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Hamer USA: bass design input request
- Thread starter hasbeen
- Start date
- Sep 23, 2004
- 4,806
- 2,667
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- Executive Vice President, The Adam Hall Group
I don't know. I would say that if not now....then soon. Hamer's arrangement with SD is that SD builds the custom pickup for Hamer exclusively, for a period....then, they open it up to the rest of the market. I know you can get guitar Phat Cats from SD at this point.
- Sep 23, 2004
- 4,806
- 2,667
- Disclosures
- Executive Vice President, The Adam Hall Group
Actually, that's NOT correct!Serial #0000 is the first Hamer guitar (Standard) made, and the one owned by Rick Nielsen. Jol's Flying Vee bass doesn't have a serial number, and actually had a Gibson logo on it for a while before sporting a logo that says "The Hamer". That bass is below, displayed by the lovely and talented John B:
Of all the suggestions, the ones I can see most given Hamer's current direction, would be the LP Jr/Special platform, the Newport style (I actually tried to order one of those 4-5 years ago!), or the double-cut 32" scale idea (maybe with a slightly reworked body?).
I have gigged as a bassist for most of the last 15 years, and have played Hamers almost exclusively. My main bass is a 2TEK Cruise from '96, but before that, I favored set-neck Chap basses. Besides the 2TEK Cruise, I usually play a double-cut Medium Scale (simlilar to the "Blades" Bass) that I ordered 5 years ago:
The only thing I'd change about that bass would be to put Bass PhatCats in there instead of the EMGs (which I'm doing now) and to get a 2TEK bridge. Otherwise, it's ideal - plays well, sounds good and balances perfectly.
The 2TEK Cruise is probably my favorite all-around Hamer bass (apart from the Impact), but since it is essentially an reinvented J-Bass, I can't see that one ever coming back - Hamer isn't going back to bolt-ons anytime soon, if ever.
The Chap bass would be a good thing to reintroduce for players, but any new price point would probably be too high since they can regularly be found used for well under the $1k mark.
I would be very interested in a new Hamer offering if it had the 2TEK (I spoke to Mike Hansen several times in the last year or so, and he's bringing that bridge back now!) and was a straight-ahead solidbody. I'd prefer a full scale set-neck instrument, maybe even an updated version of the Impact (the regular set-neck version, not the incredibly rare neck-thru).
Keep in mind that Hamer is not a "budget" brand. Anything in their catalog is going to list for at least $4-$5k, and street out in the mid $2-$3ks+. While I'd LOVE to see them offer a production instrument under $2k street, I can't see them doing any low-cost production instrument at this point. Jol is probably looking for ideas for an all-around, innovative instrument that brings together features us 21st Century bassists seek - maybe a new ideal instrument.
If he gets behind something, we'll be very impressed with the result.
man...that double cut is beautiful! Thanks for your input.
scotch
It's not rocket science!
- Nov 12, 2006
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That's awesome because if I could get them I would buy one or two for my Blitz and other basses.
And that's one of the first suggestions you would have encountered over at the Hamerfanclub if your mind wasn't so made up about them.
What is the timetable for the production of a new Hamer bass? Some of the ideas floated here sound really great.
Roger - I believe I was one of those people...if you're talking about the '05 Anaheim NAMM Show, then definitely.
The only place that one would acquire a 4-digit cherry trans, maple board, 8 string fretless Standard bass?
From Sting. That was the only one ever made.
You could always place a custom order from Hamer though...
Well, since you're sharing some connection with Guild now, and I'm betting they're not going to be making a Starfire II bass with Dark Stars in the foreseeable future...
Well, when I think Hamer, having come of age musically when Cheap Trick was still playing the Red Lion Inn in Bloomington while working the "Blytham circuit", I think of really nice Gibson-style instruments that are refined and built consistently well. Shortly after I quit retail music the store I'd managed started carrying Hamers, and the one I was most taken with was the Sunburst. Now a double-cut Les Paul style body is for the most part utterly useless for a bass player. There's a reason that horn has to be out there at the 12th fret.
So, take that kind of inspiration that led from a Les Paul to the Sunburst, and apply it to a couple of classic basses. I loved my ('90's) Cruise bass, and while I fully understand the "no Jazz bass clones" directive, you could still take that classic Icon and do what Paul and Jol did to the Les Paul to it.
The other obvious one is to make a really nice, but balance Thunderbird. It doesn't have to really LOOK that much like one, but have the essentials- the mahogany neck-through construction, those particularly peculiar Thunderbird PUPs, but have solid and reliable bridge desing (Hipshot, cough-cough), light-weight tuning machines, and the usual Hamer obsessive attention to details like shielding, high-quality pots, impeccable fret-work, etc. Again, dont' try to make it LOOK like a T-Bird so much (that's an ergonomic disaster for most players), but have it WORK like a T-Bird.
John
Well, when I think Hamer, having come of age musically when Cheap Trick was still playing the Red Lion Inn in Bloomington while working the "Blytham circuit", I think of really nice Gibson-style instruments that are refined and built consistently well. Shortly after I quit retail music the store I'd managed started carrying Hamers, and the one I was most taken with was the Sunburst. Now a double-cut Les Paul style body is for the most part utterly useless for a bass player. There's a reason that horn has to be out there at the 12th fret.
So, take that kind of inspiration that led from a Les Paul to the Sunburst, and apply it to a couple of classic basses. I loved my ('90's) Cruise bass, and while I fully understand the "no Jazz bass clones" directive, you could still take that classic Icon and do what Paul and Jol did to the Les Paul to it.
The other obvious one is to make a really nice, but balance Thunderbird. It doesn't have to really LOOK that much like one, but have the essentials- the mahogany neck-through construction, those particularly peculiar Thunderbird PUPs, but have solid and reliable bridge desing (Hipshot, cough-cough), light-weight tuning machines, and the usual Hamer obsessive attention to details like shielding, high-quality pots, impeccable fret-work, etc. Again, dont' try to make it LOOK like a T-Bird so much (that's an ergonomic disaster for most players), but have it WORK like a T-Bird.
John
John:
I'm guessing you've never played a 32" scale with that body style?
I do agree about the TBird points. I loved Hamer's improvements on that bass from the '80s, but we won't see a copy or reissue of that one again any time soon.
Something original, yet familiar, would have a better shot of working. Not like that's an easy bill to fill though, right?
John:
I'm guessing you've never played a 32" scale with that body style?
Nah, I've never been attracted to the medium scale sound or feel. And going back to the Starfire comment, the reason Jack Cassady liked the Gibson Les Paul Triumph bass was because it was a semi-hollow with a long scale. He liked the modded Starfire, but wasn't comfortable with the short scale.
And that's the reason I think it's important to not worry about recreating nor paying homage to the LOOK of the T-bird. But that SOUND is an iconic rock sound from The Who (was "Live At Leeds" the "Fender-birds"?), Wishbone Ash, etc. And if someone made a T-bird sounding bass with modern ergonomics I think the sound would appeal to a lot of players.
RIGHT!!! There's a good reason Roger Sadowsky opted to make his basses look like a Jazz bass. And why Dan Lakin's first product shares so much with the StingRay. Heck, what about a body based on the original Cruise shape, but not a clone, with a set of old-style Thunderbird PUPs, and a headstock that's a cross between a '90s Cruise Bass and the Gibson T-bird (just enough to confuse someone "in a smoky bar"
).John
Spoken by somebody that sounds like they worked there.
6 1/2 years of blood sweat and Jol
.I think it's totally possible to have a successful bass. I'd go towards the Kip Winger bass body (while not not mentioning kip wingers name!) Swamp Ash body, black veneer, flame top, and color only on the maple. Re-design the headstock, and make it a bolt-on. And use the modern exposed pole humbuckers from Duncan that Fodera uses coupled with a Aguilar or Glockenklang pre. NO EMG's! Black Hipshot hardware. This would be a kick ass bass. And remember 5 strings are the new 4 string, best to start with a 5 and work backwards.
Local consultation available
.
How about a bass version of the Mirage 3 pickup.
I contacted them a while back to see if they would make me a bass version of the Improv. Alas no..
MM
I contacted them a while back to see if they would make me a bass version of the Improv. Alas no..
MM
I also think that something similar to a T-bird would be a nice idea. But since the T-bird design would be out of question, why not take another Gibson bass design that recently gets some attention and hasn't been reissued yet? I was thinking of the RD design. How about reversing the body shape and have it neckthrough (like the original T-bird), Hamer did this on the Impact 5-string. Instead of mahogany the bass would be all maple. And since Gibson hasn't reissued the G-3 yet and EBMM came out with a 3-pickup bass (Big AL) maybe this bass can have 3 pickups (Phat Cats/HB) too. Hardware would be the standard Schaller 2000 bridge, and possibly the Schaller BM light tuners. Some fancy binding (eventually on the body too, like the Gibson RD Artist CMT) and Hamer's trademark inlays on an ebony board. Just an idea...
- Sep 23, 2004
- 4,806
- 2,667
- Disclosures
- Executive Vice President, The Adam Hall Group
I don't have my mind made up about them. They're great supporters of the brand. At this point, I just need a bass-centric-first approach.
