Hamer Standard Black Electric Guitar Owned by Marty Friedman

This Hamer Standard Black Electric Guitar is Owned by Marty Friedman.
 
"It was kind of a rare guitar, even back then. But it was by far my favorite. I searched and searched for one, but never could find one. Is it any wonder that my first sig model was a black explorer? One of my techs in the 90`s, Michael Kaye was always buying and selling guitars, and he was aware that I wanted a Hamer Explorer if he could ever find one. One day he found this one and I bought it immediately."

The Standard was the first American production guitar to use PAF pickups individually designed for neck and bridge positions. Hamer Standards made before mid-1977 often have original, Gibson Patent Applied For (PAF) model humbuckers in the bridge positionpickups that were lovingly retrieved from old parts bins at Gibson's Kalarnazoo factory. Neck pickups were custom wound, on Gibson Patent Number model bobbins, by either Larry DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan. By 1978 there were no more PAF's to be had, and all Hamer pickups were being made to their specs by DiMarzio. They were mounted in cream plastic rings, with no pickup covers. A 3-way pickup-selector toggle switch, two volume controls, and a master tone control completed the electronics. Standard finishes included tobacco or cherry sunburst, natural wood grain, or opaque black or white. Ebony fingerboards, Les Paul Standard-style "crown" inlays, and decorative fingerboard and headstock binding were available for an upcharge. A Hamer Standard with deluxe trim adorned Hamer's first ads, under the company's motto: "The Ultimate."

Jol Dantzig says that Hamer made maybe 50 standards from 1975 to '78, only 10 or 15 per year. Coincidentally, Gibson reissued their Explorer in early '76, and shipped over 3,300 from then through '78. Hamer was known as a custom or specialty company, but their reputation was growing. Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen was certainly their most visible exponent--he's got their very first, pre-Hamer Explorer, #0000. By the early '80s, Hamer Standards had been prominently used by quite a variety of players, including the late Tommy Bolin (who used a pre-Hamer Explorer with Deep Purple), Roy Buchanan, Steve Clark (Def Leppard), Lita Ford, Dave Hlubek (Molly Hatchet), Mick Ralphs (Bad Company), Paul Stanley (KISS), and Warren Zevon.

The 1978 introduction of the more workmanlike and lower-priced Hamer Sunburst was a huge, and somewhat unexpected, success that overshadowed the Standard, by then tagged at $1,199.95 retail for a basic model. This forced the company to start producing guitars in large numbers. In 1980, their growth led them to a larger factory in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where all Hamer instruments are still made today. The Standard eventually came to be the custom, high-end, flagship guitar of the Hamer fleet, and continues to be produced in extremely limited numbers.

Serial # 0624. Kahler tremolo. Several dings and gouges as photographed. There is a crack down center of top. Overall guitar plays well. A killer piece from this guitar virtuoso.

All items in Marty Friedmans Reverb shop ship fully insured with delivery confirmation and include a signed Certificate Of Authenticity from Marty Friedman.