Hamer Artist Custom

Sweet double cutaway, flame maple top, mahogany body and neck, 2 humbuckers, etc....

This is ONE SWEET RIDE! Everyone, I mean, everyone comments on how good this axe sounds. Neck, middle, bridge --- they all sound great. In fact it's almost impossible to make this guitar sound bad. It's extremely touch sensitive with a beautiful full sweet sound. It just sings.

Visually, this is a stunning instrument. The finish is soooo deep and clear it's like looking thru glass. The wood is flawless. And the feel is to die for. The moment you lay hands on it you can feel the quality oozing from it. I really is a fine piece of work.

No worries here.

I needed a truss rod wrench and it took a few attempts at emailing them before I got a response. I think if a company offers the option of contacting them by email they should at least follow through on the courtesy.

I've been playing since 1972, Berklee grad 1980, still gig out several times a month. Don't usually like to take nice gear to gigs but this guitar is truly scrumptious. Would be a real waste to let it sit in the case. I highly recommend this instrument if you are considering a Les Paul or PRS.

1998 i believe, came with a case. nice bookmatched quilty/flamey top that looks impressive when played under certain angles of light. one f-hole in the bass bout makes it semi-acoustic(kinda semi-semi-acoustic.) Gold Schaller hardware, Dunlop strap buttons(straplock ready). In a '59 burst that looks like it was dipped in glass. Loaded with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickups, unpotted. Basically, if this guitar said PRS on it, it would be a $5000 guitar.

I play my own songs, as that's the only way I know how to play. Think "indie-rock" though I hate that term. Influenced by Sonic Youth, Guided By Voices, Shudder To Think, The Smiths. Lots of dissonant chords and noise. While my Marshall JCM 800 is being fixed, I'm using a Boogie Subway Rocket, which is nice and loud enough for just writing songs at home right now. My main guitar is the guitar I practically grew up with, a 1980's Les Paul Custom that is pretty well-played and full of character. Had it since i was 14. Comparatively speaking, the Hamer has way more definition and top end, so even in high-gain settings, there's a sparkle, a crispness. Acoustically, the sound is great, but with the Duncans, the thing really responds nicely to the way I play. With just a little bit of crunch, you simply get more distortion by hitting the strings harder. Very responsive. the guitar is pretty bright, but still warm. With the neck pickup, though, you get that "womantone" thing in spades. Not a big fan of Clapton,and Santana, but if you do, check this thing out, if you can find one.

This is where Hamer kills other production makers. The binding on my guitar was smoothed out perfectly. nothing sticking out, it follows the body contours exactly. The top was bookmatched very well, and is obviously a beautiful piece of figured maple. Maybe its not as over the top as an Artist PRS, but that's probably because they dont dye the grain or whatever before finishing. Speaking of finishing, this was also done perfectly. Like I said, looks like it was dipped in glass. It has that perpetual shine that...it just looks nice! I opened up the control panel, and it was wired and organized very neatly. Even under the Dunlop buttons, they routed out a little base that fits right under the button, so you dont get the finish damage as you would with other guitars. little things like that count big time. My only complaint is the high E string, which kinda pops off the board slightly, but can be easily remedied with a heavier high E.

hamer guitars were built to withstand live playing. It comes with the Dunlop buttons, and the finish looks like youd really have to abuse the guitar to wear it off. Gold hardware is gold hardware, and will always eventually fade away, but that just kinda gives a guitar character. I'd use it without a backup if I had fresh strings on it the day before playing, but the Les Paul Ive had for years is always around me.

I have other guitars, cheap and expensive, good and bad, but this one is for keeps. if it were stolen, im not sure what i'd do, as they arent all that common, like PRS's or Gibsons. I hate the E-string thing, but love the sound, the look, and the fact that not everyone and their nu-metal playing talentless hack brothers and sisters have one. Nope, they need overpriced PRS's like that dork from Creed or those Linkin Park guys. Back to the guitar, the neck isn't as nice feeling as my old Paul, but thats a personal issue. initially, I was looking for another Paul-like guitar that was just as good and that i could actually afford. Kind of as a backup or just to A/B between. This thing surpassed my expectations and is by all accounts, a way better made guitar than my Paul. of course, the old custom is the one I play in front of the tv, or on the can, so Im attached to it. Lastly, these things get no respect and can be had for affordable prices. When you take into account the workmanship, materials and the sound, you wonder how much you're being screwed over by the Big Three, Gibson Fender and those trendy-ass PRS's. If this thing had the PRS headstock and logo, it would be $5000. Spend a few more thousand, and you could probably get something WAY cooler, than a PRS, like an AUERSWALD. I'm done buying guitars, but if anyone knows where i can get an AUERSWALD other than Ed Roman, email me please.

what features do you need? Seymour Duncan SH-55 Seth Lovers, which are the humbuckers that i will put in any guitar i buy. Hamer pots, VERY SENSITIVE. Awesome inlays. Thing is sexy as hell. 3-way switching, all you need, coil tapping is a waste just buy a tele or a strat for single coil sound

awesome. Opeth and Glassjaw to Coldplay or Phish. It keeps up with me and i have come to the point that the only guitars that sound truly awesome to me are Hamers. Amazing, touching clean. seriously, if i ever write a song with any sort of beautiful, thoughtful or somber mood, i have to use this guitar because it can take an okay song and make it great with how beautiful it sounds clean. Dirty, it rocks. Pinch harmonics, palm muting, drop tunings, late 60's fender overdrive sounds are especially awesome, very Phishy. I play alot of metal with this and it's a frickin hollowbody

it's become what i'm used too, and frankly, i'm now spoiled. Gibson sucks.Would like a tonepros bridge but i'm spoiled come on

cant complain. never broken a string. never had to open it up. the only thing that gave me a problem was the input was loose, and i tightened that with my fingers

absolute 10 love it. PRS, Gibson, they just suck. if you want this kind of quality control and fit and finish on a Gibson, be prepared to shell out in excess of 6000 bucks. PRS doesnt even offer binding unless it's a custom shop deal, and they'd charge you to look at the guitar if they could. I've played Samick beginner models with more inspiring stock sounds than PRS. I would just like to ask if anyone has tried flatwounds on this guitar and please give me some feedback on how it sounded/ felt etc

USA made, natural finish, crowned and bound, with Seth Lover pickups.

Absolutely the best sounding humbucker equiped guitar I have ever heard. Gorgeously fat and clean sound with tons of tone. Through a half decent amp, I don't need any sustain effects, just the tone comes through.

Perfect BUT, one of the pickups developed a shortbecause of the way it was installed (according to my tech). It took about 5 or ten minutes to repair. Sooo

This guitar along with a USA Schecter telly, are the only guitars I ever really gig with. And I have many more guitars, its just that I keep coming back to this one.

I've been playing too long. Like over 40 years. Mostly blues and some rock. This guitar is simply the best I've ever had or used. Did I mention how wonderfully light it is? No aching shoulders or back like from a Les Paul. Better looking too!

This '97 USA Hamer strikes me as the perfect blend of a Les Paul and ES-335. It's got a mahogany back and neck, and a drop-dead gorgeous flamed maple top. Semi-hollow body with a single f-hole. Very choice woods. Body size is about the same as a Les, much smaller than a 335.

Two Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbuckers, one volume control, two tone controls and a three way switch.

Not a lot of fancy features, but as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't need anything more.

I'd compare it to the best Les Paul tones, with a little extra warmth from the semi-hollow body. I've used it with a Mesa Boogie
DC-2, as well as with a POD XT.

It's excellent for rock and blues, sounded awesome with Marshall Plexi and JCM-800 models. Cleaned up, it would probably work for jazz as well.

The only thing I don't think it would do well is nu-metal. The notes seem to bloom as they sustain... probably wouldn't be suited to the percussive, scooped-mid sounds. Not my bag anyway.

The action is as good as anything I've ever played. This guitar seems to melt into my hands.

It does have the same neck joint discoloration mentioned in an earlier post. I don't know how they let that happen, because everything else on this guitar is absolutely top-notch. Had to deduct a few points, but it obviously didn't stop me from buying the guitar. (Although I did use it to negotiate the price down.)

Again, that's the ONLY thing wrong with this guitar. Looks great, feels great, sounds great.

It's certainly well made. I don't think it would be any more prone to problems than any other quality instrument.

Sent them an e-mail to ask about the discoloration around the neck joint. I got back a message saying they were in the middle of their "summer shutdown" and would reopen in a few weeks. That's pretty weird, shutting down the whole company.

Had to take off several ponts for that. I don't know what they're like under normal circumstances.

I've been playing 24 years. I've currently got 12 other guitars, and have been through at least ten more that I didn't keep. This Hamer plays and sounds as good as anything I've ever come across.

I feel like I practically stole it. Honestly, $650 is probably how much Gibson or PRS would add on to the cost of a guitar for a flamed maple top this nice. But I'd probably be just as happy if it was ugly. It feels and sounds that good. The more I play it, the happier I am with it.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd never find another one at this price. I've seen them selling new for more than $2000, so I'd definitely look for another used one.

1997 (I think, serial number 748027), Made in the USA, 22 frets, lovely flamed maple top (mine is in the honey finish, it looked a bit subtle when I 1st got it, but it has now matured & looks wicked), 2 x Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers (nickel), with a 3 way selector.

Neck & back is made from Mahogany, Rosewood fingerboard, and Flamed maple top, real MOP inlays on the fingerboard, (chrome) Schaller tuners, Ivoroid binding on neck & body. It came with an OHSC, but I'd recommend an upgrade on the case, this guitar deserves better than the original case.

I'd have liked a coil tap though, so it looses a point for this, and that case isn't appropriate for a guitar of this quality.

Well musical style... Most stuff really from Clash, Pistols to Bon Jovi, GnR, to Clapton, Gary Moore...

I'm using this with a Boogie Quad pre-amp, 50/50 power amp, G-Force FX, and home made 1 x 12" detuned oversize cabs (Celestion Century drivers).

It sounds fantastic, I wanted a warm sound kind of Les Paul with a bit of 335, and versatility. It does all that I want and more, I have had loads of guitars over the years & this is the best by a really big margin. This is TOP quality!

The action was relatively poor when I got it, also the bookmatched top doesn't align correctly, pickups needed adjusting.

All the routing is 1st class, and the build seems 1st class also.

The guitar was filthy when I got it (NOS, apparently from a previous imported that had gone bust) and has a scratch on the back.

However, I got this guitar NOS for #850. this has to be around half the price of this model in the UK (if you can find one), and a few hours of cleaning/adjusting makes this a truly great guitar.

Quality all the way here. I really don't think you will find better, IMHO beats Gibson easily, and certainly up there with PRS (possibly better than PRS too)

No idea

I have been playing for over 20 years (still crap though).

I would be really pissed off if this was stolen (I don't think I could find another in the UK).

If I had to replace it it would be another Hamer, I tried a Artist Korina and that was REALLY nice but not as nice looking as mine.

I recently had an '83 Hamer Special, the build quality was even better on that, but the tone was a less flexible (very good though). It was a bit heavy for my liking.

I'd really like an early Hamer Standard (who wouldn't!), and a (USA) DuoTone, but it would be in addition to the Artist.

If you are looking for a quality guitar, get a USA Hamer! Best quality guitars for (relatively) little money.

I also think that beginners should get a S/H USA Hamer, it is easier to learn on a quality instrument, and the resale will be MUCH better.

I bought this guitar when they first arrived on the market, 1998? Mine is a mahogony body with a AAA flamed maple top that is amber stained. The neck is also mahogony, with a rosewood fretboard. It has jumbo frets, well dressed, but I to have a problem with the "e" string poping off the edge. I remidy this buy going up a gauge, I play acoustic mostly so I have a tight cord grip. The shorter scate also makes for less tension on the strings. Mine hase Seth Lever coverd humbuckers. A tune-o-matick bridge, 2 - volume , 1- tone and a 3-pos. toggle for pick-up selectiom. Totally boung with ivoride collored binding and a single f hole (semi-hollow body.)

I play this with a Line 6 duotone and a Fender Blues Jr. I sold my Less Paul Standard, The hamer is all I deeded. It sings better than the Paul, and the bottom end is not nearly as muddy. However I still have a Tele-Delux, whne I need some twang.

This guitar is finely crafted, the finish is flawless, I do have some sight white discoloation at the neck loint, it appears that some glue may have seeped into the wood and the factory jus laquered overit. THe top is easily a 10 or AAA. I compared this to a paul Reed Smith. I bought the Hammer. Price was about the same. I would give it a 10 except for the frets and the stain.

THis is a solid axe, Hamer got better known in the Heavey Metal arrena, you have to build solid guitars if you want to play in that field. I have had now problems at all. Guitar holds its tune for weeks, sometimes.

I have never needed to use them I have thought about calling about the discoloration on the neck joint, but have not so far.

This is a fine guitar and I think it has a lot to offer. It has a better sound to me, than a Les Paul and especially a PRS. The only disapointmet I found is that it is not holding a price value as well as a PRS or A Les Paul. The other thing is I paid 2200.00, and it did not come with a case, or even a gig bag. PRS and Gibson both come with cases. This was almost a deal killer, but I could not kill it because the sound was unbeatable to me.

Actually i just came to add a few things i left out on my last review, which is right below this. basically, this guitar sounds dead on sweet at the neck position. Im talkin like "Sweet Child'o Mine" fat but *distinct* tone. I used to play a les paul for that song and to get that sound, but i never realized just how poor the stock Gibson neck pickup was. It really just plain sucks tonally compared to this guitar(which once again has Duncan Seth Lovers). Basically, the Les Paul is cool, but I usually had to do a lot of EQ to get the neck pickup sounding that fat but distinct. With the Hamer, it's effortless; plug it in and there it is. The les paul is very fat on the neck, but sounds like mud. Not on the Hamer; this is like a Les Paul's younger, more sophisticated sister, and its thinner, curvier and much lighter too. =P I dont work for Hamer or anything, so if you want to email me to ask any questions or talk shop, email me.

1998 beautiful cherry sunburst over quilt maple top. That top is definitely comparable to the gibson historic ones and PRS 10 tops, and this guitar costs less and is better in my not so humble opinion. Its semi-acoustic with one f hole on the bass bout. Duncan Seth Lover pickups and... Attention Gibson, comes with STRAPLOCK(Dunlop style) ready buttons! thank you Hamer USA.

What I really like about this guitar is that it sounds like my old faithful Les Paul Custom but with more warmth, like a 335. And I never cared for 335 in looks or size, so this guitar is a nice compromise. I actually play a lot of punk rock stuff, whether its the British stuff likie the Pistols or the CLash, to the Misfits, Black Flag, Pennywise, etc. This guitar sounds more suited for stuff like Coldplay or the Cure, in my opinion anyway. I use Mesa or Marshall amps and a roland effects processor. This guitar isnt a swiss army knife thing like Parker, but its more versatile than my LP, though not quite as versatile as my old school G&L F-100. Still, the warm sound resonates very beautifully, and has so much warmth and sounds big, for lack of any better term. My Les Paul is more top-endy whereas the Artist just kinda sings and much creamier. A much smoother bottom end. Not a thrasher kind of bottom end like my LP or G&L, but a little more reserved.

Excellent. No joke. Hamer USA QC is probably among the best anywhere, and this guitar realy opened my eyes to it. Not one single binding or finish flaw on it, no crackling pots, no cheapass hardware, nothing. no excess glue, nothing. And the action was low enough to my liking without any buzzing. Excellent quality wood, i mean, a quilt top of this caliber wold cost at least 3 grand from Gibson or PRS, and you dont get crap ass plastic tuners on this Hamer.

Im sure this guitar would withstand live playing, but I wont use it live anytime soon. If anything, this would make a great guitar mainly for recording. the hardware is top shelf, no doubt, but unlike my battle-scarred Fernandes Vertigo or my G&L, its not a thrashers guitar. While Im not one to hide his guitars under his bed, this one will be played live, ill just be cautious of which venue and which crowd. Id play it at a show where i had to where something nice or at a special occassion, if that makes any sense at all. Ill give an 8 because its dependable no doubt, but its not a thrasher guitar either. And yeah, id take a backup, as I always bring at least 2 guitars with me.

Playing for 10 years and still young(I'm 20) and own 10 guitars. From meager beginings, Ive grown to appreciate good gear, whether it be bargain basement stuff, to this top quality Hamer. This is easily the best sounding and playing guitar ive ever owned, and i dont feel obligated to say that because i paid a lot for it either. I was actually going to buy an SG custom, but the Hamer blew me away. He wanted a whopping $2500 for it, but gave it to me for 1500. Definitley worth the money. The quality exceeds Gibson and is at least as good as, if not better than PRS. Plus the top kicks ass. My guitars include Lisa, an '89 Gibson Black Beauty(main squeeze), the G&L(swiss army knife thing) a Fernandes Vertigo(kickass cheap guitar) a custom Strat, a stock Tele, '76 Musicmaster, '50 ES-175(my first Gibson) and finally the Hamer(named Jeanine). I will get this baby insured so that if it were stolen(may god help us all) i at least get someting out of it. I would definitely buy it again.

1997 HAMER ARTIST CUSTOM. Made in Hartford Conn.It was born in the same city as me. 22frets Real mother of pearl trap.inlays.Rosewood board. Mahogany neck body, Flamed maple top,Amber,shot with 14 coats of clear lacquer and Hand buffed between each coat. Binding on body top and neck. Similiar to a Les Paul. Body has a carved top with F-hole in top half of guitar. Suppose to be a tuned sound port? Personally, I think thats a bunch of shit. But it looks cool, and who kwows maybe you'll get lucky and drop a screw in there in the middle of a tedious pick-up repair. Spend the next 20min. with the guitar upside down over your head shaking it around like a fucking idiot. Untill the screw falls out and rolls under the baseboard. Anyway, Passive elec. Seth Lover Duncans front and rear. three way switch,two vol. and one tone. Should have two and two. Thats a mistake. Some of the best sounds possible, or one of the best sounds, is unable to obtain due to this. Sel. switch in mid, treb. tone rolled back to 4, neck bak to 7. Artist can't copy that one! The tuners are Shallers, Hardware is gold. Which should be banded from guitars. 22 med frets. Tune-o-matic style bridge, stop tail. The guitar looks sounds and feels awsome. Quality much better than Gibson. I own three of them and sold others. Oh the body is a double cutaway with a set neck. Hamer makes one Hell of a guitar. Better than Gibson and PRS at least in the QC department.

I play Blues and Blues-Rock, some classical rock. It does not have a coil splitter, so single coil sounds are out. But it is lighter than a Paul has better access to the higher registers. And just plain feels better. The Seth Lover pick-ups are a very nice pu. I think they are as close to an original P.A.F. that I've found. I like to plug straigh into the amp. I grew up on Fender amp. When I started playing live in the 60's, my dad bought me a 4x12 Bandmaster half stack. I still own many Fender amps. My style has gone from Fender amps that couldn't be over driven. Twin Reverb, Bandmaster, Super Reverb, with effects. To amps that could could be, Bassmans , Deluxes and DeVilles. My current main amp. is a Carvin 2x12 Bel-Air. The Hamer is perfect for this! The Duncans overdrive the amp nicely while they maintain a clarity with chords Gibson 490 in the neck have a problem here! Im very difficult to please in the neck position. Im satisfied here. What I don't like are all the harmonics.This guitar I would't alter. But I would like to here this pick-up waxed. All in all I'm mor than satisfied with this ax. I always want to change stock pu's, these I don't.

I bought this guitar used. I can't say how the factory set-up was, But I re-set every guitar I buy. The more expensive ones tend to require less tweaking than the cheaper ones. I bought this guitar at a shop where there were 50 others hanging also. This ax jumped right out at me. The bookmatched flame top is flawless it trully is a beautiful guitar. Its almost identical to Santana,s PRS. Only problem with the ax was the flush mounted input jack. I needed to replace it.

Guitars are abused during live playing. People trip over cords, don't look where they are going, spill drinks. ect ect ect. The question with this ax isn't if it withstand live playing, cause is definatly will. The question is "Do you want to bring it there". Its to nice. I'd rather take my Gibson Classic or SG. Though I paid less for the Hamer than both those Gibsons, Its of more Value. It would need strap-locks to gig with. I would never ever gig without a back-up. Unless it was ABSOLUTLY unavoidable. Like I said earlier I'm not a fan of Gold hareware. Not that it doesn't look good, or match this ax well, but because it wears so quickly then looks so bad! The finish is spectacular, it seems to resist pick rash in the playing area.

I have spoke to Kaman Corp. who owns Hamer and they where on the money. Took time to answer all my questions, and mail me all the paper work and catalogs for the Hamer. I'm not sure about the warrenty, I purchased used.

I've been playing since I picked up a $30.00 Strat copy in Bradlees in 1966. The ax is pretty straightfoward, what you see is what you get. I f this guitar was stolen I would be sick. I could easily replace a Les-Paul Classic or SG. To be honest this Hamer is the only one I've ever seen. I've spoke with one other person who owns one. Hes in love with his also. Artist Customs are very similiar to Les Paul Stand. or PRS McCartys, Guild Bluesbirds Robbin Ford Fenders. One thing I'd like to share. Hamer guitars are the best kept secret in the business, they are less expensive than all the guitars I just mentioned. Look as good if not better than all the guitars mentioned. And are built better with better quality parts and wood than all. the guitars mentioned. Exept maybe the PRS. Hats of to HAMER, how they build a guitar of this quality for the price, is indictive of how all the other companys are ripping us off. If you don"t own a Hamer try one. Or e-mail me and I'll buy it. Only wish is that it had that second tone control. Closest thing I've seen to this guitar is Carlos Santana's PRS. And personally I think mine is better. I'll bet you if he tried this ax he'd be playing this instead of the PRS

2001 Hamer Artist Custom, arch-top semi-hollow body with f-hole, quilted AAAAA maple top, 1-piece Honduran mahogany body and neck, ebony fretboard. Cream binding on body, neck, and headstock. Real mother-of-pearl trapezoid inlays on fretboard. Duncan Antiquity humbuckers. Schaller tuners. Medium frets. 1 tone, 2 volume controls. Dunlop straplocks built into the strap buttons. Came with Hamer case. Shop around, compare what you get for the money, take a look at Hamer's build quality (100% by hand), and you'll see why Hamer Artist guitars have such a devoted following.

This guitar sounds wonderful, the Antiquity pickups really bring out the natural tone of the guitar. They sound great clean or distorted, hi-gain or no gain. I mostly play this through a clean amp with a little reverb and chorus, it sounds so sweet! It has really nice natural acoustics.

This is where this guitar really shines. The attention to detail is really outstanding. The binding is "ribbed" (for lack of a better term), so the surface isn't just plain old flat cheap looking binding. The binding is also taken right up to the raised sides of the frets, so moving quickly around the neck is really smooth. The mother-of-pearl inlays are not cheap paper inlays, they are a full 1/16" solid mother-of-pearl, they actually look like they have depth to them (unlike some other brands where the inlay looks like junk). The sunburst finish really brings out the depth of the quilted top as well, and I was lucky enough to find one with a AAAAA quilted top. I did find one nick in the binding under the upper horn. Unfortunately the nick goes across the ribbed pattern, so it would be expensive to fix. For the price I paid for it, and knowing the attention to detail that goes on at the Hamer factory, I have to give it a 9. Call me a perfectionist!

The action is really nice on this guitar, very low with minimal buzz (common among semi-hollow guitars). It needed a neck and intonation adjustment out of the box, but nothing major.

A common problem with a lot of these type of guitars (Gibson, Epi, Guild, Hamer, etc) is the 3-way switch starts going out right away. So far this one has been working fine, so we'll see what happens. The finish appears to be pretty durable, though I plan to guard this guitar with my life. Everything looks very solid and should last a long time.

I have looked on the Hamer website, the Kaman Music website, and other resources and could not find a number/address to the Hamer factory in CT. All I wanted was the specs on my guitar - when it was built, etc. I wouldn't know how to get ahold of them if there was a problem. For that they get a 5.

I can't sing the praises of this guitar and the Hamer company enough. I absolutely love this guitar, and I recommend USA Hamers to anyone considering a PRS, Gibson, or Guild. If it were stolen, I'd be out for blood because this was not an inexpensive guitar, and I'd have to wait 4 months to have another one built for me. With the exception of the nick in the binding (which may be a rare occurance), this guitar is flawless and worth every penny I spent on it.

I own a PRS McCarty, Epi Dot (modified), Fender Strat, and a custom Tele (I built), and I find myself playing this guitar more and more and leaving the others on the stand. A lot of people ask me how it compares to the PRS. They are two different guitars, my PRS is a solid body with hot pickups and the Hamer is a semi-hollow body with ultra-clean pickups. I use them for different things, but I'm finding the Hamer can do a lot of things the PRS does better, but they are both very nice guitars.

USA made, one of the last from the Arlington Heights factory. Gorgeous natural mahogany with a breathtaking gold flamed maple top. Seth Lover humbuckers in the front and back. Gold hardware, totally stock with no mods. Essentially, this is the guitar Gibson tries to build but continually fails. Everything is exactly what I would expect from a custom-shop high end guitar, and has yet to disappoint. No tremolo bar, but why muck up such a beautiful piece with an ugly twisted metal bar?

I play power pop, and this sucker allows me the luxury of a warm, vintage kerrang along with the sweet throatiness of a semi-hollowbody. Interesting combination, and I'm constantly complimented on its unique tone. Incidentally, I play it through a Soldano-modified Laney 100W w/EL34s and 12AX7s, with just a little rack-mounted EQ in between for good measure. Even for a semi-hollowbody, it does not feedback or howl unnecessarily and maintains a very full voice.

This is Hamer from Illinois. Everything was just about perfect upon delivery, except for the setup. It needed some slight adjustment and a truss rod turn, but nothing out of the ordinary. As far as the finish, hardware, and workmanship, everything is flawless (believe me, I've looked)!

The only complaint I have is that the toggle has occasionally hiccups on me while switching from one pickup to another. I've flipped the switch and, to my horror, no sound! Had to jiggle it a little to get it right. Opened up the guitar several times and pulled the contacts closer together, but still have sporadic problems. I don't fault Hamer for this, though, as something as simple as a toggle is easy to replace. Otherwise, everything else is excellent. Standard wear and tear on parts, but the finish is the real star......little to no evidence it's even been played after 4 years of HEAVY use!

Never needed it, but if I did, I'm a little sad they moved the whole operation (and very few of their best people) to Connecticut.

I've owned mostly medium-quality guitars and custom-built knockoffs, but after playing a series of Hamers, vintage Gibsons, Paul Reed Smiths and Fenders, I've come to the conclusion that Hamer is the best bang for the buck, without question. Exquisite craftsmanship (and frankly, better playability than their more expensive counterparts).

This is a basic Two-humbucking maple top/mahogony back guitar. However, it's hollowed out on one side and they have an f-hole over the chamber. Two volume, one tone control. This model has Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickups-- two of the most amazing sounding pickups I've ever heard. For a long time I thought pickups were pickups. But when I A/B the pickups on this guitar with other guitars, I can't believe the difference. There have tone to spare. They're balanced and clean and meaty all at the same time.

Body style is regular Hamer double cutaway. See http://www.edromanguitars.com/infoham.htm for more information about this guitar.

Gloss finish over natural wood. Tune-o-matic bridge. Schaller tuners. 24 3/4 scale. Came with case.

This guitar sounds pretty good unplugged, but when it's running through the pickups, man is this thing sweet.

I use a Fender Hot Rod 2 x 12 60 watt amp and a Roland/Boss GT5. Rich creamy blues tone. Shimmery clear tone for jazzy chords. Rear pickup has good bite, but not a razor through your ears. I think the best way to label the sound is "balanced". Seems to be a bit more variety of tonal range over a regular 2 humbucking guitar. Just sweet al around.

Came with .009s attached. I've always loved the feel of .009s, so I left 'em on. Some might like .010s or even .011s better. Matter of personal choice.

This thing is a work of art by itself. The lacquer finish really brings out the bookmatched flame maple. Excellent wood all around. Fingerboard is rosewood with crown inlays. Pickups were adjusted correctly.

Not a scratch anywhere.

There does seem to be a slight issue with Hamer Artists with bound fretboards. The binding around the fingerboard was either not high enough to begin with, or it had shrunk. The ends of the frets were higher than the binding, which meant pulling the high e and the low strings a bit much sometimes caused them to jump off the ends of the frets. I took the guitar in to the local luthier and he offered two options-- either dress the fret ends so they were flush with the binding or completely refret the guitar and bring the fret ends out all the way to the sides of the fret board. I chose the second option. He did it for about 200 bucks and I'm glad I had him do that. The small amount of extra fret length makes all the difference in the world. No more SPROOOOOINGGGGGG if I pull the e string to far while playing a weird chord.

I've seen this issue on two different Hamers with bound fingerboards now.

This is a strong, durable guitar. The Hamers already seem to come fitted for StrapLoks. Very nice. I bought one of these through a dealer and then found someone selling one on EBAY for a reasonable price, so I have two of these. So now I have a backup.

I have dealt with Hamer before (for a different guitar). They are a small shop and were very eager to please.

This is now the one guitar I'd save were a fire to come rushing down the hill. After 25 years of playing this is definitely one of the best guitars I've ever seen or heard (aside from the fingerboard binding issue).

Mine's a custom model, with Gold hardware, cream binding, block mother of pearl inlays, and top quality book-matched framed maple top in orange '59 sunburst.
Check out the full manufactor's specs at http://www.kamanmusic.com/hamer/html/usa/artist.html
A very, very well built guitar. The neck is straight (some LP standards / nitehawks / SG I've tried in the store have slighty bend neck...) and feels just right, fits comfortably in my relatively small hands. I guess preference of neck side/shape is a matter of taste, but the first impression when I picked up the guitar is good...only a PRS matches in this aspect. Finish is almost flawless. Like its lightweight.

My setup: Hamer Artist Custom (stock Duncan Seth Lover pickups) ->Dunlop Crybaby wah ->Boss Blues Driver ->Sansamp GT-2 ->Boss BF-2 Flanger ->Boss 7 band EQ ->Boss Harmonizer ->Zoom 5050 Choir ->Marshall valvestate / Mackie 12 channel mixer
I play anything from Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Malmsteen, Gary Moore to SRV. I was actually looking for a LP standard but new ones from Gibson these days disappointed me: the setup was bad, neck is slightly bent, pickups have no dynamics, can't get the thick LP sound...Then I picked up the Artist. Its tone has many of the nice features of a good LP tone: thick, solid bottom, mellow mids and clear highs.
Clean tone is sweet, thanks to the semi-hollow body design. In the shop I played thru a Roland Blues Cube with the neck pu, tone rolled off a bit, and I have the sweetest clean tone ever. Haven't try the ES 335 but definitely way better than the Epi clone. Pickup is hot, sensitive to picking nusances and have good dynamic range.
I was first a bit worried about distortion with this babe. But after tweaking with my sansamp/eq a bit I was able to dial in the thickest meanest distortion sound, with extra hi/low boosted. Blew my old Ibanez RG away. Probably because of the semihollow body design, the distortion tone is way fuller and warmer than those from my solidbody Ibanez.
The tone / pu selector / dual volume control is very usable. Can easily get anything from thick, mellow tone to crispy funky clear, and anything in-between. Offers the out-of-phase hollow tone, too. The Seth Lover Duncans are again, thick and mellow, but not without highs. This means I can get almost the both world of ES355 / LP.
The control chamber is NEAT and clean. Very low noise.

The set-up was good and ready out of the factory. Wish they bind the headstock too, but that's nothing major. The shape and look is a really killer. Can't beat the PRS in look, though, but it's got a much friendlier price tag.

Have been playing it at home for a few months, so not sure if it's gonna stand anything tough...but with its gorgeous bookmatched flamed maple top, I would sacrifice anything to protect it from any damage. But the way it's constructed, the electronic routings, etc,...suggest that I probably won't need any service in at least a few good years.

Life time warranty was given to me, but I've never deal with them, so no comment.

Excellent instrument. It offered the best components / craftsmanship for the price. I've tried many Gibson LPs and the quality varies alot...some were good and some were really bad for price. Overall I think Gibsons and PRS charge too much a premium for their good name. I strongly suggest you try out a USA made Hamer before consider buying any guitar of this price range. The quality is consistently good.
Give it a 8 because I still think it's very expensive axe...