Gibson v Hamer - Explorer & Standard Side by Side
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
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Hamer! No more words🤟🤟🤟
I cant decide, they both sound amazing. As a Hamer owner and champion, i would always vote for them.
Loved the That Smell riff! First song my high school band ever learned as a whole and played that one to death. Memories my friend!
And both guitars are beautiful and amazing in their own characteristics! Explorers are one of my all time favorites ever made. Very radical looking for the time but amazing to play
Nice use of the "That Smell" riff
The Hamer is a beauty! It sounds more organic to my ears in the Rock zone just like you mentioned vs the crisp attack on the Gibson for Metal. Easy to hear the deltas in these 2 guys. I’d go with the Gibson though. I think pickups made the delta here. Good presentation and thanks for sharing! 👍
I like the sound of the Hamer cause the lower output pickups just provide more clarity
Yeah and you can always go crazy distorted with pedals if need be. I too prefer a clear, transparent tone
That’s true, I always get under-wound PUPs but sometimes when I need to make up for gain, it starts to get noisy when I stack gain w/, pedals, maxing out knobs, etc. I think maybe the EMG are designed for me clear and clean but also take gain perfectly?
I never owned them; they look too metal. I’m a sucker for marketing and PAF “mojo”
Hamer. In every category
The Hamer is definitely a bucket list guitar. As for choosing between the two, well, my Dad would probably have to wait awhile to get the Gibson back.
Yeah, mine might have to wait a little longer too
Damn dude! Should have waited to the end! That hammer still sounds sooooo much better. I really believe it’s how solid the guitar it is. It just changes the whole sound in my opinion.
Amazing guitars!
I appreciate craftsmanship so would go for the Hamer. My 82 LP Custom is rough as guts but sounds awesome.
The Hamer Standard has always been my dream guitar, and I'd love to find one. I do have a sweet '93 tobacco burst Explorer though and do love it as well! Thanks for the head to head comparison!
The Hamer from the late seventies are the the Holy Grail. I wish I had one :)
Had one from 77, book matched figured maple top, cherry sunburst finish… 😍
I've never described explorers as "lightning bolt shaped," but that's actually perfect. Thank you 😂
I'll take both!!! They both sound great and have their own unique attributes.
Thanks for this comparison. I’m a HUGE Hamer fanboi (I’ve got a Mirage Koa, Studio, and Newport Custom), but my chances of ever getting my hands on a Standard are … infinitesimal, given what they go for now. So thanks for this chance to hear how a true bucket list guit lines up against the big name counterpart. 👍🏼🤘🏼❤️
I'd take the Hamer every time.
You own one and can’t spell it? 🧐
The Hamer reminds me of Skynyrd. Love the hockey stick headstock compared to the ones on Deans and Ibanez. The angle complements the body so well.
Big time!
I had an Ibanez Destroyer. Wasn’t built badly, but the neck was too thin and flat.
The neck felt sharp. Loved the look, didn’t love the guitar.
Traded it and some cash , for a 68 Gold Top LP.
Really nice work on this Leon, cool camera angles, audio and breakdowns of the 2 guitars...and great playing as usual! A lot of young players wouldn't know of Hamer but great you could provide some breakdown of the brand as a lot of players used them throughout the 80-90's in particular, Rick Nelisons 5 neck Hamer comes to mind! Hope things are going well for you in Aus during this Covid mess!
Thanks Darryl, we're doing alright down here thankfully. Hamer really are hidden gems!
Both sound absolutely outstanding.
2 killer examples of Explorers, & a great lead chop to show the difference. This is also a great example of how the wood & pups make a difference - all be it only slightly, that slight difference can affect how you play. I still regret selling my old 83 Explorer that had a factory Kahler & a Dimarzio X2N. It was a great guitar. I think I might have to hunt down another one. I think the slight brightness of the Hammer might help it cut through a mix better than the Gibson, but with the same on the Gibson low end clarity lay's a better foundation on tracking. They are a Killer Pair.
💯❤
I have a custom white with black binding and hardware Hamer Standard from my endorsement, and a pre gibson lawsuit ESP LTD Explorer with the gibson body and headstock.
Both guitars have EMG 81/60 pickups. Major differences in weight, sound, playability etc. The Hamer has a fat chunky neck and thicker mahogany body, the ESP with gibson dimensions has a faster thinner neck and thinner alder body so more mid-higher end cut thru in tone.
So. Was watching this and my 8 year old walks by and wants to know, "What Lego set is that?" 😄
Tune in to this week's Q&A on Friday :D
Hamer was the best. Love them both. Makes me want to play Matthias Jabs scores stuff like you! 😂
Jabs doesn't get enough love, great player!
Leon Todd Absolutely
From an aesthetics standpoint, I like the slightly more rounded nature of the Hamer versus the more angular look of the originator.
Leon absolutely melting faces for days 🤘
Both Great Guitars! Thanks for sharing and Be Well Leon!
My first bass was a late 80s Hamer Chap Max bass. I hope to some day find it or one like it. The Hamer basses are very hard to come by in any numbers it seems.
I love the old cruise basses.
Hey Leon, I loved your metal chugging in this video. Would love to see a lot more of this in your other videos! It hits the sweet spot most of us metal guys are going to be looking for when trying out your tips, tricks, and heavier presets. Keep up the great content man, super jealous of the Hamer!!!! I personally own a couple ESP MX250s. Would love to add one to the mix!
The Hamer absolutely smokes the Gibbo.
I adore that Hamer!
The 2018 and up explorers are great guitars as well. I have 2 and they sound amazing and the customshop ones are amazing as well.
do you have a case for the hamer? i just bought one without a case and have been reading that certain cases won’t accommodate for the thicker body and larger headstock so i’m unsure of what to get.
Best reviewer you rock man! 🤘🏾❤🎶
I appreciate that!
The Gibson rocks like a hurricane 4:02.
sounds great, awesome skills
Dude I now own a RG550LTD, a Revstar 820, a PRS SE 24 Custom, and the though of having to change strings is frightened on itself. Now how many guitars do you own? I do not envy you Leon.
Thank the gods for Elixir strings is all I can say :p
I have a 93 korina hamer Xplorer, it such a nice guitar, keep it forever
It would be really cool if you would do a video featuring 'just' your Hamer guitars along with some explans and your personal history in acquiring them! I liked your Hamer standard so much, I had to go buy one myself! I also have 2 USA Archtop Customs, one is salmon blush, the other is '59 burst. Any kinda Hamer collectibles you own also would be interesting (e.g., jackets, shirts, whateva)! Just a thought! Thanks for making this vid!
I've got a salmon blush "sunburst" model too, awesome Axe. Great idea for a vid.
Yes, please showcase those Hamers! ❤️🔥🤘🏼
5:55 wow sounds like Master of Puppets tone! Are you using the FM3/FX3 for that tone?
Yeah, it's the Mark IV model.
i gravitate towards the hamer, thicker necks are my preference! the leads also sound great and just have a bit more clarity than the gibson. i have one of the inspired by gibson epiphone explorers with the same pickups you have on the hamer and it sounds great! i wish it had a thicker neck though, sucks the hamers are so hard to find for a good price
Which delay is that, family? Does Someone know that?
I've got a stock Gibson Explorer so I want to prefer the Gibson but for me the Hamer smokes it on the low gain stuff here. Loved your high gain rhythm playing, you had me pulling guitar faces just listening to it.
I like them both.
Imo the Hamer sounded more articulate on all the clips... I think it's an illusion that the gibson sounded tighter, it's just more compressed sounding because of the pickups.
I have two Explorers - a 1994 Custom Shop model with a "Silver Fox" finish I bought new and a 1984 model with triple P90's and a factory Kahler bridge purchased recently. Definitely fun guitars. I prefer thinner necks, so I'd probably gravitate towards the Gibson rather than the Hamer.
Pete Thorn picked up a vintage 70's Ibanez Destroyer when they were direct copies of the Explorer. That would be fun to try as well, although I do keep looking for an 80's Destroyer to add to my collection some day.
What you said at 7:55 sums up everything that is wrong with Gibson Guitars! Meaning there is sooo much difference in build quality from year to year (some times day to day) it's ridiculous and it becomes even more ridiculous when you factor in the amount of money they want for them just because of the name on the headstock.
got an epiphone le ed korina 2017. it does it all.
Liking the Hamer, out of these two. I had a black one in the '90s that was autographed by Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. I wish I'd've been able to hold onto it. Two, well, really, three Hamers got away from me in the '90s. My first Special was stolen (along with my black Mexi Strat). The Explorer was what got me through the next night's gig. The replacement cherry red Hamer was the third. Shoulda put some DiMarzio P-90-sized DLX pickups in it to replace the overwound Duncan P90s and kept it....
Not to be picky, but the nut cut 1:30 looks deep and Chibson-like. A close up of the Gibson discrepancies would've been cool. I like having an idea of what to look for. Been 20 years since I owned my Hamer Standard. One of my few guitar regrets getting rid of.
why is there a pickguard on the hamer? that's what I avoided on the gibson
I would take the Hamer USA over the Gibson Explorer all day, everyday. It's not even close.
Ooo that smell......
I bought a crowned and bound Hamer Standard brand new in 1980. Best guitar i have ever owned and with in the the top 5 that I have ever played if not the best. when it's that close it comes down to little things and personal preference. Edit : I would reach for the Hamer. so easy to play. my neck is pretty slim. that's one of the reasons I bought it. i have small hand syndrome.
Very nice!
I only owned one electric guitar, bought in 2000 and still use it, that my Hamer Slammer series from the 90s
I’ve had my Hamer Standard for over 20 years. Hands down better than the Gibson Explorer.
Both are great
I like the Grovers on the Gibson, But overall, I think I prefer the Hamer. Does IT have German Schallers?
I was lucky enough to get #2 of the 1995 Hamer Standard Plugging into a Groove Tubes Trio Pre-amp and then into a G Force and ending with an GT Dual 75 power amp into 16 10s It's only Rock and Roll, but I Love It TTFN
I approve of your choice of rack gear :D
2:38 and again at 3:27, what song is this!!! It’s beautiful. I know it’s a classic rock tune I just can’t for the life of me remember! Beautiful picking btw!
That smell by lynrd skynrd
HAMER!!!!!
Even though both sound good - at least in your hands - I‘d go with the hamer since I‘m more a rock than a metal guy and I think the hamer suits that genre better.
You have to play some Rickey Medlocke Blackfoot with those guitars!! :)
Cool video l have a 1983 scarlet all stock with kaler
All evh pickups are so versatile
Hi Leon, ok, so the Hamer was definitely more "articulate" and the Gibson was more "buttery", sort of! So, I think this one comes down to personal preference! They are both beautiful sounding guitars! But as usual, I think what you are dialing in with your tone matters! In general, I love the sustain and resonance of heavier wood. I play a Fernandes AFR120S, which is a Monkey Pod body. Very, very heavy, but the sustain is astounding! I'm having a Kiesel Vader 6 built soon and I'm contemplating a limba body to get some extra sustain in there! If I had to choose between your Destroyer's though, I would probably choose the Hamer!
I’d choose the Hamer period, the end!
I have a Gibson gothic explorer and man that thing is a beast. My other explorer is the esp snakebyte and I gotta say, my esp is more enjoyable to play. Never knew how much I needed a tummy cut and thinner body.
Hi everybody! I own a Hamer standard XT made in Indonesia. But I dont know in which year. Does anyone know in wich years this babies were made in that country? Thanks!
I have two. They were only made in 2017. They are both great guitars but my 1995 U.S.A. Hamer Standard Korina is an incredible instrument.
Been watching a lot of "tone talk" and listening to Van Halen the past week, I can here that early EVH tone in the SD PU :)
Both sound great! Does the gibson have a 500T in the bridge?
I was restringing the last string when I realised I should have peeked inside to see what the pickups were. I want to say yes based on how chunky it sounds.
Leon Todd The first V I ever tried in a store had the 500T in it and whatever the matched neck pickup is and I still think its badass. It does not however come covered - so I swapped mine out for Duncan Distortions, which are similarly ceramic magnets and wound hot, just you can get them covered and potted. I’ve caught the high E on a bobbin once or twice..
@@AngusClarkGTR I too like covered humbuckers all did was order Gibson bridge and neck pickup covers and put them on my Gibson classic white explorer and bam you got a covered 500t and 498r
truss rod looks like a heel adjusted truss rod but the up close photo is a head stock one?
sorry wrong vid. my bad
I have two NM all orig USA Hamer (Explorer) Standards, a '95 and an '06. Both are both are light flamed bursts with the '95 having dot inlays and the '06 having bound neck and trapezoid inlays. I also have an '04 G0 LP Standard, "77 white LP Custom and a '78 LP Pro Deluxe all NM. There is no question that the Hamers are the better made guitars and yeah they are thick and heavy. I prefer the look of the Les Pauls as they were played by all my heroes but when you're playing that '95 Hamer it's hard to put it down for one of the Les Pauls. It just plays better.
I've loved Explorers and Explorer-style guitars since the '70s. I'm not sure how Hamer has avoided Gibson lawyers all these years. I have a first-gen Agile Ghost (Explorer-style guitar) and it's coveted by many because the shape is very close to the real deal. It has an aged white finish and I want to put some black & white checkerboard accents on it as a little homage to Rick Nielsen.
There's nobody at Hamer left to sue. Hamer was shut down by Kaman music around 2009 I believe when they were acquired.
Hamer was copying the explorer and flying V for years but since Gibson didn't do anything about it for the longest time and didn't re-patent so Gibson couldn't patent the shape. Just like a Strat or Tele. All fender can do is Patent the headstock design... Same with Gibson.
By duncan evh to you mean the Duncan custom 78.
Hamer are the best on the planet, shame Fender closed them down
Fender sold them... The current owners are making imports. Mike Shishkov from Hamer is making some amazing guitars in the Hamer heritage if you haven't checked out Shishkov guitars, please do.
Shishkov guitars do look beautiful, although he doesn't appear to be offering his own version of the Standard. Although I suppose he would if you asked.
@@ianfurqueron5850 Shishkov look great guitars, you just don't see them for sale in UK
@@rocksteady9115 I'm in the US and this is the first time I've heard of them. There are so many great builders out there.
@@ianfurqueron5850 good to see someone flying the flag for Hameresque guitars, I've had a few, fine instruments
Can you play Broon’s Bane... and do a Rick Beato style breakdown of the chord movements, the chordal structures, and discreet melody lines? Please? ❤️ ya Aussies.
I bought a Hamer Explorer a few years ago, it looked fantastic, but the neck was so soft and bendy it was unplayable, it was one of their cheaper range, I think it was made in Indonesia, I sent it back
Shame to hear that. I've only really tried the US stuff and it's stellar.
@@LeonTodd I think it went like this: USA Made, Korean Models, China Models and lastly the Indonesian Models (were there Japanese ones as well ever?). I've heard The Korean models were the closest to the USA (I have a Korean Hamer Standard and it's a great guitar! Is it as great as a USA made one? Well no, but it's honestly quite a nice guitar!) I also have a made in China archtop custom that is also a really great lil guitar - black, abalone binding and fret markers. I like the imports for playing out with, less nervous if something were to happen to one of them. I own 3 USA made Hamers and 2 imports. I heard the Slammers were the worst of the bunch.
The old korean made Hamer Slammers were very good. They have to say Hamer in larger print on the headstock. I've owned a black Sunburst model. It was a very nice guitar. The ones that say Slammer by Hamer tend to be garbage. They are not the same.
Hamer!
I have a feeling that because Gibson is the most famous brand in the world, people are constantly looking for alternatives and that may cloud their judgement sometimes. The Gibson was warmer, fuller and at the same time very clean and sharp. Don't get me wrong, the Hamer is beautiful and sounded great but there was just something thinner and not as rich as the Gibson. Calling Hamer "best on the planet" is really not justified. It's just that Hamer is no longer around and there's a fog of mystic around it because it's hard to get a hold of their guitars. People tend to feel more special when they like a brand that is less famous, it makes them feel like it's "theirs". But to say the Hamer blew the Gibson out of the water in this comparison is the definition of not being objective or neutral.
Time for a face melter !
I haven't read the comments, so someone may have already said this, but african limba IS korina. Same wood.
As a 40+ year guitar player myself the only problem I have with the Gibson Explorer is the current situation of the Gibson guitar company and how they have been producing a load of shoddy crap in the past couple decades. I have with my own eyes seen high end Gibson Les Paul custom’s with quality problems I would expect to find on a cheapie $100 beginner electric guitar and this is totally inexcusable. Firing that weirdo Henry Jusczkiwicz was a HUGE step in the right direction and I can only hope that things at Gibson would get better quality wise. To me the Explorer sounds better than the Hamer but given Gibson’s checkered quality past here in these last two decades I would be very hesitant to pull the trigger on one. Gibson gave themselves that black eye and it’s going to be quite sometime before they’re tarnished reputation is healed. Just my two cents.
Would sound so much better with black/cream zebras. 😬 Would look better, too. 😁
I think that the Hamer would be more prestigious. If you were at a guitar show and they both were on display, the Gibson wouldn't see as much traffic. The Hamer is like a real 426 Hemi. Everyone knows what it is, not many people have actually seen one, but everyone knows it's a badass. Especially 80s teen hair guitar players.
OMG that Hamer is so tasty, Gibson too ofc, but Hamer is evil nice.
Not really fair comparing a Mass produced Gibson to the Hand built Hamer the hamer is going to win Hands down but it also cost 4x what the Gibson did.That flamed Korina is Gorgeous. The pickups aren't really comparable either The Duncans are more traditional versus the 500t and 496r in the Gibson
Real 1976 explorers have the same thickness as a 58 . You have to buy Gibson custom shop explorers to get the full thickness . I would like to hear a Gibson 58 reissue vs a hamer .
Hamer!!!👍
I wonder how much closer they would sound compared with the same pickups. It would make sense that the Gibson would be better for high gain due to the high output pickups and with the different body woods most explorers uses in the class rock era were korina and when the metal players started using explorers they were being built with mahogany. I think the 2018 to 2020 explorers would be great to compare the the hanmer with the burstbuckers 2 and 3. The burstbucker 3 and the duncan 78 evh are fairly close in tone and the specs are almost identical in terms of output and magnets. My 2018 gibson explorer with the burstbucker 2 and 3 sounds much closer to the hamer in this video than the gibson in this video . The Hamer sounds way more like the real 58 explorers than does the gibson I this video the 2018 and up gibson usa explorers sit in between the 58 spec and 76 spec explorer
I'd be afraid of clanging the 2 guitars together. I don't own an Explorer but I want one
I have a hamer slammer ct-21.. I wanna restore it someday..
Do iiiit!
Hamer always built a better Gibson.
limba and korina are just two different names for the same wood.
You cant compare the build quality of a custom shop guitar with a standard shop.
To be fair Hamer didn’t actually have a custom shop. Many people do inaccurately refer to a Hamer “custom shop” but the US production was all one entity and they were willing and able to do builds to custom specs (different finishes, woods, pickups, etc.) as part of their normal production. Hamer’s US production was to a very high standard and they actually played up to this perception of custom shop quality with their marketing campaigns at times including slogans such as “we don’t have a custom shop, we ARE a custom shop” designed to emphasise the high quality of the USA production guitars in general.
If only there was a Dean Z there with them
gibson one has more bass, "chugs" better. nice "that smell" playing btw, that riff is underrated :P
Non Freebird/Sweet Home Skynyrd in general is super underrated
Hell yeah, the whole Street Survivors album!
korina is not a finish, its a type of wood
I've owned the Gibson Explorer, always wanted a Hamer USA Standard. Sigh. If you ever want to sell that Hamer... drop me an email Leon. (*I know this will never come to pass... but...)
Is the evh and duncan 78 PUP are similar?? The hamer sound more mean to me. But i like both the guitar, still wish for one explorer and flying v for my birthday 🍻🍻🍻
And i agree gibson 2011 model were good, i have one ebony lp trad and it blows my lp standart 2000model
Same pickup I believe
Used to have a Hamer Burst Explorer back in the 80's , serial number 108. Young and stupid and not knowing better I traded it for another guitar.. 🙄
This video really hurts me...This is not healthy for me!! If I had to pick one I think I´d choose the Gibson for the middle gain and for the High gain territory the two would make me happy.