Before I even read the replies I was going to say it's worth about $650. I know because I had one just like it in black.
The action was very good. The finish was very good. Hamer painted my headstock black to match the body for me as a custom enhancement. That was nice of Hamer. I had played a blue one just like that at Guitar Villa in Bethlehem, PA. The owner put the order in to Hamer for me. That blue demo I played had it all - depth of tone, good weight and balance and nice finish with superior grade hardware. It beat out EVERY bass in the store including Ricks, Schecters, vintage Fenders, Tobias, Alembics and whatever else you can name that was 2 or 3 times the cost. That was 10 years ago. I paid around $800 complete for my custom order - in black.
Unfortunately, from day one the new black model did not have the same tone as the blue one. My quest for it "all" ended in a disappointment. I chose looks and lost the tone. The black one never had the depth of tone that I heard in the blue demo model. It looked great but I didn't want to play it. I guess the grain of the wood or that particular combination of construction techniques somehow didn't connect well. After messing with it for months and trying to rationalize my purchase, I traded it to my brother for an original Gibson Firebird guitar. Good deal for me, except that the Firebird wouldn't hold pitch.
Darn ol' original Gibson stamped tuners.
Now, I'd imagine that another Hamer like these could vary as much as all basses and guitars do. If you find a real winner and it sounds and plays and looks the way you like, you pay what
you think it's worth. If my dream bass was a boat oar to someone else, I'd pay for it the way any of us would - top dollar - in the four figure range - regarless of what someone else thinks.
Of course, your buddy who ran his own music shop is more inclined to profit from this sale. Let the market bear what it will and remember that this economy allows you to justify offering as little as half the going rate in order just to get a conversation going with a salesman.
Now... if that's the same blue Hamer demo from Guitar Villa that I played 10 years ago - it's worth at least a grand.
- to me.
) How much is this bass going to be worth? I have looked on ebay and only found 1 USA cruisebass...anyone have any ideas? Also, are there any problems that I should be on the lookout for...other than the usual normal stuff.
