Hamer Daytona

* What year was it made? 1994
* How many frets? 22
* Solid-Alder
* Which controls are given (volume, tone, tone, 5-way selector
* Pickup configuration? S/S/S
* Make and model of pickups? Dimarzio Area 58/58/61 (great noiseless pickups, very vintage sounding)
* Passive electronics
* Body and neck woods? Maple Neck, Alder body
* Finish Black
* Body style strat
* Bridge style Wilkinson
* Tuners Locking Sperzel
* Neck/Scale 25.5"
* Any included accessories? Case

Incredible sounding & playing strat, no thinness, very beefy & resonant.
Play thru a Carr Rambler, Fender Vibrolux
Dead quiet, Rich/Full sound.
Gets all 5 strat sounds plus has a Fralin Blender pot in place of 1 tone pot that gives neck & middle, plus all 3, and a master tone control.
Best strat I've ever laid my hands on. The seller modified it to the way my other strats are set up and saved me the time!
Its a modern version of the same old strats we love. Flat 14.5" radius for bending off the charts.

Action is nice & low, bought used, set up great. Wilkinson trem is awesome. Nice light weight.

Guitar is in great shape for going on 15. Has strap locks standard. Would use without a backup. But usually bring 2 to a gig. I hardly ever break strings. Thin finish, but durable. Hardware & tuners top quality. I wouldn't change a thing.

I actually called Hamer to find a replacement trem plate. I figured I'd never find one, or need to have one custom made. They are aluminum, and are recessed flat with the body (Not screwed to the back and sticking up like every other strat.) Mind you, this guitar has been discontinued over 14 years. They had a few left, and shipped it to me in 2 days for $21!!). I'm sure the warranty is up, but I could probably get help easily. They answer emails and phone calls promptly.

Been playing over 30 years. Have 2 other strats and have played many guitars over the years. I wish I found this first!
Its so loud acoustically its scary. Incredible neck, and feel. If Fender had their name on the headstock, they would easily charge $2400 for it. I got lucky the other day and stumbled across it on the Hamer forum. Great group of folks over there. If you see one, grab it. Just make sure its alder, because the ash versions get quite heavy. Mine weighs 7lbs 13 oz. Perfect! And I've played a ton of more expensive strats looking for "the one". This is it!

The bridge and tuners are some of the best for a Strat type of guitar. I went the hair band route in the 80's when that was in, but never grew into the crap out there today so I've been playing a lot of blues

Hamer says they used Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro I p/u's. Too "Hendrix" for me, so I installed the EMG SL20. This set up is extremely hot, but just not the only sound I wanted. So this week I found and bought another Daytona for my alternate sound with handwound pickups. This one was a steal. I still don't understand why they stopped making the Daytona

I found a used Fender Strat with an unknown history that played as well. The price reflected it's possible origin, as it seemed custom. The reputation Hamer has was earned with products like this. For something as simple as a stret copy, it is finished great.

The bridge is my only concern. It's a Wilkinson, and plays perfectly and predictably, but the rust/tarnish looks cheesy. The bridge looks older than the guitar, but it still works perfectly.

E-mail to Hamer is responded to very quickly. They believe in their products as much as I do.

In 25 years, I've only had a couple guitars to speak of. This model is my first real professional's guitar though. It feels so natural and permanently built. I am going to look for a third Daytona. Just because a strat says Fender on the headstock, doesn't mean you can't find better. It only means that resale is better, kind of like a Harley. You won't want to sell your Daytona unless strats just aren't your thing.

1995 USA made daytona, blue over alder with matching headstock. maple neck with rosewood fret board; 22 frets, passive electronics as in traditional fender strat wiring. three duncan pro-II single coils; sperzel locking tuners; strat body; wilkinson vintage trem; 25-1/2" scale; big frets; deep tummy cut; smoothly slopeing forearm cutaway; 14.5" fret board radius; inset aluminum trem cover back plate; no string trees to interfere with tuning as the sperzels have staggered heights, keeping the correct angle going over the nut; factory designed volume and tone pots that have exellent taper allow you to back off on the volume to clean up without the typical volume loss on fender strats. this guitar has all the features--that is improvements that fender should have developed as a progressive company but didn't. it's an extreamly comfortable guitar to play--the tummy cut on the back goes across the entire top-from horn to arm cut-very deeply. there is no ridge against your belly from the trem cover being top-mounted on the back, as it is recessed. no fretting out as with a fender strat, because of the nice flat 14.5" radius; no allen screws sticking up out of the bridge to interfere with your palm resting on the bridge, either. there is so many features designed into this guitar it is hard to think of them all.

this guitar is married to the fender hot rod deville 4x10. a perfect match. it can cover any style of music very well, although it lacks high-gain grind used for metal type music, as does any standard strat design. one thing that helps with the recurring problem of weak bridge pickup tone that seems to be commented on alot in this forum, is to add a jumper wire to the 5-way switch to include the bridge pick-up with the middle pick-up's tone knob[the knob in the middle]. then when i back off on the tone pot, it gets more balanced overall like a humbucker and can pull off that sound quite well if you have plenty of gain in your signal chain. usual single-coil 60 cycle hum, but it is shielded well. this guitar is about the best guitar i have owned in 40 years of playing. i've owned easily over 300 guitars in my lifetime, some briefly others for many years. it really takes a execptional guitar for me to say this. it has what i would call an "organic" sound to it; probably owing to the highly resonating alder body wood coupled with the sound of the rosewood board. the alder makes it very light, about two pounds lighter than the 1994 USA daytona that i have with an ash body. that one does not have the same organic tone to it, it is rather snappy [maple board/ash body]. i have used the alder guitar live in the following settings: country[with the floating trem flat on the body], blues [it screams!!!!] fusion/progressive, ballads/standards [traditional context], rock & roll, etc. great for wedding/party type gigs where you have to cover alot of sonic ground, with a wide variety of styles. with this guitar i tend to get alot of comments after the gig on my "tone"--something i think most guitar players would like to hear, but generally don't. it's a very nice complement to receive, and i think a large part of it has to do with this dynamic guitar and amp combination.

factory setup was ready to play; no flaws; 9.5 as these things are never 100% perfect

built like a tank; top quality hardware; the best woods; finest finishing; very depenable. i have backed it up with the ash body, but never needed to switch. i always have a back-up guitar, as a solder joint could come apart or something equally as weird, and you can't finish playing the gig if you don't have a backup, but i've never needed my backup with this daytona.

i'm very impressed with the support i've received. the ash body daytona i bought used, and the skunk stripe was protruding slightly. i sent it to the factory. obviously it was not under warranty.They reglued it, refinished it, steamed out some dents in the maple fingerboard, replaced the 5-way switch, buffed out the body, set it up and returned it at NO CHARGE!!!!! didn't even charge me for shipping.

for those in the know, the hamer daytona is the best kept secret in the strat department. it surpasses any fender ive ever played, and ive played/owned alot of them. this is not the hype of an over excited young player. after four decades of playing i think i have the authority to tell you: if strat is what you want, then this is the strat! hands down--the problem is that they havent made them since about 1996, but if you find one on ebay or the used market, grab it! you'll be glad you did. the serial number is stamped on the back of the headstock, and the first number is the year. example: #48621 would be a 1994 model. #58264 would be a 1995 model. my ratings are not inflated, they reflect the true comparison ratings of the USA daytona.

I've got a couple of these, a '94 with a maple board and a '96 with a rosewood board. You've heard the description of these in the previous reviews, and mine is the same, box stock. One big difference is that the '94 is ash, and the '96 is alder. I spoke with Hamer to try to figure out when the switch ocurred, and they don't remember, but they did verify that it happened at some point. I don't give 10's too often unless something is perfect, and the only reason I will give this a "9" is because the Hamer T51 (tele copy) is the "10" (actually, 11 on a 10 scale!)

You've heard it said in previous reviews, and I will concur...these Hamers have more natural tone from the acoustics of the guitar itself than any other electric I've played (and I've played a lot, see below). Plus, Seymour Duncan makes great pickups, all 5 positions have their own unique sound, and the "in-between" positions have great "quack", plus the bell-like jangle from the bridge/middle "in-between" position is to die for. Pickups are not real "hot", but then again, my last strat had Duncan SSL-3's in it (hot for strat) and these vintage pickups blow them away, tone-wise. Not a heavy metal sound for sure, get humbuckers if that's your gig. I'm giving this a "9", because, once again, have you heard a Hamer T51?! But, it's still the best "strat" sound I've ever heard.

It's a Hamer. Took me 28 years to discover them, what a friggin' idiot I am! I must have been living under a rock. It's a Hamer, nothing more needs to be said.

I am only giving this a "9" because it is the tradeoff for the "10" in the finish category. The finish is so utterly BEAUTIFUL, deep and wet looking, that you pay for it a little in durability. The finish is soft, that's not to say that the finish chips off easily, but it does "worm" pretty easily, meaning it indents easily, even though you only see it when you look at it in the light at an angle. Everything else about the guitar seems to be rock solid.

They're great and easily accessible via the web. Responses are prompt and informative, and they offer a lifetime warranty on their guitars. Can't ask for much more...

Everyone seems to rave about everything they rate on these reviews. I have read rave reviews about things I have owned in the past that I wouldn't pass on to my three year old because it was such crap. Here's why I think my opinion is at least honest if not valid:
I've been playing for 28 years, and I've owned Les Pauls, Strats, a flying V and an Explorer, Ibanez V's and Destroyers, A Kramer, a Godin, and too many Japanese copies to count. These Hamers are the nicest sounding, best feeling, highest quality guitars I have played yet, considering they are available for around 500 bucks. The Daytona is a solid 9.5, if you want a ten, go buy a Hamer T51 (tele copy).

Made in 1995 and bought in 2000, this guitar is Hamer's USA-made strat copy (copy is rather offensive, because it blows away any strat I've heard since the 70's, more on that later). It has 22 Frets, a 1 PIECE Ash body, 3 Seymour Duncan vintage single coil pickups, rosewood fretboard, a Wilkinson vintage tremelo, and locking tuners. I would have liked to see a hot pickup on the bridge, but it's supposed to sound vintage.

This guitar speaks volumes on tone. I have a trace elliot acoustic cube running through a Boss Super Overdrive. My setup goes to a mixer and through the house system. You can crank some classic sounds and some modern sounds from the guitar. It sustains like crazy, and even sounds good clean. You can't get today's metal sounds from it, but it can get pretty dirty. The sound is very full bodied and can only be described as "alive."

There were no flaws with this guitar. The action was low enough to play comfortably, but not enough to do some serious tapping and metal guitar tricks.

Had it for about 4 months. No problems yet. The Daytona is my primary stage axe. It has served me well so far.

Haven't dealt with the company yet, but my understanding is that they offer a lifetime warranty.

I have been playing for about 3 years and I have had the privilage of trying many guitars in that time. As far as strats go, this is the best I have played (I have not played 50's strats so I can't judge by them). If it were ever stolen or lost I would morn its loss for a while (they don't make them anymore), and get a custom guitar. Sigh!

95' USA Daytona Custom (Strat style), Natural Finsh, Black Pickguard, 22 Jumbo frets, 2-piece Southern Ash body, Hard Rock Maple neck w/skunk stripe, Dimarzio HS3 in the neck position (Creme), Stock Seymour Duncan in the middle (Black), Dimarzio Fast Track II in the bridge position (Creme), Wilkinson VSV tremelo, Sperzel Locking tuners, Hardshell molded case, Tool bag.

This guitar is PRETTY!!!

This was my first "real" guitar and I couldn't have chose a better one. The tone just playing it unplugged is incredibly articulate and clear. Plugged in on the Neck pickup and it's SRV's sweet bell-tower tone. In the bridge position at full volume and I get a fat Van-Halen/Joe Satriani/Vai tone. Roll of the volume a bit and it's sounds a bit more vintage. This is one of those guitars where you catch yourself putting your ear to the wood and hitting string just to hear how well the sound resonates. Mid pickup is the only one with any hum.

Oh man how do I start. When this guitar arrived from the factory, the guy I ordered through teased me by not opening the case right away and when I finally did...my jaw dropped. The smell of a freshly luthiered guitar 8^)wafted out and this guitar was Perfect! The finish made the wood grain look like it was swimming and even the grain in the maple neck just looked perfect. Fretwork is still the best I have ever seen. Hamer must have really like me ;-)

I have had this instrument for over 5 years now and over three different bands with gigs and it is still my main guitar. All the parts on it from the knobs, tuners, and bridge all still work flawlessly and feel solid. The finish has a couple nicks and dings here and there but what great guitar doesn't. This is currently my only electrice guitar. I have since sold my others as this one will do it all.

The only time I have dealt with them is when I ordered it. I have never had a problem with and don't see that I will. My kids will probably be playing this one.

I have been playing for 13 years as of now and the last 5 have been a pleasure with this guitar. If you are a srat fan or are looking for one don't hestitate to pick one of these up. Hamer isn't making these anymore but you can pick one up for about $500 used and chances are it's still in great condition. If this guitar was stolen or lost I'd probably try and replace it but like a family pet it's never the same.
Kudos to you Hamer and thanks for the best guitar in the world.

My 1994 Hamer Daytona is basically Hamer's version of a '54-56 Fender Stratocaster with all of the best modifications already done. Two piece Southern Ash body, gorgeously finished in two-tone sunburst. One-piece Hard Rock Maple neck, 14" Radius, jumbo frets, Sperzel Locking Tuners, Wilkinson Bridge, 3 custom Seymour Duncan Alnico II pickups. Single Layer white pickguard. 5-way pickup switch. I bought it with a Hamer Hard Shell Case.
When you compare this guitar with an equivalent Fender, it really does deserve a 10. My only complaint is that the lead pickup is not connected to a tone control. I keep intending to do this, but I have thus far resisted taking apart my guitar. I will probably take the middle pickup off its tone control and attach it to the bridge. Otherwise, there is nothing left to modify! (Note for some of you (and you know who you are!) this is actually a problem!)

I bought this guitar new in 1994. I wanted to buy a strat, and spent over three weeks comparing guitars, and I directly A/B'd this guitar with a '94 Fender '57 Vintage Reissue. I found the Fender harsh and thin, and the three-way switch a stupid gesture to traditionalism. The Hamer, by contrast, had a multi-dimensional sound, and was never harsh. This difference was probably due to a number of factors (Ash v. Alder, Alnico II v. Alnico V, etc.), but regardless, the Hamer sounded better to me.
I realize that most people rave about their guitars, but I have lived with this guitar since 1994, and I have yet to play another that affected me in the same way. I really think that Fender deviated from Ash in 1957 for cost reasons, and that Ash is a better sounding wood than Alder. Not to mention it looks *much* better in sunburst! FYI, my guitar is rather light, and this may have something to do with my conclusions.
To me, Ash has a full sparkling sound, which is rich in harmonics. Further, I have noticed that I can vary the attack on the note with this guitar unamplified, i.e. when I pick softly I get a softer, rounder tone, and when I pick hard, the sound becomes edgier (but always musical).
In comparison, Alder seems to emphasize the fundamental more, and does not change as with pick attack. I have noticed this phenomenon on more than a few Alder Fenders. Alder also seems to be easier to play since a strong note is generated with little effort. Ash requires more precision, but rewards the player with a variety of sonic options with a twist of the wrist/finger/elbow (choose your picking style). I will say that Alder guitars get more of a true "quack" in the in-between positions. As you know, Ash gets a softer sound than Alder - this is great in the 1-3-5 pickup positions. But, the "out-of-phase" 2 & 4 positions get softer still, so some of the edginess is lost.
Chords ring on-and-on in this guitar, and the sustain is excellent. This probably has to do as much with the taller frets as with the quality of the woods.
The Alnico II pickups are a good match for this guitar, but frankly pickups don't affect the guitar as much as people think. Unless you change to a monster pickup like a hot rail or something, I doubt you will affect the inherent sound of your guitar that much.
I have played the guitar thru a variety of equipment over the years, and currently use a MESA/Boogie Studio .22, Gibson GA-9, and, my current favorite, Fender Pro Jr., in addition to a Line 6 Delay Modeler and Modulation Modeler. All cables are by George L.
I usually concentrate on *quality* of sound rather than copying a particular artist, but this guitar does nail the sound that Clapton got on Layla. In fact, a lot of Clapton's vintage strat playing can be attained without too much effort. However, as he is a big influence, that can also be traced to my playing.
In sum, the sound may be in your fingers, but a quality instrument is needed to bring it forth. This guitar, and most other Hamers I've played have been *exemplary* instruments.

As I said above, Ash is really beautiful when properly finished. The difference between a sunburst finish on an Ash guitar and an Alder guitar is like night and day. The finish blends from gold to dark brown and finally to black. The neck has a mild pattern, but is not flamed.
The guitar was setup pretty well at the factory, but I would urge all of you to learn how to setup your own guitars. The scary part is adjusting the truss rod but, once you learn, you will be able to truly personalize all of your instruments.
I usually like a fairly straight neck, with minimal relief. The pickups are 4/32" away from the low E string and 3/32 away" from the high E string, with the strings pressed at the last fret. I use DR .009-.042 strings, with height set as follows (with the first fret pressed to take the nut out of the measurement):
E,A,D: 2/32", G: 2.25/32", B: 2.5/32", E: 2.75/32". This setup, and the 14" radius neck, gives me excellent bending control and a loud full sound.

Never a problem.

Never Used (see Reliability!)

I think that I have covered most of this in Sound. I've played '57 & '62 Reissues, a Jeff Beck Srat, an Eric Clapton Strat, Relics, Closet Classics, etc., and I keep coming back to this guitar.
That is all the endorsement you will ever need.

1994, 22 fret, American made, Strat copy. Has Duncan pickups, Southren Ash body, HUGE maple neck, rosewood fretboard. Wilkinson tailpiece, and Sperzel Tuners. Large frets, hardshell flight style case

I play mostly blues, almost exclusively slide guitar. I use this with a Line 6 Ax212, match made in heaven. This is what Strats are suppose to sound like!!!! Think vintage 50's and 60's strats and the great sound they have, this plank nails them all! Neck pickup nails that Stevie Ray Vaughan tone better than the signature git that has his name on it! Bridge pup will melt ice it's so hot! The "Quack positions are awesome. This is as good as any vintage strat I ever laid my hands on!

I bought it used, and the dealer had it set up for regular playing. I need the action a little taller and adjusted it myself. The finish is a beautiful three color sunburst, with a yellow, tortise pickguard. Everything on this git is top notch. A stunning piece of work

Have'nt played it out yet! I'm sure it'll stand up to the grind of live action, but I never play without a backup. It's a Hamer, My daughter will probably have to fight me for it when she moves me into the old folks home in 40 years, it should last as long as any other well made guitar. I don't do much serious banging on my planks, I take pretty good care of them.

Never talked to them, hope I never have to. no warranty, it was used.

I have been playing for 15 years, I have played many, many vintage guitars, this is the one! I picked this up and it was mine, it has a magic to it that i can't describe, it makes me want to play better, It is better than any, I mean ANY, vintage or new strat out there. It puts the Fenders to shame. I am looking for all of these that I can find, if you want to sell yours contact me! Do yourself a favor, if you are a strat lover, find one of these and play it, you will take it home. I found my #1.

This has already been covered in detail below - mine's box stock. Its basically a vintage style strat with a more modern neck, meaning flatter fingerboard radius (probably about 12"), 1 11/16" nut width, medium jumbo frets and the back of the neck is slightly flattened. Locking tuners are a big plus too. I'll just give 9 because it doesn't have all the switching options you can get on an Anderson, for instance - but its features are all high quality.

I attempt blues, R and B, country, jazz - anything but metal. Playing at home through a blackface Princeton with a Weber C10Q speaker. I agree wholeheartedly with other comments that this guitar is particularly open, clear and full sounding, producing all the traditional strat sounds with great sensitivity to picking technique. I also agree with the last reviewer that the bridge pup leaves something to be desired - its thin and brittle sounding on its own (sounds fine in combination with the middle), and when I get around to it I'm going to replace it with a splittable humbucker, probably a Duncan Little '59.

I bought mine new and it was flawless. I must say I don't know how much, if any, set-up the store did on it, but I received it set-up perfectly. The workmanship on the finish, fret work, etc. also appears to be flawless.

I've babied mine so I really can't comment - however it certainly appears to be durable.

Never dealt with em.

Playing, gulp, over 30 years. Used to be a minor league pro, don't gig anymore but I have had considerable experience with various guitars. Have a Grosh Electratone with p-90s, a 51 Gibson ES-150 and a mutt Tele that sounds pretty good and used to be my main axe. Of these, and others I've owned/played over the years, I have to say this is one of the best made, best sounding and most versatile guitars you could buy. Especially a great deal for the money - you can pick up a used one in excellent shape for around $500. You can't get a better value than that. I have guitars that are worth a lot more in dollars than this one, but if my house were on fire and I could only grab one to play for the rest of my life it would be the Hamer.

This is Hamer's version of an American Standard Stratocaster, not to be confused with the Slammer series Daytonas. The layout is a classic Strat layout, with Sperzel locking tuners and Duncan single coil pickups replacing the Fender equipment. She's an opaque black with a pearloid pickguard and a maple neck. I've blocked the whammy in order to facilitate accurate multi string bending. I bought it used with a nice hardshell case.

My main gig at the moment is with a variety band that plays weddings and service clubs with the occasional bar gig mixed in. I play anything from Don Ho to AC/DC. I'm very surprised at how good this guitar sounds in these formats. I'm playing through Mesa Mark and DC3 amps and have managed to get sparkling clean as well as very aggressive but articulate tones. This is no heavy metal guitar, but for these gigs I find myself actually gravitating away from my PRS Standard and CE to the Hamer. I'm not using many effects, but with some chorus this guitar still sounds very crisp and open. The tones are very much in the Strat continuum, with 2 and 4 reedy and Claptonesque ( think "Keep On Growin"). One is a great "If 6 Were 9" tone. Position 3 is a very useful rhythm and lead setting on it's own, and is voiced quite differently from 1 and 3. Articulate with lots of drive, but not too raspy or trebly. The bridge pickup is pretty trebly and doesn't have a lot of drive for more aggressive rock. I might consider a JB Jr here instead of the stock pickup. I'm not generally a fan of Strats with stock pickups (I have one that I've reloaded with JB Jrs and a Little 59, for instance), but this is like a Strat on steroids. Big, bold, and clear as a bell. I give this a 9 because that bridge pickup needs a little less top end and a bit more grind.

I bought this guitar used and had to do a little simple setup on it. After that everthing has been fine aside from the problem that all Strats display with faux steel bending. I blocked the whammy with a shim an d grab one of the PRS guitars if I need some whammy action. This is a very quiet guitar considering that the pickups are single coil and I use some fairly serious gain about 40% of the time. This is definitely a 10.

I've replaced the strap buttons with Dunlop locking units ( I do this with every guitar, with no exceptions, even the PRSs which had very good strap buttons to start with). The finish is wearing poorly on this guitar, but that's simply not an issue with me. Ever seen Rory Gallagher's old number one Strat? The guitar is dependable, but I would never take a single guitar to a gig. That said, if I had to pick only one guitar and leave the rest at home, this one would get serious consideration. The Standard would probably go, though.

I've never had to work with Hamer.

I've been playing for over 25 years now and have owned lots of Fenders and Gibsons, along with a Hamer or two. I'd buy this guitar over almost any Strat I've ever touched. If stolen I'd definitely replace it with another. It stacks up well with the Smiths I own, although for harder rock there's no contest. This doesn't have that humbucker attack. But for blues, expressive pop or country it doesn't get much better than this. I wish there was a hardtail version. That would really do it. And a little more hard edged bridge pickup would be nice, maybe a splitable 59 or JB Jr. Still, a very fine instrument with no outstanding problems or flaws.