2023 Hamer Guitars | Hamer Guitars is a division of JAM USA LLC. The Echotone was basically a version of the semi-hollowbody Gibson ES-335. The Mirage, also introduced in 94, was another upscale model in an upscale world. 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. It differed from The Archtop Tremolo is based on the Hamer Studio body, the third classic Hamer design introduced in Recently, the CruiseBass began to offer an option 2-Tek bridge. Indio, CA. Blues Brothers John Belushi Sunburst An unbound rosewood fingerboard with dots could be had for $699.95; $50 more got you a bound fingerboard with crown inlays. To appeal to a broader market, Hamer introduced its first production guitar, the Sunburst, 1977. Also want to say its very nice with absolutely no fretware. The Ultimate Hamer USA Guitar Archive - Buddleja Garden 4 String Bass Guitar. The Vector was offered until 87. Apparently, a number of people around town were beginning to make copies of Gibson designs. Identifying Body wood of early Hamer import | The Gear Page 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. Cheap Trick Rick Nielsen Standards (7), Sunburst Hamer Guitars is an American manufacturer of electric guitars founded in 1973, in Wilmette, Illinois, by vintage guitar shop owners Paul Hamer, Jol Dantzig James Walker and John Montgomery. Finish options included sunburst, cherry, yellow transparent, blue transparent, green transparent, opaque red, and a black-and-white graphic. A three-way, volume, tone, finetune bridge and stop tailpiece rounded out the Stellar 1. Upgraded with a solid Maple top on Mahogany body, the tone is beefy yet focused and a Dark USA guitars and import lines from Korea and Indonesia. The company's early instruments featured guitar designs based on the Gibson Explorer (The Standard) and Gibson Flying V . In 76, a meeting was called with everyone who worked at Northern Prairie Music Dantzig, Hamer and two repair guys. Great Condition USA MADE! This is my tribute to the fine guitars and basses made by Hamer USA. As alluded to earlier, in terms of design the Import Series was very similar to their previous American counterparts, although materials were sometimes different. Controls remained two volumes and a tone. There were never import Prototypes. Import Series Except for the V-shaped bodies, these conform in all details to the original Standard including the Explorer-style headstock. Most early Hamer catalogs do not have a copyright date, but you can get a clue by referring to the address. the Sunburst mainly in that it lacked binding and an arched top. The Artist Ultimate remains atop the Hamer line to this day. Untermyer had the dual role of general manager of both Hamer and Ovation. Finish options included Cherry Transparent and natural. There was a small black pickup, three-way select, volume and tone controls. 1977. I couldn't find any local to try. Artist Ultimate What they didnt understand was that Hamer wasnt competing with Gibson, it was competing with the growing vintage marketplace. And now you know all about them. 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. 1975-85 DiMarzio X2N (with or without active preamp) How to differentiate a Korean or Japanese Hamer From USA Made Petersson was playing a Hagstrom eight-string bass as the time. The Rumour Brinsley Schwarz Sunburst 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. Otherwise it was similar to the Sunburst. The Blitz Bass was essentially the same, with P and J-type pickups and a Sustain Block bridge/tailpiece. Dick & Alex Alex Parche Standards (2), Sunburst 15,688. The Eclipses were eclipsed in 98. 1987 Seymour Duncan. 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. Adding Bass Strings and More It may look like a one-trick ponybut what a ride. Dantzig isnt sure, but he thinks they may have gotten the plans from another Chicago luthier named Jim Beach. Jethro Tull Martin Barre Standard, Sunbursts (2) Once Jol left they loosened up a bit but it was already too late. The Prototype The new version (Model BCRS) was redesigned to have a much more rounded form, much closer to a Fender bass design, just slightly more exaggerated waists. Listed: a year ago Views: 452 Watchers: 28 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. It remains available. The Sunburst Arch Top Flame Top, Californian, Diablo, and Cruise basses were continuations of previous Slammer models. . Mesa, AZ. How did they survive? what happened to Hamer Guitars? | The Gear Page This was identical to the CruiseBass except for having the 2-Tek through-body bridge assembly. The body and neck were of mahogany, but the distinguishing feature was a carved top made of bookmatched chevron mahogany, a highly figured variety with dark striations. Where are Hamer Slammer guitars made? The headstock was the split-V three-and-three with a black face. High-end or budget, theres no doubt Hamer Guitars have been successful and earned the allegiance of players and collectors alike. Listed: 2 years ago Views: 963 Watchers: 46 About This Listing Korina is a term which is generally applied to a lightweight mahogany-like tonewood known as African Limba. Hamer Guitars Inc. was incorporated in Illinois in 1976 by John Montgomery, Jol Dantzig, Paul Hamer and James Walker. This initial Prototype series was offered through 86. Standard Revisited . Hamer began publicizing its instruments in 1974, with small black-and-white ads in guitar magazines. 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. Hamer uses 2 serial numbering systems. Basically, Dantzig and Hamer considered most 60s guitars a joke. The Import Series, sometimes called the Hamer Guitar, was intended to be the companys mid-line offering. introduced in 1977. You must log in or register to reply here. If it plays nice and feels nice, that's half of it right there. The 243/4 scale, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard was unbound with dots, joining the body at 21 for excellent access. Also beginning in 87 Hamer began using Seymour Duncan pickups. The earliest Sunbursts had a noticeably longer headstock. 5,088. It was kind of a mistake. The primary difference between the new Phantom and the old Prototype was pickup selection. Pickups include two Duncan Phat Cat single-coils, with three-way select, volume, and tone controls. The Phantom Beginning in 85 most were fitted with Hamer Slammers (by DiMarzio), which feature covers, not open coils. Noticeably absent were most of the Strat-style models such as the Californian, Diablo and Daytona, and the T-51 Tele, though some would soon reappear as Import models. Circa 1970, Dantzig was playing bass in a club band called Heartbreaker. At some point after 84, the mahogany neck was changed to maple. Free shipping. Until this point, Hamer guitars were essentially derivative, inspired by Gibson designs. 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). Recent Studio versions of the Archtop and Archtop Artiste feature Wilkinson single-piece hardtail bridges. 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. The latest addition to the USA line is the Newport, also introduced in 99. Hamer Guitars - Hamer Models - Ed Roman Guitars This was essentially the same as the Archtop Artist, except it lacked body and fingerboard binding, and had dot inlays. We used to literally sell crates of old guitars maybe 75 instruments at a time to Australia and Japan, where buyers would pay twice what Americans would pay, recalls Dantzig, who quickly amassed a huge collection that included some of the earliest Broadcasters, P-Basses, Strats, and Les Paul Standards a stash many would kill for today. https://reverb.com/item/12576731-hamer-stellar-rare-sunburst-quilt-top-korea-excellent-condition. Shoes John Murphy 8-String Basses (2) It has a chip mark in back and the wood is light tan. 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!). I was going to get one a while back, but ended up with another Gibson. fingerboard that is capped off with classy victory inlays. zekmoe. Upgraded with a solid Maple top on Mahogany body, the tone is beefy yet focused and a Transparent Black on figured Maple veneer results in a visually inspiring instrument. However, in the new vintage environment of the 90s, the model was revived in 95. Kahler flat-mounts were used on the Phantom, Scarab, and early Blitz models. This was more or less a version of the 96 Gibson Futura. In 1978, Frank Untermyer joined the company as part of Hamer's attempt to expand its business worldwide. The pickups are Semour Duncan,its neck thru and a double cut away body. During that time, the company gained more popularity due to the high-profile patronage of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen and that group's use of Hamer eight- and 12-string basses. 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. Bad Company Boz Burrell Standard Surprise, AZ. In 75, the first order came in and garage production began. Fender Precision . An Eclipse 12-String was also available with the same specs. The Hamer Import Series remains available to this day. Electric Guitars Solid Body Hamer Boutique Auburn, NY, United States HAMER DAYTONA USA GUITAR Used - Very Good $1,200 + $50 Shipping This listing has ended 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. He showed me a few of the new Bigsby products they were working on, recalls Dantzig with some amusement. New and used Fender Stratocaster Bass Guitars for sale in 85346 on Facebook Marketplace. 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. Ted Nugent Charles Huhn Sunburst Towards the end Hamer guitars became very expensive to order with a very poor resale value should things not work out. Other musicians would ask what it was and would be incredulous when told he made it himself. cond. The list of Hamer artists currently featured on their website (www.kaman music.com/hamer) is considerably smaller than the peak of the mid 80s, but includes Gary Bell, Felicia Collins, Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Gadogan of Third Eye Blind, Shane Theriot of the Neville Brothers, Joel Shearer, David Sinclair (Sarah McLachlan), Mark Rivera, Lyle Workman, Billy Joel, longtime friend Wolf Hoffmann, and of course, Rick Nielsen. The first order was from Ted Turner (VG, June 92), bassist for Wishbone Ash, who ordered an Explorer Bass with serial number #0001. This was similar to the Prototype II except for a more dramatically extended upper-cutaway horn and a contoured body with offset waists. Blitzkrieg However, this first version did not survive through 84. The Vector Cheap Trick Tom Petersson 10 & 12-String Basses In September of 78 a Standard would set you back $1,199.95, list. Finishes included 59 Burst, Honey, Kool Blue, Red Transparent and Tobacco Sunburst. The bridge is a finetune coupled with a Bigsby vibrato. HAMER FUT-VKC Natural Made in USA EXP Type Electric Guitar MOD Rare Pre-Owned $4,620.00 jpitemsgoods (361) 98.8% Buy It Now Free shipping from Japan Free returns Sponsored HAMER FUT-VKC Natural Made in USA EXP Type Electric Guitar MOD, o2212 Pre-Owned $4,815.00 fun-japanproduct (922) 99.1% Buy It Now Free shipping from Japan Free returns Hamer never had guitars made in Japan. After the relocation, the Artist Archtop became known as the Artist Custom, the name it carries today. Ca. dovetail neck joint and fitted with a Hamer Dog Eared P-90, the SPJ provides resonance galore. In 1980, Hamer moved to larger quarters in Arlington Heights, a suburb of Chicago. The History of Hamer, Part One | Vintage Guitar magazine 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. In any case, Dantzig and Hamer decided to build a hybrid of their favorite guitars. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. There would be further variations on the Artist Series, as it became known, but well come back to this in a moment. Cherry Burst on figured Maple veneer results in a visually inspiring instrument. While many early models were adaptations of Gibson designs like the Explorer and Flying V, Hamer readily brought more modern finishes and features to their instruments. Hamer Standard 2017 | Reverb Hamer Electric Guitars for sale | eBay Also introduced in 95 was the Studio Archtop Artist. This had the Prototypes equal double-cutaway body with the extended upper horn and rounded lower bout. Outputs included 1/4 and synth DIN plugs. I can take closer pictures if needed. Hamer display at Ed Roman Guitars HAMER VIRTUOSO 36 Frets, Very Rare Model, Ed Roman usually has one available No Longer Being Built High Quality Replica's Available From Abstract Guitars The Abstract Replicas Are Only Available On Discontinued Hamer Models We Have Done Our Best To Recreate These Guitars With As Many Improvements as Possible. Artist Archtop, et al The 22-fret rosewood fingerboard is bound with pearl dot inlays. New Partner, New Digs Now the good stuff.. Dantzig left Fender in 2010 to build instruments under the Jol Dantzig Guitar Design name. 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. The Standard Bass was offered until 84. The body was Honduras mahogany with an optional unbound flamed-maple top. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. With the influx of cash, the company relocated to Palatine, Illinois, to a larger space with some new equipment. After all, a late-50s Les Paul was just a little more than 10 years old.. Similarly styled four-string basses were occasionally produced as custom orders. Tuners were Grover Super Rotomatics, with the Art Deco buttons. The 22-fret rosewood fingerboard had a 243/4 scale and dot inlays. With a glued-in neck, the Echotone had bound solid maple top and back with bound f-holes. Pickups on the Import Series were Duncan Designed. Always thought the body shape and three in a row knobs had a classic look. Martin Barre of Jethro Tull (VG, October 97) also ordered an early Hamer. The ones I watched on Reverb tended to sell anywhere from $275 to $450, with no rhyme or reason as far as I could see. The body and glued-in neck were all-mahogany with a black-faced three-and-three Hamer headstock and screened logo. Hamer guitars didnt take off like a rocket. 4 String Bass Guitar. The body is one piece of select British Honduras Mahogany, avilable with or without a twopiece "bookmatched" curly maple top. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Through a friend, guitarist Gary Gant, Dantzig met another guitar player named Paul Hamer, and the two struck up a friendship. The founders may not have quite gotten it, but Hamer guitars sure didnt turn out to be a mistake. The board was adorned with pearl crown inlays. The move occasioned a realignment of the product line. that's for sure. Many guitars built between 86 and 89 came with OBL pickups made in Germany. They seem to be good guitars for the money, and I haven't heard anything bad about them. Hardshell cases for Standards and Basses were $129.90, $119.90 for the Sunbursts and Special. Figured Maple veneer and it features a smooth playing mahogany set-neck and an Ebony This is not to be confused with the 82-84 Gibson Futura, which was a totally different modernistically designed guitar! The Rolling Stones Keith Richards Standard Upgraded with a solid Maple top on Mahogany body, the tone is beefy yet Mine is a black flame, found it used at Sam Ash. Hamer Guitars was founded in 1973 by Jol Dantzig and Paul Hamer in Wilmette, Illinois. Cruising Artist 25th Anniversary Hamer Slammer DA21 SSH Black Electric Guitar. Dantzig and Hamer did well with their business. From this era stems the appearance of Hamer models for heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest. 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. $449.99. The guitar has quailities of Sunburst and Standard. It otherwise shared the features and options available on the 12-String Bass. The radical idea of a top-quality electric guitar made in small runs is thanks to Paul Hamer, Jol Dantzig, James Walker and John Montgomery of Hamer Guitars. Hamer DC Flame Maple Studio Archtop Guitar Tonerider P90 Pickups Made in Korea . Circa 1970, Dantzig was playing bass in a club band called Heartbreaker. In 1977 the company set up shop in Palatine, Illinois and employed seven workers. I'd had an interest in a P90 Sunburst for a while now, but never saw any out in the wild. 1986-89 OBL (German) In 96 Gibson made a limited run of 100 replicas of these early Explorers called the Futura. The name had changed but the appearance was still generic. The Import Sunburst Arch Top Flame Top was basically the equivalent of the Hamer USA Studio, which descended from the Sunburst Archtop Standard. Hamer Guitars and Basses | Reverb In 95, Hamer brought back a number of variations on the venerable CruiseBass, the original of which had run from 82 to 90. Futura was not the official name of this model. 97 Hamer began to shift its Korean imports from the Slammer Series into the Import Series, switching Slammer production to Indonesia. It differed from the Sunburst mainly in that it lacked binding. In 74, Dantzig packed his guitar and bass and visited McCarty, hoping to get some advice, and perhaps a blessing. The headstock logo was also pearl inlay. Nevertheless, Dantzig and Hamer continued to play with their new creations and got the attention of more and more curious musicians. 18 watching. They remain in the line. These Slammer by Hamers were probably available through the move to Connecticut. In 84, the Prototype listed for $799.90, the Prototype 12-string was $849.90, the Prototype II $999.90. ), a triple-coil pickup, hand-delivered to Easton just before the Cars played on an episode of Saturday Night Live. Easton took the guitar from Dantzig and went onstage with it! Other features similar to the Sunburst Archtop included a mahogany neck, Hamer three-and-three headstock (blackface), a bound 22-fret, 243/4 scale rosewood fingerboard with crown inlays, finetune bridge, stop tailpiece, twin humbuckers, three-way select, volume, and two tones. I found the neck to be a bit soft for me as I'm heavy handed. Technically speaking, Dantzigs 73 Flying V bass was the first Hamer, the model never went into production. In 84, the Phantom A5 changed to a second version basically the same as the earlier one, except it featured a six-in-line headstock and Kahler Flat-Mount vibrato system was standard. Like the Blitz Bass, the CruiseBass was offered until 90. Youll recall the very first Hamer was a Flying V-shaped bass made for Dantzig. When the headstock on the Blitz was changed to an angled version, a Floyd Rose was employed. To his dismay, McCarty couldnt care less about guitars. The Blitz was outfitted with the two Hamer-spec DiMarzio humbuckers, now called Hamer Slammers. Shoes Jeff Murphy Standard, Sunburst They copied the Explorer shape but added the flamed maple top and binding of a Les Paul Standard. Authorized Dealer Locator | Fender In 99 Hamer introduced the Vanguard, yet another in its semi-hollowbody Artist series. Beginning in late 1987 serial numbers were again stamped into the wood. Tuners were the Art Deco Grover Super Rotomatics. 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). Controls were one volume and two tone with a three-way select behind the bridge unusual placement. Hamer lives in Chicago, where he operates a retail framing business. By 81, a number of black-and-white graphic finishes were offered, primarily a series of stripes in various thicknesses. The top was carved, highly figured silky maple. The unbound two-octave fingerboard had pearl dot inlays. The Monaco is a comfortable carved top single cutaway design built with a solid Maple cap on The fingerboard remained unbound rosewood with pearl dots. Dantzig recalls getting more and more requests for instruments they didnt think they could make, but took the plunge and eventually built them. In 1977 the company set up shop in Palatine, Illinois and employed seven workers. The pickguard was laminated pearloid. The Runaways Lita Ford Standard * custom double cut studio $2,853.31 $86.73 shipping The Sustain-block vibrato basically used the same components as the fixed version, with the bridge pivoting on two points. Paul Hamer, the company's president, and chief salesperson, left in 1987 to pursue a career in retail. The pickups are Duncan "designed" but they seemed pretty good. Hamer XT series - made in Indonesia | My Les Paul Forum It had a British Honduras mahogany body with a glued-in mahogany neck, the droopy banana or scimitar six-in-line headstock, an unbound fingerboard with dot inlays (243/4 scale), fine-tune bridge, and stop tailpiece. After five years with Kaman, Dantzig left the company in 1993, moving to California to begin a design and consulting business. This included guitars like Nielsens five-necked monstrosity, which was built by 82. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited. Untermyer left the company in 2012 and now oversees the global supply chain of guitar manufacturer C. F. Martin & Company. It would stay at this site until early 80, when it moved to a new 12,000-square-foot facility in Arlington Heights, where it remained until 97. Kaman Music was then approached to handle sales, while the remaining owners concentrated on manufacturing. 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. focused and a Transparent Black on figured Maple veneer results in a visually inspiring Only a 3 way tangle and 1 volume and 1 tone control. The first Hamer guitar, a Flying V bass, was built at Northern Prairie Music, a vintage instrument shop in Wilmette, Illinois, owned by Hamer and Dantzig.