibly getting a band together soon. I can totally see gigging with this axe. Like I said, it has a similar vibe to a Les Paul, only lightweight, so that would make it perfect for gigging.

I'd still take a backup though.

The guy at Guitar Center that sold it to me was really cool-he even changed the strings for me.

I'm probably going to take it back and install some new pickups *Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck sig. pickup in bridge, S. Duncan Classic 59 in neck* and some Sperzel locking tuners, as soon as I get paid again.

I've been playing about 2 years-I'm no Yngwie Malmsteen (sp?), but I'm having a blast. Aside from the Hamer, I also have an Ibanez RG220b, a no-name accoustic, 30w Marshall amp.

If it were lost or stolen I would definately buy another one, or possibly a Schecter.

I love the way it feels when sitting down, or strapped on. It's got a very nice aura about it. All it needs are the aforementioned new pickups and tuners, and I'll be all set.

1993 USA Archtop. Solid mahogany body. Prestressed mahogany neck dove joint. Simple volume, volume, tone. Two P-90 Duncan pickups. Body styled after the Paul, hence the archtop name. Tune-O-Matic bridge, Schaller tuners that stay in tune.

Wonderful in between tone. Not a Strat, not a Paul. You can hear its distinct voice in the band mix. Can be noisy when using excessive gain on the distortion box. Tone control Q in just the right place. Varries tone beautifully.

Built as a piece of art. Wonderful. USA model NOT imported models. Have owned this guitar for a year.
All but perfect assembly. One small crack in the finish at the binding on the neck joint. Only the clear coat, no structural problem.

This guitar is made to play. A little heavy but this gives it the meaty tone. Schaller tuner stay in tune. I use Gibson 740's 10-39. Install them with adequite number of wraps, pre-strech, tune and forget. I never goes out of tune! Only guitar I can say that about and I have owned or played almost everything. I use this guitar live NO BACKUP. It never let me down.

Hamer/Kaman Music are very supportive. 'Tho I've never needed them for this guitar.

No question the finest guitar I have ever owned. I've owned Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker. Have played everything else. Yes, PRS too. Fit, finish, value. Simple to operate. Worry about the music not the instrument. What more could you want?

2000 model cherry sunburst h/h pickups goldhardware
1tone 2vol knobs 3 way toggle rosewood fretboard

excellent sound warm kinda of blusey bite no noise or humm

no flaws good set up

emailed me back within 2 days about neck radius

excellent work excellent sound i love it

-mahogany body set mah neck rosewood neck 1 vol 2 tone 1 3way switch
aztec gold maple top gold hardware

excellent sound

excellent guitar for the price awesome looks excellent playabilty
could not pass up this guitar at guitar center for the price.
change the pickups like 90% of the people do any way and it is awesome.