This guitar was my 18th Birthday present and has been owned by me since new.
When Joel Dantzig formed Hamer it was to hand produce the finest guitars in the world ,a kickback against the dropping 1970's standards of Gibson and Fender and generally acknowledged to be the first BOUTIQUE brand spawning the likes of Pensa-Suhr, PRS and Tom Anderson in it's wake .
At the time I worked in a Guitar shop in Barnet ,Herts that had secured the import rights and this was the first one of a pair to make it to the UK market .......I waited for 3 months for it .
The first Sunbursts ( model name ,not just colour ) appeared in 1977 but were quickly revised to include a slightly remodelled headstock and the famous Sustainblock chromed brass bridge which certainly lives up to it's name.
1979 was considered the "golden " year for this model.
Hand made using rich ,aged Honduran mahogany body, maple cap and the very darkest Brazillian Rosewood fretboard .
THIS GUITAR WAS ONLY PLAYED FOR 3 MONTHS ......before being put away for almost 40 years due to a family tragedy at the time .I stopped playing until 6 years ago other than a brief dalliance in 1990 that lasted for a couple of months . That came to an end when I dropped it off the strap causing headstock damage that was professionally repaired in Denmark Street in 1991 and I still have the bill for the repair in the original Hamer case together with the original hang tag,Hamer Guarantee and the original stock number sticker is still on the back plate.Playability and tuning is totally unaffected .It was an excellent repair.
Other than that it is probably the best condition surviving Sunburst of that era - A real Closet Classic ! in virtually perfect condition with zero fret-wear ,zero buckle rash and zero tarnish on the chrome/steel ware. There are three tiny imperfections on the side( two are smaller than a matchstick head ) and the maple cap has a beautiful flame that is quite discreet unlike some of the brash 'Wood Library " finishes of today's high end boutiques .
The guitar is fully original and plays flawlessly having a 60s Gibson type neck ,the obvious DC body shape ,original Grover s etc.
The action is extremely low and the board quite flat making it a very speedy ,80s Rock machine . Coupled with the original Di Marzio pups it has very much that 80s sound although famous users at the time included Martin Barre, Judas Priest,Wishbone Ash and even Gary Moore had a bash with one . It is magic at that ' half-shreddy ' rock sound although personally I don't think the pick-ups allow it to do anything outside of the Rock agenda very well .
Sadly,commercial reality caused Hamer to dilute their brand with cheap Korean diffusion facsimiles and were eventually taken over by Fender. The original pre '86 Illinois USA guitars are highly prized . Apparently Hamer are about to re-launch once again as a resurrected exclusive boutique brand under the original Dantzig ownership -no doubt THE SUNBURST MODEL will be re-issued together with the Explorer shape original . They were/are the grand-daddy of all boutique brands.
PRICE - despite sentiment I need to be objective - it seems that an average specimen in fair condition will sell for anywhere between £1450 and £1700 with good examples selling at average £2100 **.This is superior to those in condition but is devalued by the headstock repair although playability is totally unaffected . Therefor £1750 would seem correct.I would consider serious offers / trades .
** -source Hamer Fan club /Ebay ( Ed Roman prices ignored )
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/72tvstgqqvwxtk6/AACStzvAVfPJWAaKsM0gF7hla?dl=0
Comments
I nearly bought one about 15 years ago (£180 iirc) from a music shop in Kentish Town.
Good luck with the sale.
Actually I just did the maths... that would have been 1994, so considerably more than 15 years ago!! Time flies.
Many guitars have a re-sale value. Some you'll never want to sell.
Stockist of: Earvana & Graphtech nuts, Faber Tonepros & Gotoh hardware, Fatcat bridges. Highwood Saddles.
Pickups from BKP, Oil City & Monty's pickups.
Expert guitar repairs and upgrades - fretwork our speciality! www.felineguitars.com. Facebook too!
The build quality is just tremendous ........FUTURE TRUE CLASSIC
As a fellow Hamer guitar owner I would say this is THE Hamer guitar to have. Great price too. GLWTS!