Hamer Cruise Bass 5

I wanted to upgrade to a 5-stringer so i saved a decent amount of cash. I live in Singapore. Went to a music stall called Music Plaza, under Yamaha and was browsing through when i spotted this beautiful 2-tone sunburst Hamer bass hanging on the shelf. I bought it for SGD$450 cos it was cheap, i wanted it to be a temporary bass guitar before i get a higher end bass.

Smooth attack, punchy lows and warm highs. Plays as though it cost twice as much. Gotoh tuners, maple body, rosewood fingerboard. Balanced output when you blast the volume and tone controls, sounds pretty much like a Fender to me. Nice action and beautiful finish. Excellent intonation, hardly goes out of tune.

Heavy! I can't stand more than half an hour with this monster on my shoulder. Even with a wide strap, the weight will get to your shoulder. Cutaway not deep enough, i can hardly reach the upper frets(e.g. 20th, 21st and 22nd frets). Even though the highs are nice, it gets lost in the mix when you're playing on the higher register. Doesn't really come through that well.

Very stable neck, i always put my guitar on a stand next to the window(singapore is a tropical country, i know it's wrong but this goes to test how well the guitar can stand temperature changes). With heat and cold on it, the neck stays extremely stable. Excellent. Fret work not too good though, i have to level it when i lowered the action because it started to buzz. Tuners not balanced, i had to turn much more on my D tuner to tune my D string compared to the other tuners.

Though there are certain flaws here and there, the Cruise Bass makes an excellent, low-cost bass that sounds twice as much as it costs. The electronics are not very reliable though, mine failed me not too long ago when its resonance went out of it and even though i blasted the lows and mids, it still sounds completely flat. Changed to Alembic pickups after that and the sound blew me away. Good guitar to do your modifications on since its low cost. You can play around with the pickups since it does not cost that much, but still worth the keep. I don't think i want to sell mine, sounds too good to leave me.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

'96 Hamer Cruise Bass bought used in 09/03 for $550 US. I was just browsing, and when I played and heard this axe, I bought it right away.

Likes? It has a 2-Tek bridge, a massive hunk of steel that goes thru the body. The tone and sustain have to be heard to be believed. The action and intonation are first-rate. No dead spots up and down the neck. Stays in tune forever.

Ouch, my shoulder. It weighs about 10 lbs. You definitely need a wide strap.

Basically a jazz bass on steroids. Heavy duty bridge as described above. Seymour Duncan pickups sound sweet. 3 piece laminated neck with rosewood fretboard. I believe it has graphite rods in the neck too. Schaller tuners. Plateless neck bolts. Volume and tone controls work nicely, though I normally play with everything full-on. Tone knobs roll the treble off nicely when I need to.

Fit and finish are superb. Take the (aluminum) back cover off to see neat wiring and soldering, and shielding paint in the cavity. I just laugh at my buddy with his Fenders.

As a working man's instrument, it can't be beat. Tone, looks, playability, durability, versatility--this bass has it all. It's a keeper.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased in Canada in Vancouver, then manufactured in the USA
4 strings, passive.

UTILIZATION

The handle is nice and it makes a fast game.
The sound is rather oriented metal or rock in the Adous a bit.
However, it should take its brand to find the right sound.

SOUNDS

Can have a powerful enough without his having filled low stifling.
This model is not strong in the treble but a quick EQ and we get a more present.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 12 years without changing anything but the strings and the strap that was worn on my shoulder.

Knobs and pickups still original.

The quality / price is exellent.
With experience, I REFERRED the same choice.
A low