Hamer Studio

I bought a 1996 Hamer Studio in Emerald Green over flame maple top. It has two Seymour Duncan pickups with chrome covers, a Les Paul type bridge, double cutaway, rosewood fretboard, Schaller tuners, dot inlays, and a mahogany body. It is a very basic but beautiful guitar. It has one volume knob for each pickup and a single tone control. It has the 24 3/4" Les Paul scale and a fairly fat neck. It came with a hardshell case.

The neck pickup has a very midrangey snarl to it that gets kind of thin when you back off on the volume too far. From 6-10 it has an improved Les Paul bite with some very nice overtones that you usually only hear from your neck pickup. The neck pickup is very articulate and full with a lot of girth but is not muddy. Every note rings out evenly and distinctly. Intonation and tuning are very critical with this guitar because you can hear everything with it. I have never played a guitar that has this kind of note articulation AND a full bodied tone. The middle postion with both pickups is my preferred rhythym position. I usually switch to the neck pickup for leads. The neck pickup sounds pretty good clean and can get into jazz territory when you back off the tone a bit.

This is where I am amazed. This is their studio version, and it has the perfection of a custom shop instrument from other manufacturers. The folks at Hamer are perfectionists. I could go on, but you can say very little about perfection without being redundant.

Everything appears to be well-made. I would NEVER play a gig without a backup. Not even a Hamer.

Ne need to contact them yet.

This guitar is right up there with any custom shop guitar made. It plays like a dream and sounds like a nightmare. In the past few weeks it has become my main squeeze, usurping my Les Paul. In fact, I am looking to trade my Les Paul for another Hamer USA guitar.

USA Hamer Studio, beautiful flamed top with some sort of "redburst" finish on it. Two Seymour Duncan humbuckers, mahogney body and set neck with the maple top, wrap around bridge/tailpiece, came with case and straplocks already installed. As far as other features, it's your basic L.P. double cutaway style, with your basic tone and volume knobs and pickup selector switch.

I love the sound. I use is with a Fender Blues Deville 212 and it screams on leads. Too crunchy for me on the rhythm side though, although that is the amp and not the guitar. I use a distortion pedal for rhythm word to smooth things out a bit. If you like the Les Paul sound you will love this more. I bought it to substitute for my Les Paul (getting to be worth a little too much money to use at some gigs) and I wound up liking the playability and sound better. Don't get me wrong, I love my LP, but this is one hell of a guitar.

It came ready to go. The action was great up and down the entire neck, the pickups were set perfect, and the finish is out of this world. It has a true "3-D" look to the color and flame. Something about the way Hamer floats some of the tint between layers of clear I think. I'm not sure, but the finish puts my Gibson to shame. Hear that Gibson? Wake up! Give us what we're paying for with your guitars today!

Perfect. I loaned to a friend that plays much larger venues than me, and he loved it too. He even let a big name from the eighties metal scene try it when they were playing together, and he loved it too. Very dependable.

Never had to deal with Hamer. I don't think I will ever need too.

I have been playing guitar 29 years. I'm a former music teacher, play guitar for myself today, but have played professionally on a locay level in the past. Currently I have a USA Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul, Gibson Explorer, Kramer Baretta, Hamer Studio, Cutaway Fender elec. acoustic (Korean made), and Takamine 12 string. I use assorted Boss effects, but lately have been using a Zoom 505 for simplicity and the headphones. I use a Fender Blues Deville 212 and my original 30 year old Fender Champ amp.

When I bought this guitar I was looking at Gibson DC Les Pauls. This was a better guitar. If it were lost or stolen I would replace it. I love the playability, the tone, and the beauty of the finish and the quality of the craftmanship that went into the construction of this instrument.

Hamer USA. Studio model in Aztec Gold. This is a transparent honey.
Top of maple (Tiger). Body and neck Caoba from Honduras.
Two Seymour duncan 59.
I play rock, pop, blues.
Perfect. I am sure, this guitar plays all styles.
Tune omaitc. Made in Germany and made in Japan (GOTOH).
Very estable tuners. Sperzel 12:1 Ratio.
For a guitar Les Paul Style: 10.
Better than Gibson. SURE.
Better finish, better neck, better freting, and better sound than a lot of expensive Gibsons.

Two 59.
Well, i always use 59, JB and Jazz.
This guitar sound better than my other guitars with 59's.
Fat, clean, high.
Very good for AC/DC, Led Zeppeling, Pearl Jam, Mark Knopfler.
Perfect for rock, pop, blues...
There is a lot of sustain here.
I touch a string the last week. Today it goes on playing!!!!

I don't like chose a 10. But i must do it.
Perfect neck. Three pieces of Maogamy from Honduras.
The fretting work is excelent.
I have a Hamer older, and the neck of the older is better, but this neck is better than the neck of other guitars.
No buzzing. I have low action. No problem.

Like a rolling stone!!!!!
Hard like a rock.

I never have contact with them for a problem.
I write for questions.
Very fast answer.

This is the best guitar i ever had. This and two Hamer more.

1993 USA Hamer Studio in 59 burst. Mahogany body with maple top with very nice 3-D 59 burst finish. Duncan JB/59 pickups, 2 volumes and 1 tone, and tunumatic bridge. I have noticed many people have given this guitar very high rating for its features, but I would have to disagree. The first thing that I think really takes away from the versatility of these guitars is the location of the pickup selecter switch. After growing up playing Les Pauls and Stratocasters I find it extremely difficult to change sounds on the fly with the pickup selecter switch located on the far lower right of the guitar. The location of the volume controls on these guitars is a bit different as well. The volume control for the bridge pickup is the middle knob. Since most players live most of their time on the bridge pickup I never understood why Hamer put this volume control in the center. If you want to be able to roll your volume up and down while your playing you will have to move the bridge pickup volume knob closest to the bridge.

I play everything from clean blues and jazz to metal and heavy alternative. I play my Hamer through a modified Rivera Quiana 55 head into a Marshall 4x12 cabinet. If your amp is as versatile as mine this guitar can pull off a wide variety of sounds. The Duncan 59 in the neck is just awesome dead clean, and the JB can get some serious chunk when you crank the gain. Just an all around great sounding guitar.

I just love the feel and playability of this guitar. The maple top and 59 burst finish on this guitar are unbelivable. If you were to buy a PRS or Gibson with a top this nice it would cost $2500.00. Very good quality.

Built like a tank. Should last a lifetime if cared for.

Never had to deal with Hamer customer support.

I have been playing guitar for 25 years. I play mostly Stratocasters with humbuckers in the bridge so I must say the shorted scale of the Hamer is a bit uncomfortable for me(same as Les Pauls). I really like and bought the Hamer because the of the way the neck is set into the body. There is absolutely no heel on these guitars, and playing the upper frets is effortless. You can find these guitars on E-bay from time to time for under $700.00. Best guitar value for the money.

This is an early 90s Hamer, made in the USA... I'm actually pretty sure it's the same one that was owned by Bill Johnson, who is further down the review page- he's a local pro, and I bought it used locally after a "local pro" traded it in =) Could be wrong, though. Anyway, it's the most beautiful thing- wow is the wood top notch on this guitar. The maple cap is soooo thick, and has the nicest flame I've seen in a long time. Even the back on this guitar is beautiful. And the finish!! The finish is a mile and a half thick easily, and looks amazing. The funny thing is, it doesn't kill the resonance- this thing vibrates so much that it tends to feed back, just because the whole guitar is ringing... I of course mean this in the best way =)

This guitar is a dual humbucker, Les Paul DC-type guitar. It uses a Vol-Vol-Tone setup which is fine, and a single switch which is located below the bridge (which takes some getting used to).

Well, I play many different styles in a few different bands. When I purchased this guitar, I was in a girl-fronted power-pop band- that seems to be the sort of thing this guitar is made for. I'm running it through a ToneBone Classic -> ToneBone British -> Big Muff -> Amp. It's definately not noisy.

The clean sounds here aren't the forte- they're good, but not spectacular. The real deal comes when you put some distortion on. The whole guitar is soo resonant, and any distortion is clear but super heavy- what a sound. The neck pickup is very smooth and warm, and excels at Santana-esque leads. The bridge is much more crisp, and is great for chording away on =)

I find all of the knobs are very responsive- there's great roll-off in the volumes and the tone. The volumes have a definate jump between 8-10, which is great for soloing.

Since I got it used, I'm not sure how the factory setup was (from what I hear, I'm sure it was phenominal). Still, every guitar should be setup to the players personal needs anyway!

As for things like the bookmatching, routing, etc- they are positively sublime! The fit of this guitar is so solid it's unreal. The neck feels completely solid, the joint is right on, nothing wiggles, nothing rattles. I opened up the guitar and the inside (hidden by a clever grounded metal backplate) is clean enough to do surgery in. This is easily the best construction I've ever seen on any guitar.

The hamer feels super solid. There's no question that it will survive live playing. This guitar is over 10 years old, and the only problem is the slightly peeling neck finish where it touches the rosewood (commonly referred to as "hameritis", I believe). Apparently this was due to a problem with the finish compound which has now been fixed. I would depend on this guitar 100%.

I've never dealt with them. I hear they're great, though.

I've been playing about 6 years now, and have been steadily purchasing more and more guitars. I believe I'm up to about 16 now, but I'm not entirely sure =) At any rate, I had heard of Hamers before this but had never owned one. Now, I'm _totally_ a convert. I would easily, easily, _no_ questions asked buy another. In fact, I'm really gassing for a Hamer explorer at this point =) I mean, it's not a strat, and it's not going to replace the strats (and I'm a strat man, really), but it's the one I reach for when I need something that will perform perfectly every time.

my studio is a rare Korina version i happened to stuble upon (looks awesome). two SD 59 humbuckers. 2 vol, 1 tone knob and a pickup selector switch. regular dot inlays.

this guitar sounds amazing. i went out to buy a Gibson LP or hereitage LP and ended up getting this with no regrets. this guitar just felt right in my hands and the sounds from it is what i was expecting. with the way people talk about LP's i thought they would be as great as everyone says. but almost every LP (priced under $2K) i have always walked away unsatisfied. i feel they have a very muffled type sound (or maybe "not open" is good).

the guitar resonates like crazy, you can feel it on your body (it's the whole guiatr working). i have had this guitar for 2 years, haven't played anything yet that makes me want anything else.

action and intonation i have adjusted a couple times when the weather changes, but everything plays and works great. good sustain and intonation, no fret buzz, but i expect any guitar i play to be this way.

all seems good to me. just don't throw it around and care for it and i expect to haev this for a long time.

never had to contact them

i love it and want more. i am scared that the secret is comming out and will drive the prices up. better get another soon.

Solid mahogany Studio in cherry finish. It seems to have Sperzel tuners and also a Duncan JB/59 set. Rosewood fretboard and all mahogany construction as far as neck and body.
Please see the features below.

This guitars sounds nice and thick but kind of narrow in it's frequency response. Hard to explain, but my Les Paul and McCarty sound like they are more full and just hitting more frequencies than the Studio. I also tried a maple topped studio and it seemed similar but a tad more full. Sounded good, but not as full as my McCarty which is a similar guitar. I tried to swap out the pickups but it didn't change much, but still over all a nice sounding guitar well worth the money, especially used. Great bang for the buck. I just don't sense any mojo with Hamer guitars. I only find that in Gibson and PRS. Maybe just me.

Perfect in this category and a great, great quality instrument. In the end, as nice as this guitar is.....it just has no vibe to me similar ro how I feel about Carvins. Just no life in mu opnion. It's a shame because Hamer puts so much time into these guitars and are made so well. Still, I don't feel they are made any better than PRS.

Seems super solid but I am looking to sell because I just can't vibe with Hamers.

N/AZ

Over all a great instrument and reasonably priced but a guitar has to feel like it was meant to be played and have some mojo. I can't get that from a Hamer. There necks play a little funny to me. In comparison, I could pick up a good Gibson or PRS and never want to put it down. That vibe and mojo is very important in a guitar. Sorry, Hamer.

Made in the USA in 1995. I purchased the guitar in 1996. Taken from the Hamer catalog I got with the guitar:

A. Schaller 12:1 ratio tuners and frictionless Lubritrak nut.
B. 3-piece handcarved stressed neck is 1.66" at nut.
C. 22 .050" x .100" high quality nickel/silver Hamer frets.
D. Quarter-sawn East Indian rosewood fingerboard
E. Oversized handfitted dovetail joint.
F. 14 coats of hand-buffed lacquer.
G. Seymour Duncan '59 and JB pickups.
H. Wilkinson hard tail wrap-around bridge.
I. 1 3/8" precision routed, solid select Honduras Mahogany body.
J. 5/8" hand carved, painstakingly finished ultimate grade figured maple top.

I have since replaced the Wilkinson bridge with a TonePros adjustable wrap-around bridge. Two volume controls and one tone control. One three-way toggle switch. Pickups are passive. Les Paul Junior double-cutaway body style with carved top. Non-locking tuners. Standard strap buttons -- no strap-locks. 24.75" scale length. All hardware is chrome. Mine has the 59 burst finish, which is a cherry sunburst. The back of the guitar has a transparent red finish which nicely shows off the grain of the mahogany body and neck. Neck is a chunky C-shape, but not too chunky, though. Came with gig bag. I would give a higher score for features if it had a coil-tap and if I had got a hardshell case with it.

I also want to say that the flame top on this guitar is far, FAR superior to the "10-tops" I see on PRS's these days. It is also far superior to any flame top I've seen on a Gibson or any other guitar I've seen in the last several years. The flame tops today have a very two-dimensional, shallow appearance. The flames on my Hamer have a really beautiful, three-dimensional depth to them. Back when I bought this guitar in '96, I didn't think much of the looks of this guitar at all -- in fact I really didn't like the way it looked. I bought it because it sounded good! And, because I got a really good deal on it. As the years have passed by, I've really come to appreciate just how beautiful my guitar is -- looks-wise and tone-wise.

This guitar sounds very Les Paul-ish, as you would expect from the specifications. This guitar has no coil-splitting function, so it doesn't do any single coil tones. Overall, this guitar is really warm, fat, and rich sounding. The tone is also very, very sweet with a delicious midrange complexity. Other guitars sound colder, harsher, more one-dimensional by comparison. The neck pickup is very creamy, smooth and warm. The bridge pickup has more of a biting tone. The guitar is dead quiet, no hum at all (the electronics cavity is completely shielded), which is something I can't say for all 3 of my Tom Andersons -- they buzz when I'm not touching something metal on the guitar. Every time I play this guitar with distortion, I think it sounds like Gary Moore's tone on his song, Still Got the Blues.

Perfect in every way.

This guitar is really put together exceptionally well. It is rock solid and will easily last a lifetime or more.

Never needed any support for this guitar.

I've been playing now for almost 17 years. Currently, I also own three Tom Andersons -- a Hollow T Contoured, a Hollow Drop-Top, and a Hollow Cobra S. In the past I've owned a Yamaha SE203M strat-copy, an Ibanez RG570, a Steinberger Spirit, and an American Series Strat. The Hamer only loses to the Andersons in two areas -- versatility and upper fret access. Each of my Andersons has a variety of switching options and can provide both humbucker and single-coil tones, whereas the Hamer only gives humbucker tones. I can play up to the 22nd frets on all my Andersons with ease. On the Hamer, it's not as hard to play up high as it is on a Les Paul, but it's not as comfy as on my Andersons. In every other way, the Hamer is every bit the quality of my Tom Andersons.

As I said above, time has really made me appreciate just how great this guitar is. It has a fantastic tone, the flame top is gorgeous, and it plays very well. I used to think I would never own a guitar I'd have any sentimental attachment to. I will never part with this guitar. In fact, I really need to sell some of my guitars (unfortunately, kinda at a low point in life right now), and when I think of which ones I want to keep, I realized that I just can't part with my Hamer (I'll also be keeping my Hollow Cobra S). I just really love my Hamer Studio and I want to be with it forever.

Made in 1995 - double cut with a flame maple top finished in red. The top would be consider a 5A or 10top by other manufactures. Two Seymour Duncan pickups, two volumes and one tone control - three way switch. Nice thin nitro finish - prefect color with a super looking two piece flame maple top.

22 fret mahogany neck, nice rosewood fretboard with dot inlays. Medium size neck, very comforable to play. Included a Hamer hardshell case. Shaller tuners, gold hardware.

This is a poormans PRS santana IMO - with qualiy as good a PRS. Great sounding guitar, quiet operation.

One thing, I wish it had coil taps on the pickups.

Perfect, Hamer does thing right. The only issues I have with the guitar, the gold hardware is pitted from playing - typical of gold hardware. Guitar is rock solid, the finish it thin and care must be used. Plays like a dream, perfect fretwork.

No question, Rock solid.

Don't have a clue, never tried to contact them.

A super value, these are somewhat un-known treasures. But I suspect as people become aware, prices of uses Hamer's will increase. I think Hamer started in the late 70's, and I don't understand why they are not more popular. I have owned a couple of them, and everyone has been fantastic. I often feel like I'm buying a PRS with out the high price tag. I think Hamer's build quality is as good as PRS, the gutiars both play great - so it's a real bargin IMO.

1996, USA built, flamed to hell Maple top, mahogony back, crazy fast neck kinda like a little chunkier 1960 Les Paul, Duncan Pickups you know the routine all the features you need. I love the seperate volume controls and the placement of the selector switch. For info on Hamer go to EdRoman.com to find out the story behind them

Play Blues/Metal type music, sound is bell clear almost single coil on the bridge pu,can do everthing from Country to Metal fat round tone,not brittle at all, turn back the tone control and get the perfect Woman tone, sustains forever,not a hum well shilded, I play through Marshall JCM 900 stack, Crate Vintage Club 50, Line 6 Spider sounds good through all of them depending on the mood I'm in (distortion or lots of distortion)

Guitar is 8 years old and I've had it a year, some laquer peeling along the edge or the fingerboard, I have to adjust the truss rod seasonally and tweak the bridge ocassionally mainly because I set my string height under 1/16 inch at the 12th fret. yes the neck is that good! also I dont case store my guitars I hang them. all parts look new and tough as nails, well built, perfect bookmatch on the top not even a crackle in the knobs, lets see your POS Gibson do that after 8 years.

Had it a year and haven't even broke a string and I play HARD. Finish is the famous Hamer 12 coats of hand rubbed Laquer, bang it, it doesn't dent, replaced strap buttons the day I got it to straplocks, this is the one guitar I own that if I had to I would use with out a backup, I wouldn't even take a spare string.

Bought used so no warranty, however I was in the local Hamer dealers and the Factory rep was there. He went over the guitar for me! Checked the intonation, just checked it all out even though I didn't buy it there and had bought it used. He even recomended which models I should look for for collectability on the used market. Impressed me all to hell, these guys just love Guitars

Been playing 30+ years, went in looking for a PRS and had never before played a Hamer, had the nicest neck,top and was 1/3 the price. I've owned them all Gibson,Fender, solidbody and archtop presently have 2 PV Wolfgangs but thats a completly different weapon. This is the nicest, most versitile guitar I've ever had. If it were stolen I'd be in jail because the guy would be dead but I'd have my Hamer. I've just bought another Hamer a Korina Artist, nuff said

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.

Features? Well, it's got some tuning pegs and a couple of knobs and pickups. Also a little hole for the cord to go into.

I play in a professional punk band. However, my influence in playing is mostly classic rock. This is the best sounding guitar I've ever owned, and I've had quite a few. I used to have a Custom Les Paul from the 70's, and the Hamer sounds much better than the L.P. did. I've recorded several albums with it and I've had many unsolicited comments from producers/engineers about how great it sounds. It's the best rock guitar that is being made, presently.

Action? Well, I've had it for so many years now that I don't remember exactly how it played off the rack. Besides, I take every guitar to my tech for setup before I play it. But as far as neck width and fret size and so forth, it's great. Much better playing than any L.P. I've ever played. One complaint... Before this model, I tried to purchase a Hamer Goldtop, (basically the same guitar with goldtop and binding). There was a major flaw in the finish. I mean it was terrible... cracking, chipping around the neck. Big pieces flaking off. However, I bought it believing I could send it to the factory to get retouched. Read below for that nightmarish story. So I eventually had to trade it back to the store I purchased at for the Studio. Looked good then, but now I notice a ton of bubbling in it's finish. Fortunately for Hamer, tone and playabity far outweigh cosmetics, in my perception.

Well, I think I've gone out of tune maybe once with this guitar. Seriously. I've been touring with it for several years now, and it never goes out of tune. I've never had a problem with anything but the finish. On stage, I always have a backup but I've never had to use it.

Hooboy! F- for these guys. As I said earlier, I sent the Goldtop into Hamer for warantee repair. I was in no hurry at the time. They said 6 to 8 weeks. Fine. 6 to 8 weeks pass and no reply. I call and they say a few more weeks. A few more weeks pass... and so on. Finally, after SIX MONTHS I am at A&M studios in LA recording an album and I really get anxious for that guitar. I call and talk to the man in charge, (I believe his name was Ken) and I calmly say, "Hey,I'm recording a record and I want my guitar repaired and sent to me in a week". "Look man, we're in the middle of moving and I don't know what to tell you" Click. He actually hung up on me. When I called to complain to someone in charge, the secretary refused to patch me through to anything except "Ken's voicemail". What good is that?!?! I can complain about Ken to Ken?!?! So they send the Goldtop to me and it has been UNTOUCHED by human hands. The same flaws were there. That's after six months! They just let it sit and collect dust for six months and sent it back. Infuriated, I went back to the store I purchased it at when I got home. They couldn't believe it when they looked at the thing. I'm pretty much over it. But I always feel the need to give the Hamer customer service bad press whenever I get the chance.

Overall rating? After 10 years of playing, (about 5 professionally) and touring worldwide with several different guitars, I'll give it a 10. Of course the problem with the finish is a drag, but after so many years of hard playing, cosmetics are hardly an issue. Besides, what rock guitarist worth his salt cares if his guitar is "pretty"?

Made in the USA 1996 Natural finish maple top (beautiful flames) Studio with a wrap around tail piece which feels very comfortable. Pick ups are Duncans, one JB and one '59 which I replaced for a PRS Dragon I neck. It sounds much bigger that the '59, which is specific for a certain type of sound that I'm just not hip to.

The sound is huge, for the exception of the '59, which to me is somewhat bluesy. The '59 smokes in the distorted arena, but I play more clean when using the neck pick up. I switched to a PRS Dragon I because I'm fimiliar with that sound and I like it. As for the JB, a pick-up I'd of never consider buying until I got the Hamer; very hot, very big and very well suited to play along with the dragon I. The guitar has a natural ring to it. The sustain and vibration when you strum a cord is Noticeable, to say the least.

The finish is great. I don't know if Hamer charges more for better finishes, but this particular guitar is as close to 10 as I'll ever get to. The action is just fine. The neck is a bit fat, which is just fine.

Reliability/Durability is it's greatest asset.

Haven't a clue, which is a good thing.

I just don't understand why this guitar hasn't gained much popularity. I'm not a Hamer fanatic, but this is as solid as any PRS or Gibson I've owned. I'm not very technical when it comes to specs, but I know a great guitar when I hear and play one. Not long ago, I sold a PRS regretfully(not to compare the two) 'cause I wasn't convinced about the feel(very stiff), although I loved the sound, hence the PRS dragon I. I shopped around, but refused to pay $1500 for a guitar. That's when Hamer came into the picture, a guitar I've never paid much attention to, until I played one. It's not as attractive as a lot of other high-end guitars out there, and it's very basic as far as features, but it is very well crafted and does the job. Granted these guitars have a terrible resale value and are worth much more brand new than used(I paid 650). I don't think I'd pay the retail value of this guitar if it were new, but this is by far the best after market guitar you can get, bang for you buck if you will. No plugs for Hamer, I'm just speaking as a consumer.

This is a double cutaway Hamer in the Gibson pattern with a set mahogany neck, mahogany body and flame maple top. Although I bought it this year it had a warrantee card with the old Illinois address.
The studio has an interesting combination of features, a pair of humbuckers but a wraparound tailpiece/bridge. For tone and bending nothing beats it, and the Wilkinson design is an excellent compromise between adjustable intonation and simplicity. Over the years I've used the original Gibson wraparounds, Leo Quan Badasses and the Schaller - the Wilkinson is much easier to live with than the latter handful of parts.
The Duncan pickups are a classic set JB in the bridge and a 59 up front - If I were designing this over again, from scratch, I'd go for a slightly brighter sound to compliment my amps. The only other change I'd suggest would be Sperzel tuners, because I'm lazy. The Schaller tuners on it are just fine
The best trait of this guitar is its feel - very light, well balanced and "tossable" much like a LP Special except it balances even better. Let me emphasize that, this guitar is LIGHT, like an SG maybe, except it balances on the strap.
This thing doesn't have a lot of "Features" as the rating system describes, but the basic features it has are extremely well considered and well executed.

This is, to me, a straight forward rocker's guitar. It'll do anything a Les Paul will do without hurting your back. It will growl and bite or it'll sing sweetly. I think all that mahogany and the wraparound are responsible for a lot of that versatility. I really wouldn't do much strum and hum with it, but plugged into a Twin it will play clean and large.

My guitar was a casualty of the music retail environment - there was a gouge on the edge near the upper bout facing up at the player and a pretty bad bruise on the bottom edge, between the pin and the jack. Neither of these are visible from the front, but do explain why I was able to buy this beautiful guitar for $650.
Otherwise the construction and craftsmanship of this guitar were superb. The mahogany body was not the finest I've seen (like on an early SG) but is excellent by recent standards. The neck uses wood as good as I've seen on anything.
THe flamed top is not a particularly lurid pattern, but is strongly striped and finished well to bring out the depth of the figuring - this goes deep.
All aspects of the assemply were well done with no problems or poor fits. The pickup mounting rings are not the standard items and fit this guitar better than is usual.
Shortly after buying it I did take the control plate off (metal, nice touch) to shake out some construction debris that was rattling around in there)

This guitar shows no weaknesses whatever. If something breaks it will be a total surprise. It is solidly built from top quality materials and should be as reliable as any electric guitar could be.
I cannot think of any reason to not have this as a number one guitar. Unless you throw it down and jump on it, you shouldn't need a backup.

I've been playing for some 30 years, I've owned almost everything that there ever was and played the rest. This is as good as it gets - my main amp is a Marshall 50W combo with some respectful mods and this is a great combination.
This guitar combines everything I like about the Les Paul Special with some great features of its own. If not this guitar, I'd have to find another much like it.

This is a double cutaway Les-Paul type guitar. Two Seymour Duncan humbuckers-- a '59 in front and JB (Jeff Beck) in the rear. Two volume controls and one tone control. Finish is clear. Top is flamed maple. Back and neck are Mahogony. Fingerboard is (Indian) rosewood. Stop tail piece with Tunomatic bridge. I don't know if this guitar is old and made before they put on the Wilkinson wrap around or whether this guitar is new and they've stopped using the Wilkinson Wrap around. Anyway, most models of this guitar that I've seen come with a Wilkinson wrap-around hard tail bridge. The wrap arounds sound very good, but it's hard to intonate them. I prefer sacrificing a tiny bit of sound for the sake of tuning.
I bought this guitar in 1997. Don't know the year.
Not your super coi-splitting gazillion sound whammy bar guitar, but a great, solid Les Paul type.
Comes with guitar-shaped case.

This guitar sounds really really good. I have a PRS Custom 24 as well, and these guitars are comparable to each other in sound (except for the PRS having split-coil options).
Solid, meaty Les-Paul sound. Not a whole lot of variety of different sounds, but very good standard Les-Paul sounds.
I play this through a Fender Hot Rod Deville (2x12 60W) with a Boss ME8. I'm very happy with the sound.

Workmanship is top notch. No flaws detected. The guitar was set up very nicely. Action is not too high nor too low. Top is matched nicely. Frets are solid.
Only problem was with toggle switch. Cleaned it out with contact cleaner and now it's fine.

Solid. Will withstand live playing vey well. Hardware is strong. finish is strong, too. No scratches yet.

When I had the hardtail version of this guitar, I had a problem with one of the screws in the bridge. Hamer sent me replacement parts quickly.

This is a great guitar. For 1100 bucks I got a beautiful flame-top Les-Paul style guitar. I'd buy another if I had (but I'd only buy with the tone-o-matic bridge).
I also own a PRS and a Les Paul and a G&L Strat. this guitar is 97% as good as the PRS. What's missing is a little more variety of tone. I could always put in some coil-splitting pickups, I guess.

quick note: I've seen this thing list price at over $1500, and the place I bought it from wanted $1300, but I did talk them down to $900. (you'll never catch me paying more than $1500 for ANY guitar, period, ever.) This thing is worth what they ask for it though. Hands down.
I assume this fine piece of work was made the year I bought it, which was 1995. It's a 22 fretter, with 2 volume controls, one for each humbucker, both seymour duncans, which come stock, and one tone control. Pickup switch as well. No wimpy single coils here, just 2 great hummers, a seymour duncan '59, and a duncan JB. It boasts a mahogany body, with a beautiful maple top that can even stand up to the best of the paul reed smith world. It has a 3 piece set in neck with an east indian rosewood fingerboard. The finish on mine is a transparent dark blue, but they also have many others to offer. I even saw a rainbow burst on one of them. (gag me.) The body is double cutaway, again, very similar to a PRS. The bridge is the only thing on this guitar that I do not like. It's a Wilkinson Hard Tail Wrap-Around.. Perhaps my bitch with it is just that hard tails aren't for me, which I didn't know until this guitar, (live and learn) but my main problem with it is that THERE ARE NO GROOVES. you basically have to take your knowlege of guitar and place the strings where you think they should go. This beast has Schaller 12:1 Ratio Tuners, and a Frictionless Lubritrak Nut. The neck is 1.70" at the nut, and is similar to that of a les paul, from what I can tell, and because of this guitar I haven't been able to play a thin neck properly since I bought it. 22 .050" X .100" High Quality Nickel/Silver Hamer Frets, feel pretty damn good, perhaps too high set for real action, but that's a problem easily fixed. Mine came with a deluxe hardshell case. 9, simply because of the bridge.

THIS THING SOUNDS AND PLAYS GREAT! It's that simple. My personal style is VERY diverse, ranging from Jane's Addiction, to Pantera, to clean tapping, to pop, to anything. I play how I feel at the time, and this guitar can do it all. The bridge pickup is a little bit on the noisy side, but I only use it with distortion behind it, so it's not a big deal at all. Versatility is a great key for this instrument. If you're on the neck pickup, you get a VERY rich, full, creamy sound, begging and pleading you to play some clean chord strumming melodys, and the bridge pickup is very bright, just CRYING for you to pack on the distortion, and jam out the best solo you've ever played in your life. It has INCREDIBLE sustain, I can hold a note for damn near a minute when I crank it enough, and again, it just plain sounds great. It's a dream. No complaints.

The first time I picked up this guitar it was set up very well. The action was pretty low, I did lower it a bit, but that's just me, the pickups were, unfortunately, equally low, which was something I ended up fixing on my own as well. That's the only problem I've had with it. The neck pickup, when raised, has a tendancey to cave in completely into the pickup cavity. My guess is that the spring isn't big enough. I went and had this fixed, or at least thought I did, but the people at the store here, to be blunt, are fucking morons, and didn't do what I asked them to do. (get a bigger spring.) it caved in 5 minutes after I got it home. The finish is georgeous, again, competing heavily with the much famed PRS finishes. The 2 sides are nearly perfectly matched. Aside from the pickup cave in problem, which I'm pretty sure is the EXCEPTION, not the rule, this guitar had no factory flaws. Only petty things that I disagree with. (not anything wrong in the worksmanship, I just don't like some of what they did do, on any guitar, even though it was done perfectly.)

I've brought this thing through several gigs, partys, etc, and it does have it's share of battle scars, but nothing has gone wrong yet. (other than the before mentioned pickup cave-in saga, and the pickup switch locking on me a few times..) The finish is there for life, unless you go out of your way to intentionally strip it. In all honesty, I beat the hell out of my guitar when I get into it, and this thing stands up to all my aggression. (some scratches from picking, but they don't alter the finish, and can only be seen in certain lighting schemes, to be expected on any guitar.) The strap button DID come out of it's socket after the first 6 months or so, but I got it fixed at my local shop, and it hasn't gone out on me in the past 2 1/2 years now. I can and do use this guitar without a backup every time I do a show. It's my only stage worthy, or for that matter, play worthy guitar. This thing is built like a tank, despite it's exquisite elegance.

have not had to deal with them yet, and I don't expect I will ever have to. The guitar DOES have a warranty, but I haven't needed it or used it yet. I couldn't tell you how long it is, simply because I ignored it. probably a mistake on my part, but I didn't know better at t he time.

I have been playing for.. shit I dunno.. somewhere close to 4 years. My only regret is that I did not do more studying into bridges before I snagged this guitar, as I might have had them put a floyd into it. If this guitar were stolen, I would probably spend a long time greiving and trying to find out who took it, but in all honesty I probably wouldn't get the same thing agian, at least not to the standard factory specs. I love this guitar, but on a larger budget I'd have probably gone with something else. (such as a prs.) That's actually why I got this one. It was the closest I could get to a PRS on the budget I was on. If it weren't for the price tag, I would reccommend this guitar to ANYONE, even beginners, simply because it has the best of all worlds, and can produce any sound you want it to, the whole time playing like a dream. I love my guitar. Period. If you have any more questions, feel free to drop me a line.