Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

[darnright]

I have one...'04, I believe. Natural finish, victory inlays...beautiful guitar. I am wondering if it is the wrong guitar for me. I play mostly 60's-80's rock and roll and blues. I'm not sure if I'm just not dialing in the right sound or maybe the pups are not what I need. (has the Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers). The playability and quality is amazing!! I am still searching for "that" sound. I have owned this for about a year now, I still prefer to play and hear my Peavey Wolfgang Special (all stock w/Peavey pups). I KNOW the Hamer blows the Peavey away in quality...but how do I get that sound. I have 4 amps I use, A Line 6 Vetta II, a Vox Valvetronix (blueface-2X12), a Tubeworks w/1X12 and an old all tube (1967) Univox 65 watt head w/1X15 and a 4X12 cab. It's not that I don't like the guitar, I just can't seem to mesh with it.

Any ideas or help would be appreciated. I have ben considering a pup change, but am unsure what to go to...maybe a set of Pearly Gates?

Thanks guys,

-dave

 

[beandip]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

I'm not quite understanding, are you fighting the guitar in terms of "connection" or tone, or both?

 

[darnright]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

I'm not quite understanding, are you fighting the guitar in terms of "connection" or tone, or both?

I'm unsure...I think tone. The guitar plays and feels good...I just can't seem to get "that" sound.... This is probably the nicest guitar I have ever owned..I really hate to go changing pups if I don't have to.
As far a "feel" or "tone" are concerned...I think when the feel AND the tone are their, the connection will be as well.

-dave

 

[beandip]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

as far as tone goes, there's so many options out there regarding pickups. I can't see the SL's being a bad choice, but they might not be what you're looking for. As far as feel, you need to vibe with a guitar first. If the feels not there, then it's not there. No amount of modding will make it happen, IMHO.

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

Maybe a different amp?

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

Measure the output of the Peavey Pickups and try to find some aftermarket ones have the same output/similar sounding audio clips.

 

[beandip]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

Measure the output of the Peavey Pickups and try to find some aftermarket ones have the same output/similar sounding audio clips.

It won't get him close. The guitar itself comes into play way too much. A strat and a Les Paul with a JB in the bridge might resemble each other to a very small degree, they won't sound the same.

I honestly believe that the Hamer just ain't for you bro. You might like everything about it, but that doesn't mean it's the guitar for you. I had a PRS CE22 for about 3 months, and I loved everything about it. The neck profile, the finish, the tone, the fretwork. But in the end, it just wasn't for me. And I loved EVERYTHING about that guitar.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

I have about the same problem with my Sunburst. These maple top double cuts sound radically different from established guitars.

I recommend stop listening to music played on LPs, Strats or SGs.

 

[BTMN]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

This tag use to come on Hamers 30 years ago. Funny thing is the settings still come into play really well. Try them with Clean and slightly distorted to Full on Distortion. Hamers are wired to be played with. Rolling back the knobs really does something. I LOVE the Hollowlead settings. :approve:

Amp: Set the Tones at 5, Gain at 6, and Pre amp at 4.5, Master as desired on the Vox and play with the card settings. Try that on the Tubeworks too.

YMMV.... :cool2:

http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums

 

[Mid_Squad]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

I still prefer to play and hear my Peavey Wolfgang Special (all stock w/Peavey pups). I KNOW the Hamer blows the Peavey away in quality...but how do I get that sound.

The Seth Lovers are beautiful pickups, but if you want to get the same sounding pickups, try a DiMarzio tone zone in the bridge and a air norton in the neck. They are the two closest sounding pickups you can get to the Wolfgang pickups. (Eddie based the pickups off those two models when he was with Ernie Ball). I'm not sure about similar sounding pickups made by Seymour Duncan, but if you want the same sounding pickups, get those

 

[darnright]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

Thanks guys, I appreciate all your input.

-dave

 

[J Moose]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

The Artist Custom is the one with a single f-hole right?

I've played a few & would love to own one... some day. I'm not sure that moving from the Seth Lovers to Pearly Gates would be all that... they're very much of the same family, that PAF vibe.

Personally I'd be hard pressed to think of a 'better' guitar for rock & blues... those Hamers tend to sit somewhere around an LP and 335 tonally. Not quite as thick, not quite as airy & woody... right in between. Its about as different as you can get from a EVH style guitar with the hotter pickups.

Some of the coolness is going to come out, hate to say it... with better amps then a Line6. Those Hamers are the type of instrument that really react to the subtleties and nuances of the player, unlike the Wolfgang which is pretty much ballz out "rock".

Not that there aren't nuances there... but its more like a '69 GTO judge vs. a top-fuel NHRA built for the quarter mile. Dig?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

neck pup doesnt do it or bridge? the seth should be a pretty versitle neck pup but maybe you need a hotter bridge to get your rock on. maybe a custom if you like snarl or a custom custom if you like fat and smooth

 

[SoCalSteve]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

It sounds like you just like a more aggressive sounding guitar. The Wolfgang pups are hot and the Seth's are vintage.

I just picked up an Artist myself and personally feel that it's the most versatile, toneful guitar I've ever owned. I play classic rock and am getting more into bluesy stuff.

As someone who has gone through alot of guitars, if you don't need the money you could just put it away in its case and enjoy your Wolfgang for the time being. There may come a day that you pull it back out and it will suit you perfectly.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

Keep the guitar, this is what swapping PU's and magnets is all about. No matter what a guitar costs, some PU's just don't match the wood in a tonal way that appeals to you. Fact of life. Wood is an elusive thing.

Seth's are an A2 PAF, so I'd avoid any other A2 PAF, like PG's. A2's have some tone characteristics that some players (like me) don't like; very rounded top, low output, and a flabby low end. In some PU's, A2's can make the necks dark and muddy, and the bridge weak & thin. In all fairness, they can also sound very good when the wood & PU come together. No PU always sounds good in everything.

You need something different, maybe a set of '59's (A5's) or even a hot bridge like a C5 with a '59N. C5's are very adaptable to different magnets, and you should be able to get what you want from it. The '59 is one of Duncan's most versatile neck HB's. BTW, a 498T / 490R (with an A5) is very close to a C5/'59N, so that's another option if you across a deal.

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

I would think for blues, the Hamer Artist would be a great choice.
For rock, maybe, not always.
I don't know what sound you mean by "that" sound, but if it's a tight, aggresive sound with lots of bite and attack, like what you would want for hard rock, I've found that a solid body has a lot more snap and attitude than a semi-hollow body.

I have a Hamer Artist Korina. Pickups are two '59's. In the same ballpark as the Seths in your guitar. That guitar will do rock, but it's a polite, sweet sounding guitar. When it does rock, it's more like Steve Howe's tone, with those hollow body guitars he used to play.

I also have a Hamer Monaco Elite Mahogany. It's a solid body, single cutaway, with a mahogany arch top. That guitar also has neck and bridge '59's. Same pickups, but a completely different sound. The Monaco Elite Mah sounds tight, snappy, and has this midrange growl that made me think it had a Screamin Demon at the bridge the first time I played it. I was amazed how much the construction of the guitar affects the tone and dynamics of the guitar. With a '59 neck pickup, the Monaco Elite is great for blues too, but instead of the crying or singing sound of the Artist, it has that stinging blues tone, with that edgy snap on the attack of each note.

So that's my expereince. Based on that and the fact you seem to think the Wolfgang is closer to the tone you're after, I'm wondering if the tone you're hearing in your head but not from your guitar is more of a Les Paul solidbody tone. Even a vintage pickup like the '59 can sound nasty and rock n' roll in the right guitar.

 

[Rusty Fingers]

Re: Hamer Artist Custom???? (USA)

I have a Hamer Artist Korina. Pickups are two '59's. In the same ballpark as the Seths in your guitar. That guitar will do rock, but it's a polite, sweet sounding guitar. When it does rock, it's more like Steve Howe's tone, with those hollow body guitars he used to play.

Mine is a late '06 / early 07 Artist Custom. Using the Seth bridge gives me a Steve Howe type tone too. Overall that guitar with the stock pickups is best for beautiful clean tones, that doesn't mean that it can't do more....just best clean or almost clean. For something a lot dirtier or edgier I go to my guitar with the super distortion and hot firebird pickups....more attitude.

I wonder how an Artist might sound with the Custom/Custom-Custom setup of the Monaco Super Pro.