
How a historic 5-necked wonder came to life in Hamer’s shop.
Sometimes you get lucky, but it pays to be prepared to wait. With the news that Cheap Trick has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after 40 years of constant hard work, I imagine the band feels more dedicated than charmed. Let's hope that the Hall of Fame doesn't forget how truly unique Cheap Trick has always been.
I feel lucky to have been in the right place at the right time in 1981 when the phone rang and Rick Nielsen was on the other end of the line. By then, I'd gotten used to frequent brainstorming/request sessions with the Cheap Trick founding father, so I was not surprised when Nielsen broached the idea of a multi-neck instrument that would stop the show. Little did we know that this neck-heavy concept would be both a crowning achievement and an albatross around both our necks.
By the time anyone outside of the Midwest club circuit had heard of Cheap Trick, the Hamer guitar brand was well established in the U.S. and Europe. Bands such as Bad Company, Jethro Tull, Wishbone Ash, and many others were early endorsers, and shops around the world stocked our wares. Fellow guitar collectors Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson were friends from the old days of prowling through pawnshops for vintage guitars on the cheap. The boys from Rockford, Illinois, were serious musicians and students of guitar history, but also great people with a decidedly serious sense of humor.
As Hamer resurrected the defunct and discarded Explorer shape in 1974, Nielsen grabbed one of the first and made it his signature axe. He recognized its lineage—the bastard son of a '59 Sunburst Les Paul and the rarely-if-ever-seen "lightning bolt" Explorer—and the guitar was perfect for his dual-citizenship personality. Despite its outsized appearance, we named it the Standard.
Before long, we'd constructed an entire fleet of personalized permutations for Nielsen, including a mandocello variation in 1977, the now-famous checkerboard-finished version in 1978, the "Coffee Table" graphic, and the early Floyd-Rose equipped "Yellowbird" in 1979. As the sight-gag graphics increased in number, the stature of Cheap Trick's fortune was growing even faster. The band had reached saturation on TV and radio by 1979, and they were dragging us right along for an epic ride. If there was any question about Cheap Trick's contribution to Hamer's exposure in the beginning, their massive success by the decade's end left no doubt.
When it was time to assemble the guitar, we realized what a behemoth it was.
It was while we were all riding pretty high that Nielsen inquired about the possibility of a multi-neck guitar to top all the others. According to Nielsen, he had originally envisioned a spinning guitar with six necks. But when ZZ Top appeared on TV with their spinning guitars, he changed his plan. He joked about wanting to outdo Rush, whose Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson both brandished double-necks simultaneously. In order to do this, we'd need at least five necks. In retrospect, the conversation was surprisingly short, and Nielsen left the fine details in my hands.
I walked back into the shop and flagged down the foreman, Steven Ward, to give him the overview. Because Nielsen wanted the guitar immediately, I decided to forgo the usual practice of creating drawings. We figured we'd use some existing bodies from the production rack so we could push the build ahead a few days. Steve and I laid out five Hamer Special body blanks right on the shop's enormous table-saw bed. We jockeyed the bodies around, stacked them on each other, and I marked out cut lines with a straightedge and pencil.
The challenge was to remove the parts of the bodies that had control routs, but still make it look like a usable guitar. Steve brought over a few raw necks so I could be sure of the headstock clearances. It was going to be tight. When we were sure things looked good, Steve got to work on the bandsaw. We then mocked up the assembly, I drew out the control locations, and sketched the swoopy blends right on the blanks between the necks so that Steve could finish up and bond them all together. The whole exercise took just a few hours.
Meanwhile, I went into the paint room to mix up a nice opaque-orange lacquer that would hide the multi-piece nature of the body and be bright enough to be seen from the last row in a stadium. After the necks were glued on, Steve drew the instrument's outline on brown craft paper to send to the case manufacturer before carrying the guitar into the spray booth.
When it came time to assemble the guitar, we realized what a behemoth it was. Each set of pickups and tuners added to its already hefty weight. After the last string was tuned, I took a few photos and put the guitar into the case to be shipped out immediately. I remember thinking that the guitar was pretty funny, but I had no idea how significant it would become.
My career has been dedicated to making instruments for serious musicians, regardless of how they choose to express themselves. I was proud of the way our team had produced the 5-neck guitar quickly for Nielsen, and how it became such an important part of Cheap Trick's show. Still, there was a stigma attached to it. Some people didn't get the joke. For awhile, I thought the 5-neck's cartoonish nature somehow overshadowed our artistry and the band's music—until it was displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2000. The now-famous orange guitar hung in a space where great works from the likes of Hockney, Hopper, Calder, and Monet are displayed. I guess the joke is on someone else now, and it was worth the wait. I hope Cheap Trick feels the same.
[Updated 10/8/21]
- Rig Rundown - Cheap Trick - Premier Guitar ›
- Cheap Trick: ... But Don't Give Yourself Away - Premier Guitar ›
- Rick Nielsen: His Checkered Past - Premier Guitar ›
Oni’s guitar duo cover 16 strings between them with a pair of Neural Quad Cortexes and some choice patches.
Jared Dines had been writing for Canadian metalcore outfit Oni—fronted by Jake Oni—for a few years before Jake invited Dines to join him onstage. Dines had just two days to learn the entire set before rehearsals began. But Eric Palmer can one-up him. He was teching for the band when Jake conscripted him—with just one day to pick up the set before a performance. Palmer rose to the occasion, and he and Dines have formed Oni’s two-guitar tornado for the past year.
Ahead of their gig at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl in December, Dines and Palmer walked PG’s Chris Kies through their spartan, one-guitar rigs—no backups, no mercy.
Brought to you by D’Addario.8 is Great
Eric Palmer is used to playing 7-string axes, so this limited-run 8-string Jackson Concept Series MDK8 HT8 MS Modern Dinky didn’t take long to get used to. The Korea-made flamethrower has a basswood body, a 3-piece maple/wenge/mapleneck, and a compound radius ebony fretboard (12" to 16"). It also boasts a dual scale length—25.5" to 27.5"—and is loaded with Fishman Fluence Modern pickups, which feature two voicings selected by a push-pull switch. Palmer had this one upgraded to a 5-way switch to access split-coil sounds, and he got rid of the tone knob. “All gas, no brakes,” as PG’s Perry Bean would say.
Petrucci Power
Jared Dines also needed an 8-string for Oni, so Ernie Ball sent him this Music Man Majesty 8, a John Petrucci signature model. It’s got Fishman’s Powerbridge piezo system, which sees action on the song “Control.” Dines attached his own string clamp behind the nut to halt noise.
Double Quads
Dines and Palmer both rely on Neural DSP Quad Cortexes on this Oni tour. Their units are mounted on Temple Audio pedalboards, and both guitarists use the Architecture: Gojira X patch for their heavy sounds, and a Roland Jazz Chorus sound for cleans. Both Dines and Palmer employ a MIDI switching system that they pulled from Aaron Marshall’s Rig Rundown, and run their signals from direct to front of house.
In our second installment with Santa Cruz Guitar Company founder Richard Hoover, the master luthier takes PG's John Bohlinger through the detailed (and scientific) process of analyzing, shifting and "tuning" the guitar's top before repeating the process when the back and sides are joined, and once again when introducing the neck to the instrument build while focusing on keeping everything harmoniously synergized and "tuned."
Paul Reed Smith hosts a recent clinic at Chicago Music Exchange.
The best way to relate to a guitar, pedal, or amp is with your own hands, ears, and heart.
To begin with the end in mind, my hope is that when you finish reading this article, you’ll feel more inspired to trust your instincts and experience the joy of trying a new piece of gear for yourself.
When I reflect on the days before the internet (and yes, I’m dating myself here, at 68), the way we approached buying gear was straightforward. You went to a music store, picked up guitars, amps, or pedals, and played them until you found the one that spoke to you. You may have gone to the store because you saw a guitarist you trusted using a brand and model of guitar or an ad that piqued your curiosity about an instrument, but the final decision was usually based on your own hands-on experience.
While today’s world offers an incredible wealth of information online, it can sometimes overshadow the most valuable resource we have as musicians: our own senses. Reviews, videos, and forum discussions can be helpful tools, but they can never replace the clarity and confidence that come from playing a guitar and hearing how it sounds in your own hands and through an amp.
I’ve often seen how powerful this firsthand experience can be. At clinics, I spend a lot of time encouraging players to trust their own ears and instincts. Recently, I was at a store where 15 Silver Skys were hanging on the wall, yet none of the salespeople or customers had plugged one in. When we finally pulled them down and played them, the reaction was incredible. People were surprised and excited by what they heard and felt. Often, instruments don’t match your expectations, but that’s the magic at work.
“Here’s my challenge to you: Next time you’re thinking about a new piece of gear, go to a store and try it out.”
The truth is, a guitar, amp, or pedal can’t fully reveal its character through words on a screen. You have to feel the shape of the neck in your hands, feel the finish on the neck while you’re playing, hear the resonance of the instrument, and sense how it responds to your playing. That’s where the connection is made. It’s not about what you’re told the “right” answer is; it’s about discovering what’s right for you.
I’ve even found that non-musicians often have the most honest reactions during a demo. They don’t have preconceived notions or decades of lore and experiences influencing their opinions about what something should sound like or be. They simply listen to what they hear in the moment and respond instinctively. It’s a beautiful reminder of how powerful and reliable our sensory experiences can be when we let those senses honestly guide us.
So, here’s my challenge to you: Next time you’re thinking about a new piece of gear, go to a store and try it out. Let yourself experience it fully. Feel how it plays, listen to its tone, and let your instincts lead the way. Even if you’ve read every review and watched countless demos, give yourself the chance to make your own discovery. Another way is to do your research, order the guitar online or through a phone call to a dealer, and try the instrument at home, knowing that if you don’t like it, you can return it within a certain amount of time.
Whether you’re a seasoned player or just starting out, there’s a certain magic that comes from trusting your gut. Your experience is one of your best guides to finding gear that feels musical, inspiring, and uniquely yours. Forget what you think you know, and let the moment tell you what’s true. Often, what I’m told doesn’t match my experience when I’m trying a new piece of gear.
Pick up a guitar. Play it. And trust yourself.
Axis, Cutlass, Sting Rays, oh my! There were all those and more new stylings at the Sterling by Music Man & Ernie Ball both this year as we got a tour of all their affordable options that are out or will be coming out in 2025. We saw new stylings on signature sweets for James Valentine, Steve Lukather, Ryan "Fluff" Bruce, Pete Wentz, Tosin Abasi, Jason Richardson and more!
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