Hamer Vector

Bought my Vector in about 1988 used, so I'm guessing it's an early 80's US made version...twin Duncan humbuckers, all electronics are passive (if you can call something that sounds this ferocious passive), two vol one tone contorl with 1/4 in jack mounted on front of body (my only bitch about the design, I wish it was on the side), solid chunk o' chromed steel bridge, mahogany body with neck thru construction, lightning fast 22 fret neck with Schecter tuners, et. al. Came with a garbage case, although it was V shaped at one time! I paid $200 for this gem at one of my local music stores, they didn't think it was of any value because the cream finish was all cracked to hell, I though it gave the axe character! Very basic, straight forward heavy shredding type axe...

Sounds like a wailing shreek of blistering hellfire through just about any amp, it's my alltime fave metal axe! I got this one for my first original metal gig back in the 80's (Krooked Kross, based in Cherry Hill, NJ), damn we rocked lol! I'm sure it sounds ok clean, but I can't honestly remember ever trying it out like that, this guitar is just predisposed to scream! I seem to be drawn to running it through both pickups, with the tone totally flat (bassy), through a really maxed out mix on my amp with a ton of overdrive. Gives it an evil, fat gnarly tone that suits my style quite well!

The action is blazing fast and very tight to the fretboard, once again nicely suited for my former speed metal pursuits. The axe is nicely built and has withstood many grueling miles on the road and being beat upon for the gods of metal! The finish, as mentioned above, was completely wasted when I bought it, but seeing as I was going to use it in a totally "evil" wicked sick speed metal band, it was perfect! I've adorned the body with select decals to enhance it's evilness over the years, so I have a pretty unique looking V here!

Solid as a rock...this guitar is friggin' bullet proof! I've used it for years playing live, swapping off with my main axe (Epiphone Genesis, see my other revue) or using it as my sole guitar on stage for many gigs. The hardware is designed to withstand nuclear holocaust, and has! The finish is already cracked and chipped beyond recognistion, but the owner applied decals are holding up nicely! I would gladly lay my withered, blackened metal soul on the line with this axe and have absolutely no worries of it letting me down!

got it used, couldn't tell you...although I'm sure if I contacted Hamer they'd be able to offer some kind of help, they're a great company!

Been playing as long as I can remember, I think I was born with a guitar in my hands! This guitar has made the lion's share of the journey with me, it's second only to the Epiphone Genesis I've had since I was 16. If this guitar were stolen, I'd hunt the mutha f**ker down and hang him by his b@lls with my "B" string! This axe will never get lost, so no comment about that....

AS compared to other guitars, I'm glad I didn't go with the Gibson V's of the time period, they sounded thin in comparison, and just don't have that killer attitude that is built in to this V! With very few deviations from the original V design, Hamer built a shredder for the ages with the Vector V! I'm glad mine has the standard Hamer headstock (do they all?), it sets it apart from the cookie cutter Gibson/epiphones and cheap copies, and goes nicely with the classic lines of the body. I didn't need to compare it to anything else, it just kind of called to me and by the end of the week, it was mine ever since! It's kind of a shame the finish is wasted, but like I said bafore, that kind of drew me in as it has a brutal attitude, it looks like it's gonna kick your ass! If my son ever starts to play seriously, I think this is the guitar I'll pass on to him, although I'll have a really hard time letting it go...maybe I'll just get him a Strat or something!

Mine is a Vector XT cherryburst flametop, Korean import, 2004 model. 22 jumbo frets, boomerang inlays, bound fretboard, string-through-body bridge, alder/rosewood neck, alder body, two Duncan Designed humbuckings (I think JB bridge, '59 neck), two volume controls, one tone knob and three-way switch. It came with a Hamer hard case, pretty good, made in Canada.

The neck of this guitar feels great, it's very comfortable; the guitar is amazingly light and vibrant, not to mention how beautiful it is. However, I do miss a tremolo bar. I thus replaced the stock tune-o-matic bridge by another tune-o-matic with roller saddles. in order to be able to bend the strings up with my fingers. Now I'm pretty satisfied.

I mostly play hard rock and metal, from thrash to heavy to progressive to shred. Some blues and jazz as well. This guitar is very versatile, so it's perfect to me. Nevertheless, I think it is slightly less suited for "darker" sounding styles -- for example, I don't think it will do death metal very well. The sound indeed is mostly bright, very rich in the middle/high frequencies. Not "fat", but full; plenty of overtones and with a lot of room for expression. It has a singing, well rounded lead tone, with a lot of natural, acoustic sustain and a lot of definition. That's where this guitar excels. The neck humbucking has no "personality", but the one on the bridge rocks. I use this guitar mostly for leads and it adds infinite beauty to my tone with the neck at 60%, the bridge at 100% and the tone knob turned to full high. When playing chords it also sounds great for Led Zeppelin-alike tunes. Bluesy and jazzy rhythmic stuff also sound amazing with this. And although it doesn't sound dark (as I already mentioned), it produces a very tight, clear and accurate output when playing thrashy riffs. In few words, death metal players avoid it like pest; but for anyone else it's a safe buy.

Came perfectly adjusted from the store. I just lowered the action a bit, re-intonated and then I was ready to rock the world. It plays like a dream. Its well balanced structure is pure genius. You can also reach the higher frets effortlessly. Of course, it's a "Vee", so you know that playing this while sit is a hard thing. Mine's had a minor painting flaw on top of the body; but it's barely visible and I don't really care. In general it surpassed my expectations. A high quality instrument for an import. This not only plays great, but looks amazing!

It looks solid enough. I would gig with it, but I only use it in the studio. Everything on it looks great, but it looks so great that I'm very jealous about her. I wouldn't like to scratch it, so definitively it won't go gig. No coherent opinion in this topic.

I own other Hamer guitars, so I know that they are pretty fair to their customers. Nothing to die for, nothing outstanding, but fair enough. This guitar particularly has no guarantee. I don't really care. It looks solid enough. However, I should mention that guys on the Hamer Fanclub <www.hamerfanclub.com> form a great, helpful community if you ever have a question, a concern, or need some little help.

I've been playing for 14 years now. I own a Hamer Standard, a Hamer Centaura, a Hamer Californian Deluxe '91, a project guitar I constructed myself and this Vector. This is by far my preferred guitar for leads, although I still miss the whammy bar. Also, for my bluesy and jazzy divagations it's my preferred choice too -- no BS, killer brilliant tone and clear note definition. I'm in love with this guitar and I would kill for her. If stolen I would get another one for sure -- I hope being able to find another Korean-made, as now these are made in China and I don't know how good those others are. The look of this guitar is one of the bests out there. It's light for on-stage acrobatics, it's very playable and it sounds simply great. I would depend entirely on it, but I like having a wider palette of tones (darker or fatter ones sometimes), so that's why I own other guitars. However, I strongly recommend this to any player. Again, I need to mention that this would not fit to death metal lovers, ok? But players who deal with several styles (or even with less extreme metal variants) will be amazed about how good these imports can be. Highly recommended!

Mine is a Hamer "Vector V" 2004 model.Made in Korea.22 frets(jumbo).2 vol.1 tone,3 way sel.2 Duncan designed HB's.Alder/rosewood neck.Alder body. Book matched flame maple top.Through body tune-o -matic bridge.Nice fat neck for my large hands.Gibson like tuners(old school)Case incl.

I main play Metal/Classic Rock.Some blues stuff.Guitar serves well for all.Not noisy at all.Great distorion.Thick and meaty.I play through a Crate GT 212 100watt combo.No effects.

Finish is perfect in every way.Zero flaws.Guitar was set up well by...no clue?The flame maple matched perfectly.

Seems tuff enough.Would gig.

No dealings with company.

I have been playing for about 5 yrs.I also own a Fernandes Ravelle Deluxe.I have owned several Epi. LPs,SGs for the same value.In my opinon,it prevails.By FAR!!

My Hamer Vector Flametop was made fairly recently and from the great people of China. There are 22 frets, a flamed maple vaneer top similar to what Jackson uses on some of their tops, 2 volume, 1 tone, 3 way selector, "Hamer" Duncan Design covered pickups, and I believe the pickups are of the HB-102 or 103 series (equivalent of JB/Jazz). The pickups are passive. The body is Alder and the neck is alder aswell as being set. The body style if you haven't guessed is a V, similar to Gibson V's, not Jackson. The bridge is a string thru body V plate going over a tune-o-matic. The tuners are unknown (to me anyways), nonlocking. The neck is wide, thin, and the fingerboard is Rosewood with the V shape in Peavey's logo (Hamer calls it a boomerang). I got a case with mine.

The pickups are bred for blues, rock, jazz, metal, funk, etc with their beefy tone and output. The pickups are great for market pups. This guitar suits metal really well because of it's hot wiring, tone and output. I am using this guitar with a Peavey Vintage Tube Series Rockmaster 120w tube amp and a rocktron metal planet. It isn't noisy at all. Although if you want feedback, and you know how to work proper pickups for that (crappy ones will feedback endlessly). The sound of the pups are bright and full on the bridge pickup, rich and creamy on the neck. These pickups could be manipulated for tons of different applications. The variety is vast, from mushy toneless nu metal with the guitars tone at 0 to brit thrash metal of the late 70s mid hump (Judas Priest). It can go from blues to full on metal with the volume and pickup controls. I have finally found a guitar with a fast great response, sound, and the neck pickup doesn't seem weak.

I didn't get my guitar factory, but it's set up well from the person I bought it from. The action was set fast and the pickups were set up for dynamics between the bridge and neck pickup (this means there is variety). The only flaw is a slight smear of paint at the neck joint which goes over binding, and isn't noticable. (With the look and class of this guitar, that is good. If it were ever stolen, that could be a way of claiming ownership).

I'm sure this guitar could survive live playing. The hardware is of quality, with efficient amounts of finish. The strap buttons are solid and dependable as well as the guitar. I would not use it on a gig without a backup, but only because of the small risk of a string breaking.

I have been playing 2 year's and 8 months. I own an LTD MH-201, a crappy drive 30 w practice amp, a rocktron metal planet pedal, and a Laney cab that goes to my Peavey head. I would buy again if lost or stolen. I love the fast, thin neck, the wideness of the neck, the inlays, the weight, the look, etc. I don't like the ...... well. My favorite feature is the seperate volume knobs and 3 way selector. I compared this V to my friend's BC Rich sig series KKV. The Vector owned the KKV in every aspect, which is should (the price range is way different.) I chose this for the different tone compared to my MH-201 (Mahogony), but also for similar playability, the easily reached 22nd fret. I wish it had a better set of tuners but the ones on there are stable.

1981 Handmade in the USA 22 Fret Honduran Haogany with a Nitro-cellulose finish. It has a gorgeous 1 piece highly flamed Maple top in a Sunburst finish. It has 2 handwound passive Dimarzio Humbuckers. 2 volume knobs, 1 tone knob. 24 3/4" Gibson scale. It has the solid brass sustain block tailpiece, with strings through the body. Schaller tuners and a bone nut. Indian rosewood fretboard on a 3 piece stress relief mahogany neck. A fat comfortable vintage style neck, with frets like an old Les Paul. Killer Flying V better than anything I have played from Gibson.

It suits my style perfectly, more of a vintage sound, but will get nasty if needed. I use this with a Landgraff Deluxe amplifier and various Landgraff and boutique pedals. It is very quiet, and sounds great. The bridge pickup is a little bright, but I like that. Clean I prefer the neck pickup it is very clear warm and fat. The clean sound on this guitar is one of the best I have heard, it does sweet blues so beautifully. Distorted is where the bridge pickup really shines, singing sustaining lead, and clear defined chords. The middle position is out of phase and does the Peter Green thing great It does ZZ Top, Robben Ford, as well as the metal stuff. Don't let the Flying V shape fool you, these are custom shop tone machines. They are the same as the Hamer Specials and Sunbursts from that era. The best parts, components and woods available, all hanhd assembled. they were one of the first boutique guitar makers, and still one of the best. My only dislike is its hard to play sitting down, nd I get funny looks at Church sometimes.

Can't say about factory set up since I bought it a year ago, but it is 23 years old!! Mine has a lot of wear from being played, but there is a reason for that. The finishes on these vintage Hamers are known to wear off fairly easily, this one does that too. Still has the original frets, bone nut, and all the electronics work perfectly. Plays like a dream.

Tough as nails, built to last. Still one of the best built guitars out there. I wish they still made this model though.

Never dealt with them, but the guitar is 23 years old, not sure there is still a warranty.

I have been playing over 20 years, more than half of that professionally. Simply one the great, classic guitars. Less than 200 of these were made, and it would be difficult to replace. If you want a different guitar with the some of the best craftsmanship there is, get one. I looked for 2 years for one of these before I found an original unaltered model. These are more in the vain of Mcinturff, Suhr, and other high end guitars. Not your average mediocre Gibson.

Korean Vector - Flamed Maple Veneer top, alder body, fully bound body and neck. Boomerang fretboard inlays. Two Duncan Design HB's, VOL-VOL-TONE config, 3 way toggle. Glued neck. Pretty damn nice looking guitar.

As I understand it Hamer is moving it's manufacturing to either China or Indonesia (according to my source in a dealership). So I might have one of the last of the Koreans.

It roars. Quiet when I want it to be too. The pickups could be more defined but you get what you pay for. Overall though it sounds great. Chunky like two HB's ought to sound. As of this review I've only actually plugged in twice but I like what I hear so far.

Action was great for me. Bought right off the rack and it plays great. Gibson-like neck, not too fat, not too thin. Nice fretboard, very well finished. Tight glue joint, no flakey finish around there as I thought there might be. I expected a lot less from this guitar to be honest. I bought it sight unseen over the phone. I am very pleasantly surprised.

The finish looks flawless, the binding looks flawless and the overall appearance is very sharp. Extremely well balanced, it doesn't take a nose dive as I thought it would. Very lightweight and comfortable to play.

A right angle guitar cable plug is a good idea as the jack is on the inside of the "V" and a regular cable sticks out too far making it pretty tough to get that Micheal Schenker squat thing going.

The tuners aren't the best things in the world but they seem to be holding up pretty well so far. They'll probably get replaced one day.

I can't say much in this area since this guitar is so new. But I'm sure it would be a fine gigging guitar. I can't see why not. Having had my share of high-end guitars and low-end guitars this one seems solid. I can see replacing the tuners one day and maybe the pickups if I really want to get picky about it. But as-is it's pretty good by me. If the tuners prove to be pretty reliable I'll just leave them.

Can't say but from what I read Hamer seems to be a solid company.

I've been playing guitar for about 20 years now. I own a couple of Strats, a P-Bass, a '77 Gibson RD Standard Bass, a Danelectro 56U2. I lost an '83 Gibson Explorer to the pawn shop some years ago and I regret it often.

Hamer has always been something I've been interested in. Especially Hamer USA, but this Korean was priced just right to satisfy my GAS so I went for it. I always wanted a V and I just couldn't pass up the price on this one.

Anyway I rate it very high for a Korean import. It could have been junk but it's turned out to be a killer little ax. I know Hamer USA is good stuff. You never really know with the imports, sometimes you get a lemon. I'm pretty happy with it.

If it were lost or stolen I'd probably replace it, if I could find another import of this quality.

duncan designed pickups. i bought this used, so i dont know if those were in there from the factory but i think they were. i swapped the bridge one out for a gibson angus young but thats just b/c i had money to burn from my birthday. i wouldnt have done it with hard-earned cash. the neck pickup is BITCHIN!!!! i play grunge/metal with a heavy blues influence and this thing just kicks ass. incredibly smooth tone, i would liken it to santana's but a little smoother. otherwise standard stuff, nothing special but nothing else really needed/expected.

awesome! it can do any style i play perfectly. i used to play some punk and it had some great biting tone for that. it has great clean tone, especially from the neck pickup (in case you haven't noticed, i'm in love with that thing). great for blues-rock of any kind. it can range from dirty blues to smooth shred tones. and thats just with the neck pickup. the bridge i can't really talk about b/c as i said before i swapped it out just to upgrade to the angus young, nothing against the pickup in there.

can't speak for factory set up b/c i got it used. i would say it is pretty good though. it feels just great to me, plays real smooth, but having only played for 2 years and having not played a real great variety of guitars (or anything that much better or more expensive than this) i'm not the best person to ask.

only problem is that the g string tends to slip out of tune every now and then. also the strap button came out once, but thats b/c i'm lazy and wouldnt tighten it when it was loose for a few weeks. thank god not while i was playing. this one is hard to say because i got it used and i dont know what kind of wear and tear its been through. considereing there wasnt a scratch on it i would say this is pretty accurate though.

havent dealt with the company and i dont want to. i've got the local guitar shop and they'll take care of any problem i have with it. man, LOCAL STORES ARE WAY BETTER THAN GUITAR CENTER!

i've been playing about 2 years and this is the best thing i have played. while thats not saying much i could really ask for more out of this guitar. i bought it because it played satisfactorily, sounded good, and looked KILLER! i know that a good part of the notoriety i get around school for my guitar playing is due to this sweet guitar! i've now had it for 4 months and i like it more every day. it sounds awesome and you can manipulate it for any genre. i play it out of a crate glx65 (dont buy this thing, the effects are worthless) and occasionally a crybaby. if it was lost or stolen i dont think i would buy it again, just because i think this one was special. if i'm gonna have to save up my money, i would go for a gibson, probably a goth les paul or some other kind of les paul. so i guess to answer what i think the question means, no i am not absolutely 100% satisfied, but i think i am 1000% (yes one thousand percent) satisfied with something i paid only $350 for. i think to be 100% satisfied i would've had to reach the peak of the guitar mountain, meaning a top-of-the-line gibson. so this is more of a gear collecting decision than a quality one. i'm rambling though, basically this thing is an awesome guitar and if it is in your price range BUY IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

This guitar came to me off eBay, where I thought (from other posts here) I was buying a U.S.-made guitar. Surprise! Made in Korea! Two volumes, one tone, strings through body, set neck, tuning keys that look like Gibson's (but aren't, of course), Gibsonesque bridge. Nice and flamy, body is a light wood. Neck is also like a Gibson. 22 frets. Not thick like my SG, more like my LP. Not thin either really. Boomerang inlays which work well with the whole V thing. Came with a nice V-shaped case. Pickups are two chrome-covered "Duncan Designed" passives.

This ax is built for metally-type stuff and it distorts very well. Bright, snarly aggressive sounds. Not as much character as my LP, I guess, but that is kind of a nebulous criticism. I put it through a Peavey Classic 30, without effects except for the reverb in the amp. I played it clean for a few minutes, it sounds good there too, but that is not its strong point. I prefer singles for clean and buckers for distortion.

This thing has a kickin' action, low, no buzz, easy shredding. Pickups appear to be nicely balanced, all the controls work nicely and without noise. Nice flamage. No complaints, at least none that I have discovered yet! Except maybe that Made in Korea sticker on the back of the headstock! Can't think of any criticisms here.

I have had this guitar for all of 12 hours. I have played it about one hour. So far, so good. Seems like it is good quality stuff and solid, but then again I haven't beaten it to death. Yet. Very Gibsonlike. Pointy body that is easy to bang on your drummer's kit. Gonna say no opinion here 'cause I haven't had it long enough yet.

Never dealt with them. It does have a warranty card which I probably will neglect to fill out and send in. Don't you do the same thing? This guitar is new, but there is no mention of the Vector on Hamer's web page.

I have been playing over 20 long years and own a ton of other guitars including Gibson, Fender, Charvel, Washburn, Ibanez and other stuff. I might've asked about where this ax was from before buying it as something about spending five bills on a Korean ax rubs me the wrong way. I have Fenders and Gibsons that cost less! But, can't fault the workmanship, appearance, playability or sound. Very snarly, good for metal and punk stuff.

Mine is a 1981 Hamer Vector, solid honduras mahogany body and neck (set neck). The paint is camo with a thin red line around the sides, and i assume it came this way from the factory because the serial number is stamped on the back of the head. It has a fixed bridge with strings though the body. Three strap buttons, two of which i have put strap locks on (i still have the original buttons). It came with the original hardshell case, too. My hamer has two DiMarzio humbuckers, one is cream colored and the other is cream/black. The tuners are Schaller? (original?) and say "Made in West Germany" on each one. Two volume control knobs and one tone with a three way selector switch. The action is amazing. Very fast. 22 frets not sure what size.

This is a great rock guitar. Really loud. You can make this one sound great with distortion, but suprisingly (for the way it looks) it can be really pretty too. Great tone all around. I used it in my punk rock band and i played it at church... Good sound for Humbuckers (I've since turned into a Tele neck pickup kinda guy).

I used to play this guitar live all the time (I never gig without a backup, no matter what). If it's sound fit my style now, I'd still be using it.

I bought this about 5 years ago from a friend and have never tried to talk to Hamer about it.

I've been playing for around 7 1/2 years now and I also own a 1999 American Standard Telecaster and a Larrivee Acoustic a couple of basses from the 70s, two vintage Fender amps... too much stuff. I chose the vector for the sound and look. It fit perfectly what i was doing at the time and it was a huge improvement on the crappy Peavey Predator i was using at the time. As far as lost or stolen, it was stolen once and pawned off to a vintage guitar shop that figured it was stolen and bought it cheap from the guy. I went into the shop thinking he could've gone there and bought it back for 60 bucks. I was glad to have it back and I'd probably do it again (if I haven't sold it by then--it's for sale).

This guitar is equivalent to an Gibson Flying Vee, only better. USA made with 22 frets, dual DiMarzio humbuckers and a sustain block bridge (non-locking tremolo). Two volume, one tone, three way pickup selector mounted in a mahogany body.

This is probably the most versatile electric in my stable. I'm definitely stuck on late '70's early 80's music (Boston, Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Journey, etc.)a and the variety of tones is incredible. The neck pickup is incredibly fat without being muddy, and the bridge pickup is bright and well rounded without being thin. I can get any kind of tone from smooth creamy Clapton to thick and crunchy Metallica with a flick of the toggle.

Mine is an '83 that I bought in '97 so the finish is definitely battle scarred. Otherwise, the neck is still dead straight and all of the hardware is still rock solid. No strangeness around the fret wires, and no noise from the toggle or volume/tone pots.

Although very light in comparison to a Les Paul, this guitar is rock solid. Despite being 15 years old the hardware is holding up great, and I have no doubts that it would be a gigging workhorse. The strap buttons are probably the only weak point and I'll definitely be putting strap locks on it soon. As far as gigging without a backup, well, I don't gig so it's not applicable. On the other hand, if I ever did play live I'd have a second guitar anyway. Strange things happen at really bad times.

Mine is used so I've never dealt with Hamer directly

I've been playing since high school and own several guitsars. If this one were stolen I'd definitely try and replace it, although since they're not made anymore it would definitely be a challenge to do so. I love this guitar because it's so light that I can play it for long periods of time, but I do wish it were easier to play sitting down.