Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

[BTMN]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

That is exactly what I would want in an explorer/standard. That is beautiful.

That is a two piece body but still from a GREAT run of guitars. I have one of these and it is good stuff.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Sounds like a Blitz not a Scarab. I have never seen a Scarab with a 3x3 headstock. Got a photo?

yessir. Refer to post #10 on the headstock shape. Definitely a Scarab.

I'm wondering how much of it is stock, and if there's anything factory-custom vs homebrew. There's no SN or headstock graphic, the body is definitely mahogany...I dunno if the NFS Floyd was stock or what. The electronics line up with an earlier USA version, not the XT. The neck LED switch...I dunno if that's where it's supposed to be or not. The neck and body do not match, and I dunno if it's a respray or a stock color.

I haven't seen a Scarab online in the general population that fits with mine, so it's hard to figure.

The guy who sold it to me said it was possibly a popular guitarist's tech's project. I think he said Night Ranger...and I see Jeff Watson used Hamers. That doesn't mean much, really.

 

[BTMN]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Can you tell if the headstock has been repaired? While Hamer did have Champange Gold Mist as a finish, with no logo and the serial number gone, it might be repaired/refinished. Majority of Scarabs I have seen had Kahlers but Floyds were an option for sure. Is it a Floyd Rose, Schaller, or Hamer Floyd? Check the pots. If original, the code may date your guitar a little. Pre 1987 as IIRC, that is when Hamer started stamping all serial numbers. Inked on before that.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Can you tell if the headstock has been repaired? While Hamer did have Champange Gold Mist as a finish, with no logo and the serial number gone, it might be repaired/refinished. Majority of Scarabs I have seen had Kahlers but Floyds were an option for sure. Is it a Floyd Rose, Schaller, or Hamer Floyd? Check the pots. If original, the code may date your guitar a little. Pre 1987 as IIRC, that is when Hamer started stamping all serial numbers. Inked on before that.

Welp, first of all, I have Hamer-stamped pots with FR8526, R1378412(?) on the volume. The tone is under some wires and looked similar at least.
Revelation on the neck. There are some stress cracks on the headstock, whther it's finish or wood, I dunno...BUT it has been repainted. There's an ugly set of smacks on the tip of the head with some drywall-y debris, and a deep pit that has a thick black, thick champagne, and deep color wood at the base. They didn't do...mahogany necks, did they? Same color as the wood under the body chips...

The FR is not a Hamer. It's a no fine tuner and pretty NOS looking. Apparently it's been on the guitar since the guy before the guy who sold it to me, and the guy that sold it to me had it since the 90s.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

That black quilt standard on that link is my dream guitar... I wanna cry now....Id either like to have a (first choice) black quilt standard or (second choice) black standard with white binding like what Lita played in the runaways.

I remember seeing Fernando Van arb playing the scarabs.. Id prefer a blitz over a standard, but needs the standard headstock..most of the blitz's had the 3x3 stub head stock. I like the pointy standard stock...

 

[speed2dirt]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Is there any hope that the guys from the Hamer Custom Shop will do what the Gibson workers did when they closed down the Kalamazoo factory (start their own brand, Heritage)? Rename it and do what they want without some big corporation telling them what to do. That'd be awesome!

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

I miss the USA Special FM I used to have... that was one hell of a guitar and well priced, too. Sadly, I sold this one before I knew any better.

 

[BTMN]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

IIRC That makes that pot 26th week 1985 so it could be a late '85 or early '86 Scarab. Might be a Mahogany neck but probably Maple.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

IIRC That makes that pot 26th week 1985 so it could be a late '85 or early '86 Scarab. Might be a Mahogany neck but probably Maple.

ah this is killing me. I wish I could treat this guitar right, but I haven't got the money for a pro to rebuild it with good parts and good paint.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Jon, FWIW they didn't use the stamped licensed Schallers in 1986. Those were dive only OFR with the mounting bolts to the locking nut drilled through the back of the neck.

Is that an ebony board with no inlays?

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Jon, FWIW they didn't use the stamped licensed Schallers in 1986. Those were dive only OFR with the mounting bolts to the locking nut drilled through the back of the neck.

Is that an ebony board with no inlays?

It's rosewood with yellow LEDs. I haven't gotten them working yet; the ax is sitting in the garage until there's some time and money to work on it.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

That's just a crazy rare refinished USA Hamer Jon, WOW!!!!!

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Leds? Cool!! One of the coolest things I ever saw at a concert was Blackfoot playing Morning Dew. Blacked out stage and Rickey comes out playing a Hamer (IIRC) with red Leds in the neck. All you see is the red lights, he is moving the guitar around and leaving trails of red. With that song, (and Im sure my chemically altered state of mind) made it quite surreal...

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

I'm forever on the fence about the guitar. A large part of me wants to make this a project until its in a state of glory and awesomeness. A smaller, but not tiny part of me wants to run into a Hamer fanatic who wants to restore it and will trade me a decent guitar for it. Or maybe two so-so guitars. The main reason I got it is strictly the dual humbuckers and the set neck, but now I'm sort of seized with paralysis on whether to tear it down or just block off that rare trem, solder the slammer and the cheap in and dial in a drop A like it was gonna do in the first place.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[CountFeedback]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Is there any hope that the guys from the Hamer Custom Shop will do what the Gibson workers did when they closed down the Kalamazoo factory (start their own brand, Heritage)? Rename it and do what they want without some big corporation telling them what to do. That'd be awesome!

Sadly I think it's out of the question :disappoin Rumor is the shop is committed to building more Guild Acoustics for Fender. I think the shop was already split between Hammer, Ovation, and Guild.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Here's mine:



It's a Slammer Series (Korean). Not the one-piece work of art you'd get in a USA, but solid, toneful guitar. With a couple of dings on the front, it was going cheap. With a pro setup, new switch and jack, and couple of used Duncans from forums bros (59N was from Lucid. Who sold me the zebra Custom/59 Hybrid?) it's a great player.

 

[BTMN]

Re: Hamers Are STILL BadAss!!!

Is there any hope that the guys from the Hamer Custom Shop will do what the Gibson workers did when they closed down the Kalamazoo factory (start their own brand, Heritage)? Rename it and do what they want without some big corporation telling them what to do. That'd be awesome!

Interesting you would say that. But I doubt it.

Sadly I think it's out of the question :disappoin Rumor is the shop is committed to building more Guild Acoustics for Fender. I think the shop was already split between Hammer, Ovation, and Guild.

They build Guilds. On Saturdays when FMIC allows them they build Hamers. That is part of the thread on the link.

http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/topic/60068-creating-a-hamer-a-behind-the-scenes-look/

Ovations are built in another part of that factory AFAIK.