Untermeyer was initially interested in joining the enterprise as its international sales manager, but he had some money and was convinced to become a partner. The body and neck are mahogany, the top carved, arched spruce. [7], Hamer Guitars on display at a music exhibition, 2008, "Fender closes Hamer. The mahogany body had slightly offset double cutaways, vaguely Strat-ish, though the waists remained equal. Seller might even be ok with $250, but it's your call. Pickups on the Import Series were Duncan Designed. This was more or less a version of the 96 Gibson Futura. The first few Standards were fitted with original Gibson PAF humbuckers, many of them non-functioning units obtained from the repair shop at the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo and rewound by Larry DiMarzio. the Sunburst mainly in that it lacked binding and an arched top. These were controlled by a five-way select and one volume and one tone control. Hamers second model was the Standard Bass. Also part of the 95 CruiseBass line was the 2-Tek CruiseBass (Model BCRT). The Import Standard basically replaced the old USA Standard. Nick Lowe Nick Lowe 9-String Basses (2) 15,688. Electric Guitars Solid Body Hamer Jims Rare Guitars Las Vegas, NV, United States Hamer Standard 2017 Used - Mint $1,250 + $100 Shipping This piece of gear has sold View similar gear from other sellers on Reverb View similar gear Watch Watch this gear and we'll notify you if it becomes available again. By 80 most models used this second system. The Phantom had a Honduras mahogany body, glued-in neck, three-and-three headstock, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, dot inlays, finetune bridge and stop tailpiece. Through a friend, guitarist Gary Gant, Dantzig met another guitar player named Paul Hamer, and the two struck up a friendship. Hardshell cases for Standards and Basses were $129.90, $119.90 for the Sunbursts and Special. We thought we could make guitars just as good and sell them for a third of that price. Hamer Guitars Inc. was incorporated in Illinois in 1976 by John Montgomery, Jol Dantzig, Paul Hamer and James Walker. The new arrangement with Holmes allowed Hamer to broaden its offering by building a more mainstream instrument called the "Sunburst." In 78, Tom Petersson, bassist with Cheap Trick, challenged Hamer to build him a 12-string bass, a request that was a harbinger. Indio, CA. Numbering System # 1 1976 to 1981 #0001 to #0680 A Total of 680 guitars All Custom Shop guitars or custom made for someone special etc etc. Rockpile Dave Edmunds Sunburst Dire Straits Mark Knopfler Sunburst Serial number 0001 went to Ted Turner in 75. Modern players In 95/96 Hamer produced a limited number of Korina Standards, versions of the original Gibson Explorer of 58. Hamer never had guitars made in Japan. An unbound rosewood fingerboard with dots could be had for $699.95; $50 more got you a bound fingerboard with crown inlays. Kaman Music was then approached to handle sales, while the remaining owners concentrated on manufacturing. The bridge was a Wilkinson Hardtail Wrap Around, and the nut a Lubritrak. Blues Brothers John Belushi Sunburst In any case, Dantzig and Hamer decided to build a hybrid of their favorite guitars. If you find The Ultimate Hamer USA Archive (@The Buddleja Garden) useful, interesting or Mirage When asked why Hamer was chosen as the brand name, Dantzig replies, Well, we just thought Hamer sounded more like a guitar name than Dantzig. The Standard Custom had a bound rosewood fingerboard with crown mother-of-pearl inlays. Brand Manager Frank Rindone assumed all marketing, advertising and sales responsibilities. Very soon the supply of Gibson pickups was gone. The Runaways Lita Ford Standard It had just slightly offset double cutaways with a slightly extended upper horn and a slightly deeper treble cutaway. By 81, a number of black-and-white graphic finishes were offered, primarily a series of stripes in various thicknesses. First was the Phantom A5 guitar. They reasoned their shop was selling guitars to players who would put down $2,500 or $3,000 for a vintage Les Paul, but didnt want to take them on the road for fear of breaking them or having them stolen. Outputs included 1/4 and synth DIN plugs. We were seeing vintage 50s Les Pauls selling for $3,000. The top was carved, highly figured silky maple. The unbound two-octave fingerboard had pearl dot inlays. Basically, the Blitz guitar was an Explorer with a glued-in Hamer neck with the tapered three-and-three headstock. Hamer Blitz 1983 Explorer Midnight Blue Electric Guitar $2,495.00 $75.00 shipping or Best Offer 24 watching body only Slammer Hamer Electric Guitar body only project $30.00 $18.50 shipping or Best Offer 16 watching Hamer Monaco Special K Electric Guitar with P-90 pickups. Most recent guitars feature Duncans, though the Diablo has DiMarzios, and, again, a customer may order any other type of pickup. Curiously enough, most have held their own very well in the used in vintage markets in terms of value, a tribute to their intrinsic quality and the heart that the Hamer folks put into their products. The smaller octave strings were placed above the main string, as on a 12-string guitar. The Monaco is a comfortable carved top single cutaway design built with a solid Maple cap on Also in 97, Hamer reintroduced one of its earliest original designs, the Prototype, using another model name, the Phantom (PHAN). Last month I was on vacation in Austin and happened on an Indonesian P90 Sunburst. At some point after 83, vibratos were available, and in 84 a few were made with Kahler flat-mount vibratos. Slammer Hamer Guitars: Good or Bad? - Audio MAV Hamer began publicizing its instruments in 1974, with small black-and-white ads in guitar magazines. However, this first version did not survive through 84. It was a pretty nice guitar. Essentially, this was the Artist equivalent of the Archtop GT, featuring two Duncan P-90s with black covers. Already deep into vintage lore, Dantzig and Hamer believed the golden age of guitars ended in 63, and the last good guitars had been made. The body and glued-in neck were all-mahogany with a black-faced three-and-three Hamer headstock and screened logo. Actually, this is misleading because, as weve documented, the company really began in 73 and kind of evolved into existence over the next couple of years. The rosewood fingerboard was now 22 frets (34 scale), still with pearl dot inlays. This model did not go into production in the 70s, but the shape, at least, found an incarnation in 82 as the Vector, right in step with the tastes of those heavy metal times. by Ronnie Dungan, "FMIC Suspends Hamer Production" on Premier Guitars website, Hamer Guitars History Interview with Jol Dantzig, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hamer_Guitars&oldid=1126369721, This page was last edited on 9 December 2022, at 00:19. In 74, Dantzig packed his guitar and bass and visited McCarty, hoping to get some advice, and perhaps a blessing. In a way, the Prototype was a fusion of Gibson and Fender ideas. Hamer Standard Made in Korea - Hamer Fan Club Message Center Initially, the Blitz came with either the Sustain Block fixed bridge or Sustain Block vibrato. Cherry Burst on figured Maple veneer results in a visually inspiring instrument. As evidenced by Hamers artist list from around 79 (see sidebar), the company was garnering a pretty high-visibility clientele and sales continued to climb. There have been a lot of Hamer guitars over the last quarter century. 97 Hamer began to shift its Korean imports from the Slammer Series into the Import Series, switching Slammer production to Indonesia. Hamer never had guitars made in Japan. The body was now made of alder, and the maple neck was bolted on, with the four-in-line headstock. Vanguard Aerosmith Brad Whitford Standards (2) This came with a special alligator hardshell case. Hamer Guitars | Musician's Friend New were three-and-three Hamerlock tuners, which allowed the guitarist to lock down the strings at the tuner, similar to the Sperzel concept. Paul Hamers bound flametop Explorer was given the name Standard and became the first of a long line that would be offered from 74 until 85 during its first run. In 97, the name changed again to just plain Artist. 4 String Bass Guitar. TGP is the best! Pickups were now Seymour Duncans. He liked to shake hands, Dantzig explains. Questions about older Hamer made in Korea | The Gear Page Except for the V-shaped bodies, these conform in all details to the original Standard including the Explorer-style headstock. The Phantom came in two-tone sunburst, black, and TV blond finishes. Also want to say its very nice with absolutely no fretware. The 22-fret rosewood fingerboard is bound with pearl dot inlays. This was the same as the new 84 Phantom A5, with the addition of a Roland hex MIDI pickup in front of the vibrato, with a three-way toggle (MIDI/regular/both) and two other parameter control knobs. Dantzig left Fender in 2010 to build instruments under the Jol Dantzig Guitar Design name. Hamer was founded in Wilmette, Illinois, by four chaps: Paul Hamer, Jol Dantzig, James Walker and John Montgomery. It met the same specs as the original, with a one-piece mahogany body, bound bookmatched flamed maple top, glued-in mahogany neck, droopy six-in-line headstock, twin humbuckers, finetune, stoptail, three-way, volume and two tones. The earliest pickups on Hamer Standards were actual Gibson PAFs obtained from Gibson. Hamer Californian Slammer Series Korean from the Cort factory in 1994. Just wanted to let all know I was able to buy the Hamer guitar for 250.00,brought it home and put on some new strings,tweaked the neck and action a little and Wala it plays fantastic. Pickups include two Duncan Phat Cat single-coils, with three-way select, volume, and tone controls. Colors were Amberburst and Vintage Orange. The original run of Hamer Sunbursts lasted until 83. This model came in honey, kool blue, and red transparent. By 1998 these logos had changed to a more stylized, italicized typeface. Joining the Prototype later in 83 was the Prototype II, which added a slanted single-coil pickup in the neck position and a top-mounted Kahler double-locking vibrato system. The bridge was the heavy-duty Sustain Block. In 98, Hamer hooked up again with long-time supporter and enthusiast Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick to develop the Rick Nielsen Limited Edition. New and used Fender Stratocaster Bass Guitars for sale in 85346 on Facebook Marketplace. The treble horn had a white pickguard with a Rick Nielsen logo. Controls remained two volumes and a tone. The Import Cruise basses were replicas of the latter model, with the Fender-style profile and the little batwing pickguard. To much flex so bending notes and chords out of tune to easily, Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. 5,088. Soon they were selling vintage guitars to some of the biggest bands of the time, including Bad Company, Wishbone Ash, and many other big-name outfits. This first version of the Special lasted until 84. Cheap Trick Tom Petersson 10 & 12-String Basses In celebration, it got bolder and introduced three new guitars and three new basses, all more consonant with the glam image of the emerging heavy metal scene, though still not straying far from the Gibson model. 1975-85 DiMarzio X2N (with or without active preamp) I doubt it's a neck-through. The Standard The pickups are Semour Duncan,its neck thru and a double cut away body. Dantzig isnt sure, but he thinks they may have gotten the plans from another Chicago luthier named Jim Beach. Following delivery of the 12-String Bass, Hamer was challenged again in 78 by an order for an 8-String Bass. Hamer Guitars was founded in 1973 by Jol Dantzig and Paul Hamer in Wilmette, Illinois. By the 70s, guitar players were cranking up much larger amps in large arenas. | Browse our daily deals for even more savings! United States. Finish was transparent orange. Probably a set neck. The Import Diablo, too, was similar to its forebear, with maple body and neck. Indeed, as you read about special features that come online, these might appear on any instrument as a custom-order feature, so if you find an unusual Hamer, think twice before you conclude that it has been modified. Jethro Tull Martin Barre Standard, Sunbursts (2) With limited orders coming in, existence was tough. Hamer Guitars and Basses | Reverb