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 Hamer Guitars on display at a music exhibition, 2008 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Musical instruments |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Headquarters | Arlington Heights, Illinois |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Paul Hamer, Jol Dantzig and John Montgomery |
| Products | Electric guitars |
| Parent | KMC Music[1] |
| Website | hamerguitars.com |
Hamer Guitars was an American electric guitar manufacturer founded in 1973, in Wilmette, Illinois, by vintage guitar shop owners Paul Hamer and Jol Dantzig. 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 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.[2]
The company was incorporated in Illinois in 1976 by John Montgomery, Jol Dantzig, James Walker and Hamer. It was acquired by Kaman Music Corporation in 1988, which was purchased in turn by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in 2008. 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.[3]
Kaman marketed a lower-priced line of Asian-built instruments called the Hamer XT Series and Slammer by Hamer, which was discontinued in 2009.
After 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 only Hamer Guitars at the NAMM Show that same year.
- ^ Our brands on KMC Music website, 13 Oct 2019
- ^ Matthes, Steve; Moffett, Joe (2013). The Ultimate Hamer Guitars: An Illustrated History. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-4352-0.
- ^ Zachary R. Fjestad (ed.), "Hamer", Blue Book of Guitar Values, Blue Book Publications, Inc, retrieved July 28, 2013