

- How to figure out gibson custom shop serial numbers professional#
- How to figure out gibson custom shop serial numbers series#
In 1997 Kaman Music relocated Hamer to a small shop in New Hartford, Connecticut, home of Ovation Guitars. Īfter five years with Kaman, Dantzig left the company in 1993, moving to California to begin a design and consulting business. Both guitars are still used by Tipton on stage as of 2020.

The Phantom GT followed the more traditional design of a superstrat double cutaway guitar, equipped with EMG pickups. Especially designed by Tipton, the GT Custom has a unique design, loosely based on a classic asymmetric V design but optimised for balance, sporting either Seymour Duncan and EMG pickups. Glenn Tipton's designed and used two very iconic Hamer guitars: the non-production Hamer GT Custom, introduced in 1986, and the Hamer Phantom GT. In the late 1970s to the mid-1980s Def Leppard used Hamer guitars and basses.įrom this era stems the appearance of Hamer models for heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest. The new arrangement with Holmes allowed Hamer to broaden its offering by building a more mainstream instrument called the "Sunburst." Before this expansion Hamer's customers were limited to big-name touring groups such as Kiss, Bad Company, Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull and Savoy Brown. Prior to that point production had been one-off custom variations on the original "Standard" and "Flying V" guitars. At this time the woodworking was being subcontracted to the Tom Holmes Company in Nashville, Tennessee, with the painting and setup (stringing) being done in the Palatine shop.

In 1977 the company set up shop in Palatine, Illinois and employed seven workers. was incorporated in Illinois in 1976 by John Montgomery, Jol Dantzig, Paul Hamer and James Walker. Hamer began publicizing its instruments in 1974, with small black-and-white ads in guitar magazines. This first instrument served as the basis for a new company called Hamer Guitars. The shop catered to musicians who were interested in high-quality instruments. The first Hamer guitar, a Flying V bass, was built at Northern Prairie Music, a vintage instrument shop in Wilmette, Illinois, owned by Hamer and Dantzig.
How to figure out gibson custom shop serial numbers series#
Kaman marketed a lower-priced line of Asian-built instruments called the Hamer XT Series and Slammer by Hamer, which was discontinued in 2009.Īfter a 4-year hiatus since Fender had discontinued the Hamer models in 2013, the brand was re-introduced as a subsidiary of KMC Music, which announced the return of imported Hamer Guitars at the NAMM Show that same year. Hamer offered a wide array of electric guitars and electric basses and since its foundation, placed an emphasis on producing high-quality instruments with vintage aesthetics as well as creative innovations. It was acquired by Kaman Music Corporation in 1988, which was purchased in turn by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in 2008. The company was incorporated in Illinois in 1976 by John Montgomery, Jol Dantzig, James Walker and Hamer.
How to figure out gibson custom shop serial numbers professional#
Hamer Guitars is generally considered the first "boutique" vintage-style electric guitar brand that specifically catered to professional musicians, and was the first guitar manufacturer to produce a 12 string bass guitar. The company's early instruments featured guitar designs based on the Gibson Explorer (The Standard) and Gibson Flying V (Vector), before adding more traditional Gibson-inspired designs such as the Sunburst. Hamer Guitars was an American manufacturer of electric guitars founded in 1973, in Wilmette, Illinois, by vintage guitar shop owners Paul Hamer and Jol Dantzig. Paul Hamer, Jol Dantzig and John Montgomery
