Hamer Newport Pro

This is a 2000 model, USA made Hamer, 22 frets all 100 % accessible with hand-carved, solid spruce top and a mahogany back carved from one piece of wood. I bought it used through Ebay. I already knew Hamer quality, because I own an Artist Mahogany that is a super slick, sweet sounding axe. I like the Newport even better. It has two humbuckers, both Duncan Seth Lovers. They sound good, but the neck pickup was a little too bluesy for me, as I mainly play jazz. I called Kent Armstrong and he hand-wound a new 12 pole jazz humbucker just for this guitar. He even personally stayed on the phone with me when I installed it to make sure I did it right. With the Armstrong pickup, this guitar sounds so sweet and woody. Really fits nicely with a good spring reverb amp. The body is a double cutaway with a three piece (lengthways) mahogany neck and binding everywhere, including up the sides of the frets for a smooth, comfortable neck. Came with Grover Imperial tuners, which I switched for regular Grovers, since the long buttons got in the way of each other. My only other modification on this guitar is Graph-Tech saddles. Not only do these saddles practically eliminate broken strings, but they also smooth out the sound compared to the steel Schaller saddles that come stock. Of course, Hamer electronics are excellent, all hand-wired. The neck is so easy to play; not an extra-thin shredder neck, but slim enough for my short fingers to get around while still having enough chunk to fill the palm. The body is about 2 inches thick, much like an ES 335, though a little smaller across the lower bout, but truly hand carved with sexy lines and soft curves. Plays great, feels great, sounds great, a true dream guitar for the jazz/blues player.

The sound is just a litte bright for me with the stock Seth Lovers, but the Armstrong jazz pickup in the neck sweetens the tone and gives much better string definition. If I want to play SRV, I can switch to the bridge pickup and get gnarly twang. Although it is a hollow body, the top is a good 1/4 inch thick at the F holes and I haven't been able to make it feed back, even when I play it directly in front of an amp. You just have to play a Hamer USA to understand, but this guitar has such a great vibe, you can feel the tone in your chest when you strum a chord.

I bought this guitar used but very well cared for. It was very well set up. I haven't done any adjusting except for resetting the bridge when I put in the graphite saddles and setting intonation. The top is beautifully bookmatched. There are no flaws I can find anywhere: no glue visible, no binding gaps, frets smooth and polished. Truly a fine example of the best American craftsmanship. If you are interested, you should take the virtual factory tour at:

http://www.hamerguitars.com/?fa=workshop

What you will see is a standard guitar that is built with more care than you will get from Gibson's custom shop.

Hamer USA puts 14 coats of hand-sanded lacquer on each guitar, so their finishes are thick and durable. I just don't want to bump it into anything that would crack the finish and ruin the looks. Except for the remote possibility of a string breaking, I'd definitely play without a backup.

I haven't had to have any warranty work done, but their customer support answered questions within 24 hours when I was trying to find out some of the features of the guitar.

Not sure of the year, but obviously 1999 or later. Beautiful black cherry burst finish with dark sides, but a nice transparent grain on the spruce top and mahogany back. Actually the top is solid spruce and the body is partially hollow carved from one piece of mahogany. Grover Imperial tuners, lubricat nut, tune-o-matic bridge and tail piece and two Seth Lover humbuckers. High quality rosewood fingerboard with medium/jumbo frets, real mother of pearl dot inlays and nice three ply white binding on the top and neck. The neck is a 3-piece mahogany stressed neck with a very very nice feel to it.

The electronics are controlled by a single volume and tone knob.

Nice guitar with some nice extras!

This guitar is very, very nice. The more I read up on Hamer, and the more disgusted I got with big name brand guitars, the more I bought into Hamer's concept of how they make guitars. I've owned a Hamer Studio with P90s and was already aware of their quality and sound. I nearly bought a Newport with the bigsby and phat cat single coils last year, but held off in favor of the stop tail and humbuckers.

It's true this is a thin line hollow body, but the neck joint extends under the neck pickup. The bridge pickup is left with air underneath it, but the mahogany body block starts again just under the bridge and tailpiece and extends to the back. So, while there is some hollowness to the body, there is also some wood, which I believe helps cut down on the feedback. Cranked, this guitar will still howl, though if in the bridge position. The neck pickup can go all night without a problem. Seth Lovers are non-wax potted, so they would squeal anyway at higher volumes.

This guitar crunches up nicely and sounds similar to my Heritage 150 CM with Duncan Antiquities. However, you can hear the bass strings bring out the hollowness of the guitar. It can definitely get smoother and jazzier, and as with most semi-hollow guitars, you really don't start to benefit from the woodiness of the the semi-hollow tone until you're cranked into high overdrive where air, vibration and pickups start coming togeather. It also doesn't really sound like an L-5 (well duh!) since it's maybe a little less than 2" thick and has some middle body block in the guitar. I still get a nice acoustic resonance from the guitar and it does translate through the amp.

I'd say for those looking to experiment with a hollow/semi-hollow and want a quality guitar, this is a good, safe bet. If you're primarily a les paul player, an L-5 might be too much the extreme, but the Hamer Newport will give you a little of that jazz vibe, a lot of that blues vibe and a lot of blending in vibe to just about anything you want to use it for. The Seth Lovers are warm pickups, but seem to crunch nicely when applied.

Sounds great and have no dislikes.

Hamer knows how to build a guitar period. Their TV yellow paint on the special had a problem mixing with the glue, but other than that, you will generally find no flaws or any shoddy workmanship whatsoever on any Hamer. They really put Gibson to shame and charge a whole lot less. Plus, the same people that made my guitar probably made yours. The lack of turnover yields quality luthiers and as a result, quality guitars abound at Hamer USA.

Neck is built solid, but comfortable. Finish job is excellent, no popping or cheap switches used on this guitar and the hardware (tuners, pickups, bridge and stoptail) are top notch.

I'd most definitely use this on a gig without a backup if I had to.

Never had to deal with them. I hear since they are under the Kaman umbrella, they actually have gotten even better. Usually it's just the opposite when a larger company buys a smaller one. Not this time.

Will leave the customer support blank, but this is a great company.

20 years of playing and I have a Heritage H-150, an Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Super Sport, G&L Comanche and have an Albert Lee Music Man on order. I play through a Rivera Quianna and also use a pod.

I only wish it had a twin brother

Lost or stolen I'd definitely look at getting another. Have had a 335, 135 and like the Heritage 535s, but this Hamer does everything the above guitars do while still offering a vibe of its own.

I love the feel of the neck, the playability and the tone. I guess I don't dislike anything about this guitar. I do wish they offered more colors because I have a red guitar, but who cares, it's about tone first.

See above. Very versatile, but still unique.

Wish it had a twin brother or a clone machine that could make me a standard newport with the phat cats for some more versatility.

If you see one of these (which around Nashville is hard), you should jump on it. At least try it out. It's a great guitar and plays like a dream. It holds its tuning well thanks to the great neck and lubricat nut and the Seth Lovers really make this guitar multi dimensional. You won't get as much punch out of it than a les paul or PRS, but then again, that is why you buy a semi-hollow in the first place. You won't get as bouncy a sound when playing jazz chords which makes this guitar very sutable for playing jazz. By adding 11's or higher and using flatwounds you will be very close to Lee Ritenour's sound. I like using 10s and unwound thirds so I can get more classic crunch, but this guitar is more than able to handle the bebop if needed. In addition, it's a shame these don't have the same reputation as Gibson. These are not just as good, they are much better. I'm proud to say I'm no longer a brand snob. I sold my Gibson's Paul Reed Smiths and Fenders in favor of G&L, Ernie Ball, Heritage and Hamer. I like Robin guitars also. All american made, and high quality without the ridiculous price tage. In addition, it's nice to have something everyone else does not have. Your best bet is to buy a Hamer used as you will basically be able to steal it when you compair materials, workmanship, playability and tone.

The bottom line is this is a great guitar!

Covered already by others.

A beautiful woody tone that allows the notes to feel as though they are jumping from the fingerboard.

Perfect, no complaints.

I have other Hamers and they are all excellent and road worthy.

Kim Keller at customer support is great. Why Hamer allows BCR Music to be a dealer however is a mystery to me. He posts pictures of animals having sex on their webpage, obesses over the under age Olsen twins and is a real snake IMO. I prefer Wilcutt Guitars, avoid BCR as Greg is a two faced jerk that thinks if it was not for him Hamer would go out of business.

This guitar is wicked simple; a volume knob, a tone knob, and a pickup selector. The reason that i leave the rating blank, however, is that this is all the controls that you need. You can dial in any tone that you can get with the four knobs found on a gibson, and it's alot easier to get a good one. the volume knob is also placed really well for volume swells, and the selector switch is under the knobs, rather than on the top section, so it doesn't get in the way. Great setup, but i'd be lying if i said that it had "tons of features"

i run this guitar through an ampeg superjet and it sounds, well, dissapointing. I've used several guitars through this amp and have come to the conclusion that these pickups are subpar. with the treble turned up they sound weak, and with a bassier tone they sound positively muddy. I replaced the stock pickups (seth lovers, i believe) with gibson P-94s (those are humbucker sized P-90s). Sounds great, the best of both worlds, fat, loud, and biting. DO THIS MODIFICATION! the pickups are under $100, and for only a few hours of labor, you can infinitely improve the sound.

AMAZING!!!! i got a goldtop, and just out of the case this thing amazed me. Plays great and looks great. Only two beefs with this: one, the strings that come on it are a little bit light. you need at least tens or elevens. a bigger issue, however, is the pickup problems. the neck sits lower on the body than on a gibson, so the strings are closer to the body, so the strings were actually HITTING THE PICKUPS! I had to sink the pickups below the edge of their mounts to fix this, and now they wiggle around like hell.
On the positive side, however, the single best aspect of this guitar is it's balance. it is PERFECTLY balanced. I also have a telecaster, and it seems unweildy in comparison. This thing weighs very little, but one more time, BALANCE. This is made completely in USA, by the way.

This guitar seems pretty solid. i live in new hampshire, so the main problem that i have to deal with here is the cold, which can be a killer for guitars. i'm pretty lazy, so i've only been minimally careful with this thing, but it has stayed in tune and the finish has stayed flawless. I haven't really banged it around a whole lot, so my rating is a little qualified, but it certainly looks up to some serious playing.

my only delaings with Kaman (the Hamer distributor) was a brief email correspondance i had about the differences between the different models of newports. The guy i talked to was always polite and very helpful. I haven't had any sort of customer support dealings though, but the warranty seemed to work just fine.

In the end, i would highly recommend this guitar. It's built and finished flawlessly, and like i said, balanced superbly. The pickups are a real dissapointment, though. i had to spend some extra time and money replacing them, but it sounds great now. Hamer should offer the P-94s stock. Maybe its a problem since they're made by gibson. hmmmm.... Anyhow, this is a great buy if you're willing to invest the small amount of time and work to fix the electronics flaws. (for value comparison, just test this thing against an es-335. Blows it out of the water!!!)

Hollow-body thinline, electric. Double-cut, Hand carved spruce top. Mahogany back, neck, rosewood board. single bound top, neck, and headstock. Grover super rotomatic tuning machines, Duncan Seth Lover p/u's. Three way blade switch, tone, volume control. Which actually work. Tune-o-matic, stoptail. Double cutaway. Very well balanced. 59 Les Paul style neck. Duncan's sound great.

Great sounding ax

Hamer's are hand made. You won't find a better built guitar.

Solid like a rock

Doesn't get any better.

Before you buy any other 335 style guitar.....PLAY THIS ONE....IT IS NOT LAMINATED......IT WILL JUST GET BETTER AND BETTER.

Don't know what year it was made, but it was made in the USA.
22 frets.
Solid-top (I think). Hollow body, two f-holes.
One volume control, one tone and a pickup selector (N/B&N/B).
Don't know what pickups are in it nor do I know the woods.
Passive electronics, Cherry Burst Red finish - just fantastic.
No trem, Glover tuners.
Case and neck truss rod tool included. No manual.
I give it a 9, because it doesn't have "tons of features". But everything I need is there.

I'm not sure what my style is. I play mostly for self-enjoyment and a few gigs at local nursing homes. This guitar does everything I need with no problems. I can get a nice soft religious style of mellow with a deep throbing bass out of it for those kinds of songs. Or, when I'm alone at night, I can crank it up to do Queen leads with no problem. It seems to work well at anything I try. I also have a '91 Strat Deluxe with Kinman pickups and a PRS Custom 24. This guitar will be replacing both of those. It can do what either of those can do and better.

Using it with a variety of amps - Marshal AV50T, AV20T, Carr Rambler, etc.. It sounds good with all of them. It even sounds fantastic through my Passport 150! Which is good, because then I don't need to carry a mixer.

Since I got this and the Carr amp, I've been cutting back on my pedals. Don't need much with this or the Carr or Marshalls. I have a Boss tuner, Boss Auto-wah, Boss Distortion, Boss chorus and Boss Delay in my chain. I can get just about any sound I want with these.

The sound is "rich and full". I can even use it as a stand-in acoustic for practice playing. It's got a nice crunch if I turn the tone knob up and a real nice full throaty mellow bassy kind of sound if I turn it down.

The tone knob really works - unlike the PRS, which seems to do nothing and the Strat, which seems to do too much (although it is custom-wired with push-pull pickup pickup selector controls.)

This is definitely a 10 for sound.

Set-up was impeccable. Too good, as a matter of fact. The only adjustment I had to make was to lower the low E polepiece on the neck pickup, just because of my picking style. Otherwise, I haven't touched it. Action is very low and fast. Intonation was right on. Comes with D'Addario .10-.46 strings. Finish is perfect. I have not discovered any flaws at all in the guitar.

I haven't changed the strings yet, but will soon. (I know - I should have changed them as soon as I got it, but I figured who else had played it since I bought it new from Musician's Friend so why did they need changing?)

Don't know about this. It seems dependable, but until you actually try it, who knows? I will use it without a backup, however, just because I believe in it and can't carry everything very well as a one-man-band. The strap buttons are very solid, the hardware seems dependable, and the finish should last forever with proper care.

I had a few questions when I first got it. (Bought it sight unseen/unplayed from Musician's Friend.) Hamer doesn't really have a website (well, they do, but they seem to be web-challenged). I sent email to their parent company (http://www.kamanmusic.com/) asking a few questions and within 24 hours I had an answer to all of them. So that's not too bad.

Been playing about two years. Own lots of other gear - it's embarassing. I should stop buying stuff and start practicing!

If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely try to buy another one. This is my favorite guitar - beats my Strat, My PRS Custom 24 and even my Takamine 2001 Collector's Edition. I play this thing now instead of any of them, both plugged and unplugged.

I didn't really compare it to other guitars in an A/B situation because none of the dealers in my area had one in stock. I wanted a hollow body and the Gibsons seemed to be too high-priced for me. I read the reviews in here and decided to take a chance. I'm very glad I did.

I'm not sure what I love about it - it just sounds so great. It's not feature-laden and is pretty simple, but it can make some awesome sounds.

The only thing bad about it is its "balance". Seems like when I play it sitting down on my lap that it just doesn't want to stay put. I'm constantly adjusting it and myself to try to get it to sit "right". Same problem ocurs with a strap. But, it's not a killer and I can live with it.

This is a 2001 USA made guitar. The guitar has twenty-two frets and a solid spruce top, i.e., not a laminate. The Hamer Newport Pro has one volume and one tone with two Seymour Duncan Seth Lover model humbuckers. The Hamer Newport Pro body is solid mahogany with the aforementioned solid spruce top. The neck is mahogany as well with a rosewood board. The neck is constructed by using a "stressed neck" system whereby a straight grain is matched with two opposing grains and the neck is more dense, rigid and more resistant to warping and twisting. Hamer necks are joined using an over-sized dovetail joint. The neck joint is 25% larger than a tenon style and the result is more transmission of energy and vibration. The Hamer Newport Pro finish is a transparent orange sparkle, tastefully applied. The Hamer Newport Pro body style is similar to a small 330 style, but is really is its own thing. Both upper bouts are less rounded than a 330 and staggered. The Hamer Newport Pro bridge is a chrome tune-o-matic style with a stop tailpiece on the Pro model. Tuners are Grover Imperials! The Hamer Newport Pro neck is of subtantial girth but not a boat oar. Similar to a 1964 ES 335. Frets are medium-medium jumbo. Also included is a form fit hardshell case with five latches and a lock and protective feet at the base of the case, one side as well as the bottom of one side (three protected positions). A truss rod/philips head tool is included. I would like two volume and tone knobs in order to mix and match the middle pickup as well as go from rhythm to lead volume-wise. This is probably not a practical option since the top of the guitar is a little smaller and the knobs would be crammed together. Hamer offers a wide variety of custom options in a true custom shop manner including variations in neck size, beautiful and meticulous inlay work, body, neck and headstock binding, BOUND f-holes, gold hardware with a gold pickup selector not some lame attempt at a gold pickup selector, etc.

I play a bit of jazz and mostly blues with the Hamer Newport Pro. I have encountered no better guitar . I teach guitar lessons at a local music store (Willcutt Guitar Shoppe, Lexington KY) and try every guitar that comes in the upper to upper mid range (PRS, McInturff, Brian Moore, etc.) as well as all the amps (Dr. Z, Victoria, Carr, Vox, etc.). I use a '65 Vibro Champ, '70 Deluxe Reverb and a Victoria Bandmaster depending on the size of the gig. I prefer to wind the amp up some rather than use pedals. These amps and the Hamer Newport Pro are sweetly robust with shimmer in the full volume position and rolling off the volume yields a sweet yet still shimmering and woody semi-hollowbody tone. I mean by shimmering more of a bell tone rather than bright or spikey. Matches well with the wood. Very vocal. The tone knob is very musical; even turning it down completely you can still hear the whole note without tubbiness. Another reviewer used the example of David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas' wide use of tones for this guitar (I don't know if they use Hamer Hamer Newport Pros or not, but due to their need and utilization of such a wide range of tones it wouldn't surprise me if they did). I would have to agree. I can go from T-Bone Walker type clean to a more Cream-era Clapton. You can strum it unplugged and it vibrates your belly and chest. No kidding. The neck as well. No dislikes.

Best from-the-factory setup. I think the guys at Hamer are making a statement by sending the guitars set up so low. It's because...they can. I use higher action. I slapped on a set of EB Classic 0.11's and that was it. I did change the polepieces' height for a little fine tuning. But that was simply due to taste and having played it now for eight months. A magnificient neck. The total setup is the best I have ever seen. There are no gob spots on the body or binding anywhere. You run your hand along the binding and the body and it matches perfectly. All the way around, top to bottom. The binding has no tooling marks at the upper frets. No glue spots in the body. I know I am not supposed to give a completely glowing report here, but I cannot find a thing wrong with this guitar. Okay, I do wish that the Hamer name had come in pearl in the headstock (it is an option). These guys use pearl inlays and not pearloid. Even the dot markers in the binding on the side of the neck are pearl. Sheesh. This is more freakin' like it! These people obviouly care a great deal about what they are doing. This is best guitar I own. I have never played a clunker Hamer including their import series which are the bomb "in their price range" as well (more on price range later).

I do not see how there would be any problems with this guitar. Every bit of it says quality. The finish is flawless and well applied without being overdone. The strap buttons are mounted on a flat routed surface with a rubber "shock absorber" bushing that cushions impacts and stress from the strap. I do not know how this guitar could be any more solid. I absolutely depend on it. I use it without a backup.

I have dealt with the company. There was some finish damage to the guitar (my fault) and they took care of it perfectly, promptly, professionally and in an above-and-beyond the call of duty fashion. I am still amazed and over-joyed. I believe that there is a moderately limited lifetime warranty.

I have been playing for nineteen years. I currently own a '65 Vibro Champ (yes, I do gig with it) and a Victoria Bandmaster. I own a 1993 Les Paul Classic that I put some Tom Holmes humbuckers in. The Holmes pickups sound great although I still find myself tinkering with the Les Paul to try to get it like I want it. Almost no tinkering with the Hamer Newport Pro (except polepiece height to taste). I also own a MIJ Fender Strat I bought used and a PRS McCarty Model with P90's (another stunning instrument). Before I bought the Hamer Newport Pro I wish I had asked for a two-for-one special. I would buy another immediately if this guitar were lost or stolen. I guess my favorite feature is the solid spruce top and hollowbody. I compared the Hamer Newport Pro to a 1999 Gibson 335, a Guild Starfire IV (a nice guitar) and various vintage 335's and 345's. I bought this guitar because it sounded as good as the vintage Gibsons and it was new.

I must say I have observed a rather inane trend in the guitar community concerning Hamer products. These Hamer guitars are, in my opinion, without peer. That view seems to be strongly supported in other reviews in guitar mags, trade mags, etc. However, I always see the phrase "at this price". Now the other reason that I bought this guitar was for the value. However, the Hamer that I have consistently outperforms in all areas all guitars that I have played in its price range as well as those costing 150% more. I encourage anyone to do the Pepsi challenge with a Hamer and any guitar. I would be clear if ANYTHING were wrong with the guitar and there simply is not. Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions as I understand that this is still a chunk of change for the average American. I also understand that my review would be more plausible if I had some more negative things to say about the Hamer Newport Pro, but I don't. And it's not for the lack of looking.

Handmade 2000. Cherry red. WOW what a finish! Hollow body ES335 style. Seth Lover humbuckers. Workmanship is impeccable. Love the look and build of this guitar.

I play with a GREAT setup through a 72 Fender Super Reverb. This guitar has nothing but tone to it. I've used it in a number of high profile gigs and the other cats have noticed the tone of the guitar. Fat sound when you want it. Can also get some biting tones. I'm running with a Martin Compressor>Reece Wah>H&K Tube Factor>Line 6 Modulation Pedal>Earnie Ball Volume>Line 6 Delay Pedal. I'm getting everytbing I need for rock, jazz, & funk. I'm definitely keeping this one.

Action was good. Adjusted it slightly. the workmanship on this axe was fabulous. the veneer is beautiful. Love it under stage lights.

It looks like this guitar will handle the road well. Neck is secure. I feel that I can depend on it. (I use it quite a bit already and plan to go to play Europe and Africa with it this year)

no opinion on this one yet

Been playing for 21 years. Have a Strat with Fralins and the Hamer has become my main guitar. I would definitely replace it. Compare this neck pickup with any other and you quickly move to the Hamer.

2000 Model. Made in USA.Vintage Natural finish with ivoroid bound Honduras mahogany neck (3 piece "stressed neck," very solid). ivoroid bound (wide)single piece Honduras mahogany hollow (totally except for a small block beneath the bridge) body with a hand carved, arched spruce top with two f-holes. Two Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickups
Tune-o-matic bridge with a stop tailpiece, Grover Super Rotomatic tuners, chrome hardware. Think modern Gibson ES-335, slightly smaller, solid - not laminated - top, back etc. Typical Hamer double cutaway shape. Came with a nice hardshell case. Les Paul Scale (24 3/4?). I give the features a 9. A coil tap for the pickups would be a nice addition, and I would like to see nicer pickup rings (came with black plastic). Sorta nit picky stuff. Overall, enough features for me to be very pleased.

The sound is sublime. I play blues, rock, country rock, and attemt some jazzy stuff. Surprisingly adapable to all. I play through a Crate Vintage Club 5212 (50W, 2 12" vintage 30s, 4 12AX7s and 4 EL84s) with a solid walnut cab. I never played it through anything else, but I imagine it would stay warm and rich with any good amp. It will feedback fairly easily, but I sort of like that. The feedback can be easily controled at normal stage volumes if so desired. I have no dislikes what so ever. I can even get a Fenderish sound (twang) when I want. (even without a coil tap).

Set-up at the factory perfectly. Nice low action. Very easy to play. I had to adjust a bitfrom my usual electric (Gibson Nighthawk), but quickly learned to love the easy action. The pickups seem perfectly adjusted, just like everything else. The oly flaws I have found seem to be in the top wood grain. It looks as if a scratch or two made it into the top and were finished over. No big deal, but not perfect. It bothered me for about 5 min. Still beautifully crafted and finished. The frets are even and well dressed. The fit is flawless for all parts.

Not sure about this question. I seems very sturdy and durable.
Thick , beautiful, finish. Large, solid, sturdy strap buttons. I don't gig, but I would never gig without a backup if I did. This has no reflection on this guitar though. It seems very reliable and well built. I trust it to do its part.

No dealings with Hamer yet, but I have heard that they are helpful, friendly and fully support their products. LIfetime warranty to orig. owner. I'm giving this a ten based on the warranty and what I read and heard.

I've been playing for 15 years. I own the Gibson Nighthawk and Crate tube amp I mentioned and a Martin D-15. I also have a Palmer 12 string acoustic and a 1980 Epi 6 string acoustic that I hardly ever play (offers welcome!). Lots of pedals too, but I usually don't use them. If it were stolen or lost, I would buy it again. I might order it from the Hamer Custom shop though. Just to tweak the details I mentioned earlier.I researched guitars for months before buying this one. I wanted a 335 until I studied the details. The cost benefit ratio was much higher with Hamer. All solid wood. Hand carved. It is the guitar for me. I can't stress how much I enjoy it.

This guitar is it carved out one-piece mahogany body, hand carved SOLID spruce top, this guitar was made to be played. with it's two Duncan Seth Lover pickups it has everything, huge fat neck tone, a beautiful sweet and punchy blend in the middle position, and the most high output balls to the wall bridge pickup sound. Did i mention that this guitar has tone, this guitar will bulldose over any Gibson, PRS (yes even their hollowbody).Those guys at Hamer even set up the guitars amaizing specs super low action right out of the box, and the grover imperial tuning keys are the best. I've been playing for fifteen years and it takes a lot to knock me off my feet, and the Newport Pro does it.

Did i mention "Tone" I play a lot of jazz and rock and this box can dish out tone in spades. I only use a couple of effects: Danecho delay, an Ibanez Ts7(new tone-lock) so I really depend on a guitar for its own pure sound. this guitar has the smoothest sound from its neck pickup, I don't know who Seth Lover is but "keep it up man." When you get the chance really crank this guitar up, I don't know if it's the solid wood top or what but at high volume it really responds to your playing, it's as close as a guitar has been to being a part of me. I can get more different sounds out of this guitar than I know what to do with. If this sounds unbelievable don't take my word for it go find a hamer dealer and play one. you'll know, this is a dream guitar

when I opened the box,(I really did) the action was perfect, too perfect for me so I raised the action @1\64 or so beceause I really lay into the strings. The finish was the most beautiful (excuse me if I use the word beautiful a lot) transparent orange sparkle, yes sparkle, I'd like to call it "bass Boat Orange" totally breathtaking. The ivroid binding was flawless, and on the neck the binding "fret-caps" were a nice touch. the solid spruce top has a visibly nice bookmatch to it and the solid slab of carved mahogany caps off the back nicely as well. The materials used are definately top-notch it would be easy to pay a lot more for a guitar like this.

this guitar feels solid, I'm not gonna smack it on the floor or push it through my speaker cabs, but i'm sure it'll be with me for a long time. The hardware is tight I think the hardware is all Gotoh, wonderful choice, and the GroverImperial tuners hold up great. The finish is thick, there's something like fifteen or so layers to it so I cant see it rubbing off anytime soon. The strap buttons from the factory are a straplock type and they are solid. I think this guitar is seriously dependable and for gigging I probably won't ever need another backup electric.

I think it is a lifetime limited warranty to the origional owner.

If this Guitar were stolen or lost there would be a ten to fifteen minute time span where I would be completely un-consolable, and then I would replace it as fast as I could. for a handmade guitar for around $2000 you cannot beat the quality, looks, playability, did I mention TONE. Don't believe me find anything grab a PRS, Gibson, anything and compare them side by side and you'll see. Happy shopping