Hamer Eclipse Twelve String

Made in 95. 1 volume control and 2 tone controls. 3-way pick up selector switch. Two Seymour Duncan mini-humbucker pickups. Double cutaway. Tune-o-matic bridge with a stop tailpiece. Beautiful neck, more beautiful than words can really say.

I play from hardcore punk to pop punk music and it is the perfect guitar to transition between the two styles of music. I am currently using a B-52 half stack. The amp isn't all that great because it sounds horrible with almost every guitar, except the Eclipse. I'm investing in a 12-string Eclipse and another 6-string Eclipse. I just love them to death! I can do almost anything on it. The only thing I wish I could add to it would be the ability to turn the pickups on and off so I can use that as an effect every once in a while.

The set-up was obviously perfect, for I've only had to do routine maitenence on it (suprisingly less than any other guitar that I've owned, though). I hardly ever have to tune it and the intonation has been perfect since I got it. I really haven't had to touch anything on it.

I have a minor ding on the headstock from accidentally jumping into the bass play in my band at a show and his tuning peg took a chunk out of my guitar. I move around a lot and that is all that has happened to it. I haven't had to change any of the hardware and the finish is still almost perfect. The strap buttons have never failed me. I currently gig without a backup because I feel that it is a very dependable guitar. I have taken others advice and decided to get a backup guitar, so I bought another Hamer Eclipse. But lets see if I'll really need a backup.

No contact

I've been playing for 8 years. I have a Hamer Slammer SP/2, also. I love the Hamer Eclipse, it's the best guitar I've ever played and it's got a very sleek design to it (I'm female so that is pretty important on my end). I just put a 12-string Hamer Eclipse on layaway and just bought another 6-string Hamer Eclipse. In the future I hope to have a nice collection of strictly Hamer Eclipses, so email me if you're selling one for a reasonable price!

Haven't followed up on finding out exactly what year this was made. I know Hamer only made them for a short time. It's unfortunate more people didn't buy this guitar. It has 2 Seymour Duncan mini-humbuckers, like in a Gibson Firebird. They sound great!! Very warm sounding for a 12 string electric yet it still retains that ringing that is sought after. The body is mahogany which also attributes to the darker tones that can be achieved. This model is a double cutaway and the horn on the treble side is slightly smaller than the bass side. Very understated look. Mine is a very beautiful red with an understated sparkle in the finish. I bought this guitar without seeing it so I was worried about the red sparkle until I received it. Hamer really got it right. The octave strings go through the bridge and the regular strings run through the body. This definitely makes it easier in re-stringing. The tuners are great on this guitar. Also, the nut is graphite on mine which is nice for a 12 string, less chance of the strings getting caught up in the nut. As with all American made Hamers, came with a very nice Hamer hardshell case. I found absolutely no flaws on this guitar, from finish down to electronics to neck joint, etc. I can't believe I only spent $600 for this guitar!!! I rate this a 10 not because it has loads of features but because the guitar has everything it needs and nothing about it has been sacrificed.

I play this guitar through a Matchless Lightning '15 with 2 10" speakers. It sounds best clean. I don't really use effects much as they tend to suck tone from the guitar & amp. I am very picky about tone. I don't like pre-amp distortion so hence the 15 watt amp which allows me to overdrive the power tubes without going deaf. This guitar sounds really good with power tube distortion, not too sure on the pre-amp distortion sounds though. The bridge pickup is bright as one would expect but not shrill at all. It is a very usuable setting. It would stand out really well in a band with 2 guitars. I tend to play in the middle position with both pickups on most of the time. I probably use this setting the most as I'm not playing it with another guitarist. I would not say that this guitar really sounds like a Rickenbacker. You can somewhat emulate a Ricky but the Hamer has a sound unto itself. Without A/Bing them side by side, I would say the Hamer has both brighter sounds and darker sounds, maybe more variables than the Ricky.

I own a Hamer Special with 2 P-90's in it also. Both guitars are great in workmanship. In my opinion, Hamer is making some of the best guitars out there now, especially in their price range. There were absolutely no flaws on this guitar, none! The one thing that I really like about this guitar is the neck. I am 6'3" so it is very difficult to play a Rickenbacker due to the size of my hands. This is about the best neck on an electric 12 string for someone of my size. It is very comfortable fretting chords anywhere on the neck. One minor setback is that the guitar is a little headstock heavy, although not drastically, especially for a 12 string. I would not deduct any points for this as this is something one would expect from a 12 string. I bought this guitar used from a dealer. I hadn't even seen the guitar. I told him I was looking for this particular model and he told me he had a collector he was getting some guitars from. He ended up getting this guitar specifically for my request and at only $600! I'm still astounded at how cheap these high quality Hamer's re-sell for. I purchased my Special equipped with P-90's for the same price, again used from another dealer!

Another great feature on both of my Hamers is that they come equipped with strap-lock buttons. I've owned the Eclipse for about 6 months now. It is extremely solid and I would see no problems occurring unless you purposely beat the guitar. I would definitely gig without a backup-I already have too many guitars that I use in a live situation, no need to bring a back-up 12 string electric. This guitar tunes up nicely also. The intonation is great and it sounds great all over the neck. I've owned the Special for about 7 years now and never had a problem with it so I would assume the same for the Eclipse.

Never dealt with the company. I know that they make wonderful hand-made guitars and keep their prices down, unlike bigger companies such as Gibson. I would dare to say that Hamer's craftsmanship blows away any Fender guitar that is in the same price range. I would assume that if I had any problems, Hamer would definitely help me out.

I rate this guitar a 10 as I can't say that there would be anything to change about it. For only about $300 more than the Danelectro 12 string, which is still cool for the price, I received a completely "pro" piece. I had been watching on e-bay for some time, trying to bid on this particular model but I kept getting outbid in the last minute of the auctions. Finally, I searched the internet and found a dealer specializing in Hamers. He was extremely helpful and found this particular one for me. This one actually belonged in the personal collection of an executive at Kaman Music (they handle distribution for Hamer) so it was in pristine condition. I would be completely pissed if anything happened to this guitar as there aren't a whole lot of them out there. I would definitely search for another one. Hamer's American made models are tremendous values and I would purchase a new model from them before Gibson or Fender. I would place Hamer up there with Heritage as 2 of my favorite companies making guitars at this point, neither overprice their guitars. If you are considering purchasing one of these, do it now. You won't be disappointed!! (I know, I sound like I'm getting paid to say this, but I'm not)

Got this in 95--I sadly heard that they are no longer making this model. A real shame. Mine is candy green--like a 7Up can with chrome hardware and Duncan Firebird pickups. One volume one tone control. Bridge tailpiece unit is genius--primary strings go through body, the octave strings go through the tailpiece. Very easy to restring. All mahogany construction with rosewood board. Utterly shocking craftsmanship at an insanely low price. It is an understated double cutaway--and kind of egg shaped. A real underdog look. And then I plugged it in! Very simple--and totally valid!

My band, Flume plays modern pop (Sundays, Ivy, Luna, Lush) and I naturally use a 12 string to fill up the air with lots of open strings and drone chords. The Eclipse sounds great with delay and while many would consider adding chorus to a 12 string to be overkill, I have gotten it tweaked to a real sweet sparkle--very rich; a high calorie sound! I was stunned at the variety of tones it produces--the tone controls dont just subtract treble!! They actually sound "musical" at all levels--a real shock! I use it with 2 Trace Elliot Velocettes and it really inspired a big chunk of songs---I will give the tools some credit--the Eclipse is a giant part of the Flume sound. The Firebird pickups are just in a world of their own tone--and who would have thought to have them in a 12 string?! But thank God Hamer did; a brilliant choice. Thick and rich in the neck and just the right dry twang with the bridge position. We cover "Do It Clean" by Echo and the Bunnymen and the bridge sound is dead on perfect--handles distortion nicely too during the freakout part in the middle!

No work was needed--and again, the value of this guitar compared to others is just insane--and I told that to Jol Dantzig of Hamer in person! Not a single issue or glitch--perfect right off the rack.

This guitar has been used on every gig and every practice--all the sweat in the world polishes right off and it looks great. Finish is very scratch resistant compared to my LP. I can't say enough good things about the value of this highly overlooked guitar. It never let me down on a gig and tunes up nicely which can be a nightmare with 12strings!

Only had friendly contact with them.....never called for service but I imagine it would be tops.

I sold my Rickenbacker 360/12 when I got this--the Rick just could not compete on all levels--ease of tuning--string changes--and variety of sounds even with the Hamers much simpler layout, you can conjur a world of tones. I would never be without this, and what higher compliment can one pay than to say it inspired many Flume songs? A real tone cornocopia; and an utter crime that it didn't sell widely and now they are no longer made. Ah well...that's this world over.