Hamer SATF

Solid mahogany body with a flamed maple top (nothing better than a single A grade, but nice with a gloss finish). Mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. Cherry Sunburst color with nickel chrome hardware. Two Duncan Designed (passive)humbuckers, 2 volume and 1 tone control with a 3-way toggle switch above the controls. Tun-o-matic and stop tilpiece. The body style is the old Les Paul double cutaway which Hamer began to make in the 70s but this time with an arched top. It has a wide, slim taper neck, Schaller type tuners and I purchased it with a Hamer hardshell case (very nice). It is everything I love in a guitar. A Les Paul double cutaway non-tremelo with two humbuckers like I like (the Duncan JB and 59 pickups) and control configuration is the best in my humble opinion. The orignal owner bought it new in 1998. He sold it because he is a Fender guy, though he raved about the guitar. I give it a high rating because it is what I want and need.

It suits my style perfectly. I play blues, blues/rock rock and worship music. I play it in with a number of different effects and amp comfigurations. One is with a DOD G10 rack processor into a Vox. Another is a Digitech RP2000 into the Vox and/or an Oliver bass head with a Mesa Boogie 1x12 cab. Or, I run into an Ibanez Comp/Limiter--Morley Vol/Wah--Ibanez TS7--ProCo Brat--Danelectro Bacon and Eggs--Danelectro Chorus--into a Yamaha rack mount analog delay split into the Ampeg and Oliver. It is clean. It has a well-rounded full sound. I like the ability to have a lot of sustain and open chord voicings and it suits me fine. The looks, playability, and tone are one of the types of tone I like.

I got the guitar used, but it was set up well. The only thing I've had to do was reset things when I cleaned and serviced it as I do at least annually. I accidentlly altered the bridge adjustment wheels. Everything fits perfectly. The bridge and nut and pickups were alligned. I couldn't find any flaws. Nothing anyone could gripe about. I don't complain much though.

This guitar has been played live in a number of situations, in and outside. The finish is holding up very well (but I do wax my guitars so as to keep my heavey sweating from harming the finish. I need to replace the tuners. They didn't last as long as I would think they ought too, but there isn't a guitar I haven't had to replace tuners on. Sperzel locking tuners will be the replacements of choice. I'm thinking of having a tremelo added to the guitar, which will alter it, but I don't care. It is to be used not just to be looked at.

I've not done anything with the company about this guitar.

I have played for 27 years. I've played hundreds of guitars, and owned 50-60 other electrics. I currently have the Hamer and a 1980 Gibson Les Paul Firebrand (also reviewed here on Harmony Central). I purchased the Hamer from someone on ebay. I was the only bidder, so I was able to acquire it for the lowest price, plus $50 for the case. I love the way it looks, feels, sounds, and plays. It feels good hanging from my neck and fits my hands perfectly. I love that it is a double cutaway Les Paul type guitar. It has a long sustain and a smooth tone. I named her Inez, after my wife, go figure. I would buy again, but hearing from others, I might sort through guitars to choose the one that is best. If it didn't have the pickups it did, I would have put the Duncan JB and 59 in it anyway. I wish it had a Wilkinson tremelo like the Hamer Mirage.