Hamer Studio

I got a used Hamer Studio, a 2003 USA model. It has a volume control for each of its Duncan '59 pickups, 1 tone control, and a 3-way pickup switching switch. Its a mahogany body with a beutiful flamed maple top. It has a sunburst finish which is one of the best i've seen. It is a double cutaway body that looks kind of like the double cutaway Les Paul. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge and non-locking tuners with Hamers name on them, so I'm not sure what brand they are. It has a mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard, with a 24 3/4 scale. The only other thing I would have liked was a tone dial for each PU.

I like to play 60's and 70's rock, blues/rock, and some new hard rock. This baby suits all of my style. It has a great fat tone that is missing on many other guitars. I use it with a Rivera amp and it sounds great on clean and distrotion channels. With the 3-way toggle switch you can get a lot of great tones. IMO it sounds just as good or better than any Les Paul or PRS. It doesnt have as huge a variety of tones as on other guitars but its still great.

Since I got mine used I dont know how it came from the factory but mine was set up prefectly to my taste. The finish was perfect and Hamer make a great axe. I just wanted to let people know in case they didnt that Hamer USA guitars are hand made. Yes thats hand made which you dont find at this price anywhere else.

It is built like a rock and should last as long as I have it. I trust Hamer's quality 100%.

I never dealt with them.

I have only been playing for a few years but I know whats good. I have a very large collection of guitars (21) and this is definetly a favorite. I have every thing from Fender Custom Shop guitars to 60's vintage. It plays great and has everything i was looking for. I just love the way it plays, its tone and its gorgeous finish. I recomend it 100%. It is a great value and if anything happened to it i would definetly replace it.

Mine is a Hamer USA studio, book matched, maple top and a lovely 59 Sunburst finish. It has silver hardware. I bought it in 2002 for 1500 + Japanese Ibanez RG 470. This one has the Wilkinson wrap around. It has the JB and 59 pickups.Schaller tuners. And the exceptional and ultra-stable 3 piece stressed neck. If it was more stable it would be a rock. No Gibson's low quality, shitty, frety, neck's here. It has all the right features for what it was designed for -GOOD TONE/ PLAYABILITY. I will give it a 9 althoug it deserves a 9,5 .

I play mostly, Heavy Blues, Blues, and 70's tipe of rock, thats the type ok music that i like. My main guitar references vary through Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Roben Ford, Gary Moore, Mark Knopfler.
My amp is a RIVERA hundred duo twelve 100 Watts and my only effects right now are a Dunlop Crybaby 535Q, and the amp reverb, i also use a line selector to change betwen the lo/hi gain inputs or to change quickly betwen the Hamer and the Strat that i also have (American Strat With Vintage Noiseless pickups). I must say that this guitar is a dream to play i was looking for a Gibson Les Paul and have tried a lot of them before the Hamer. I had tried one from the 60's and becamed turned on with the Gibson's but then i tried several here in Portugal and i must say that i become desapointed. The shop guy who was trying to sell one of them, in the end (surrended) told me that if i wanted good Gibson's i should go to United States and buy one there, and possibly just custom shop. "GIBSON just exports pieces of crap" at least for Portugal", not my words the ones i tested freted and had worst finish than korean made Epiphone's that't the true. But this is an HAMER review not gibson. This guitar is a full sounded gitar it has some delicious warm sounds in the neck and it screams with the bridge pu. It sound good when i bought it in the shop throug a Ritchie Blacmore ENGL (i didn't like the amp very much) but it sound AWESOME through the RIVERA, Clean sounds ala Peter Green, full and detailed chords as i never had played, delicious crunch sounds very open and sweet and over the TOP Gary Moore, Slash tones... beautful... Santana ... it's also there, and the best of all, my tone is also there.

This guitar is awesome and fabulous to play, if you are a strat player as i was, you must get used to it this baby is not an "easy girl" you must work. It made me a better player, now i use 0.10 i was using 0.8 in my guitars an i'm thinking to tune the strat to match this kind of action as close as i can . This neck is fenomenal, stable as a rock and it sustains for the time you whant, people think that i have a sustainer pedal to sustain that way it is realy impressive. Beeing a doble cutaway the acess to the high notes is easy. The finish on mine had some micro bulbs in the neck and on some parts of the body no big deal except if you care. I bought it, with a good discount $2200/$1450 ( i know not a big deal in US but i'm in PORTUGAL you know, that pride litle country with history next to Spain) the guitar was there because of a devolution, but love it from the start and this one was a gibson killer. So 4 for the finish. I hope my next Hamer to be in perfect condition. The 10 is for the holly of a guitar that it is.

This thing is a solid rock guitar. A really good instrument, that was made to play, hard, loud and with pride. This guitar is a must.

P.S. : No fancy birds here !! ...

Didn't need it so far and i think that i never will .

I have been playing for 14 years (have 30)and i had tried lots of guitars; Gibsons, Gretsh (great guitar the vintage ones), Schecters, and never tried nothing whith this kind of sustain and tone, the construction is excelent, but this one had some finish defects(i'm glad mine came but that's another story).
I wonder why USA company's like Gison and in this case Hamer that are "THE STATE OF THE ART" allow defectuous instruments to get in the market and EXPORT them?
Is it because there is always someone like me who will buy it ?
Thats why probably companys like PRS are getting such a sucess, by the reviews i read, they are perfect.
Thats what i expect from my next Hamer, if not, i will certainly return it. But had tried a Hamer Artist Studio and it was PERFECT, so i gess this was a particular situation on the finish.

This is a Hamer USA studio with book matched, maple top and an amber stain. It has silver hardware. I bought it in 1995 for $1200. It has the fixed bridge which really makes for the best sustain (and place to rest my hand while I pick). It has the JB and 59 pickups. I like the feel of the Schaller tuners but it takes a while to change a string (compaired to the Sperzels on my american strat). It has the JB and 59 pickups.

This guitar is what I like to use for Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Rush, Aerosmith (heavy rock). It sounds good clean but that's not the sound I use. I've used it with a MESA DC-5 and loved the sound with the high gain channel and the bridge position pickup. I currently play it through a Fender blues junior that has a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker and let me tell you that the combination is unreal (tube screamer in front). Tune this thing down a whole step or two and listen to some amazing crunch tone. It sounds better than any guitar I've ever played (I've tried out a ton of them before I bought this). It is VERY quiet as compared to a Strat plugged into the same amp and effects. It sounds way better than any Gibson LP I've ever played (lots). I must say that after playing my strat for weeks, and then picking up the Hamer Studio, a smile comes to my face every time. It just has a big rich crunchy sound and sustain that is missing in the Strat. The overtones on this thing are VERY rich..and my "mistake harmonics" are just beautiful (I wish I could do that on purpose..lol). I've gigged with it and other guitarists in the audience "loved the tone". I almost always play in the bridge position. Rolling the treble way down gives a rich sound. I also like mixing the bridge and neck pickup with the independent volume controls. I use it with an Ibenez tube screamer and a Boss chorus. The pickups have very good gain and I usually have to turn down my tube screamer gain 1/4 turn when changing from my Strat to the Hamer.

The string setup was perfect for me but I like it better with 10's than the factory 9's. The neck can handle the string changes with no change in setup. The pickups were also setup perfectly. The volume and tone knobs have a great feel to them. They don't move if you bump them accidently. The bookmatched top is beautiful. There was one little blemish in the lacquer behind the bridge but it's difficult to spot (a small bubble that popped?). Also the laquer is coming off a tiny bit on the sides of the neck near the nut. It's not getting worse though. Mind you, these are very minor flaws but I like to be honest in this review. This thing is a working man's guitar. It looks pretty and gets a great bunch of sounds.

The only thing that has happened is that the lacquer is being worn by the pick from my strumming (no pick guard and I don't want one). It's hasn't worn through after almost eight years of heavy playing. I think it will be a long time before it gets through the lacquer. This guitar is very heavy duty. As I said above, this is a working man's guitar and was made to be played and abused. I've never dropped it but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt it. Don't let it's good looks decieve you...because it sounds even better than it looks and can take a beating being swung around and hammered on. I often bend the neck at the end of the song for effect and this thing never goes out of adjustment. Nothing has ever come loose or worn out.

I've never dealt with them and that's a good sign. No need to.

I've been playing for 9 years. I read a review in Guitar Player in the mid 90's and they said it was the best Les Paul style out there for the money. I've always wanted three types of guitars: A Strat, a Tele, and a Les Paul. I traded an ASAT classic Tele for the Hamer Studio and I don't regret losing the Tele (although I'd like to add one to my collection one day). I have a 94 American Standard Strat that I use more for blues (Hendrix, Clapton, Trower, Stevie Ray etc). It's loaded with SD Antiquity single coils and they are sweet. Also Sperzel tuners. I love the sound and feel of the Hamer Studio. It's built much better than the Gibsons, sounds better, and is lighter (use a wide strap and play all night). If it were stolen I'd be devistated...no question. I'd get another one just like it. But this time I'd get the gold hardware. I love everything about this guitar except one thing and it's cosmetic: the headstock is ugly. I don't like its shape and it's a boring black color. Maybe it's too big? If changing it would affect the sound (it would), then I'd just leave it alone. It sounds too nice to change.

2001 model. 22 fret Mahogany neck with a Rosewood board. Double cutaway Mahogany body with a 2 piece flamed Maple top, finished in Amber (Hamer calls it "Aztec Gold"). Both the neck and body are unbound (which is the way I like it). 2 vol. 1 tone and a 3 way switch, 2 Seymour Duncan '59 Model Humbuckers. I think the '59 in the bridge is a much better pickup than the ol' JB Model that Hamer used to use alot. Schaller tuners (the best around) and a Stoptail and Tune-O-Matic combo. I don't really believe you can actualy give a numericl rating for this category, as it is what it is. But I will say the quality of the features are top shelf.

I can use this guitar for any style I need, and I play almost every style of music. The Duncan '59s are my all time favorite pickups, they can be smooth and creamy or super crunchy if needed, it all depends on your amp and needs. Hamer double coats their control compartments with shielding paint, so noise is extremely minimal. Hamer also has pots made specificly for their guitars, and all are tested to assure they are the proper value. Top quality stuff here. The only thing I don't like is my playing!!! Did I mention this guitar sustains better than any LP or PRS that I've owned?!

I purchased this slightly used but, the setup was superb. The guitar plays smoothly and almost effortlessly. The neck is seated perfectly with no weird looking finish boogers around the heel. Fretwork is easily the finest I've ever seen (no filling), all frets are perfectly seated with no ragged edges. The flame on the Maple top is beautiful, and the finish has a nice deep luster to it. Hamer USA have always been the most underrated and overlooked instruments around, although people are now getting hip to them (and for good reason). I can't find any flaws on my guitar (again, just my playing).

I always take care of my guitars, so I have no fear that this will last. Hardware and the finish are great. Never gig without a backup.

I've played for 13 years now, and have owned over 50 electric guitars (I buy + trade alot). I've had 10 Les Pauls and 4 Paul Reed Smith guitars. I like both of those brands very much (I still have 2 LPs), but I do have to say that the quality and attention to detail is much higher on the USA Hamer instruments. I believe that is due to the fact that they build on a smaller scale, so the are bit pickier. Hamer also still makes their guitars by hand unlike the other "Big 2" that use almost all CNC machining. CNC does offer extremely rigid tolerences, but you do loose the mystique of having a handmade instrument. This kind of quality at about $700-$800 less (actual discounted price) than a PRS McCarty is an incredible deal. If you have never checked out USA Hamer guitars, you owe it to yourself to do so. I'm extremely pleased with this instrument. Although I still do like PRS and Gibson, I think this ranks a bit higher (IMO).

I bought the Hamer Studio Artist in 1997. I actually went in to buy a PRS , but was knocked out by the craftmanship,playability, look, and sound of this guitar. Scale is 24-3/4" and the neck contour has a distinctly '57 LP Junior feel to it. It has two S-D Seth Lover pickups, and a one piece bridge (Wilkinson?). Inside, the electronics cavity is clean, with well grounded & quality components. Schaller tuners, graphite nut, no neck binding on this model (the way I prefer it). Beautifully flamed maple top, mahogonay body and neck, gloss finish that has withstood some years with almost no signs of wear and tear. It came with a high-quality hadshell case-- not one of those plastic molded jobs.

I'm usually a Tele player, but use this instrument for all the blues & a lot of the rock stuff. It even works well for the country swing tunes with the front pickup thru a clean sound on the amp ( I usually use a Mesa Heartbreaker 2X12). The S-D Seth Lovers are sweet sounding without a lot of unmanageable distortion, and very responsive without being overbearing. Where this guitar really shines is thru a 1960 Bassman head and a 4X10 cab-- it gets that bluesy sound ala Clapton/Greene/Taylor/Kossoff that people would kill for.

With the scale and contour of the neck, this guitar is extremely comfortable to play! Whereas the Teles fight me a little bit every night (I like higher action than some), the Hamer is like butter. The fret work is excellent (I didn't need to have them polished, as is usual with new guitars nowadays), neck relief and intonation was (and still is) perfect. The guitar has a gorgeous flamed maple top that is nicely bookmatched, a mahogany body, and the 3-piece mahogony neck. I was uncertain about buying an instrument without a solid piece for the neck, but have to say that this is the only guitar I own that doesn't have to be adjusted when the weather changes! Finish is great--no flaws. The only quibble I have with it (and a very minor one!) is a liitle bit a finish peeling on the side of the nut (but there shouldn't be any finish there anyway...).

This guitar is one of two I bring to every gig (the other one will either be a Tele or a PRS "strat-style" EG4, or occasionally an SG or old Epiphne Riviera), and since '97 I haven't done a thing to the Hamer except change the strings. By contrast, the other guitars need their usual annual fix-up. I play in a country/rock band, so I can't use it for everything, but I find myself looking for reasons to play it (eg. some drunk yelling "rock and roll" will cause me to pick it up...).

Can't say-- I've never called them!! but if they call me, I'll do a commercial for 'em for free!

As mentioned, I play the guitar thru a Mesa Heartbreaker 2X12 or a pre-CBS Bassman with a Mesa 4X10 cab. I have a couple of Teles that are my other mainstays, plus a couple of other instruments that have interesting personalities. If I lost the Hamer, I'd HAVE TO find another one. I've tried several PRS guitars and always decide that the Hamer is the one for me. As for Gibsons, I haven't played one that comes close. This one is a "keeper"!

2001 no frills 22 fret hamer studio. beautiful flame maple over mahogany, seymour duncan pickups. I traded my PRS 22 custom for this guitar, no regrets. the main differences between the two is th 24 3/4 scale of the hamer (PRS has 25" scale). flatter fretboard radius on the hamer (14.5") and no coil tapping features on the hamer (yet). I'll tell you why I like this guitar better than a PRS or a Gibson. The 24 3/4" scale is a dream to play, the flat fret board makes bending w/ vibrato a lot easier IMO. These guitars are still actually hand made with high attention to detail. for 1500$ you will not find a PRS or gibson of comparable quality. I don't think you will find a gibson of comparable quality for any price except for maybe something vintage. The two volume and one tone knob with three way switch are fairly intuitive to use IMO, although some have said it wasn't easy for them to get used to. this guitar's weight is comparable to the PRS being lighter than than les paul I own. The down side to this guitar is it's versatility. It sounds more like a les paul than my les paul, and while not being as muddy as most gibson, still suffer from the same pickup placement problems as all 22 fret guitars. A coil tap swith may make this guitar a bit more versatile. I am going to have one installed in the future.

for gibson blues men, this guitar is for you. So if you like to play Jimmy Page, B.B. king, early Clapton, as well as rock out to heavy music, buy it w/o hesititaion. no delicate strat or tele sounds here, but you can get good clean sounds too, I'm just saying don't sell your strat. bottom line...best sounding les paul I have ever owned. there is no neck heel, reach for the 22'nd fret and succeed!

nicer than more expenseive guitars I have owned. I have owned 3 PRS and 2 gibsons. fretwork is beatiful, great nut, great tuners. I will probably upgrade to a tone pros tune-o-matic. this guitar has a pre stressed 3-piece mahogany neck folks, that's right 3-piece laminated neck. this is an option you can not have on a standard PRS or Gibson. The set up was perfect with .010's at the store, with proper relief of the neck. I put .011's on it at home, and the neck didn't even blink. didn't budge. My PRS neck was all over the place when the string guage was change. Not that I mind doing adjustments, but this neck is absolutelly stable. I did raise the action to personal taste.

solid finish, solid neck, solid electronics. I don't play out much, strap buttons are great. I think I could use it w/o a backup. I don't anticipate having any problems.

very friendly. I had difficulty locating a studio ion my area. they found one and told me where to go. Hopefully I won't have any problems with the guitar

If it were stolen, I would probably get a studio custom, but that is only a cosmetic upgrade. Excellent value compared to other guitars in this price range. If anyone has done electronics modifications to this guitar I would love to hear from you.

Two pick up archtop solid body. Sunburst with flame maple. Light weight and comfortable. I changed out the Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge for another Seymour Duncan 59. This suited my playing style a little better. Perfect substitute for a Gibson Les Paul.

I play Blues, Rock and Roll, and Country, in a retro sort of way. This guitar would not be my first choice but to it's credit it does a great job none the less. I use it for that big creamy rock blues and freddy king esque sound through a Fender, Vox, and Boogie amps.

I bougfht the guitar used and set it up my self. The truss rod was adjustable with surgical presision and getting my personal feel was easy. This guitar was flawlessly built. I used to work as a tech and discovered Hamer while doing a Pickup change on one. I was very impressed with their attention to detail. The way they build the electronics cavity is second to none. Gibson and PRS should take a lesson here.

It's still in great shape dispite my leaving in the full sun light in my car one day for hours. I'm sure a mistake like that would have killed other guitars.

No Idea here. but I'm going to give them a perfect score just to maintain their average.

I've been playing for 30 years. I'm a full time pro. I love this guitar even though I usually get blank looks from people when admitting to owning one. Sure it's not a Les Paul, but it's as good or better, and beautiful to boot. I own other guitars, all vintage, but I use this one for day to day work, usually along with an SF Fender Super Reverb. It's is fabulous with my other six famous amps too... I can't wait to use it in the studio.
After six months I'm still not intuatively finding the volume/tone/selector switch, but I guess that will come. I think they should have maintained a more classic layout for that aspect, but I won't fault it for that. That's more my hang up from playing the same guitars for so long...
If it disappeared mysteriously, yes I'd buy another used one. You know I'd buy another one anyways, if I got close enough. I'd love one of those gold tops w/p90s. Oh ya!

Its a honey-burst USA made arch-top. It came with a factory-installed Floyd Rose which I hate. PUs are Duncan JB and '59. Frets are jumbo which I'm also not crazy about. Playability, neck feel, weight and workmanship are thoroughly excellent.

Tone, tone, tone. Play it though your favorite amp, set the guitar controls for 10 all the way and then roll back the volume to about a 9. That is tone. I play mostly blues through a variety of amps - '65 Twin Reverb w/JBLs, Sears Twin Twelve, many Music Man and Valco amps. Sometimes with a Sparkle Drive, sometimes with a POD, sometimes with nothing. This guitar has exceptionally sweet tones, from light and crisp to dripping honey to dark.

As before, I wish the Floyd wasn't there and the frets were not as fat as they are. Otherwise, a wonderfully put together instrument. Just sit down and play.

Hate the Floyd. For string changing and intonation - I keep resting the palm of my right hand on it which throws it off. And it can't be removed without leaving an empty cavity on top. I have yet to use this guitar in a gigging situation because of the Floyd. The other hardware and finish are excellent.

Bought used.

I've been playing about 30 years. I own 3 other Hamers so I must like them alot! I also own Fender Strats, Ibanez Artists, and a custom Telly. The Hamers started out as substitute Gibsons but then I realized, "Hey, these are better than Gibsons!" Lighter weight, great tone, great looks, great price. For the price I paid, yes, would buy another.

Just bought this '95 Hamer USA Studio. Archtop with transparent Cherry finish over a nicely flamed maple top, mahogany back. It ihas 22 frets, schaller tuners, duncan pickups ('59 in the neck, JB in the bridge), rosewood fingerboard and a Wilkenson wrap-around bridge. I would say the frets are med-jumbo sized with a fairly flat fretboard radius. Double-cutaway style allows easy access to upper frets. Came with a nice hard shell Hamer case.

One volume control for eack pickup, one tone control and a 3-way switch. Very straight-forward design.

I play blues, blues based rock and hard rock, with some funk and r&b thrown in. I am using this with my Fender super 112 amp. This guitar sounds very much like a Les Paul, except it can be a little brighter. It sustains like the best of them, and the bridge pickup screams! The neck pickup is more subdued, but still gives that classic Les Paul tone. I have been comparing this side by side with my Les Paul custom, which I now will be selling! The Hamer sounds just as good as the LP custom. Not the same, of course, but very comparable. For a hard rock osund, i don't need any pedals, just this axe and the opverdrive channel on the super 112. For blues, although I prefer my strat for this, I play on the clean channel with a ts-9 for added sustain.

When I got this guitar, I raised the action at the bridge (very simple, just turn two large screws), lowered the pickups a little, which were pulling on the strings and making an oscillating sound when sustaining notes. The top is very well bookmatched, and the flames run all the way to the edges of the guitar. The frets seemed 100% and the Lubritrac nut is perfect.

There is some "shrinkage" around the neck joint and the upper horn that extends onto the fretboard. I hope this does not get worse. Hamer is known for their quality control in this area. Other than this, the guitar is visually stunning.

The hardware on this guitar is the very high qualtiy, Seymour Duncan, Wilkenson, Schaller. THe strap buttons seem solid and are larger than a gibsons. It seems very reliable.

Never dealt with them, didn't come with a warranty.

Overall, I give this guitar a 10. It is a fantastic value, compared to other guitars with the same appointments. It is lightweight and has a voice of its own. The wraparound bridge is great for palm muting and supposedly adds to sustain. I don't wish it had any other features, I don't use a whammy bar and I never played a guitar with coil taps that sounded very good. For a single coil sound, I like the Strat. If it were lost or stolen, I would look for another one. I am a Hamer convert. I would love to hear from other Hamer studio owners.

I've had this guitar for app. 1 year. Mahagony body and neck, flamed maple top, Seymour Duncan JB at the bridge and '59 at the neck, Wilkinson wraparound bridge, Schaller tuners. Double cutaway like LP junior or PRS. 24.75 scale.

I payed 875.00 for it; it listed for 1900.00, I did get the Bro' deal cause we do a lot of business at the guitar shop. Came with very nice hardshell case

This is a 9+ in every category. Would buy it again at same price.

The only other electric I own is a Squire Strat-which doesn't play too bad. By comparison to that and other Fenders I've played I can hardly imagine a wider range of useful tones than the Hamer. Admittedly Hard to get a Telecaster country sound.
I play it through a Peavey Stereo Chorus, whose only real claim to fame is it has a very rich, smooth, clean channel.D'Angelico 10-46 strings. With the neck pickup only and with the treble knob on the guitar rolled way down, it has a very bell like tone, rich in harmonics, sort of a Bill Frizell sound. Easy to bend strings. I play a lot of every kind of music from classic rock, blues, jazzy stuff, and find that the sound is so beautiful that I use it for about any style; I don't perform so whether my opinion is shared by anyone else I don't know. With this guitar my Digitech RP-3 languishes in neglect, cuz' there is no effects which sound near as good as the straight guitar.
Both pickups have lots of power as much sustain as anything I've Played. The JB has a wonderful crunchy bite even played clean. I use to long for the tube amp sound,until I realized that much of what I wanted simply required pickups with some power.

I probably played 15-20 Gibson's, mostly LesPaul's when I decided to buy and the Hamer was easily superior in terms of playability, workmanship, and sound to any of them. Well set up when I bought it-zero need to adjust action etc. Pickups balanced.One could find the least little bit of dissimilarity between the bookmatched top pieces.Other than that it is flawless.

Stays in tune. seems rock solid. I have no idea how it would handle abuse. Strap buttone large and solid.Finish seems real durable.

Ive played for 35 years. Only yhing I would change is add Sperzel tuners because I hate to take the time to change strings.