Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

[Travis]

All right, I've had a few minutes to put these pickups through their paces. What more can I say about the Distortion? It's my absolute favorite pickup, especially for the bridge position. It has just the right amount of aggression mixed with tons of versatility. The lows are tight, the mids are perfect, and the highs don't make my ears bleed.

The Pearly Gates is new to me. It just might become my favorite neck pickup. Man this thing rips! It can do shred metal leads as well as a Distortion. It can also handle the Texas blues as it was designed to do. The cleans sparkle like I've never heard before (better than the 59s in my Hamer Artist Korina). The mids are absolutely perfect for the neck position and it doesn't get muddy at the bottom.

Now, together these pickups might not seem a likely match. But let me tell you that they work together as well as any matched set I've come across. Granted, I never use the middle position on the 3 way toggle. But switching between the neck and bridge pickups, there is no volume difference and the tones compliment each other extremely well.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Thanks for the review. I have a Pearly Gates lying around, and I'm thinking about trying it in the neck position of my Hamer Studio (same guitar as the Special, but with a carved top.) Did you have any trouble with the PG having too much treble? I've heard it can be a bit too trebly in certain guitars.

Ryan

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Travis,

Post some pics if you can..I love a good Hamer

Jeff

 

[Travis]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Not too much treble at all. That was actually something I was also worried about, especially with the thick maple top. But it's all good.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Thanks for the review. I have a Pearly Gates lying around, and I'm thinking about trying it in the neck position of my Hamer Studio (same guitar as the Special, but with a carved top.) Did you have any trouble with the PG having too much treble? I've heard it can be a bit too trebly in certain guitars.

Ryan

Lots of people say that a PG is too bright...I found that to be untrue...I LOVE these pickups...they do have a spike in the upper mids and they do cut through a dense mix or lots of distortion but I for one do NOT think that a PG is overly bright.

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Lots of people say that a PG is too bright...I found that to be untrue...I LOVE these pickups...they do have a spike in the upper mids and they do cut through a dense mix or lots of distortion but I for one do NOT think that a PG is overly bright.

Word. :smoker:

 

[Travis]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

All right, not the best pic. But this is a shot of my Hamers. The Special FM is second to the left if anyone doesn't know. Also in there from left to right:

Hamer Diablo (DD/DD
Hamer Special FM (DD/PG)
Hamer Artist Korina HB (59/59)
Hamer Mirage I (Hot Rails/Vintage Rails/Vintage Rails)
Hamer Californian (DD/Cool Rails)

 

[rspst14]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Damn, that's a nice collection of Hamers...as long as we're posting pictures, here's my '94 Studio, battle scars and all...

 

[Travis]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Sweet Studio, man. I've got a major jones for a black archtop with creme binding right now. Hey, how do you like that BBQ in the bridge? I almost got one but I just couldn't turn my back on the Distortion.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Thanks...there's actually a black USA Studio on Ebay right now. The BBQ is a great pickup, I've put a nickel covered BBQ/Alnico 2 Pro set in my Studio since that picture was taken. It's a darker sounding pickup, but it works pretty well with my setup. The BBQ is what I would consider a medium output pickup. More output than a typical PAF style pickup, but less than the Duncan Custom series, and much less than the JB. It has a nice amount of bass and midrange, with slightly pulled back highs. I wouldn't recommend it for excessively dropped tunings or guitar/amp setups that are overly dark, but it's a great pickup for classic rock, modern rock, blues, and possibly metal, although it doesn't have the scooped mids and pronounced treble I typically associate with certain types of metal.

I still want to try a custom shop Blues Trembucker in the bridge though, just to see if I like it better. The Blues Trembucker is still the best all-around bridge pickup I've ever tried, and I'm thinking of having MJ in the custom shop rewind a standard spaced, standard polepiece pickup with a nickel cover to Blues specs. To my way of thinking, that would be the perfect pickup...the tone of the Blues Trembucker, with the classic look of a standard nickel-covered humbucker. I'll probably also try the Pearly Gates in the neck one of these days. Since they run about $85 new, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick up a new one for $35 when I came across it, so I bought it even though I didn't really need it. I really like the Alnico 2 Pro, but the PG is one of those pickups I've wanted to try forever, which is why I was particularly interested in your review of the PG neck in a Hamer.

Ryan

 

[Rainmaker]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Those piccies make me very excited. :drool:

 

[Neeradj]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

Damn, that's a nice collection of Hamers...as long as we're posting pictures, here's my '94 Studio, battle scars and all...

If you sand off the sides it'll look like a natural binding, which is hot! :32:

Thanks for the review Travis, now I've got another good sounding combo to try out. I'm almost tempted to buy another guitar, but I don't have the green and I'm satisfied with my three beauties :dance: . Can you post clips by the way?

 

[rspst14]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

If you sand off the sides it'll look like a natural binding, which is hot! :32:

I'd have to repaint the back too, as it's also green. If there were an easy way to fix that worn spot I would, because it's in good cosmetic shape otherwise. Still, I'm not going to complain when I bought it for $200 less than the typical going price for a used Studio, due to that wear on the side. It's defintiely not in pristine condition, but it's not bad considering the previous owner played it quite a bit for ten years before I bought it from him. I've never been one of those people who are obsessed with AAAAA flame tops and keeping everything in 100% perfect condition. I buy my guitars to play, not to look at.

Ryan

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

IMHO, the PGn and Distortion bridge combo is as good as it gets. :smoker:

 

[skyydogg01]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

hey man, battle scars only contribute the the guitar's "character". I have a nice scar in my ESP LTD MV-200 that it received one night playing at the Howlin' Wolf. I thought about fixing it but i decided otherwise.

 

[CorganIsGood]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

how do you think the ddB/pgN would sound in a gibson les paul standard? i have a ddB/jazzN in my schecter c-1 elite and sometimes wish the neck had a bit more in the "balls" dept. but nice cleans are equally as important

 

[Travis]

Re: Review: DD/PG in Hamer Special FM

I think that combo would rule in a Les Paul. It would have a similar tone to what I've got with my Hamer, maybe a little thicker due to the extra beef in the body.