Dear Guitar Trash or Treasure,The lead guitarist in our band has played this Hamer guitar for years, but he doesn’t know much about Hamer or the guitar itself. We play a lot of alternative music, and it seems to work really well for that. The guitar doesn’t have any markings on it besides the Hamer logo, and it has strange, small soundholes on the left side of the guitar. Can you give us a little information on Hamer and possibly identify the model and put a price on the guitar?
Freddie
Milwaukee, WI
Hi Freddie,
Your guitarist has a unique guitar from a unique company! After reading this, I think you and your band will agree that the history of Hamer, and this guitar in particular, is pretty cool. Hamer started building guitars in the early seventies in the Chicago area, and it’s safe to say they sprang from the tradition of local companies that came before them, such as Kay, Harmony and VALCO. Chicago had once been a hotbed of guitar manufacturing but by the early seventies most were gone. As American guitar production was moving overseas and very few guitars were being produced in the Chicago area, Paul Hamer and Jol Dantzig were just beginning as partners at a used instrument and repair shop in Chicago called Northern Prairie Music. The guys ordered and repaired so many Gibson products that they were invited to tour the facilities in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Shortly thereafter, their shop became Gibson’s first authorized warranty repair facility.
Both Hamer and Dantzig were Gibson enthusiasts, which led to Hamer building a Flying V-style bass; soon, Northern Prairie began taking custom orders that were designed around Gibson’s Flying V and Explorer models for a few professional musicians. Once the values of used Gibson and Fender guitars began rising in the mid-seventies, Hamer and Dantzig saw an opportunity in the guitar industry. In 1975, they began producing the Standard model, which was based on the Explorer. In 1978, they introduced the Sunburst model that featured a familiar Les Paul Junior body shape. By the early eighties, Hamer had become very successful at offering vintage-style guitars with non-vintage prices.
Paul Hamer left the company in 1987, and in 1988, the Kaman Music Corporation, owners of Ovation and Takamine, bought Hamer. In 1997, they moved from Chicago to Connecticut, which is closer to the Kaman headquarters. On a side note, Kaman Music was recently purchased by Fender, but don’t expect any changes for either company. Dantzig is still with Hamer and is very active in the company. In 2004, a DVD documentary entitled Hamer: Building an American Legend was released. It is very interesting and I suggest getting your hands on a copy if you would like more in-depth information about Hamer.
Your bandmate’s guitar is a 1996 DuoTone P-90 model. The DuoTone was introduced in 1994 as an acoustic/ electric stereo hybrid guitar. It features a semi-hollow mahogany body with a spruce top, a piezo pickup mounted in the bridge and three functionally tuned circular soundholes. The standard model came with two humbuckers, but in 1996 only, Hamer offered this model with P-90 pickups. The guitar sounds good in your band since P-90s are typically brighter than humbuckers, but not as crisp or tinny as Fender single coils. It also has acoustic capabilities with the piezo pickup, which is extremely useful when switching between acoustic and electric tones in the middle of a song. This guitar was introduced at the height of the alternative scene in the mid-nineties and several noted artists played the DuoTone including Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Dweezil Zappa. For using this guitar regularly in a band it appears to be in good shape, meaning your guitarist takes care of it. The guitar had an original retail price of $2099 and since it is in excellent condition, today it is worth between $1000 and $1200.
There are several things I like about Hamer guitars. First, they aren’t afraid to try something new (think Scarab model and their 12-string basses). Second, their guitars are affordable, including the used models. Finally, besides their XT and Slammer Series, their guitars are still built in the U.S. In today’s heavily Chinese-influenced marketplace that is a treasure in itself!
Zachary R. Fjestad
Zachary R. Fjestad is the author of the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, Blue Book of Electric Guitars, and the Blue Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
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Phat Machine
The Phat Machine
The Phat Machine is designed to deliver the tone and responsiveness of a vintage germanium fuzz with improved temperature stability with no weird powering issues. Loaded with both a germanium and a silicon transistor, the Phat Machine offers the warmth and cleanup of a germanium fuzz but with the bite of a silicon pedal. It utilizes classic Volume and Fuzz control knobs, as well as a four-position Thickness control to dial-in any guitar and amp combo. Also included is a Bias trim pot and a Kill switch that allows battery lovers to shut off the battery without pulling the input cord.
Silk Worm Deluxe Overdrive
The Silk Worm Deluxe -- along with its standard Volume/Gain/Tone controls -- has a Bottom trim pot to dial in "just the right amount of thud with no mud at all: it’s felt more than heard." It also offers a Studio/Stage diode switch that allows you to select three levels of compression.
Both pedals offer the following features:
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Static Effectors’ Street Series pedals carry a street price of $149 each. They are available at select retailers and can also be purchased directly from the Static Effectors online store at www.staticeffectors.com.
Galloup’s Plek tech Adam Winarski preps a Yamaha acoustic for the machine.
Presently, many certified guitar-repair specialists possess the expertise required to deliver an instrument that both sounds and plays wonderfully. The standards set by manufacturers and distributors have significantly risen, safeguarded by rigorous quality protocols to guarantee the best possible acoustic experience for customers. Additionally, lutherie training has raised the bar for critical processes, and one of the most tricky is fretwork.
Traditional fretwork once involved manual labor, with technicians utilizing sandbags or similar supports to steady the neck as they straightened it with a truss rod during the filing process. A notable advancement in this field came in the mid 1970s when Don Teeter, an author and repair expert, imposed a new method: fixing the guitar body to the bench and using blocks to maintain the neck in a playing position. This refinement was one of many in the continued quest to produce superior instruments by standardized methods.
An example of the Plek’s readings from an acoustic guitar.
Photo courtesy of Galloup Guitars
In the late 1970s, another pivotal innovation was introduced by Dan Erlewine. He created an advanced fret jig with a specialized body-holding system and neck supports, adding another layer of precision to the repair process. During my collaboration with Dan in 1985, we developed a rotating neck jig that counterbalanced the forces of gravity, keeping the instrument in its playing orientation while adjusting the neck supports. This step represented a significant leap in establishing control and standardization of fretwork procedures in our industry. By 1986, our approach had evolved into a freestanding workstation coupled with a sophisticated hold-down mechanism and enhanced neck supports, culminating in increased accuracy, efficiency, and consistency. Over the decades, the Erlewine/Galloup rotating neck jig has become a benchmark in numerous shops, enhancing fretwork performance.
"This step represented a significant leap in establishing control and standardization of fretwork procedures in our industry."
By the 1990s, automated and computerized technologies permeated the guitar manufacturing and repair sectors. Initially applied by import companies in the mass production of guitars, the technology, although expediting processes, did not immediately achieve high execution standards. However, the tech dramatically improved over time, with computer-driven systems eventually transforming the industry. Contemporary automated production utilizing such advancements meets exceedingly high standards of precision. Some bespoke guitar manufacturers, such as Steve Andersen, were pioneers in adopting these methods, but it was companies like Taylor that established them in the modern era.
Inevitably, the progression of technology extended beyond the mere production of parts. Around 1995, German engineer Gerd Anke envisioned the integration of computer-assisted technology into enhancing instrument playability, giving rise to Plek technology, which uses computers to precisely measure and analyze the various components of a guitar, like neck relief, fret height, nut and bridge specs, and more. Nashville guitar-repair tech Joe Glaser was among the first to recognize the machine’s value, followed by San Francisco luthier Gary Brawer. When Heritage Guitar Inc. invested in a Plek machine, the guitar industry could no longer disregard the significance of this innovation.
“The machine’s scanning data confirmed that there was one nature of an ideal fret plane, done by hand or machine, and unsurprisingly, it conformed exactly to what physics predicts, not personal mojo.”
In the spring of 2022, Galloup Guitars obtained its first Plek machine. Promptly, our technician Adam Winarski paved the way for the Plek’s integration in our shop. Now, it’s a rarity for an instrument to leave our shop without having undergone Plek analysis and machining. Impressed by the results of our integration, we created “Intro to Plek” as a course for all students enrolled at the Galloup School of Lutherie, offering our students a practical introduction to this technology. We furthered this educational initiative with a comprehensive one-week intensive “Plek Certification Training Course” for both students and the public. This advanced Plek course serves those seeking to boost their knowledge base and employability in this high-precision field.
Plek is rapidly becoming an industry standard for major manufacturers and smaller shops alike. However, this does not mean that those without access to this technology cannot execute proficient fretwork. Personally, I continue to use my Erlewine/Galloup neck jig—not only out of nostalgia, but also because it remains an excellent method for delivering accurate and reliable guitars. Still, it’s undeniable that the process of fretting, fret dressing, and analytics of fretted instruments has undergone significant transformation, resulting in better sounding—and playing—guitars. And ultimately, that’s what it’s all about.