Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Steve,
Nope, I did it after seeing similar on one of Tom Petersson's Hamers. Steve did I ever tell you how I came to own that bass?

Ronn, I dont know the story, but I'd love to! Feel free to email it to me if you dont want to post it here!

1994, I joined "Nine Worlds",gtr/bs/drm/key, I was playing my 4001CS. After a few months we fired the keyboard player and became a 3-piece. I have always been a Cheap Trick fan(seen 'em at least 15 times)and a fan of the 12-string bass. I'd wanted one ever since "Heaven Tonight" was released. I'd owned a couple of 8-strings including a'67 Hagstrom and was finally in a position(money-wise)to get a 12, and it would help fill out our sound. I'd always like the short-scale Hamer 12 so that's what I started looking for. Called Bass Centre in L.A., they had a black one, bought it sight unseen. Next day UPS pulled up and when the driver opened the truck door I saw a long box with "The Ultimate" on the side.
Well that bass became a major part of our sound. We started touring a lot and I of course decided I needed a back-up 12.
I searched everywhere and could not find another short-scale Hamer 12. One day I was eating lunch at a Chinese buffet and my fortune cookie said "You will soon find what you are looking for". For some reason I put the fortune in my pocket instead of leaving it on the table. As I was leaving the restaurant I picked up a copy of the local alternative weekly, "The Austin Chronicle". When I got home I started reading it and eventually ended up at the "Musical Instruments For Sale" section. The ad said "Hamer 12-string bass for sale, short-scale, new strings, $1000".That evening I drove home with my "new" bass. The finish is called Salmon Blush, and it is beautiful.
It became my main bass with the black one becoming the back-up. I taped the message from the fortune cookie on the side(you can see a bit of it in the photo above).We toured even more, Signed to a management company, and a distributor, recorded a CD, on which I only played my 12s. It sold well in Japan and Chile(!), and was in all Blockbusters across the USA.
And then we broke up!
I decided I didn't need two 12-strings sitting in the closet(I'd gotten right into another band in which the 12s wouldn't really work)so I sold my original, black one.
EPIPOGUE: A few years later I was in a local music store and saw my black bass for sale. It was sad to see it, I wanted to buy it but didn't. The salesman said he thought that was my old bass, told him it was. Next time I was in there the bass had a "Celebrity Owned" card on it Ha!
I still have the second one but never play it but I still love it.
THE END

Neat story Ronn ... always like hearing these !!!!

Ronn, I know the problem, I've seen CT 51 times. Great story!! I think you hung onto the right one of those 2, that one is a beauty!!