Hamer Mirage II

1994 USA Made,transparent Blue Stain over Flame Maple top over mahogany body I am guessing the finish is Poly given the age,1 vol 1 tone. pair of Seth Lover Pick-ups, perhaps the best strat style whammy bar ever made ( wilkinson) Tele style 3 way selector original hard shell case

BIG Issue- this guitar is a 25.5" scale the same as a strat, so it has more tension on it than a les paul or a les paul reed smith- also the bridge has much harder saddles than a PRS or a tune-o-matic which helps with the voice. I instantly sold my PRS custom 22 and very nice LP classic- lighter and more agile than either of those IMHO. Play everything from heavier rock through to old school jazz and brazilian- this really is one that can do it all- Use it through a marshall 6101 all tube anniversay and a Dr.Z MAZ 18, 2-10

I am a luthier and have built my fair share of high end guitars and basses- this instrument has the best build quality I have ever encountered from a factory guitar, the control cavity is surgical room clean and neat. The ONLY issue is some finish issue right at the drivers side edge of the fingerboard- not extending to the neck just that 3/16" of the rosewood board- I hear this was common to the era

With this kind of build quality I cannot foresee a problem in the future. I am now looking for the Mirage 1 with the 3 single coils and a Koa top

never needed to contact them but they get consistently high ratings

I have lots of guitars and amps a stupid amount really 43 yrs playing, most professionally I have new and vintage(62) starts teles Gretchs etc.. I usually use a start I built myself but everyone uses strats these days even the old guard metal heds that used Vees and ESP/Jacksons- This guitar gives me something between a strat and a PRS- I did change the pick-ups to GFS that are a hybrid filtertron/P90- not that I didn't like the Duncans, just wanted a bit more sparkle- and I got it- would definitely replace it

Same features as listed below. Absolutely beautiful guitar with a blue flame top. Mine has got a pretty chubby neck which I like a lot. Very well built guitar with top notch hardware. The Wilkinson is the best I've used and I've had a couple. Two things I didn't like were the lubritrac teflon nut and the pickup springs in the neck position were not cut long enough to keep the pickup far enough away from the strings (boomy). Also, it arrived with way to much neck relief and nobody seemed to have the right socket wrench to fit in and do the job.

I purchased this guitar used via the internet based on User Reviews and an abiding love for a 93 HB Special that I own with the same set of pickups. Well I must say that initially I was quite disappointed with this guitar in the sound department. Even after I had changed out the teflon nut (tonesucker) for Tusq, the guitar still had issues. The neck sounded a tad boomy and uneven and I was unable to lower it enough - too close to the strings. The bridge just sounded harsh clean and like a buzzsaw with gain. The middle position didn't yield the chime I had hoped for. I actually thought about selling it early on but didn't because: A) it played like a dream once I was able to take some relief out of the neck; B) I have big hands and loved the neck right from the start; and C) it sustains for days power chords and boogie lines sound huge.

So I set about replacing the JB in the bridge which I feel, was a bad choice for this guitar - just too harsh with the trem and maple top (bright). A guy over at the electric guitar forum (Johnny Two Tone) recommended a Dimarzio Breed neck F spaced for its warmth, which I went with and it made all the difference in this guitar. The bridge is now articulate and warm but can still get real ballsy driven. The middle position sounds very chimey - perfection. I also replaced the springs in the neck with some longer ones so I could move the pickup far enough away from the strings. The 59 is a great neck pickup IMO and now sounds superb.

Very well made guitar overall, built like a tank. Some minor issues mentioned before - neck pick up springs were lacking. The D string was hanging up in the nut.

American made Hamers are made exceptionally well and comparable to custom shop IMO. Very dependable!!!

N/A

I now absolutely love this guitar. I have twelve really nice guitars and this one is now threatening for that most favored position because it is just so versatile and plays so effortlessly. It would be pretty hard to replace this little gem because of its vintage and # manufactured, as well as the TLC required to get it set up to my liking. I'm keeping an eye on this one and would fight, if need be, to protect her. This guitar is now as good as it gets.

OK....Here's a 96 Mirage II Flame Maple Top in KOOL BLUE as Hamer called it. BTW this is the LAST design that Terry McInturff designed for Hamer before he parted ways for his own Fame. Hamer only built 248 FMT Mirage II's and the Kool Blue and Cherry split that number.

I also own a KOA Mirage II and like it so much that I bought a FMT. So the review below is also mine on my other Hamer[Koa Mitage II]. The spelling is terrible their so I'll take my time here.

The design of the guitar and its appointments are really well described below. This is your basic Custom Shop design with a 3-piece Mahogany neck and a 9" pitch on the headstock [which is very unique to this guitar]. Some may love it other's may not. Its really another trade off between a Gibson and a Fender, which is what the Hamer Mirage II does. It stradles the line between Fender/Gibson/PRS. This guitar is a 25.5 scale [Fender scale]. It retains the Les-Paul woods with a Mahogany 1-piece back, 3-piece Mahogany neck, and a Two-Piece center seamed Flamed Maple Top, Hamer use's some of the nicest Flame Maple I have seen. Hamer also does some of the nicest guitar finish's I have seen using 14 coats of Clear on their finished product. There is no binding on the guitar, Their are no inlays[Fender]. Yet its still a very Custom Shop looking design. All these things I just LOVE about the Mirage.

Hamer use's the best hardware, Schaller Locking Tuner's 3 per side. The pick-ups are stock with two Seymour Duncans a 59/JB combo. Stock the MIrage II and this one has a 3-way [Strat style] switch. Also a Master Tone and Volume control [CTS pots]. The bridge on Both my Hamer's are a Wilkinson built Tremblo with a Push in arm [same as todays PRS]. The bridge is a 2-point and a excellent bridge. And the bridge and Hamers Grafite Nut and Scaller Locking Tuners. And you have an EXCELLENT string path.

The necks on the Hamer Mirage II range from a Fender Medium C to a Gibson 60 profile and some slightly chunkier. Not thin on any of the Mirage II's. For mid-90's Hamer's all the Mirage necks are Beefy in comparison. As I mentioned some are chunkier though as my Kool Blue Mirage is.

So while the Mirage II is a Dual Humbucker electric [like a LP] and retains the exact same woods as a Gibson LP. Its a Fender scale 25.5. with a Trem system [Stratocaster] and Lever Switching [Fender].

So in some way the best designs of both manufacturer's were utilized on the Mirage II.

These are just spectacular instruments, I have played Custom Shop Les-Pauls and Fender Strats for years, I have ventured over to Hamer several times because of their attention to detail which excedes Gibson's Custom Shop [Hamer's are that well built] Though I have not been able to BOND with any Hamer. I tried, I own a Newport, Artist Custom and a T-62. All of which are FINE electrics. Just not my favorite electrics.

When I bought my Artist back in the late 90's. It came down to the AC or a Mirage II in Kool Blue. I chose the AC. I have longed for that Mirage II ever since. Once I played my Koa for some time, I realized just how Great these Mirage II's are. I had to have it.

I have seen several Kool Blue Mirage II but none with as good as Action as mine. This guitar plays like a DREAM. While my KOA remains Flawless and MINT. My KOOL BLUE gets played and is easily my favorite AXE. The weight on mine is LIGHT at 7.8 LBs, The guitar has very good balance and hangs well on the body. The acoustic tone is awesome and the guitar resonates and sustains like nothing I've ever heard before.

While I have NEVER eally been a fan of the 59/JB Seymour Duncan set. They sound absolutly AWESOME in this electric. The neck is as Clear, Clean and Balanced as I EVER heard a 59. The wood combo and design of this guitar serve's these pick-ups extremely well. [While on the KOA I didn't care for them [59/JB] Koa Mirage II's also retain 's an extra Cap which is used as a Treble Bleed. Its absoluty useless and is ONLY on the KOA Mirage II's.] The JB's I have found vary from guitar to guitar. I have seen them with very high output and scooped mids. To average output and a basic PAF EQ. This JB falls into the later catagory. Its almost NOT HOT enough for the 59. There is NO VOLUME Drop-Off going from the neck pup to the Bridge JB. Which works great for this guitar. Matter of fact I pulled the bridge pick-up because I didn't think it was a JB. I had the feeling it was an Alnico II Pro. Thats how different this JB is.

These are spectacular sounding electrics. first off I am a VERY BIG fan of my KOA Hamer. I have never really bonded with Les-Paul Maple Tops. I always prefered the 57 all Mahogany LP's over the FMT LP's. I felt they produced better tone. The Koa was like finding a LOST PICASSO in the closet. Just fantastic tone with the KOA TOP. I have heard various opinions on the FMT Mirage II compared to the KOA Mirage II. So initially I bought the KOOL BLUE because I figured I'd have a back-up to my KOA? Well all those Bull**** storie's of these guitars being inferior to the KOA's were QUICKLY put to rest. The Hamer Mirage II FMT is simply the BEST sounding FMT electric I have ever heard. And I have 59RI Gibson and a Custom 24 PRS Special Order with a 1-piece Top? My Mirage II's outperform those guitars and my other Hamer's in EVERY way. And the FMT Mirage II quickly moved to the #1 spot with my KOA top being the BACKUP. Don't get me wrong BOTH sound very good and my KOA is a more complex sounding guitar. But the FMT plays as well as any guitar I've ever owned. And its STOCK TONE is right there. I spent a large amout of cash having Larry DiMarzio build me a set of Humbuckers for my KOA Mirage and added a 5-way Switch-Master switch. So for what the guitar is, and what I put into it? It should sound good. Thats not the case with my FMT Mirage II. This is an ALL STOCK Hamer that anyone would come across without having to do anything to the guitar.

The Hamer Mirage II will give you a feel thats a cross between a PRS/Strat. While its stock Tone's will fall firmly in the Les-Paul catagory with a lot more percussive action on the neck because of the 25.5 scale. Everything works EXCELLENT on this guitar. How this guitar wasn't a LARGE success is beyond me. I really don't think it was given the chance or reached the hands of the right people. Remember there are only 1000 Koa Top Mirage II's and 250 FMT Mirage

This is a Mid 90's Hamer. Being so it is susceptable to Hameritus. This is a small issue where Clear Finish on the Rosewood on the SIDE of the neck blister's. I had a small spot on this Mirage II. I have had this same issue to a much larger degree on a 93 FMT Studio HAMER that I SOLD. So its real and exists on mid-90 Hamer's that are NOT BOUND. FOR ISSUE'S? Thats it. These are EXTREMELY well thought out and constructed guitars. Hamer's in the years to come are going to to be VERY COLLECTABLE guitars if the markey continues as it is today. These are NOT a fad they are the REAL DEAL and are BETTER if not just as good as ANY Custom Shop guitar I have played from the USA. And I have owned some great one's!

Hamer use's the Very BEST woods that they could possibly purchase.. Hamer's Quilt Tops and FMTs easy equal PRS 10-Tops. While PRS are commendable for Pro-Line guitars. In no way do they equal the craftsmanship of Hamer any more. When PRS went Pro-Line the quality suffered.

These Hamer's are the most consistant instrument I have come across. I NEVER buy guitars On-Line or on the Web EXCEPT HAMER's. You just CANNOT trust the quality. With Hamer you COULD do this. They are THAT WELL BUILT!

OK listen...........This is a CUSTOM SHOP electric with an Angled Headstock. So unlike a Strat or Tele you cannot treat these like WAR CLUBS.

If you care for these Mirage II's like you would any other Custom Shop electric of this type. You will have an instrument that will serve you well for a lifetime. Simply Put!

The BEST, Jol overheard me mention I needed a Flush Mounting Jack for my Artist Custom and sent one in the Mail immediatly. Are you listening...............He OVERHEARD this conversation!!!!! The guy is ROCK SOLID people and his instruments reflect this!

Hamer Mirage II's have never been the "FLAGSHIP" of the HAMER line. Matter of fact they are a design that lasted a quick 2-years. But they very well may be one of the BEST electric guitar designs EVER produced. They ARE my main gigging guitar. They are very comfortable to play. These could be very versitile electrics. Stock they are 3-way LP type switching. But with a 5-way switch and coil taps? These Mirage II's became very versitile. This Mirage II being reviewed here is a STOCK 3-way switching electric thats main focus is on great Humbucker Tone's. And it NAILS those LP Tone's VERY WELL. Mirage's have ROCK SOLID string paths. The Tremblo on them easily compares to some of the BEST designs EVER produced. These are no-nonsense, real-deal professional electric guitars. The Mirage is Stunning Looking. While it lacks Binding and Inlay's these are appointments that over the years I have found USELESS. The appointments it does have that are usefull? A spectacularly finished Flamed Maple Tops in one of the Nicest Transparent Blue finish's I have EVER owned. I am a BIG fan of Trans BLUE finished electrics. I have owned a Trans Blue DEL-SOL DEAN, GIBSON LP-DC Standard, Schecter Classic C1, Fender FMT Tele, PRS Custom 24 in Matteo BLUE. The finish on the Hamer Mirage II is the MOST desirable of ALL the Transparent BLUE's I have come across to date. It stands out the BEST. Its one of the few Blue finish's that allow you to see the Flamed Maple from a distance. The ONLY other Trans Blue finish thats even close is GIBSON's BLUE DIAMOND that was mixed exclusively for the Les-Paul Double Cut STANDARD back in 97-98.

If your a fan of HUMBUCKERS and play Tremblos on your guitar. and "IF" you come across one of these? Give it a GOOD HARD look. They are FANTASTIC electric guitars that were never given their due respect.

96 Hamer Mirage II with a AAAA KOA Top. All the rest of the stock features are well described.
Soe things that need to be mentioned. The Headstock angle on the Mirage has the least amout of angle I've ever seen on this type of guitar.
Fender scale with a PRS type boby would describe the Mirage well. I have a PRS Custom 24 and the Mirage outperforms it in every way. Not by a hugh margin. But it is the better electric

From Les-Paul to a Vinatge Strat. I had all the electronics done by Larry DiMarzio. The Mirage actually has 4 single-coil size humbuckers now with humbucker base plate and custom built top by DiMarzio. Larry also used Nickle rails instead of Bleack Oxide. A 5-way Switch Master was added. The guitar gets great tone's now ...Really. very close to a LP and Vin Strat.

Frankly these are built very nice. I would not order another guitar sight unseen EXCEPT a HAMER....POINT BLANK. They build guitars thats well.

GREAT

Couldn't ask for a better solid boby electric. I'm a Strat player and aside from my Strats I LOVE this electric and I am a Very hard to impress player when it comes to anything but Strats. Simply put I grew up on them.

96 ish USA made.
22 Fret.
AAA Grade (and then some - nearly the best flame I've seen) Flame maple top over mahoganny.
1 tone 1 vol 3 way switch
2 Seymore Duncan Humbuckers "Seth Lover Model" neck pickup, JB model bridge.
Double cut arch top, between a double cut LP and a PRS
Wilkinson strat style bridge.
Locking Sperzel tuners
25.5 scale
Came with hard case

Bridge JB is a little bright unless I roll off the tone knob just a touch - then its perfect for my tastes. Good all around rock pickup. Put it to a cranked Marshall and there you go!

Neck Seth Lover is absolutely wonderful. I believe this is the same as the 59 model, just signed by Seth Lover (the guy who invented the humbucking pickup) Blues or classic rock all the way, or anyone who wants the tone of a classic LP.

As someone else stated, the tone control on this guitar ACTUALLY WORKS, and you can cut the bright out of that JB if you want a little mellower tone.

I've run this into a BUNCH of amps and liked it all. The Princeton Reverb, the Marshall Artist 30, my friends 60watt Marshall combo, and the Line 6 POD 2.0 amp simulator. I generally don't run much for FX, but it works well with my Bixonic Expandora as well. I haven't heard a bad tone out of this guitar.

All that said, you aren't going to get Strat or Tele out of this, you also aren't going to get super-metal tones (active EMG). If you want one guitar that does EVERYTHING (you're dreaming!) it isn't here, but you can get a great range of old-school dual humbucker tones SG LP, the neck can get a great jazz tone if you roll it back a ways...

Action fit and finish: FLAWLESS. I unboxed this guitar myself from the factory, and it was perfect. IN TUNE! Oh, and did I mention the flame top? Sweet. I hate to gush this much, but I have unboxed a lot of guitars (worked at a shop when I bought this - Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, Washburn, Takamine, Ovation, Taylor, Peavy, G&L and probably a few I can't remember...) and only Taylor matches the USA Hamers for factory setup!

I'm pretty nice to guitars (you sell 'em for a while, and you learn to handle and play without hurting!), so I have never had any problems with the finish or anything. The Sperzel locking tuners hold the tuning very well. I can travel all day with it in the car, have the weather change, let it sit in the car and get to nearly freezing temps, pull it out of the case, and the tuning is almost perfect still! If you gig for a living ALWAYS carry a backup, but I wouldn't expect to need it!

limited Lifetime warrenty - like most higher-end axes.
Never had to deal with them... even in the years I sold these, we never had to have any warrenty repair, but for what its worth, they are owned by the same parent company as Ovation, Takamine, and a few others, and they were all usually very good.

Like I said, I hate to gush so much, but I LOVE this guitar. I put this thing on the wall in the store and actually held back for about two weeks watching other people try it out before I had to bring it home. Best playing electric guitar in the store, bar none. Including the high dollar LP. Since then, I haven't picked up anything as good and I haven't run into anyone who wasn't impressed upon picking it up.

Mahogany body, lucious flame (cherry)maple top, double cutaway 25.5
scale rosewood fretboard, medium large frets, 14.5 radius(flat& fast)
Schaller locking tuners, Wilkinsen vintage trem, Duncan 59 neck and JB
bridge pickups, 3 way strat style switch, 1 volume and 1 tone control.

The perfect rock guitar. Les Paul punch, strat scale to facillitate
the better than Fender vintage Wilkinsen trem. If you don't whammy, get a Paul or different Hamer. Or overspend and get a comparable PRS.
Some people complain about the Duncan JB being too bright. Back off a little on you amps high end. No problem. By the way this is one of the
prettiest hotshot guitars I've ever seen. Hamer do do the do! Sounds
good clean on all pickup settings. Can do Slash, Eddie and even Fripp
should you so desire. Here's the best part. I've seen these on E-bay
for way less than a grand. Run, don't walk>

Top notch in every way. The finish is gorgeous. The action is smooth
but very substantial like a Paul. Neck is chunky in a good way. More
meat for the heat.

Hamer is a fabulous guitar company. I can't believe all the people who want PRS stuff when Hamers are out there for much less. My buddy who has a PRS lusts after my Hamer and will likely buy one when he sells his PRS>

Lifetime warranty. Haven't had any problems. I called them once just to gush, and they were very nice.

This model is (tragically) discontinued. But as I said, there always
seems to be one or two on E-bay for not much money.

This is an archtop double cutaway style with a sweet looking and sounding curly koa top - with two covered Duncan 'buckers (59 & JB), Sperzel locking keys and a Wilkinson vintage style vibrato.
This guitar has a few twists that seperate it from things like the PRS and Gibson DC Pauls. The scale length is 25.5" which I very much like - it seems odd that a 3/4" difference would change much, but it really is a part of some of my favorite guitars including the Gibson Nighthawk. The neck is hefty with medium-large frets and just has a very solid feel to it.
All hardware is nickel plated - nice and very classy looking. The Wilkinson bridge uses stamped steel saddles for tone, but they thought it through so that they don't shred your hand like the classic Fender unit.
The electronics are pretty simple a three-way switch, volume and tone. The pickups seem wired out of phase.
Not a lot of gadgetry, but everything's well considered and works together as a whole.

With my modded Marshall 800 combo or my Ampeg VT-40 it sounds big, bad and bold. The neck pickup was a bit muddy to me, but rotating it in the ring, so the adjustments were closer to the bridge cured that.
This guitar will play anything you can and responds to your attack beautifully.
I bought it used and the nut was worn and catching strings. I replaced it with a well fitted graphtek and it stays in tune extremely well even with the occasional whammy divebomb.
The only trick they missed was getting a straight pull from the nut to the tuners. Even still it holds tuning well enough that I don't need to retune on stage - ever.
I play a hard rocking classic rock style and this guitar is near perfect. The one guitar I can stay with for an entire show.

I bought this guitar used from Elderly Instruments. It needed a new nut when I got it. This guitar is extremely well built and well designed. The bridge has plenty of room for intonation adjustment, so is well placed.
The overall feel is of extreme solidity and tightness.

I love this thing live - there is absolutely no question about any part of it. It tunes up easily and stays in tune. I've played a lot of shows on just this guitar, which is rare for me. If I had to play without a backup, this would be the one.
The only thing that might be an issue for anyone, is that nickel does not wear as well as chrome plating. So, oh dear, it will look worn in another 20 years. It'll look better in the meanwhile

Never even thought I'd ever need to talk to anyone about it.

Just for perspective, I've been playing for about 32 years and have owned just about everything there is. Prior to buying this, my main stage guitars were a Hamer Studio, A Pensa built Tele and a Gibson Nighthawk.
This is the one guitar I own, that if something happened to it, I would feel a need to get another just like it.
I may add a coil tap for the bridge pickup to get some new sounds with, but we'll see. This is something I'll clip lead and test before changing anything.

1998 Hamer Mirage II, 22 frets, etc. It features 2 duncan hummers, a 59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. Double cut away body. Nice blue/greenish flamed finish. Wilkinson tremelo, (it comes with a wammy bar, but the bar has a nasty tendency to fall out) schaller locking tuners. The neck is similar to a strat neck with rosewood, and it came with a hard shell case.
A couple things I didn't like was the lack of binding or any cool block inlays. Also, it only features one master volume knob and one master tone knob -- usually doesn't make a difference, but worth metnioning.

I play rock and blues and a little of everytyhing else. My set up is a Fender Hot Rod Deville amp, Marshall Blues BReaker II and Mamrshall Guv'nor Plus. The tone is great, it has a thick "wall" of tone that my les paul and strat don't have. Very creamy sounding and very resonant. The 59 in the neck sounds good, but under distortion it tends to sound muddy (this is common with the neck position tho). The JB is OK, but it's too trebly for my tastes. I plan on swapping it out soon for a 59, pearly gates or something like that.
It always sounds thick and dignified, it sparkles and glows in clean and it can really snarl with some overdrive. Excellent sounding axe overall.

When I go it, the action was a bit higher than my liking (but not unrealistically high), and the overall intonation was WAY off. It seems to have been completely reset. This irritated me because I HATE setting the intonation, not to mention setting it when it's completely off. Oh well. I took the 9s off and put on 10s, lowered the action, then spent an hour or so setting the intonation. Now it plays ideally. Feels a lot like a strat because the neck has the same dimensions.
Oh, and the bridge pickup was also a bit further from the strings than it needed to be. This was a very simple adjustment. Even though it's perfect NOW, when I got it it needed a considerable amount of adjustment. For that reason I'm not giving it a ten. The guitar's got a sturdy foundation and a good soul, and I expect it to last longer than me.

Everything's very sturdy. Hamer puts a lot of care into construction in its USA models so that things fit well and don't fall apart. They even route little recesses for the strap buttons. I use this guitar to gig, and while I always have more than one guitar with me at a gig, I never expect this one to poop out on me. Even still, gigging without any backups is always stupid.

I haven't had any problems with the guitar, so I really don't know. I hear they're very helpful.

I've been playing for 5 years, and own and have owned a variety of axes. This is one of my favorites. It's similar to my Les Paul ni many ways (functionally), but still very different. It has life and personality. If I lost it or if it were stolen, I don't know if I'd get the exact model again (especially since this model is discontinued), but I'd definitely look at similar Hamer guitars.

Hamer USA Mirage II 1998 Mahogony body with flamed maple top. Mahogony neck with rosewood fretboard. One volume and one tone control. One Seymour Duncan 59 in neck and Duncan JB in bridge. Both are humbuckers. Clear nitro finish( I believe) I am not sure if it is all nitro, or just enough to say it is a nitro finish. Body style is a double cutaway. This is a thinner body than Hamer studios. It has a 25 1/2 inch scale length. Sperzel Locking tuners....the best! Wilkinson trem bridge... I never use the bar. It came with a cool hardshell case.

I play poprockalternative style music in a Christian rock band. I write the majority of the music and play rythem and all leads. I use this guitar when I need a thicker distorted sound or a jazzy clean sound from the neck. All of my other guitars are single coilers. I use it with several different amps. It works well with them all. I love the 59 bucker in the neck. I am not nearly as excited about the JB. I know this is a well loved pickup, but there is too much gain for me. I am going to replace it with a 59 bridge pickup soon. I have heard many people say this is Hamers version of 335. It is not really like one, but can get some suitable jazz sounds.
I also wish there was a volume and tone knob for both pickups instead of one master for each. That would be cool, but I can live without it. Overall sounds very good.
I would rate it a 9 with a 59 in the neck. (I am much more of a single coil guy than a bucker guy)

The guitar came with 9's which I changed to tens. I am not the best setup guy, but I got it to play great. The neck has some beef, but it plays very fast. The flamed maple top came with a honey finish and is beautiful. A great looking guitar. The bookmatch is superb. No flaws that I saw.

I have had another USA Hamer for the last two years, and have had no problems at all. I trust their quality. Great company. 5 year warranty on this guitar. I have played with it live for once a week for three months now. No problems. They put excellent hardware on it, so I know it will last.

Great company, five year warranty. nuff said.

I am not a bucker guy normally, but this guitar has proven very useful. They don't make this model anymore, but I would look for another if I had to. I love the way it plays and the looks the most. The sounds are exactly what I needed.

Mine is a 1996 Mirage II made in the USA. This is the 22 fret model and it has a 25.5" scale length. This is really cool because these are strat neck dimensions on a glued neck guitar, which gives it the ultimate Fender meets Les Paul feel. The neck also seems slightly beefier than some other Hamers that I've played which I like; it's fretboard is wide but it's more of a wide/fat than wide/thin. This guitar features two Seymour Duncan humbucking pickups, both of which are covered (JB/'59), and a 3 way Strat style selctor. There is only one volume and one tone, but I wish each pickup had its own volume control like a Hamer Studio. It has a mahogany body with a beautiful flamed maple top and is finished in a deep dark blue. This isn't important to me though, I don't mind opaque finishes. It has double cutaways which gives you good upper fret accessibility. Other nice features are a Wilkinson vintage style trem and Sperzel locking tuners. All hardware is chrome.
The only thing that I can see adding in the future is that I might put in a coil tap for single coil sounds. That's not really a big deal though, because I hardly can think of a time when I want single coil sounds.

This guitar gives me virtually everything I want, so for me it's the ideal guitar. The Duncans sound great and well balanced and the trem works wonderfully and stays in tune, but then again I just use it to embellish chords here and there, no dive bombs. The Mirage's sound is so organic and airy that it sounds like it has sound chambers in the body, but it doesn't. Even though it kind of looks like it would be a shredder's dream, like a PRS or Brian Moore or something like that, I find it's best suited for bluesy/jazzy and classic rock styles (though I'm sure you could do virtually anything with it. It's very versatile). The combination of the Duncans and body woods gives it a very warm and fat sound, but it's not muddy at all. I use this guitar through a very basic set-up: Mirage II, Fulltone Fulldrive II, Marshall JCM 900 dual reverb 2x12 combo amp with a Boss DD-3 delay in the loop. This setup gives me a lot of versatility, which is great because although I like a lot of blues and classic rock (ARC Angels, Cream, Albert King, Muddy, etc.) sometimes it's necessary to play some of the heavier styles. It's nice not to have to switch guitars for that. The tone controls on Hamers are fantastic as well, i.e., they actually work, unlike Gibsons. A little turn of the knob will take you a long way, as will the volume control. This is great for when you're using an amp opened all the way up to go from a whisper to a roar without switching channels on the amp. Just turn the volume knob from about 4 or 5 up to 10. Wow! This guitar is perfect for me and does everything I want it to. I can go from playing Born Under a Bad Sign, to some cheesy faux jazz comping between songs to a heavier cover of Jane's Addiction without switching guitars. I love it.
Like I said, this is a very versatile guitar with a bluesy soul. I'm sure you could do really heavy metal with it but you'd want to change pickups, or maybe take the covers off. Then again, those guys change everything anyway.

It's hard to tell about the factory set up because I bought this as New Old Stock and it was 3 years old when I got it. It must have been great though because only the high E string was out of intonation, and it wasn't that far off. This was a very simple adjustment. Everything else was excellent. The finish is immaculate, not a flaw to be found. This is the kind of finish you find on a top of the line PRS or Gibson. Actually, I've never seen a Gibson finish close to this great. There's no binding either, so that makes the luthier have to be extra careful about the area where the Maple cap meets the rest of the body. Well done!

This guitar will outlive us all as long as it doesn't get dropped a bunch of times or something stupid like that. Rock solid, this is how Gibson used to make them. I think Hamer USA makes something like 3 guitars a day. They obviously are very critical of what they do. This is a hot-rodded axe with after-market parts right out of the factory. The Seymour Duncans, Wilkinson bridge, and Sperzel tuners will all last for many years. Don't buy this guitar (or any Hamer) just to collect them. They are meant to be played and played a lot! You may want to buy strap locks though ... but I don't think they're necessary unless you jump around a lot. You could gig without a backup, unless you don't know how to tune your guitar and want a backup on stage and in tune. But then again, if that's your problem, I doubt you'd get a gig.

When I first received the guitar via a store 4 hours away, I wasn't enthralled with the color (the picture I saw looked different). I wrote a letter to Hamer when I sent in the warranty card asking about the color. A couple of weeks later I got a handwritten letter from a guy in customer service explaining all that I had asked about, in addition to a bunch of Hamer picks and a new catalog. That really did it for me. I like to be treated like a good customer, not the next person in line. Hamer scored big points with me here.

I've been playing guitar for eight years and also own a Gibson Les Paul and a Hamer goldtop import (unbeatable at the the price), as well as a bunch of pedals and the Marshall JCM 900. Considering my Mirage II lists at over $2,000 with a case, I got this guitar for a steal. I guess they discontinued this model sometime in 1998, so a lot of stores are blowing them out. You can really get one for far less than they are worth right now. I bought this to save my Les Paul from getting beaten on as Gibson's prices go up astronomically each year, but in many ways I like this guitar better. I can't give Hamer enough praise for the efforts they make to put a better instrument in each guitarist's hands for far less money than you'd ever pay for a comparable Gibson or PRS. It's beyond me why this company hasn't caught on more than they have. But maybe that's better for the rest of us who know about them because it allows Hamer to stay small enough to give us personal attention and outstanding quality.
One last thing: I brought this Mirage II down to my local Marshall dealer to try out some new amps and the snot nosed brat in the store says, "Hey that's a pretty nice PRS knock-off." No way. Hamer had this body style on the market long before PRS was around. If anything, both companies owe more to Gibson's double-cut LP Juniors from the fifties than anything. Anyway, Hamers may cost less money, but they're NOT second rate to PRS. They've won me over. I'm a believer.