The Ultimate: An Illustrated History of Hamer Guitars

Most enjoyable read. Book is literally a Hamer encyclopedia. Has history and models illustrated unknown to outsiders. The serial number logs are photographed, but would like to see some artifacts blown up. Has catalogs and beautiful large photos of famous models.. Its guitar bliss. Hardcover. Large format.

I like this book and appreciate the labor of love that it is. I really wanted more info on the guitars themselves. Hamer made some structural changes to their guitars to improve upon the design flaws they saw in "vintage" guitars they repaired in their shop. As a guitar geek, I would have liked more info about the different models of guitars over the years and the thought processes behind the decisions. Yes, much of that information is available online, but I guess I would love to see a large coffee table style book with all the info and as many pictures as possible.

I only had interest in a couple of Hamer models, but this book is great. It’s got a lot of excellent photos and the Hamer story is very interesting. It’s a shame what was done to the brand once it was sold to other companies, but the original USA made instruments were phenomenal.

Of all the guitar books I’ve ever read this is the best!

I grew up playing guitar and started when I was 12---which means that I was just getting started on guitar when Hamer Guitars was starting to hit their stride. I remember seeing their ads in Guitar Player magazine often--yet it was many years later before I played my first Hamer. I played a borrowed Hamer for a recording session and it sounded incredible, had killer action and was just screaming Quality. Finally, I am ready to buy my first Hamer USA and I get the Monaco SuperPro with Jazz Burst finish and it's the most amazing instrument in so many ways. Still screaming Quality!!! And then they close the shop and it's all over!Read this book to understand the story of this amazing American guitar company that kept their eye on the ball of quality and created a legendary line of instruments that evolved over time to meet the needs of their clients.Excellent historical perspective and wonderful stories abound!Buy It!

Very cool book, as now that the original Hamer company is long gone, it is great to get this stuff documented before peoples memory fades. I really wish the book would have gone into more detail behind Paul Hamer leaving the company, seems like a big omission to me, because that was always something I wondered about, and the book really didn't provide answers. Sometimes the truth isn't pretty, but leaving out something like that leaves a hole in an otherwise fine book. But for the hardcore Hamer fan, it's a must have book!

For years, there has been far too little accurate information - and frankly, a great deal of faulty myth and speculation out there - about this great guitar brand. As a player and collector of HAMER Guitars for more than three decades, it is great to finally see a reference work that actually does justice to the legacy of the first boutique guitar company. The authors have clearly dedicated much time and care interviewing the innovative founders, shop guys, artists and people who "were there". This volume also compiles the coolest collection of archival photos, catalog and promotional materials, and the most drool-worthy collection of legendary and classic HAMERs anywhere.This is definitely the "New Classic" in guitar reference books!

If you are a Hamer player or fan this is a must have book for your guitar library or on your coffee table. Well written and very accessible - gorgeous photos with tons of detail - help your friends understand why you play Hamer guitars. This book will essentially validate every reason you've ever loved a Hamer for and then some. Great Job Steve.

I have owned a Hamer electric guitar for thirty-eight years. It was expensive when I bought it - the summer of 1978 - and I purchased it on the never-never that my dad had to sign guarantor forms on. I loved it then, and I love it still, and knowing that I am the person who has played it in and put most of the dinks and chips in the finish is like a kind of metaphor for growing up and older. I bought it because I was a huge fan of Cheap Trick, who were endorsees of the Hamer company. The guitars were great.The Hamer brand flourished for thirty years or so, before being bought by Fender, and then it all went to pot. I think the brand has been mothballed now. Anyway, this lovingly-written and beautifully illustrated tome shed much light on how Hamer became a renowned trademark of guitar-making quality, even though it was too good to last. I live i hope that one day my guitar - a double cutaway Les Paul Junior shape 'Sunburst' model - will be worth thousands. I doubt it, and I probably wouldn't sell anyway. This book is smashing for someone like me, who wanted to know the story behind the guitars.

Informative book on Hamer from beginning till present. Good photos. Only thing I would have liked to be precise would be a proper section on serial numbers

As the proud owner of two Hamer 12 string basses and a massive fan of the US rock band Cheap Trick, who are well known users of Hamer guitars, I was really pleased to have found that this book was on Amazon and cheaper then anywhere else. Wonderfully illustrated, it gives a good detailed history of the Hamer company until it was swallowed up and spat out by Fender.If you are interested in craftsman built American guitars and want a book you can sit and drool over, this is probably the one.

Excellent book about Hamer guitars and for anyone who either wants to know the history of this famous guitar company it is a must read. I am fortunate to own in the UK some of the very best Hamer (USA) guitars and in my opinion they are the best built guitars and knock shades of anything that Gibson, PRS have made. Buy this book to learn how Hamer came into being and virtually changed not only the vintage guitar market but also how guitars should be mad and bullt.

So much more than a pretty picture book this is a very good read. Being a teenager in 80's England you did not see Hamers for sale anywhere, only in rock mags and being played at gigs, didn't stop me wanting one though. This book really rekindled my desires and I am pleased to say that 37 years later I own a standard and bloody marvellous it is too.