Once you have a music store that specializes in repairing and restoring old instruments, its not a big step to think about making your own, and in 73 that notion put Hamer Guitars in motion. Korean made Hamer guitars, are they any good? | My Les Paul Forum $100. Shoes John Murphy 8-String Basses (2) However, this first version did not survive through 84. One thing led to another and in 73 Dantzig and Hamer opened a music store called Northern Prairie Music in the northwestern suburb of Wilmette, Illinois. As mentioned, custom orders were accepted, so there were also a few Standards with bound ebony fingerboards and block inlays. Korina is a term which is generally applied to a lightweight mahogany-like tonewood known as African Limba. The Hamer Import Series remains available to this day. The Blitz was outfitted with the two Hamer-spec DiMarzio humbuckers, now called Hamer Slammers. 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. The 22-fret rosewood fingerboard had a 251/2 scale, dot inlays, and a Hamer three-and-three head. Reactions: modavis99, cmatthes, Guitarzandstuff and 4 others. In 97, the name changed again to just plain Artist. The beginnings of Hamer Guitars (pronounced Hay-mer, not hammer) go back to those heady days of the early 70s, when Chicago was the breeding ground of soon-to-be-famous rock bands such as REO Speedwagon, Styx, and Cheap Trick. A guy said a manual says Mahogany, others by look or factory say soft maple Guitar Info: Weight is around 7.5lbs. And these contacts would prove useful. [2], The company was incorporated in Illinois in 1976 by John Montgomery, Jol Dantzig, James Walker and Hamer. I don't know the model or what year it was made but it played very well with excellent balance across the pickup positions. The third new style introduced in 82 was the Blitz Guitar and Bass. Roy Buchanan Roy Buchanan Standards (2) How did they survive? Shoes Jeff Murphy Standard, Sunburst At this time the woodworking was being subcontracted to the Tom Holmes Company in Nashville, Tennessee, with the painting and setup (stringing) being done in the Palatine shop. The very best of the Korean Hamers were the Hamer Slammer Series (made between 1992/1998). the right to change pricing and specifications without notice. Similarly styled four-string basses were occasionally produced as custom orders. I found the neck to be a bit soft for me as I'm heavy handed. Maybe $265.00 aint bad? Otherwise, it was similar to the Mirage. Eventually, Hamer began to stamp its name into the baseplates of the pickups, and these would come to be known as Hamer Slammer pickups (they dont rhyme!). The body was mahogany with a carved, figured koa top with a glued-in mahogany neck. Hamer Guitars | Musician's Friend Hardshell cases for Standards and Basses were $129.90, $119.90 for the Sunbursts and Special. After all, a late-50s Les Paul was just a little more than 10 years old.. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Ted Nugent Charles Huhn Sunburst Hamer Guitars was founded in 1973 by Jol Dantzig and Paul Hamer in Wilmette, Illinois. Kenny Passarelli Kenny Passarelli Mandocello To much flex so bending notes and chords out of tune to easily, Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. It was shaped like a Vox Phantom with Hamer Phantom electronics(! The Mirage Maple Top disappeared after only a year. However, PAFs were designed for jazz players in the 50s. The unbound 22-fret rosewood fingerboard had a 243/4 scale and dot inlays. Brand Manager Frank Rindone assumed all marketing, advertising and sales responsibilities. Before this expansion Hamer's customers were limited to big-name touring groups such as Kiss, Bad Company, Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull and Savoy Brown. Bridge units on the multi-string basses were of Hamers design, allowing individual intonation of each string. The 22-fret rosewood fingerboard is bound with pearl dot inlays. Phantom Revisited I came across a Hamer guitar that is made in Korea, sort of a red subtle flame color with 2 hum buckers. A mini-toggle bypassed the volume control for instant lead mode. Until recently, virtually all four and five-string basses featured Schaller-made bridge units with the Hamer logo. At some point after 83, vibratos were available, and in 84 a few were made with Kahler flat-mount vibratos. Also introduced in 95 was the Studio Archtop Artist. This article originally appeared in VGs Sep. 00 issue. After the relocation, the Artist Archtop became known as the Artist Custom, the name it carries today. Paradise Derek St. Holmes Standard . Free shipping. Basses Grover tuners were replaced by Schallers in 80. These were controlled by a five-way select and one volume and one tone control. Pickups were either one or two twin-blade DiMarzio X2N humbuckers. This differed from the approach favored by most others at the time, which was to leave a PAF at the neck and add an even hotter DiMarzio Super Distortion to the bridge. The Import Series, sometimes called the Hamer Guitar, was intended to be the companys mid-line offering. Beginning in 85, Alembic Activator pickups were offered as a $250 option. In any case, the Rick Nielsen Limited Edition was its take on this venerable classic, with the lower bout as wide as an Explorer, but the waists very narrow (and consequently thinner treble horn), yielding a very dramatic presentation. These almost always came with a cream bobbin on the bridge pickup and a zebra (cream/black) bobbin on the neck pickup. The Eclipse (Model GECS) was a new asymmetrical offset double-cutaway design with short horns, the upper somewhat larger and rounded, the lower more pointed, and a rounded lower bout. Vintage Guitars for Sale: hamer Guitar #8 21416 was made in 1988 and was the 21,416th guitar so numbered. Beginning in 1977 with the Sunburst, a new system was initiated in which the first digit represents the year and the following numbers (four or more) are the running total of all guitars numbered using this method (Y XXXX). It might be a Hamer Sunburst model, I have one which has the same control setup as the pictured one, 2 vol and 1 tone. Jethro Tull Ian Anderson Standard, Sunburst 92 Hamer Slammer humbuckers and single-coils (black, DiMarzio) This was more or less a version of the 96 Gibson Futura. Looking at the company today, its interesting that Hamer still has somewhat of an ambivalent image, somewhere between high-end boutique and budget vintage, perhaps best summarized (yea, perpetuated) by its own well-used advertising slogan, modern vintage. Well, after surviving this long, Hamer can now lay claim to some real vintage guitars, too. It was from this perspective that Dantzig and Hamer began to hawk their guitars. * custom double cut studio $2,853.31 $86.73 shipping Hamer did get lots of good publicity, however. Stink Band Peter Aykroyd Sunburst Find great deals and sell your items for free. Hamer Standard 2017 | Reverb The pups in these MIK Hamer's are SD designed,whatever?, all I DO know is they are pretty sweet and as I stated, all that was TRULY needed on that Echotone was a new Harness, and all else was good,as good as your gonna' get for under $300. Hamer Phantom GT A5 Replica - Glenn Tipton Judas Priest Rockpile Dave Edmunds Sunburst Its essentially a hollowbody version of the Artist, but with a wider body and a pair of f-holes. Cheap Trick Robin Zander Custom 12-String Guitar Ten employees were relocated to New Hartford along with Dantzig, who was re-hired as technical director. In 81, finish options included sunburst, transparent cherry, natural, yellow, green, opaque red, blue, green, orange, and black. Around the time of the move Hamer introduced another variation on its semi-hollow Artist guitar, a top-of-the-line Hamer Artist Ultimate (ARTULT). Not resting on its laurels, yet two more new Hamer models debuted in 94 the Eclipse and the Mirage. 1977. If it plays nice and feels nice, that's half of it right there. Mesa, AZ. #2. Not only were the highly figured maple top, soundhole, ebony fingerboard and headstock bound, the body binding included mother-of-pearl. Glad all worked out for you. Martin Barre of Jethro Tull (VG, October 97) also ordered an early Hamer. Import Series The main bass strings were tuned as on a normal bass guitar, with the two smaller strings tuned in unison at an octave above. This looked like the old model, complete with pickguard, but was now made of solid maple with a glued-in neck and scimitar headstock. Most recent guitars feature Duncans, though the Diablo has DiMarzios, and, again, a customer may order any other type of pickup. It remains available. By 1930, and already known as a banjo maker, Epiphone was offering its Masterbilt guitars, and it went on to rival Gibson as the top jazz guitar maker of the era with its Emperor and other archtop models. Some models were dropped, others renamed, and new ones added. Bad Company Boz Burrell Standard #4. Alongside the four-string CruiseBass was the CruiseBass Five (Model BC5T). Journalists from the guitar press flocked to cover Hamer, which had the cheek to offer a $1,200 guitar when a Gibson only set you back $600 or so. Listed: 8 months ago Views: 1498 Watchers: 38 The Archtop is based on the Hamer Studio body, the third classic Hamer design From this era stems the appearance of Hamer models for heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest. Recently, the CruiseBass began to offer an option 2-Tek bridge. Pezband Mike Gorman 8-String Bass https://reverb.com/item/12576731-hamer-stellar-rare-sunburst-quilt-top-korea-excellent-condition. Hamers second model was the Standard Bass. By around 82, Hamer had turned the corner on the road to success. Beginning in 85 most were fitted with Hamer Slammers (by DiMarzio), which feature covers, not open coils. One final design that debuted in 82 was the CruiseBass, basically a bass version of the double-cutaway Phantom with a glued-in neck, Hamer tapered headstock, and P and J-style pickups. Questioned why the truss rod cover said "Sunburst", they didn't know so I bargained on the price and got it for $175 with a free PRS gig bag. Dantzig and Hamer had to work hard, schlepping examples around the world and getting them into the hands of players. Upgraded with a solid Maple top on Mahogany body, the tone is beefy yet focused and a Dark The Five was essentially the same as the four-string except for having a 2-Tek bridge/tailpiece mounted through the body, and the addition of a fifth tuner on the bottom of the headstock. Hamer DC Flame Maple Studio Archtop Guitar Tonerider P90 Pickups Made in Korea . Replacing the former P and J-style pickups were a pair of Duncan Vintage Jazz J-style units, one pickguard-mounted, the other on the top near the Gotoh bridge/tailpiece assembly. Finish options included sunburst, cherry, yellow transparent, blue transparent, green transparent, opaque red, and a black-and-white graphic. It sort of reminds me of a cheaper PRS McCarty. Sunburst Peoria, AZ. Mirage It may look like a one-trick ponybut what a ride. Tuners were the Art Deco Grover Super Rotomatics. In the late 1970s to the mid-1980s Def Leppard used Hamer guitars and basses. These, too, would come in handy before long. Also in 97, Hamer reintroduced one of its earliest original designs, the Prototype, using another model name, the Phantom (PHAN). Jun 16, 2012. The Ramones Johnny Ramone Sunbursts (2) Single Cut LP Style $599.00 $40.00 shipping or Best Offer 30 watching 1986-88 OBL (German) In 95, Hamer brought back a number of variations on the venerable CruiseBass, the original of which had run from 82 to 90. Authorized Dealer Locator | Fender The Korean Hamers tend to be somewhat sought after (as far as far-east imported guitars go). $100. Introducing MONO M80 Vertigo Ultra Case - Premier Guitar The 243/4 scale, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard was unbound with dots, joining the body at 21 for excellent access. Circa 1970, Dantzig was playing bass in a club band called Heartbreaker. Along with its parent company Kaman Music, Hamer was acquired by guitar giant Fender Musical Instruments on December 31, 2007. The Hamer Standard, the upscale Explorer copy that started it all back in 74, was discontinued in 85. Nick Lowe Nick Lowe 9-String Basses (2) Last month I was on vacation in Austin and happened on an Indonesian P90 Sunburst. Several ads were reproduced, including one for Pastore Music of Union City, New Jersey, promoting Hamer and Travis Bean guitars, Risson and Orange amps, Anvil cases, and Tychobrahe effects pedals; a good snapshot of a real guitar shop of the times. New and used Fender Stratocaster Bass Guitars for sale in 85346 on Facebook Marketplace. It was held in Dantzigs Volkswagen Minibus. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited. And they considered the copies emerging from Japan beneath their attention. 18 watching. In 98 the Import Series included the Sunburst Arch Top Flame Top (SATF), Standard (STD), Rick Nielsen Signature (RNS), Echotone (ECO), Stellar 1 (ST1), Californian (CAL), Diablo (DAB), and Cruise 4 (CRS) and Cruise 5 (CRV) basses. The Standard Bass Finishes included 59 Burst, Honey, Kool Blue, Red Transparent and Tobacco Sunburst. Unlike many, I believe Hamer never dyed their tops to make maple pop, but yet the maple always 'rolled'. The Echotone was basically a version of the semi-hollowbody Gibson ES-335. In March of 80 the Standard with dots listed at $1,199.95, Standard with crowns $1,299.95, the 8-String Bass was $1,499.95, 12-String Bass $1,700, 12-String Quadbass $2,000, Sunburst with dots $799.90, Sunburst with crowns $869.90, and the Special was $699.90. TGP is the best! Figured Maple veneer and it features a smooth playing mahogany set-neck and an Ebony Questions about older Hamer made in Korea | The Gear Page [3] Serial number 0001 went to Ted Turner in 75. Many guitars built between 86 and 89 came with OBL pickups made in Germany. Recent versions of the 8-String Bass feature EMG pickups. Hamer Standard Made in Korea - Hamer Fan Club Message Center The 25th Anniversary Edition and 25th Anniversary Limited Edition were both finished in transparent cherry and were offered in 99 only. Dantzig left Fender in 2010 to build instruments under the Jol Dantzig Guitar Design name. It differed from the Sunburst mainly in that it lacked binding. Pickups were hand-wound using oxygen-free Monster Cable wire, with gold covers signed by Seymour Duncan himself. It wasnt long before word got around and other musicians began to order guitars and basses. Artist Ultimate The guitar was finished in a cherry sunburst lacquer. Also part of the 95 CruiseBass line was the 2-Tek CruiseBass (Model BCRT). By 83, a 12-string Prototype was offered, differing only in the larger headstock (tapered, not the V-head of the basses) and having a 12-saddle bridge and stop tail. USA guitars and import lines from Korea and Indonesia. $250. In 99, Hamer continued its juggernaut with the introduction of a flurry of new semi-hollow Artist models in celebration of the companys 25th anniversary. It had just slightly offset double cutaways with a slightly extended upper horn and a slightly deeper treble cutaway. Two covered Duncan pickups were operated with a three-way, volume, and two tones. In any case, Dantzig and Hamer decided to build a hybrid of their favorite guitars. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Controls were two volumes and one common midrange tone, with the three-way again behind the bridge. Newport The mahogany body had slightly offset double cutaways, vaguely Strat-ish, though the waists remained equal. This is my tribute to the fine guitars and basses made by Hamer USA. Ive always been a gearhead.. Instead of a lever, the Phantom Custom featured a five-way rotary selector which offered the neck single-coil, neck and bridge single-coils, bridge single-coil, all three bridge coils, and the bridge humbucker plus master volume and tone. The Import Stellar 1 was clearly a nod to the success of Paul Reed Smith guitars, with slightly offset double-cutaways, the upper horn extended a bit. Color options were Cherry Sunburst, Purpleburst and Blueburst. The upper horn remained extended, but was much thicker. It was available in two versions the Custom (Model GTSC) and Standard (Model GTSS). The Mirage, also introduced in 94, was another upscale model in an upscale world. Single-coil pickups used on the Prototypes were also DiMarzios. Fender instruments made after the CBS takeover in 65 had gotten a bad rap from guitarists by the end of the 60s, based in part on some quality control problems and the infamous three-bolt neck controversy (Fender engineers felt four bolts were overkill and they could save money without sacrificing stability; players didnt see it that way). In 1977 the company set up shop in Palatine, Illinois and employed seven workers. Until this point, Hamer guitars were essentially derivative, inspired by Gibson designs. However, recent 12-strings have been fitted with a stock Wilkinson design. Can't get over how nice this thing looks and plays, its a good day! These were outfitted with a 12-saddle bridge and stop tailpiece. introduced in 1977. The Hamer guitar is entirely handmade. Essentially, this was the Artist equivalent of the Archtop GT, featuring two Duncan P-90s with black covers. In 95 the Mirage was joined by the Mirage II, which differed in that it had a carved maple top and two Seymour Duncan humbuckers, with three-way select and no bypass switch. Probably a set neck. . Finally, all three Cruisebasses were available in fretless versions (Models BCRTF, BCRSF, and BC5TF) identical except for a Madagascar ebony fingerboard inlaid with maple markers. cond. Kahler flat-mounts were used on the Phantom, Scarab, and early Blitz models. The Import Diablo, too, was similar to its forebear, with maple body and neck. He had to sell it off piece by piece to keep the company afloat. The neck is glued in, with the three-and-three headstock. A streamlined version, the Phantom GT, was also offered beginning in 84. By 77, the other two original partners sold their shares, and the company was in the hands of Dantzig and Hamer. This initial Prototype series was offered through 86. Vanguard The Standard lasted only through 97 and the move, when it became part of the Import series. Free shipping. For more tonal flexibility, in the middle position, the pickups were out-of-phase. As before, this new Phantoms triple-coil pickup was a combination of a humbucker and single-coil in a single pickup ring. This was similar to the Prototype II except for a more dramatically extended upper-cutaway horn and a contoured body with offset waists. The body is one piece of select British Honduras Mahogany, avilable with or without a twopiece "bookmatched" curly maple top. When the headstock on the Blitz was changed to an angled version, a Floyd Rose was employed. Initially, the Blitz came with either the Sustain Block fixed bridge or Sustain Block vibrato. The latest addition to the USA line is the Newport, also introduced in 99. Hamer guitar players have always included pro guitarists who demand a lot from their instruments. Following delivery of the 12-String Bass, Hamer was challenged again in 78 by an order for an 8-String Bass. Contemporary stars like Jan Akkermann and Rick Derringer (VG, August 98) were clients. In 97, Kaman/Ovation found itself with excess capacity in its New Hartford, Connecticut, factory and operating a second (Hamer) factory in suburban Chicago. The decision was made to consolidate all guitarmaking activities in Connecticut, and the Illinois factory was closed. Muddy Waters & Big Bill Morganfield Rollin Stone: The Golden Anniversary Collection &, Epiphone Zephyr De Luxe Regent and Zephyr Amplifier. Thats how he ended up with #0000, which he still has, recalls Dantzig. Indio, CA. Part of the early Hamer philosophy was making guitars the way Gibson did when Ted McCarty was running the company. The 22-fret fingerboard was bound rosewood with dots. The Rolling Stones Ron Wood Standard Many one-of-a-kind and prototype instruments have numbers that do not relate to either of the two numbering systems. . Fender Stratocaster Bass Guitars for sale in 85346 - Facebook It soon became clear that the supply of vintage Gibson PAFs, even broken ones, would not be adequate to support new guitar production, so Hamer commissioned DiMarzio to produce humbuckers to its own specs. The Blitz guitar lasted only two years until 84, while the Blitz Bass lasted to 90. Wishbone Ash Martin Turner Standard Bass. Reaction score. dovetail neck joint and fitted with a Hamer Dog Eared P-90, the SPJ provides resonance galore. The company's early instruments featured guitar designs based on the Gibson Explorer (The Standard) and Gibson Flying V (Vector), before adding more traditional Gibson-inspired designs such as the Sunburst. They felt they could make and sell a cheaper modern vintage guitar to these same people, and they wouldnt be afraid to take them on the road. 1995 Seymour Duncan. $4999. Vintage guitars were called used guitars in those days, laughs Dantzig. 90 Hamer Slammer (covered, DiMarzio) Basses The bridge is a finetune coupled with a Bigsby vibrato. My business partner, Paul Hamer, and I recognized an opportunity to create a hybrid version of our favorite vintage instruments, and we purchased a mahogany husk from Jim in raw . The Import Californian was our old 27-fret friend, again pretty much the same except for having a solid maple neck and body. Anybody know the model of this guitar I've discribed and what it would be worth? First was the Phantom A5 guitar. 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. | Browse our daily deals for even more savings! They seem to be good guitars for the money, and I haven't heard anything bad about them. At first, this unit sat on a rosewood shim to give it the right height, but in 78 these were replaced by the Sustain Block bridge, which featured a thicker chrome-plated milled brass base, giving them adequate height. Kaman marketed a lower-priced line of Asian-built instruments called the Hamer XT Series and Slammer by Hamer, which was discontinued in 2009. Hamer Guitars - Hamer Models - Ed Roman Guitars Futura is the name applied to some early 58 Gibson Explorers which were closer to the prototype sketch in the patent application than subsequent production models. Now the good stuff.. From 86 to 88 some came with German OBL pickups, including HB types. He liked to shake hands, Dantzig explains. The new arrangement with Holmes allowed Hamer to broaden its offering by building a more mainstream instrument called the "Sunburst." 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. This was identical to the CruiseBass except for having the 2-Tek through-body bridge assembly. Kiss Paul Stanley Standards (3) Cheap Trick Rick Nielsen Standards (7), Sunburst This came with a special alligator hardshell case. 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. Great Condition USA MADE! Buy and sell used fender stratocaster bass guitars with local pick-up or shipped across the country . The Phantom Custom remains in the line to this day. Gold Supporting Member . The Phantom GT followed the more traditional design of a superstrat double cutaway guitar, equipped with EMG pickups. I was going to get one a while back, but ended up with another Gibson. The Standard Custom had a bound rosewood fingerboard with crown mother-of-pearl inlays. Beginning in late 83, many featured top-mounted Kahler vibratos. The headstock was the split-V three-and-three with a black face. was very similar to the Sunburst Archtop, introduced in 91. However, in the new vintage environment of the 90s, the model was revived in 95. The beginnings of Hamer Guitars (pronounced Hay'-mer, not hammer) go back to those heady days of the early '70s, when Chicago was the breeding ground of soon-to-be-famous rock bands such as REO Speedwagon, Styx, and Cheap Trick. The Gear Page is the leading online community and marketplace for guitars, amps, pedals, effects and associated gear. It was also in 98 that Hamer shifted its Korean-made guitars from Slammers to Import Series and began applying the Slammer by Hamer brand to guitars made in Indonesia. Hamer Guitars - New For 2018 Relatively few were used, mainly on 83 Phantom A5 and Blitz guitars, after which the fashion for locking vibrato systems supplanted the Sustain-block vibrato. Crushed, Dantzig returned to Chicago. The Phantom guitar series lasted through 86. 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. Built with a full depth At some point after 84, the mahogany neck was changed to maple. In order to better balance the pickups in this environment, Hamer began to de-wind the neck pickup to decrease the output slightly. hamer explorer guitar for sale | eBay Technically speaking, Dantzigs 73 Flying V bass was the first Hamer, the model never went into production. As part of our commitment to improve design and quality of our instruments, Hamer Guitars reserves Carved flame maple top over mahogany, rosewood dotneck with three-and-three head. For pick players, these could be reversed. A few Standards are seen with the Sustain Block bridges used on Sunbursts (see below), so presumably they date from about this time. Controls were one volume and one midrange tone/contour control with a three-way toggle, again behind the bridge, which offered humbucking and single-coil sounds. Especially designed by Tipton, the GT Custom has a unique design, loosely based on a classic asymmetric V design but optimised for balance, sporting either Seymour Duncan and EMG pickups. Featured in the piece, wearing Hamer T-shirts or carrying Standards, were Nielsen, Ken Simmonds of Savoy Brown, Tommy Bolin, a very young Lita Ford, and Mick Ralphs. This was essentially the same as the 12-String Bass except it had only one course of octave strings above the principal string and, of course, four fewer tuners.
where are hamer guitars made