NGD.... a trip down Memory Lane....

[Philly Q]

Those who've been around the forum a while and have, on occasion, had nothing better to do than read my inane ramblings may remember me wittering on about my first proper guitar, a 1980 Hamer Special which I foolishly mutilated with a Kahler tremolo system...

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I was on eBay and found this....

It's a 1982 Hamer Special, missing the pickups and with a few non-original parts - the knobs, pots and strap buttons.  But crucially, it still has the original "sustain block" bridge.

It just so happens, in my spares box I still have:  the original DiMarzio pickups, mounting rings and knobs from my Special, a set of Hamer electronics from my '83 Vector (sold long ago), even the strap buttons and truss tod cover screw.  :D

I couldn't resist, it was like it was just waiting for me.

So here it is!  Taking it out of the box was a strange experience - a "new" guitar but it feels so familiar.  That Special was my only guitar for about 6 years, and I took it apart so many times, changing pickups and parts... this one is the exact same colour, the mahogany in the cavities looks the same... it's weird, like going back in time.  :?

There are a few slight differences - my old one doesn't have the checkerboard pattern on the headstock, and I think the '80 model lacks the very slight curve in the cutaway the '82 has, which does help top-fret access just a little.

I don't really think of 1982 as "vintage", but this does feel quite vintage - there's lots of crazing in the finish and a pretty large amount of natural relicing.  The timber all looks high quality and it seems pretty lightweight.

Looking forward to getting this "time machine" back in working order!  :D


 

[lulusg]

Really nice...really nice..!!

[JacksonRR]

That's really awesome, Philly. There's been a few I wish I could unsell. Have fun with that one! (and finish it)

[Mr. Air]

Congrats on the NGD and stroll down memory lane. The guitar looks really cool. I like the LP-style double cutaway.

[Andrew W]

I'm really pleased for you. I remember you mentioning the Hamer on a few occasions with a wistful air so it's great that you've managed to find the missing pieces to rebuild the one that got away. You do actually have to get the parts out and rebuild it now, you do know that right?

[Philly Q]

You do actually have to get the parts out and rebuild it now, you do know that right?

Yeah, that is the tricky part.....  :|

I am in the midst of a general tidy up and clear out at the moment.  There are guitar parts scattered all over the place in dusty old cardboard boxes and jiffy bags (if only I had a loft!), but I've bought a couple of proper "organiser" boxes to sort them into once and for all. 

At some point I will, inevitably, stumble on the old Hamer parts then it's all systems go (probably take at least six months though, based on my usual rate of progress)

[gwEm]

Congrats! Very cool score  :)

I would say early 80s is vintage territory these days, and it does have that look.

A fine project to leave underneath your bed for a few years unfinished! 

[38thBeatle]

That looks great Philly and has the proper patina too.

[dave_mc]

very nice :)

[mecca777]

That looks absolutely fantastic. I bet it's going to be a monster once it's restored to fighting fitness.

Also, looking at the top picture there I've just this second realised why Hamer called their hardtail the "sustain block" bridge. How thick is that baseplate?! I've never seen one from that angle before.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

So cool, the top and color on it are realllly nice!

[Afghan Dave]

A fine project to leave underneath your bed for a few years unfinished! 

The Mayan's only ended their calendar at 2012 in the vain hope of motivating Philly Q... It won't work.  :?

[Telerocker]

Damned, Philly, I would have like that one: naturally reliced, nice top, ready to put some BKP's in. They are great value for money. What pickups you gonna serve this beauty?

[Philly Q]

A fine project to leave underneath your bed for a few years unfinished! 

The Mayan's only ended their calendar at 2012 in the vain hope of motivating Philly Q... It won't work.  :?

Wasn't there something in the news the other day saying they'd found a Mayan calendar which didn't end in 2012?  I've got plenty of time!

(No room under the bed anyway, the other Hamer's still there!)

Damned, Philly, I would have like that one: naturally reliced, nice top, ready to put some BKP's in. They are great value for money. What pickups you gonna serve this beauty?

Well it's funny, some old Hamers go quite cheap but recently someone was selling a Sunburst, which is basically the same guitar with a bound body, and it went for about 3 times the price of this one.

I think to start with I'll try the original DiMarzios - cream at the bridge, zebra at the neck, wired out of phase.  Then it's as near to "stock" as possible.

But as I recall, they didn't sound great - especially the bridge model - so I may get some aged BKPs in the same colours.   The maple "top" is real flame maple but it's only a very thin veneer, so it's basically an all-mahogany guitar.  I think I'd go with Riff Raffs.... or maybe it's finally time to get a set of Mules.

[Philly Q]

Also, looking at the top picture there I've just this second realised why Hamer called their hardtail the "sustain block" bridge. How thick is that baseplate?! I've never seen one from that angle before.

It's about 1/4" thick, so the strings sit at much the same angle as they would with a tune-o-matic.

It's a strange little bridge though - the string spread of the through-body holes is actually wider than the spread across the saddles, which makes no sense, why design it like that?  :?   My '80 had the same baseplate, but with wider saddles - too wide for the bridge, so they "fanned out" and left the high E too close to the side of the neck.  That was no good, so the '82/'83 models have narrower saddles, but therefore very narrow string spacing.  At some point (late '80s?) they stopped using those bridges and switched to more generic hardware (I believe Hamer were the first company to sell a guitar with a factory-fitted Floyd Rose, but I may have that wrong)