Hey, Zach:
Here’s an oddball for you. I’ve had this
old O’Hagan for many years (see
images), having purchased it in the
basement of the Guitar Madness
show in Elgin, Illinois. The only thing
the dealer could tell me about it was
that it played as well as anything he
had, and that it featured top-notch
construction. It has a Les Paul Junior
type of maple body with
contoured routing, neckthrough
design and
maple fingerboard. I
believe the pickups are
DiMarzios, and the back
of the headstock is
marked “Made in USA. A
Product of Jemar Corp.”
The serial number is
A49020. This instrument
is in excellent condition,
plays and sounds like a
dream, so any information
would be appreciated,
including current
value.
Steve – Yankeetown, FL
Hi, Steve.
I hadn’t seen nor heard of
one of these for a while.
Approximately 3,000
O’Hagan guitars were built
in St. Louis Park,
Minnesota (a suburb of
Minneapolis) from 1979 to
1983. These instruments were distributed
by the Jemar Corporation, also of St. Louis
Park. Jerry O’Hagan was originally a clarinetist
and music teacher. He began
importing the Grande brand acoustic guitars
from Japan circa 1975. In 1979 the
O’Hagan Guitar Company was established
to build quality, affordable solidbody guitars.
Two years later the company incorporated
as the Jemar Corporation, and this
stenciled logo appeared on the backs of
the brand’s headstocks during late 1981.
Because of the nationwide recession that
began in 1983, and the proliferation of
inexpensive guitars from the Pacific Rim
countries, O’Hagan was forced into bankruptcy
and its assets were auctioned off
in late 1983.
Basically, four O’Hagan models were
offered. The most eye-catching of them
was the Shark (MSRP of $529 in 1979),
which featured a rounded-off Explorer
design with maple-and-walnut construction
in a neck-through design. The company’s
most popular model
was the Twenty-Two
(resembling a Flying V,
with an MSRP of $529
in 1980), and the Laser
(a Strat-based design)
was available as well.
Your O’Hagan
Nightwatch model is the
most common of the
four, and was available
as both a single- and
double-cutaway Les Paul
style of instrument. The
images show that it has
two DiMarzio humbucking
pickups, a three-way
selector switch, two volume
knobs and one
master tone control. As
you’ve indicated, it has a
three-piece maple body
of neck-through construction
with a 22-fret
maple fingerboard, contoured/
radius heel and
ebony dot inlays. The
adjustable wraparound stop tailpiece with
brass saddles is correct, as is the highgloss
finish on the stained maple body,
neck and joined headstock.
While I like the coolness factor of this guitar
and its overall eye appeal, in terms of
treasure it certainly isn’t in the same
league as other major makes and models
from an era of guitar production that is
typically dismal in terms of collectibility.
Unfortunately,
most of this
guitar’s current
value
has to do
with its
playability,
condition and
quality construction.
Taking these
factors into
consideration,
the guitar’s
current value
is in the
$450-$500
range. For
comparison, a Fender Stratocaster in similarly
original condition from the same time
period is currently in the $1,250-$1,400
price range. Here’s the good news. What
else can you buy in this price range today
that gets you this much quality, sound,
playability and coolness without having a
“Made in China” or “Made in Korea” sticker
on it? So, the verdict is this: You have
an affordable, semi-precious treasure!
Zach Fjestad is the author of the Blue Book of Electric Guitars, Blue
Book of Acoustic Guitars, and Blue Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
These publications are available through Blue Book Publications.
Guitar Trash or Treasure questions can be submitted to:
Blue Book Publications
Attn: Guitar Trash or Treasure
8009 34th Ave. Ste #175
Minneapolis, MN 55425
800-877-4867
www.bluebookinc.com
guitars@bluebookinc.com
Please include pictures of your guitars.
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