Best Budget Guitar! Hamer MIK Studio Archtop

[@AuntAlnico4]

I love Hamer guitars ! I've been looking for one just like yours for a while now ! Thanks for the video !

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Good luck in your search and thanks for watching!

[@curtisprice9806]

GOT TWO....EXCELLENT RESONANT GUITAR!!! SOUND EXCELLENT TOO!!! I PUT ALL HIGH QUALITY REPLACEMENT PARTS ON MINE (EVERYTHING!) A STEAL FOR SUCH HIGH QUALITY WOOD AND PERFECT NECK CONTOUR!!!

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

NOICE!!!!

[@MarkTurner-vs7uc]

I got one years ago, a slammer,looks just like that. I put a super distortion in the bridge and it sounds great. Great neck. I had to change the bridge,it was not cut right at all. It was $125 . I still have it,its the cheapest guitar I have ever owned. I really like the neck profile.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

$125?!?!? Can't beat that deal! I agree on the neck profile, very comfortable.

[@tiki_trash]

I had a double cut MIK Hamer in black with cream binding that was ridiculously HEAVY! Nice guitar but everybody that picked it up was surprised at how heavy it was, even people that weren't guitar players were shocked at how much it weighed.

[@rosskrause3926]

I bought a USA model Hamer Diablo in the translucent Cherry finish with the Hamer branded Floyd Rose and I loved that guitar !! only $350 at a Guitar Center..my friend that worked there called me up and said "you gotta buy this USA Hamer guitar" so I hurried up and got their and bought it right of his setup table...this was in 2003...unfortunately I had to sell it to pay bills.. Thanks for this video..I have passed on some of these "import" Hamers and now see if I see any for sale I should give them a try.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Never tried a Diablo but looks like a sweet guitar! The imports are definitely worth trying out! Thanks for watching!

[@angusorvid8840]

Hamer built some of the finest guitars of all time. I always loved their guitars. Unfortunately, I've never owned one. I came very close to buying one a number of times back in the 80s, but always ended up getting another brand or another amp. The models I most coveted were the Chapparral and the Steve Stevens II, among other models. I had a lot of friends who played in the L.A. scene with me in the 80s who played Hamers. A friend played a white Scarab, but the neck joint came loose, and he switched to a Guild. Otherwise, they were very well-built guitars. Hamer originally loaded their axes with DiMarzio PAFs, although a lot of players would throw a Super Distortion in the bridge as was the custom in the 70s and 80s. Eventually they stared using some Hamer branded hot PAFs designed by DiMarzio. Then they moved to loading their axes with OBLs (Bill Lawrence) and Duncan Customs and JBs, and Slammers. Some of the Slammers sounded very good, but they seemed to change the recipe often by the late 80s, about the time Kamen purchased Hamer. My favorite Hamer of all time today is the Sunburst. I always loved them. I also dig the Hamer Prototype played by Eddie Martinez. Great ax. I want to try one of these Korean made Hamers. I've been curious.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Yes, Hamer did make some of the finest guitars of all time. Good info on the pickups! So now I'm itching for a USA Hamer and I was just thinking that the Sunburst would be a cool model to have. I always thought the way they had the pickups configured on the Prototype looked really cool. I like my Korean Hamer, I just found another one for under $300, it arrives next week, I'm curious about the quality. We'll see. Thanks for watching and for commenting Angus!

[@OldRunt]

That's a killer story. Thanks for sharing. I'm gonna read it again.

[@williamknell864]

Certain Hamer imports are nicely put together guitars. The Echotone(?) from around the same time as this archtop, was a 335 style semi-hollow guitar. Nice guitar and great value. I seem to recall most had a stop tail, but some had a trapeze tailpiece. Something Epiphone was not offering on the Dot models. US Hamers were always killer. But the nicer MIK Hamers can be a great find.

[@freddymclain]

the problem with Echotones is they're HEAVY. They're nice though.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

I was not familiar with the Echotone model until now. Looks like a really nice guitar! I might have to check those out. I don't have a 335 style guitar in the current line-up. Thanks for watching and commenting William!

[@freddymclain]

@@RayPlaysGuitar find an older one (90's) with the 25.5" scale. I installed a '57 classic at the neck, new Ping tuners (expensive, but worth it, especially if you plan to gig with it.) new volume and tone pots for that pickup, new Tusq nut, and away it went! Beat the pants off a 335.

[@dennisrohm6372]

Got a flat top slammer cherry sunburst mik. Build quality is great. Got it at a pawn shop for $160 including original hardcase.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

What a buy!!! Congrats and thanks for watching!

[@DrTomoculus]

I have a Hamer XT. It's great :D Heavy, but great! Its middle position is monster. It only says Hamer on the headstock, nothing else.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Sweet! How long have you had your Hamer? Did you get it new?

[@DrTomoculus]

@@RayPlaysGuitar Only a few weeks, and it was secondhand, going for a low price. I had a Fender Stratocaster, MIM that I bought in the early 90's that got damaged in a loft. It was either see if it could be repaired, or get another Strat, with the same criteria! 90s. MIM. So I was always looking for a replacement the past few years, something with a similar tremolo system, and I just do not like PRS. (It's the way they look, not their sound. They sound great.) and for awhile I was thinking Harley Benton could be an option, but I was hoping something else would turn up. Then a Hamer XT showed up on the market, and I watched for a few weeks to see if anyone would snap it up. No one did. So I watched a couple videos seeing what the guitar was capable of, and bought it. It arrived in a box originally for a Fender Strat. ;)

[@michco65]

Nice find. It sounded great! Just goes to show you the values that are out still out there. Thanks Ray.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Lots of great cheap quality guitars out there right now. You just got to know what to look for. Thanks again for watching Mark!

[@larspeterandreassen237]

The American version of your guitar, had Duncan JB in the bridge position, and a 59 (PAF) in the neck. I´m pretty sure the Duncan designed pickups were asian made versions of the regular Duncans. So my guess is JB and 59 "copies". I´ve held the US made Hamers in high regard for many years (Except the "superstrats#) , but I´ve never had much respect for the Asian versions. I must however admit that I´m quite impressed by the sound of this guitar. Where I live these usually go for 250-300 US $, so I think I+ll have to check it out next time I see one for sale.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

I bet you're right about the pickups. I never gave the Hamer imports any consideration until I tried the one in this video. I just found another one for $299, hoping I'll like it as much as the one I have. We'll find out in a couple of days I suppose. Thanks for watching and commenting Lars!

[@edwinstovall3334]

I take slight issue with your likening your guitar to a Les Paul Special. I see this model more as a solid body version of a Gibson ES-335. Even though Gibson did market something positioned as a solid 335, this fits the bill better with a more 335-like body shape. I do get what you're saying, though, since I've often had the impression of playing a Les Paul while playing my Hamer - dot neck and all.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

I take slight issue with you taking slight issue with my likening my guitar to a Les Paul Special. Why? Because The shape of this guitar is exactly that of a Les Paul Special with a carved maple top. Here's a picture of a LP Special overlaid with a Hamer Studio. www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qbv2vybe44eo9f1v2xvov/LPHMR.png?rlkey=3qgbfssy0yrmpk76t3e1z18c0&st=k9e6b7uf&dl=0

[@edwinstovall3334]

@@RayPlaysGuitar Well, I have to admit to seeing your point. I don't agree that the body shapes square up totally, but they most definitely have a common vibe. I'm thinking my guitar might have a "shallow violin" carve to its top and that that carve would be more shallow than the LP, but it's hard to tell from photos -- and we don't spend a lot of time feeling up guitar tops, do we? Necks, strings and frets, sure, but not tops!😆‼️ Oh, and I'll mention that my Hamer has the thickest neck I ever liked. Anything thicker seems to impede my technique in some way, but with this one I just play and forget about the difference. Works more often than not!😎

[@tomaslopez2940]

Have an X/T archtop that I added a Floyd Rose FRX to. It’s a beast! I also have one of the last repros of their original sunburst before the company died off for good in 2018..

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Two Hamers - nice! At first I was like "a floyd rose on an archtop?!?!" I was not familiar with the FRX until now. How do you like that trem?

[@tomaslopez2940]

@@RayPlaysGuitar it’s such an underrated upgrade! Like taking a regular dodge charger and putting a blown supercharger in it! There’s some minor routing to be done since the neck angle doesn’t match Gibson’s, but it looks and sounds hot once mounted! I call it the Black Beauty or Les Paul killer!!

[@edwinstovall3334]

I would say that this video, takes me back ... but takes me back to when? Yesterday? This morning?🤪 By which I mean that I still have my version of this guitar, which was made in Korea like yours, and is a part of the XT line that doesn't say it is. The main visual difference between your model and mine is that mine is more of a straight tobacco sunburst. I found mine in a local guitar shop in St. Louis County the same day that I discovered the only other mahogany bodied set-neck guitar I have ever owned and still own. I have done NO modification work to this guitar, other than replacing the barrel jack, which went bad. I have done a full setup, complete with fret job and re-configuring with 9.5 gauge strings as opposed to 10s. Now it plays very much like my super Strats! One main reason I'm glad I still have this guitar is that it is a testament to what a guitar can become when the player/owner learns to do much of his own work! I should mention that I didn't swap pickups or anything because the Duncan Designed HB-101 set of humbuckers sounded so much like the Vintage Blues (59s) set they were modeled after as to make pickup swapping a singularly bad idea. Wasn't broke, so ...

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

I think the barrel jack on mine is the next thing to get replaced. depending on the cable, sometimes a loud popping noise will occur if the cable is bumped slightly. But with the pickups I agree with you, if it ain't broke don't fix it!

[@edwinstovall3334]

@@RayPlaysGuitar Yeah, that was how mine started. It will only get worse. I like the way barrel jacks look, but a jack with exposed terminals is something I can fix with a pair of needle nose pliers; I can't do that with a barrel jack, because I can't reach the terminals. The only repair is replacement. Sooner is better than later, says my experience, so good luck! Hopefully you're a lot better with a soldering iron than I am, and it'll take you minutes - instead of too MANY minutes - to get done!

[@AuntAlnico4]

I put alnico 2 bar magnets on the Hamer Duncan design double humbucker guitar. My HAMER is 25 and half inch scale and the alnico 2 make this guitar sound perfect. The alnico 5 that come stock are great but the alnico 2 sounds just like yesteryear!

[@edwinstovall3334]

@@AuntAlnico4 FANTASTIC! I know the differences are subtle, but they're still worthwhile. I have a cheap Jackson that had cheap-but-great-sounding ceramic humbuckers. I really liked them, but my Alinico snobbery kicked in and I replaced them with a pair of high-output Alinico II humbuckers. I'm happy to report that I like the new sound better than the old!

[@CKS64]

Very informative. Thanks

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

You are quite welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@steveprue8144]

Fun! I have a 95 USA Hamer Mirage II that is a good time.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Sweet! Does your Mirage have singe-coils or HB's? I've seen both.

[@greghenderson4582]

James Honeyman Scott !!!

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

is that for the cocaine reference?

[@RobotShlomo]

Got one arriving this week. With tax, the whole thing came out to $360.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Congrats! Let us know how you like once you get it!

[@RobotShlomo]

@@RayPlaysGuitar Update. The guitar arrived today. It has some buzz at the first fret, so it's going to require a setup. I might be able to do some of the work myself. It also has a small crack in the clear coat around the neck pickup, which doesn't seem like it's a big deal. When I finally get it set up properly it's definitely going to be a player.

[@RobotShlomo]

@@RayPlaysGuitar Update 2; I'm having a hard time finding a case for this sucker. Les Paul cases don't seem to fit (tried to fit it in my SKB Les Paul case, and it didn't lay flat, and kind of hovered above the bottom of the case), as this guitar isn't quite as thick. A Les Paul is about 2 inches thick, and the Hamer is 1 and a half inches. What brand case came with yours?

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

@@RobotShlomo Mine came with an SKB Les Paul case. I think the model number is 1SKB-56 however mine is an older version without the TSA latches. The guitar fits perfectly. I have another SKB case that is rectangle, my Hamer fits in that also however it was very snug on the sides and I had to put some pressure on the guitar body to get it to sit all the way in.

[@RobotShlomo]

@@RayPlaysGuitar Updating the Update; Okay, I managed to set it up myself. There were a couple of issues. The neck was back bowed and caused buzzing on the low end. I got myself a new set of strings and took an Allen wrench to it. I got setup and intonated pretty well (as well as I can get it anyway), but... and you knew there'd be a "but" I have another issue and that is the neck pick up cuts in and out. So opened up the control cavity and it looks like the wiring may have been tampered with, or at least it wasn't done very well. But I did find out what was wrong, and that's the solder joint on the neck pot is bad which looks like a relatively easy fix. So I'm going to get my hands on a soldering iron soon. There's a couple of high frets result in some dead notes which are probably high frets, but I'll address those at some other point in time. Those I might take it somewhere to have done. Hey, for the $340 I paid for it, I'm not complaining. It's been kind of fun trying to fix these things myself. When I did get it setup it really does play great. So much so I'm thinking of picking up another one.

[@jasondorsey7110]

Kip Winger and Jack Blades used Hamer bassea

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Absolutely!!! Thanks for watching!

[@shanebrbich5698]

Hi, I after one of these in Lefty! 👍🇦🇺

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

SWEET!!!!

[@Scott__C]

Those Korean Hamers are cool. I have USA Hamers too and yes, they're better, but for the price, the MIKs are tough to beat.

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

I am surprised how much I like this Korean Hamer. It holds up to my guitars that are $3K+. Now I'm itching for a USA Hamer again. Keeping my eyes open. Thanks for watching Scott!

[@Scott__C]

@@RayPlaysGuitar Anytime I see Hamer, I'm watching something. It's sad that Fender bought them and killed the brand.

[@greghenderson4582]

The new great Epiphones are made now where this model was made !!

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

From my understanding, Gibson built their own plant in Qingdao China where most Epiphones are made, however they also use factories in Korea, China, Indonesia, Japan and Czech Republic. I can only imagine that the Epi's made in the Korean factory where this Hamer was made are very nice quality instruments. Thanks for watching and commenting Greg!

[@edwinstovall3334]

Ray, if I could have gotten to you before you sanded the gold hardware down, I would have tried to trade you mine (with chrome) even steven. Yeah, I would have ripped you off, because I think your guitar is in MUCH better condition overall, but I would have TRIED. Doesn't mean you had to fall for it!😆

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

LOL!!! Never hurts to ask right?

[@edwinstovall3334]

@@RayPlaysGuitar 😆‼️

[@scottsedlacek3056]

Very nice

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

You’re very nice!

[@Jeremya74]

It wouldn't be hard to sell guitars if you were the "hamer" that started a guitar company for rocks stars..just word of mouth who you are would sell you a few a week..think about it..I want to buy from him today!

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

Right?!?!? Paul's customer file was a literal who's who of high profile players of the day and my customer file was just all my broke friends LOL!

[@jerryjohnson2421]

my Hamer is orange sunburst sunrise made in Korea KILLS MY prs MADE IN Korea SOUNDS LIKE A 3 K Gibson this must be a mistake to good

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

That's what I like to hear!

[@CrazyCooter-ld6sz]

It's just like a PRS

[@RayPlaysGuitar]

it's actually just like a Les Paul Special with a carved top, but close to a PRS. Thanks for watching.