Hamer Blitz

My Blitz was made in 81 in the USA. It has a modified Zulu pattern that the original buyer ordered. Its black on dark blue. It came with the original giant plywood/cloth case.

the blitz can cover a wide range of tones. It has a certain richness that I think is in part to it being a giant piece of wood (the explorer sytle body.) I'm very happy with it though I don't play in a band so I don't need to find my "own" tone.

The action needed to be adjusted when I bought it. The original owner used super light strings. The neck and bridge are fantastic. The fretwire is super silky smooth. Its was well taken care of and carefully built. (Unlike my ovation which was a crapper.)

Don't play live so I couldn't say. The hardware has lasted me sixteen years and the original owner a few (including playing live) so I would say that its still going strong.

No I haven't dealt with customer support. On the other hand its not the same Hamer company as in the early 80s. So who knows!?

I've been plyaing guitar for about 18 years. I also own an Ovation celebrity c57 - crap), an Alverez Classical and a Fender Telecaster American. I think the guitar is fab except it seems to ask for a can of hair spray each time I take it out of the box. You really gotta love the shape. Since I don't its a mixed situation. I love the tone but not the look. It is somewhat heavy and unbalanced. I was buying used and it was a great guitar cheap. Oh well.

These old Hamers are some of the best made machines around. Don't pass one up w/o a closer look. Be sure you can live with the body style.

1984 Hamer Blitz, USA made. This guitar is shaped like a Gibson Explorer. It has a Zebra (Zulu) finish front and back (head stock too), rosewood fretboard,3 on a side headstock, locking Hamer tuners ( screw down tops ). All hardware is chrome.A Khaler Tremlo which was added after it left the factory but very well done. 2 Humbuckers-not sure what kind,2 volume and 1 tone knobs with 3-way switch. With Hamer USA hardshell case.

It's a metal guitar right out of the 80's. It's current set up to play shredding leads-all bright and no real bass very light gauge strings. The pick-ups, which I think are stock, are not very high output so you can get nice cleans as well as rock-blues style sounds depending on amp settings. Overall sounds like an SG

Although I just got this 18 year old guitar its contruction is VERY high quality. Action is almost too low,no buzz-just strings a hair above the frets. The fret board is a very dense slab of rosewood with low frets. It's hard to descibe but the quality level of the Hamer is like the 1st Paul Reed Smith I've owed maybe better and I like the sound and the overall feel better.

This guitar has seen live playing in it's past but it won't with me as it's a house guitar now-can't replace it. The hardware will out live me, for the most part it is as new. All the hardware and electronics works and looks new. The guitar shows its age in the finish as a few spots on the back have worn to wood but no checking or other flaws.

I haven't delt with Hamer but I have visited the Hamer fan club website which is great.

I own about 10 Guitars and have been through about 40 over my last almost 30 years of playing. The USA Hamers are probably the best guitars made. This one is no exception it's the same Explorer that Gibson made but better in every way. I still can't get over the fact that you can buy an instrument of this quality for a fraction of its almost 20 year old price. Thanks to all of the collectors looking elsewhere when I need another guitar I will buy a Hamer.

A USA made tropical mahogany solidbody explorer model 22-fret (ebhony) red metallic bad ass guitar. With neck and bridge dimarzio pick-ups 2 volume controles 1 tone controle. (Kinda)traditional tremolo system (Schaller)

I play metal/rock/funk cross over. Clean sound is great. warm clear sound, comparable with an expencive Les Paul. Distorted sound is even better because of the high output DiMarzio's it really ripps. I use it in combination with a Fender Performer 1000 (also used by Steve Vai on alien love secrets) which goes though an old ('60) English Tube (Marshall-Plexi copy) nameless amp to a 4x12 Marshall 1960 cabinet. My sound is comparable with Jerry Cantrell's overdrive vs Infectious Grooves Clean.

I have a guy who knows exactly how I like my guitars. He tuned it for me, so no complaints about this stuff.
It looks, Feels and plays great!!!
It was one of the only production handmade guitars at that time.

This guitar had been my property for almost ten years now. I haven't had a problem with it yet. I must say though that the finish is quite soft, which is good for the sound, but not zo good if you are a bit wild on stage.. I have multiple dents and there's one spot where I can even touch the wood (ouch!). Finish looks great though (the parts that are still smooth). You can see the wood straight though the red metallic finish....Beautifull. All complaints are my own fault.. But still. If I could improve it I would defenately change the finish.

Never had to deal with the company.

I love this guitar. Wouldn't sell it for the world. (Well maybe the world, but nothing less)

Upon further inspection I have discovered, to my own stupidity, that the actual pickup configuration for my Hamer is an EMG 81 in the neck position and a EMG 60 in the bridge...color me idiot, so sorry.

Upon further inspection I have discovered, to my own stupidity, that the actual pickup configuration for my Hamer is an EMG 81 in the neck position and a EMG 60 in the bridge...color me idiot, so sorry.

The guitar is a mid to late eighties model, explorer body style. 22 medium sized frets. H/H pickup configuration with a separate volume knob for each and a tone control for both. A three-way selector (Neck, Neck/Bridge, Bridge). I replaced the original Hamer slammer pickups with EMG's. There is no other pickup like em!!! These pickups sound killer on any rig, from an old thin rockman to the fattest mesa stack! An original Floyd Rose tremelo system. Schaller tuners. Original finish was a blood red(burgundy) finish but I refinished the guitar to it's natural wood color and added a touch of stain. A million times better. Body wood is mahogony which is just beautiful, neck wood is maple which makes for a killer contrast. Fretboard is rosewood(my favorite). Guitar is set-in neck and even though the body is not one piece it's not obvious to see the wings even with the natural finish. Came with a Hamer case(very big!). I give this guitar a ten for features after my customization. Give it a 9 before. Only bad thing: It's heavy! but so are Les Pauls and who's complaining about that? Oh yeah, explorers are long..make sure you've got space to jump around or you'll kill your bandmates!

Suits my music style very well. My style on stage was/is thrash-core to very heavy music (not death metal). Body design is defitely harder type music but with natural wood finish I can play anything and the guitar looks happy doing it! Used a multitude of amps and effects over the years. Live I used ADA/Art stuff and a no-name 4x12 with clarions (i think) and this guitar sounded killer! Rhythm pickup(EMG 65)is nice and warm plus a little fat for soothing cleans. Bridge pickup (EMG 81) will just crush your head! Give this puppy a good heavy amp and scream away! Gives no sustain amps that needed sustain. Very well rounded pickup. Larger guitar + set in neck gives a little more sustain than a bolt-on and EMG's finish the job. Before EMGs I say an 8 for sound but a 10 definitely with actives in place!

Well I bought the guitar used and the previous owner didn't do anything to it except swap the original hamer tunning machines with schallers (good choice). Sweet action. Can't compare it here because i've played everthing and some suck and some don't. (Played and old studio double-cut Les that shredded and a $1400 custom les that sucked, so adjust it or get it adjusted!) But the action is very low and nice and tight. Excellent spacing but heel can be a little bit in the way for those high 22nd fret bends. Hardware is old so it is a bit oxidized, in fact i'm going to replace the tuners with a new set of Schallers and get a new original Floyd Rose. Nothing is misalligned in the guitar. I never fly with it so i've never had to loosen the strings to fly or adjust the truss from bowing. I must admit that my finishing job isn't the best in the world. I'm definitely not a professional finisher, but it is really hard to find the areas that gave me trouble, and, consequently, don't look so good. Drawback to Floyds is that you have to adjust for intonation with no strings on the guitar or at least with them loose. This can be tedious but i've seen worse. And old Floyds loose some of their fine tuner ability but this is easy fixed by replacing the tremolo (You've gotta replace the clutch in a standard tranny right? so what's the difference?). I give it a nine because the finish is not pro even though from the crowd you'd say it kicks ass.

Man, this guitar has seen it all! I strap my guitar right at my waist and i've dropped it from there many times. Strap-locks? Yeah, their good for drop prevention, but I just like the standard srap holders. Hardware is hardware; if you sweat a lot it's going to oxidize or eat the paint away or whatever. So either be prepared to replace the stuff at a later date or just don't sweat! If you're not practicing or playing with a band you probably won't have this problem unless you live on the equator. I've always depended on this guitar..it's my baby! I've borrowed other guitars for back-ups but only needed it once when the wiring came loose; which was my piss-poor wiring job's fault anyway. I've only really had one guitar at a time so back-up is a luxury anyway. Me & my other guitar player shared a back-up usually. Guitar is super solid! I've crashed and banged into everything! And explorers have a tendency to fall out of standard guitar stands, so keep that in mind or watch it fall!

Met Paul Hamer when i bought it (i still have his personal business card!). Nice guy. But i've never dealt with their support. Never had too.

I've been playing for over sixteen years and this guitar is my baby! If it were stolen i'd have to kill the person who stole it i guess. I love this guitar but it is heavy and it is big. There is nothing I don't like on this guitar. It's bulky and dangerous on stage but that's the way I like it. I've jousted my bass player and torn hair from the scalp of my singer but this puppy keeps on shredding!

1986, usa. 24 frets quilted maple top. two volumes one tone two hamer slammer humbuckers. passive electronics mahogony neck and body. transparent cherry sunburst. explorer shape. kahler pro trem. hamer tuners. nice fat neck wth standard frets. with hardshell case.

i play everything and even though this guitar is heavly metal influence i find it to be a very versitle instrument for any style. i only plug this guitar straight to a crate gx900h head and ampeg v2 4x12 cabinet. its not noisy at all great for rock i even get good blues tones from it. nice and bright in bridge position. a little muddy on the neck pickup but i think my amp is to blame.

i got the guitar used for 45o the action is great. the pickups are just set right . the top one big slab of very highly quilted maple. the guitar had very few nicks or scratches otherwise the guitar is flawless. great wood and finish. everything is at 100 % well except for one thing kahler tremelos tend to slip the nut so if your a heavy wanger you might have to tune it up a little

never had any problems at all. all the hard ware to me will last longer than the wood of the guitar. finish would take a sand blaster to remove. i fitted with schaller strap locks because originals were to small for me to trust. i could depend on this axe mor than i can my mother. i just would want an extra set of strings.

hamer are great people and will do whats in there means to make you happy a great company all together.