Hamer Daytona USA

1994 Hamer USA Daytona is a '54 swamp ash strat copy with high-end modern upgrades. Excellent two-tone burst whith the grain flwoing beautifully on the two-peice body. Wilkinson "vintage" trem, the bar fit on these is superb. Locking Sperzel staggered tuners are extremely stable. Quartersawn 22 fret maple neck in a full C ala 50s strats. Regular strat controls of 1 volume 2 tones and a 5 way. Volume has the Hamer boost from 9 to 10, and the S/S/S configured passive Seymour Duncan "vintage strat" pickups are, like a slightly more powerful 50s Fender pickup but with much less noise. "Creamed" white pickguard, knobs, switch tip, and pup covers. I don't think these have a swimming pool under the guard but I've never had mine apart to verify.
I got this one new old stock from an out-of-business shop with original hardshell case, owners manual, and tools.
If you want a high quality "strat" ths guitar is hard to beat. The flush aluminum rear cavity cover is a nice touch.

This guitar sounds like a strat, that's the only way to say it. Seymour Duncans are better than stock Fenders I've owned or heard. There is some single coil hum but not a lot and the mid-switch positions cancel the hum. Through my 100w Marshall it sounds like a wonderful handmade custom-shop quality strat.

Hamer USA in my experience is outstanding quality. I have owned three USA Hamers and they have all been stellar I regret selling the one I did. The build, action, fit, and finish are all top notch. No flaws. Perfect wiring, shielding, and assembly.

This was my main axe for a long time - it still is and will always be my #1 for a vintage strat vibe. I've used it live many times without problems beyond broken strings. Come to think of it I did have to check one of the bridge saddles for a bur that was cutting strings. These have a thin finish, like an old Fender, to capture that true sound, so the finish isn't like a rock-hard car finish on a "modern" guitar. Mine has withstood several sweaty nights on stage and hours of summer rehersals with no finish damage or even significant wear. I use DiMarzio locking straps on all my guitars. never gig without a backup if possible, but this one is extremely reliable and durable.

Hamer is very friendly, I have contacted them on occasion to get info on my USA Hamers.

I've been playing guitar for more than 20 years and have owned many guitars from most of the major brands like Gibson, Jackson, Ibanez, etc. I have owned 2 Fender Stratocasters: a 1979 and a 1989. I also compared it to my freind's 1993 USA Fender Stratocaster and the Hamer USA Daytona beats them all in my opinion and I no longer own or need the Fenders- Hamer seems like better built overall, better pickups and electronics (old Fenders are noisy), better tuners, and handcrafted quality in the perfect body contours and flawless finish. I love this guitar and it is definitly a keeper in my collection, I would never get rid of this because it's the perfect strat for me. I feel I got a heck of a deal on this guitar at $300, new old stock from a store that went out of business, plastic still on, original hard case, paperwork, tools, just like when new in 1994 but I bought it around 2003. It still smelled new in the case- however, there was some tarnish on the bridge just from aging. It IS heavy due to the swamp ash- much heavier than any of my Fender Stratocasters or other strat clones I have. I usually use a Peavey USA Predator modded with a Seymour Duncan Lil 59 in the bridge as a backup to my main guitar, an ESP MII, because it's lighter weight and has the humbucker, but the Hamer is the better guitar. If you want a high quality strat style guitar, the Hamer USA Daytona is it.

USA Made Hamer Daytona, Swamp ash, Dark blue. This has EMG's and added a wilkinson bridge. s/s/H. Always sperzels with these guitars. It's just an added bonus from Hamer.

Stock it sounded great. Emgs were just a little project, the setup with the new pickguard looked killer so I kept it. No noise. I really like the setup in reguards to the pu's. The body really rings out. Swamp ash is a plus in my book.

It's a hamer, for finish details go to the hamer web site. These guys do amazing work. Everyting about the guitar is top notch. It's a little heavy, but that's the swamp ash for you. So far I have never had any problems with any Hamer guitars, I have 6.

These are really reliable, I have never had any problems.

Have never had to deal with them. I have called with questions and they have been very helpful, in fact they offered more info than I was inquiring about.

I have played many Fenders. My friends with the fenders have offered to buy my Hamer. Finish, fit, sound, look, all beat the opposition.

Features? Ya gotta be kidding! Sperzels,Ash body,Wilkinson bridge,
and something really great...a 14.5 radius on the board.In my opinion
this guitar taught "Big Brother" a serious lesson as far as taking the ball and running with it.Everything you need, plus stellar craftsmanship second to none. Maybe thats why they discontinued it. Ithink it made Fender look like clueless idiots.

I play a mostly LOUD,aggresive hard rock style,so I needed a little more chutzpah. In went a Duncan Full Shred and that was it.This is a medium output,bright sounding,Alnico mag bucker and it balances out perfectly with the stock Seymour singles.This guitar is VERY versatile and does everything great.Crank it up and you're off to the races!

I bought two of these dudes in '93 and they were and still are getting hammered on a regular basis. I've never had to make a truss rod adjustment!! Everthing from the neck/body joint to the nut cut was flawless. Aside from 000 steelwooling the board once in a while and changing strings regularly, I haven't had to touch it.

Yes, it's gotten beaten up and it just laughs at me. I spray painted both of them four different colors on purpose so I couldn't get rid of them,so I wouldn't know about the finish.
100% DEPENDABLE. I go to gigs with only one of them and it doesn't matter which one.they get rotated constantly.I've never even broken a string!

Never had the pleasure in 11 years.

I've been playing for 28 yrs. I use two Marshall 100w Super Lead Plexi heads with four Marshall 4-12 cabs w/ Celestion G12-T75's. My signal path goes Hamer Daytona> Boss TU-2> Dunlop Crybaby> Tech 21 Sans amp GT-2> Rocktron Hush> Boss CH-1> Boss RV-3.
I love my guitars and wouldn't part with them for any amount of money.Play Hamer or play NOTHING !!!

1994 Usa Daytona Strat. Vintage white and a really cool reddish pickguard over Ash body, maple neck and fb, 22 frets. One volume and two tone knobs for the middle and neck pickups, like the vintage strats. 3 single Seymour Duncan coils. Sperzel locking, Wilkinson Vsv brigde, what else do you need?

The sound is very bright, and very versatile, although at first I thought it lacked something. Then I replaced the vintage pickups for a hotrails in the bridge and a jb jr. in the neck, and it just gives the guitar the definition it lacks for my kind of music, a very strange mix of metal, rock and roll and punk. I use a Marshall JCM600 head with the full stack, and the mix of these two babies drives me nuts. It has that vintage tone, and a very original one i must say, with the edginess that you would need to play metal.

Perfect craftsmanship, A+

This guitar has seen a lot of gigs and has never failed me once. It's built like a tank.

never had to deal with hamer

I've been playing for 5 or 6 years and i've owned a wide variety of guitars, many crappy ones, and a few very good ones, and i must say that this is the best affordable guitar i've ever played. It has just the perfect tone, it doesn't have crappy craftsmanship like the new fenders, it's extremely versatile, and it is a Hamer USA perfectly built.

Don't waste any time, go on ebay and check out the auctions you won't be dissapointed

Mine was made in 1994 (according to the serial number), but was sitting at the House of Guitars for years and years and years (8 to be exact). I guess about 70% of their guitars have been sitting there for many years (anyone need a brand new Kramer - haha). But seriously, it has all the features anyone wishing to own a Strat-type guitar would need - quality pickups (Duncans), locking machine heads (Sperzel), and a nice, reliable tremolo system (Wilkenson). I swear, the thing never goes out of tune.

It's one of the 3 best sounding strat-style guitars I've owned (did I mention I've owned well over 100 guitars over the past 15 years?). Only my Fender Custom Shop 1960 Strat (I sold it) and my PRS EG Bolt-On (I sold that one too) sounded better. This Hamer sounds a bit warmer than the Fender 1962 Reissue US Strat I used to own. It does blow away the 5-6 American Standard Strats I've owned, as well as the 1 ESP Strat, and a host of others.

Well, I can't speak for the factory set up, seeing that I bought it as NOS (new old stock) that was kicking around the store for EIGHT years, but, let me say that it plays wonderfully after I spent about an hour setting it up. The fit and finish are second to none. I've owned 3 PRS guitars (a Custom, a Standard, and an EG Bolt On), and I would not hesitate in saying this guitar is in the same league as far as workmanship goes. Did I mention that the body is made of Ash, and the finish is a dark translucent blue - too cool!

I'm very aggressive with the tremolo, and have had no problems. This guitar is about as solid as they come, and I'd have no hesitation playing it without a backup at a gig.

I've bought the guitar in the summer of 2002, and have had no problems, so I can't comment.

I've been playing for about 15 years. For amps, I'm currently using a Crate VC2110 (cool), Fender Super 60 (cooler), Ampeg VT60 (even cooler yet), and an Ampeg VL1002 1/2 stack (coolest). For effects, I have a Rocktron Replifex, a Morley Wah and J-Station (very underated). I own an Ibanez RD707 bass, and for guitars, a Gibson Les Paul, a US Hamer Chapperal, A Kramer Focus, A Japanese Fender Standard Strat, and this US Hamer Daytona. The closest thing I have to a complaint about it is that it is a little heavy for a strat-style guitar, but other than that, it's fantastic.
If it were stolen, I don't know if I could find another one on the used market, but I would buy another if I could.
I guess, the bottom line is this - The Hamer Daytona is a well made, nice sounding strat-style guitar. I believe it would be tough to find a higher quality strat-style guitar for under $1000 (brand new).

Elsewhere on the review page all the features are listed. I have the pale blue one. Maple f/b. I replaced the tuners with LSR's-I didn't like the ratio on the Sperzels.Really smooth now though.I don't really sweat much so I was dissappointed with tarnishing on the bridge,nonetheless the Wilkinson is beautiful.I don't know the year of the guitar but I think mine is one of the first ones out.The case is very good,I even like the smell! Weird! I bought the guitar in Denmark St. London in 1996.

The sound is as good as any strat I've heard, it is wealthy harmonically and has REALLY good sustain.The pickups are good and not too noisy. I mainly use the front and back positions. I couldn't find any dead spots although there has to be somewhere. I like the fact that it doesn't have an 'attitude' and settles down to being played VERY quickly. I use a Fender CBS Bassman 50 top with a Marshall 4x12, Thames Ditton Greenbacks, also a Boogie Studio 22 calibre, as for effects; on the floor; Ernie Ball Volume pedal,Washburn analog delay,Rocktek Vibrator,Boss Feedbacker Distortion. rack; Lexicon Jamman, Boss DE200, Korg A3,

I played this guitar for about 90 seconds but I'm sure it took less than that for me to make up my mind.I had played dozens of Fenders and nothing moved me. The setup was top notch. The was NOTHING to fault on that guitar.My only gripe is the aforementioned tarnishing on the bridge. That appeared within days.

I love this instrument. I would have no hesitation in using it for any purpose but I don't really take it out to gigs as I am terrified it would get lifted or some caveman would ask for a 'go'.

Hamer area good outfit, any dealings I have ever had with them or their representatives was a pleasure. I hope that Kaman (another great bunch!) doesn't "fix" Hamer because in my opinion they don't need to provided the instruments stay at the existing standard.

Without question the best 'off the peg' guitar I have ever come across.

I've owned 2 Hamer USA Daytonas in my life. The first one was black finish over an ash body. It played and sounded great but was just too heavy for my back to take. The one I'm reviewing here is "Vintage White" (actually pale yellow) over alder -- ahhhh, my back thanked me for the more reasonable weight.<p>
Maple neck & fretboard, 3 Duncan SSL-1 Vintage single coil pickups, 5-way selector, volume and 2 tone knobs, Schaller locking tuners and a Wilkinson vintage-style tremolo bridge. I realize that Hamer was shooting for vintage in most features but I like having tone control over all pickups. The bridge pickup was not wired to the tone pot -- as in vintage strats. If this were not the case I would have given it a 9 or 10 in this category.

My rig is as follows: Hamer USA Daytona or Eclipse (another winner) > Dunlop 95Q Wah > Visual Sound "Route 66" Overdrive + Compressor/Sustainer > Sabine tuner > Danelectro "Tuna Melt" Tremolo > Visual Sound "H2O" Chorus + Delay/Echo > Tech 21 "Trademark 60" amp.<p>
This BAR NONE the best sounding strat-style guitar I've ever played, and I'm a gear hound that has been playing for over 20 years. I play mostly blues, classic rock and some surf music and this guitar nails all 3. I actually "A/B"ed it with a variety of Fenders and a Yamaha Pacifica 812 in the local Guitar Center and it blew all others away.<p>
The Hamer has such a sweet, resonant tone -- even unplugged! Just amazing. It never sounds thin, harsh or muddy. I prefer more drive for lead work than the standard bridge single coil offered so I wound up replacing it with a Seymour Duncan Lil 59 and having it wired to the tone control. PERFECT. It now offers vintage-voiced strat tones AND smoothe humbucker drive!

BEST IN THE BUSINESS -- the neck alone is worth the price of the guitar! The maple neck is finished with a smoothe light gloss and the shape is perfect for my hand. I also love the fact that, instead of trying to make their own pickups and hardware, they use the best aftermarket brands available. The Seymour Duncan pickups, Wilkinson trem bridge and Schaller locking tuners are awesome! Also, the pickup selector switch and volume/tone controls have a smooth, sturdy feel to them. Mine is 6 years old and nary a crackly pot to be found.

ROCK SOLID. Hamer USA is to guitars what Boss is to effects pedals.

The web site sucks but I doubt you'll ever have repair issues with an American built Hamer.

The best strat-style guitar out there. I've owned over 30 electric guitars (and played hundreds more) in my 20+ years of playing and this one will NEVER leave my collection. The addition of the Seymour Duncan Lil 59 sc-sized humbucker in the bridge position helps make this a guitar that can cover a lot of diferent musical styles very well.<p>
If you're shopping for a strat-style guitar, do yourself a favor -- get on eBay or shop around at stores that sell used guitars and find a Hamer USA Daytona. You won't be disappointed!

I bought this fantastic guitar approximately 4 years ago, sold it a year ago, and re-bought it 6 months ago. It has a sunburst finish with white pickguard and 22 frets. It is a 1994 model with Sperzel locking tuners, 5 position phase switch, with 3 single coil pickups. The sound of this guitar is awesome, especially when plugged into my Fender amp, which is an Acoustasonic Junior. If you like chorus amp sounds, this is the guitar to purchase. It beats all the Fenders for sound and workmanship. Too bad they don't make them anymore. It is my number one guitar; although I have a G&L L-2000 bass which isn't all that bad either. Do yourself a favor - get one!

The sound from this machine is unmatched by any manufacturer I've come up against. Bass sounds are awesome!

Action is quite fast as the neck is lacquered with high gloss finish.

This is a dependable machine. Wilkinson VS-100 Bridge is showing signs of age and may have to be replaced soon.

Never had to contact the factory.

Made in USA, Duncans, Sperzels, 14" radius fingerboard. 22 frets.

Strat..all the way.

Almost plays itself.

A weapon, a boat oar, firewood, tone. It does it all.

They don't make em' anymore.

Been playing FENDER strats for 30 years. tried anderson, grosh, suhr, etc. The Hamers are the sleepers of the industry and all I play these days. Sound great, play like butta, stay in tune like NOTHING else I've ever owned and.....you don't have to mortgage your house to buy one.

Basic features, but very beautiful craftsmanship on this guitar! My favorite is the Sperzel locking tuners, and the beautiful paintjob and pickguard. S-S-S strat guitar, some people will say strat-copy, which realistically it is, but once you hear it you will think differenly..you'll see as you read on... The frets are on the larger side, very low action, fun and easy to play. Mine is a translucent purple, very very nice lookin guitar made in 94 from the hamer usa days (the good ol days) when pros like Gary Hoey, Steve Stevens, Neil Zaza,and Michael angelo played them!

The Hamer Daytona strat is a professional guitar made for professional TONE. This guitar is IT. Suits my music needs perfectly, as i like instrumental guitar melodic rock, where any and all styles of music are played. Rock,country,blues,metal,jazz...it's all here. It's a strat, and you will not be thinking copy when you hear this guitar. You will most likely think words like "original" because it has it's own thing goin. Nothing like a fender strat...who wants to be another man with a fender strat anyways? theres too many of those guys around! This guitar has vintage tone for days, and with a modern amp you can get most of todays sounds as well.
I use mostly boss effects and dunlop wah pedals for my gear. guitar blends nicely with all, but i find the best use for it, straight in with little or no effects. The single coils are pretty quiet, and i'm picky about noise, so maybe noiseless for some of you. Although it would be nice if they were hum free, i would NOT trade them out for anything. i cant believe reading the other reviews here people are changing the pickups in this exact guitar, it's all about that vintage sound man!
About the overall sound, it's very very bright,and SNAPPY! very responsive to pick attack. fingerpicked notes and chords are heaven on this guitar!!! this guitar is ALIVE!

Although i bought this used, i can tell Hamer did their part on it. the frets are in perfect order with no fret buzz, and absolutley perfect neck. Craftsmanship is an A+, but you have to remember the Hamer good ol days...4 guitars made a day. thats why they all turned out so well. You owe it to yourself to play one of these.

Hamer is known for making tough instruments. this one could stand forever, and as you notice many of the reviews stating, that they play live with this. it would make a great live axe, as versatile as it is.

never dealt w/ hamer

Overall rating is easily a 10...when i plug this guitar in, i dont want to ever stop playing. the tone is too good.If lost, i would buy another yes indeed. I cant think of anything i would change on this guitar at all. Look for these used, as they no longer are made. and when you find, BUY because these will get more and more expensive as the years go...