• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Hamer USA: bass design input request

#61
hasbeen said:
I'm kind of leaning this way too.....considering the Hamer "brand image" and customer base. The whole "short scale" thing.......you guys think this has merit?
Click to expand...
Mid-scale. It seems that one of the more popular custom basses over at Hamerfanclub is a BM4--like a Blades-style double cutaway special body with 32" scale.

I like the idea of building up from a Newport guitar--a routed hollowbody double cutaway with f-holes and ebony or pao ferro board. The body of the bass should be at least as large as the Newport body for better balance.

A re-working of the Monaco bass might work as well, like adding f-holes and offering modern options on the pickups such as active and on-board EQ, and 5-string and fretless models or std. options.
 
#62
I want a carved top with maple board, and I happen to be a big fan of Hamer products. If you do a hollow body please keep the body thin and only go with one f hole.

And so NOT a fan of the Newport, you have much more attractive products than that. Maybe a Studio type body with slightly more pronounced horns. The Duotone as a Bass would be spectacular.
 
#64
Something I forgot to specify earlier when I mentioned balance and ergonomics: not too long of a reach to the outer frets please! That's one of the real problems with long-scale basses that have a short top horn--even if they balance OK, the first few frets are a pain to stretch to, for people who don't have long monkey arms. This is one of the reasons that semi-hollowbody single-cut idea where the body reached near the 12th fret would be desirable, even though design-work-wise it would be easier to just make a Sunburst or Talladega type of short-horn body and just stick whatever neck on it. If you take that easy route I don't think it would pay off. :)

Man, I am excited to see what eventually comes out of this process!
 
#65
Aspidites said:
And so NOT a fan of the Newport, you have much more attractive products than that.
Click to expand...
... "much more attractive" than this?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I've been playing Hamers for 11 years and an orange Newport has been my #1 since the moment I took it home. Newports are light, too. I'd love a 32" scale Newport bass with the Phat Cat pickups from the Monaco bass. You'd probably snag some crossover guitarists with a design and scale like that.
 
#67
JohnnyB53 said:
... "much more attractive" than this?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I've been playing Hamers for 11 years and an orange Newport has been my #1 since the moment I took it home. Newports are light, too. I'd love a 32" scale Newport bass with the Phat Cat pickups from the Monaco bass. You'd probably snag some crossover guitarists with a design and scale like that.
Click to expand...

I do not find that remotely attractive, bulky looking yes. I prefer sleek designs and that does not qualify.
 
#71
JohnnyB53 said:
... "much more attractive" than this?

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I've been playing Hamers for 11 years and an orange Newport has been my #1 since the moment I took it home. Newports are light, too. I'd love a 32" scale Newport bass with the Phat Cat pickups from the Monaco bass. You'd probably snag some crossover guitarists with a design and scale like that.
Click to expand...

hey.....I actually named the "Phat Cat" pickups. I know....that and a dime won't get me a cup of coffee. :o
 
#74
I think 32" scale is the call. 30"s are pretty extreme for most bassists, but I think a lot of guys that are 34" and 35" guys that have never tried a 32 would be very pleasantly surprised by them. You keep using your medium gauge strings but you pick up some softness in feel and roundness in tone. It can make for a fatter and bassier sound (which is counter intuitive for most folks) without the ring and hard attack of a long scale bass. They can sound totally bitchin (yes, I'm now going full 80s on you), and in a way I think a lot of people are honestly seeking even though their preconceptions won't let them go there.

I'll admit, its a bit of a hard sell, but I'm not sure the world needs another 34" scale 4-string.

It'll make the bass balance right on these bodies too. Use hipshot ultralights and you should be good.

Remember, no dead spots (use that hamer 3-piece neck like the cruise had -- or even go 5), killer tone.
 
#75
First off, I own a Hamer US CH12. Great bass, but neither band I'm in offers a chance to use it. I did use it in my last original band. I also had a short scale B8, but am not a fan of short scales and sold it.

As the owner of a Lakland Skyline Hollowbody, I think the hollowbody market would fit Hamer well. I love that model Jack Blades is playing but would only consider it if it were a 34" scale. For me, I think this market is more where the Hamer brand could really fit in, unless they want to go with something really new for them. I don't see a jazz clone, there are so many out there. To me, the hollowbody needs to be comfortable and not too heavy plus have some versatility tonewise. That is what steared me to the Lakland.
 
#77
pickles said:
I think 32" scale is the call. 30"s are pretty extreme for most bassists, but I think a lot of guys that are 35" and 35" guys that have never tried a 32 would be very pleasantly surprised by them. You keep using your medium gauge strings but you pick up some softness in feel and roundness in tone. It can make for a fatter and bassier sound (which is counter intuitive for most folks) without the ring and hard attack of a long scale bass. They can sound totally bitchin (yes, I'm now going full 80s on you), and in a way I think a lot of people are honestly seeking even though their preconceptions won't let them go there.

I'll admit, its a bit of a hard sell, but I'm not sure the world needs another 34" scale 4-string.

It'll make the bass balance right on these bodies too. Use hipshot ultralights and you should be good.

Remember, no dead spots (use that hamer 3-piece neck like the cruise had -- or even go 5), killer tone.
Click to expand...

I may give that a try, I am mostly in the market for 5 strings though.
 
#79
Ergonomically, the 1st generation Cruisebass from the early 80s is the best I've found for balance and fret access. The treble cutaway was a big key. (I've also got a newer 2TEK from '97 thats a great bass, but different from this earlier model.

The neck on the earlier models (with the pickguard) seemed to have a narrower width up around the 12th fret and above, more like a Ric. I have a 1981 and 1982 and both are Mahogany body and neck. They did a later version (I think around '87-;88 or so,) that had no pickguard. I'm pretty sure they had switched to Mahogany body and maple neck (Rosewood board, usually) by that time, and I think the neck width at the 12th fret was a bit wider....could be wrong though.)

Here's my '82 (Natural) and holy grail/desert island 1981 in cherry trans.


Sunny82Cruiseonpatio.jpg
Sunny81Cruiseonpatio.jpg


If Hamer is looking for a non P/J style bass, maybe a chambered update of this platform with different pickups? Either way, I'm confident Hamer will come out with an impeccably built instrument with a personailty...
 
#80
scotch said:
Who is Hamer trying to market to? I'm definitely confused- While their has been a definite tendency to see them in the hands of "heavy" players, it seems the op is looking outside of that box? Just not sure. :confused:
Click to expand...

I don't know who we're marketing to. That is the first part of the equation: "who is the customer?" The second part is "are there enough customers.....where is the market trending in general?"

Third: "should we/can we go for that market and does it detract from the current brand image?" So forth and so on.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back