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NBD! (well, new to me anyway)

Eric Ryan

Eric Ryan

Dec 29, 2023
180
527
Eugene(ish), Oregon
#1
So, after owning a wonderful, 2001 Korean-built Skyline 55-02 (bucket list bass) for 4 years, I finally made the decision that I wasn't using it enough. I don't get along with 19mm spacing very well. So I traded it straight up for this lil' gem. 1998 Hamer USA CruiseBass. It's got a few battle scars, but plays beautifully.

I am surprised by the excellent build quality. I don't know why...I remember Bass Player magazine giving this thing a really good review, but Lordy, fit & finish, play-ability, the bridge & hardware, the fret job, neck shape, tone. It's a fantastic instrument, & a much-needed J-style missing from my small collection. I've wanted a good 5-string J for awhile, & this fits the bill to a "T". Great sounding B-string, & sustain for days thanks to that 2TEK bridge.

I've pulled off the pick guard (sorry @nixdad), & I may go with SD Quarter Pound PU's? Time will tell.

I do have have a question for the Hamer folks, though. There is a battery in the control cavity, but no preamp. Is this to kill 60 cycle hum? I've never understood active pickups...

PXL_20231116_172909531.jpg
 
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#5
Eric Ryan said:
I may go with SD Quarter Pound PU's? Time will tell.
Click to expand...

Sweet score!
However, the existing pickups don’t look like they are “standard Fender 5” sized, which is 4.10” wide bridge, 3.97” wide neck (in SD speak- 67/70)
Those look like they might be 4-string-size 3.73” each. QP 5’s are available in Std F size only…
SD’s pickup nomenclature for the 3.73” 5-string pickups is 70/74
 
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#6
eastcoasteddie said:
Sweet score!
However, the existing pickups don’t look like they are “standard Fender 5” sized, which is 4.10” wide bridge, 3.97” wide neck (in SD speak- 67/70)
Those look like they might be 4-string-size 3.73” each. QP 5’s are available in Std F size only…
SD’s pickup nomenclature for the 3.73” 5-string pickups is 70/74
Click to expand...
You could be right, @eastcoasteddie. I've been doing a bit of research (after the trade :rolleyes:) & one thing some people didn't like was a narrow string spacing, which I happen to love. I'll have to be careful, & thank you for the heads-up!
 
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#8
A local shop had a four string exactly like this (color, 2TEK, etc.) but it was passive and they had that thing in stock for well over a decade. At some point it got a pretty healthy ding by the output jack and they HEAVILY discounted it. It finally sold and I’m still kicking myself for not picking it up one of the several dozen times I had the chance. It had the best playability and sound of any jazz style bass I’ve ever played. The USA Hamer stuff is seriously underrated.
 
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#12
oranje said:
Good on you, great bass and those 2Tek bridges are awesome! Had a 4 string, never played the fiver version, how does the B string sound with that bridge?
Click to expand...
Thanks, @oranje. I would say it's not quite as good the B on the Lakland I traded for it, but it is close. Impressive considering it's a 34" scale. I'm going to try a taperwound set of strings when I get it cleaned up/set up. That should bring the clear, crisp thunder.
 
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#14
jd56hawk said:
No answer for the battery question?
Click to expand...

I'm of the impression (...and seeking validation) that these are active pickups with preamps installed within each. I see red leads running to both which I'll assume is the prerequisite 9v power. I found a control cavity pic on Reverb which smacks of the OP's description.

Riis
 
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#15
Eric Ryan said:
I do have have a question for the Hamer folks, though. There is a battery in the control cavity, but no preamp. Is this to kill 60 cycle hum? I've never understood active pickups...
Click to expand...
Aren't those basslines active? Then the preamp will be in the pickup. A preamp just means "unity gain buffer" but adding boost or an EQ is so common we assume that's part of it.

It doesn't look like they fit well, were EMGs the original pickups?
 
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#16
TrustRod said:
Aren't those basslines active? Then the preamp will be in the pickup. A preamp just means "unity gain buffer" but adding boost or an EQ is so common we assume that's part of it.

It doesn't look like they fit well, were EMGs the original pickups?
Click to expand...
There is no preamp, just V/V/T. IIRC, the PU's are active, & they are original to the bass. I just don't understand the reasoning behind them. I mean, I had to google unity gain buffer...:laugh::laugh:
 
#17
Eric Ryan said:
So, after owning a wonderful, 2001 Korean-built Skyline 55-02 (bucket list bass) for 4 years, I finally made the decision that I wasn't using it enough. I don't get along with 19mm spacing very well. So I traded it straight up for this lil' gem. 1998 Hamer USA CruiseBass. It's got a few battle scars, but plays beautifully.

I am surprised by the excellent build quality. I don't know why...I remember Bass Player magazine giving this thing a really good review, but Lordy, fit & finish, play-ability, the bridge & hardware, the fret job, neck shape, tone. It's a fantastic instrument, & a much-needed J-style missing from my small collection. I've wanted a good 5-string J for awhile, & this fits the bill to a "T". Great sounding B-string, & sustain for days thanks to that 2TEK bridge.

I've pulled off the pick guard (sorry @nixdad), & I may go with SD Quarter Pound PU's? Time will tell.

I do have have a question for the Hamer folks, though. There is a battery in the control cavity, but no preamp. Is this to kill 60 cycle hum? I've never understood active pickups...

View attachment 5333861
Click to expand...

Nice !!!

The headstock look very close to current day Sire headstock, but Moose-Less shape !!
 
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#19
These are excellent basses. The 4’s got a perfect score and the 5’s score highly. The 4’s are fully passive with different pickups. The 5’s have humbucking and active p/u’s but passive controls. I have two of these fantastic 5 strings and recently had Audere pre’s added and it makes a big difference to my ear…. but they are great even stock. The build is on par with the EBMMs that Ive owned. They are lifers for me.

congrats on your new bass!

That color is banging
 
Last edited:
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#20
Maybe that bass is like these ESP/LTD AP-5s which have active pickups (the pickups themselves are active and require a battery to operate) but "passive" vol/blend/tone controls: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

It's rare to find active pickups with passive controls. Most "active" basses have passive pickups with an active preamp where the preamp requires the battery.

One of my basses ( a 5-string) has EMG-HZ soapbars (passive pickups) that used to be coupled to the stock active 3-band preamp. I had a luthier remove the preamp and rewire it fully passive with vol/vol/tone controls.
 
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