FMIC's takeover of Kaman Musical starts today

[anuske9]

I say 4 days. Can we get fett to donate a strap to the winner?

[Robert Burns]

Hopefully, Hamer will re-release the Chapparal (sp?) and Californian, those were the best!

They must be the best ever...cause i never see any for sale! Never!
Remember those wicked cool boomerang models in the late 80's?
Try finding one for sale? I never see one, and i cruise the internet
everyday looking at websites... They should reissue these, and make
them on par with Charvel's quality...but price them at about $1700.00
That would be great!

And the only good thing about the FMIC takeover, is that my Ovation Elite
will now triple in price~!

[Cygnus X1]

I know I like my beater Hamer Phantom A5.
Pre Fender!
And...
Not for Sale!

[VitaminG]

Kaman owns these brands. I feel sorry for anyone associated with them.


Ovation
Adamas
Takamine
Hamer
Toca
Gibraltar
Gretsch Drums
LP Music
Sabian
Dixon Hardware
Genz Benz
Seiko
Kaman Wearables
Lee Oskar Harmonicas
Hercules
Cherub
Levy's Leathers

Applause
Jasmine
Slammer
Becker Instruments
CB Percussion
LP Rhythmix
Vic Firth Percussion

poor little Kaman, bought out by big nasty Fender.

Oh, hang on.... Kaman had already bought out ALL those other companies? Or did Kaman create all of those companies? Seems like a big fish being eaten by a bigger fish. So what changes for all those sub-companies of Kaman?

[skarhead]

Vic Firth Percussion

I'll ask my drummer in 1 year if the Pre-Fender drumsticks were any better

[Flatpicker]

Hamer and Gibson have had an agreement since the 70s. Fender bought Kaman b/c they wanted Kaman's distribution system and presence in percussion (LP, Toca, Gibraltar, Gretsch).. Fender's distribution sucks and they had no presence in the percussion market until the KMC deal. They have promised that (for now) things with Hamer will run as they always have.. during the 90s and early 2000, I was an endorser with Hamer and Ovation.. I can say that they are a few on the shop floor at Hamer who are a little worried. I'd like to think only time will tell.. you know.. be optimistic.. but the more I talk to folks about this.. the more I use the current situation with Jackson as a measuring stick of what will be to come.

Hi Kevin,
Good to see you around. I still have the Intellishred lessons you sent out thru the HFC.
How's that place going? I bailed after the flamewars got too bad.

[Outlander]

Fender bought kaman for it's great world-wide distribution.Kaman had previously bought out all those other companies over a period of many years.

[quiksilver]

I just hope FMIC re-releases the Hamer USA Californian. That was a great guitar. A Floyded, H/S super Strat with a thin, flat neck, Explorer-esque headstock (reverse is even better), Ebony board and MOP boomerangs. Yum.

[YetAnotherOne]

They have promised that (for now) things with Hamer will run as they always have.

Which is precisely what they said about Jackson. Wholesale changes began in under a year. Buy 'em while you can get 'em Hamer fans, anything cool is about to become rare and very very expensive.

[Grumpy]

When it comes to Ovation there's no love loss hear. I bought a 1999 collectors edition new and it was nothing but junk from the first day. After about a year of playing, not gigged, the binding started all coming apart. And we're not talking about a cheap guitar.

[KevinDguitar]

Hi Kevin,
Good to see you around. I still have the Intellishred lessons you sent out thru the HFC.
How's that place going? I bailed after the flamewars got too bad.

I don't post there much anymore.. I've been really busy..Intelli-Shred came out at Summer Namm and we've had several complete sellouts and just got a review in Guitar Techniques.. I'm booking a bunch of clinics and getting ready for Namm.
The HFC has always been kinda up and down like that... and all the "Pre-Fender" talk has already started happening.. as soon as the announcment went public. I CAN say this from my own experience with the company.. Kaman mainly just handled distribution for the companies they own/owned.. they were very "hands off" in that regard.. and especially with Hamer it was very hands off..Danzig and Unteremeyer have pretty much ran things they way they wanted to without much corporate reign. The way they build guitars there.. its very time consuming and truly handmade building and finishing..its not a numbers game.. they have maybe 10-15 guys tops in the shop or on the floor and they may finish 5 guitars in a weeks time.. with the exception of roughing the body..EVERYTHING is done by hand.
Anyone else ever see a guy arch a maple top with a french cut knife and a hand held air grinder?.. its art there over quantity and I just don't see in the long term FMIC allowing that to continue.

[Firebird V]

ahhh. Forgot abot Gretsch Drums...

Kaman is a huge comapny and for the most part many of the brands they own / owned are successful. Hopefully Fender will realize Hamer needs to be left alone and let it run as is. hopefully they will really just tie there existing lines into Kaman's distribution... Time will tell. If history is the marker here then this would be really bad for Hamer.

[Flatpicker]

The question may be if/when Jol and Frank will start up another company?
I'd follow them to where ever they landed, as I can't see them staying with Fender for long, look at Benedetto (sic) he tried and finally left and started over.

[ezbprimerib]

damn. FMIC is gobbling up a bunch of companies. as long as the better of the products remain intact I guess its okay. but we all know its all business to FMIC.

[hippietim]

I'm hoping for a roundback acoustic Rhoads.