The Hamer Prototype is an important guitar for Hamer enthusiasts. It represents the first completely original design Hamer to be put into full production. Earlier guitars had their origins in Gibson guitars of the fifties, albeit extensively redesigned by Hamer. The Standard was based on the Explorer but came with a bound flame-top to give the guitar a more opulent appearance. Both the Sunburst and Special were based on the double-cut Les Paul Junior, although again the design was heavily modified and has very little in common with the Gibson model other than the body shape. All these models came fitted with two DiMarzio PAF humbuckers, in keeping with the Gibson influence. Even the Eight-string bass of the late seventies shared the double cut body shape of the Sunburst and Special, with this instrument's design being somewhat influenced by the Hagstrom eight-string bass of the sixties.

The Prototype was launched at Madison Square Gardens late in 1980. The materials for the guitar were unremarkable, good quality Honduras mahogany for body and glued neck. The headstock shape was identical to the Sunburst and Special but the body shape was new, contoured back and front with unequal cutaways, although hardly radical. The Sunburst's sustain-block bridge with through-body stringing was the bridge option chosen (occasionally in black chrome, a new concept in 1980). A two-ply scratchplate (inscribed with the word PROTOTYPE) hides the neck joint, no neck pickup being fitted as on Hamer's other guitars.

It is hard to believe now but the Prototype was genuinely radical in 1980, including a humbucker and single-coil pickup on the same guitar. Musicians had customised their guitars to include both types of pickup and Fender had played with the idea on a few Telecasters but Hamer were the first company to design a guitar specifically to be a hybrid. Contemporary advertising for the Prototype made much of the new design triple coil pickup (sometimes wrongly nicknamed the Motherbucker) but this was in fact nothing more than a DiMarzio PAF (nearest the bridge) in the same mounting ring as a single-coil, again by DiMarzio. The three way switch gave you the Humbucker, both pickups or the single coil, although curiously the switch worked in opposite orientation to the pickup positions. A master volume and master tone control completed the electronics. The sounds available were described by Paul Hamer in an interview from 1982.

'It looks very simple with one pickup, one volume and tone control and a single toggle switch, but the sounds you can get are really quite incredible. The secret lies in the pickup which incorporates a single coil and a double coil, Humbucking type, so it's possible to get anthing from a sharp Stratocaster tone to a richer Les Paul sound with a good midrange Hamer sound in between. Andy Summers of the Police was an early Hamer endorsee, and he was credited with design input by Paul Hamer.

This card was given out with the Prototype in 1981/1982 and was also the basis for advertising in Britain. The example on this card has a script logo on the scratchplate, whereas most production guitars have a simple block design. The reverse of the card describes the tones available from this new type of guitar (printed below).

The Hamer Prototype
Unmatched Versatility, Utter Simplicity

Pick up the instrument. Plug it in. Notice how simple and functional the controls are. Change the volume setting and notice that the treble response doesn't disppear as you turn the control down.

Unlike other guitars the tone circuit in the Prototype is useful and sensitive. The 'normal' setting for the tone is about 5. As the control is turned towards 10 you'll notice a boost in the highs. Turn the control down and you'll boost the midrange response. The tone control can be used in conjunction with the selector switch to give an unlimited variety of sounds. Placing the selector switch in the up position gives the Prototype a true humbucking sound. The middle position offers triple coil capabilities. A single coil sound is achieved by placing the switch in the down position.
(It should be noted that contemporary guitars (1981) just didn't mix both kinds of pickup so the above description by Hamer should be read with that in mind.)

The Prototype went into full production in 1981 and very soon became one of Hamer's most popular models.

This example was owned by a collector, and is collector grade. Some minor chips to the top of the headstock, but so close to mint it's not funny! A beautiful, individual, USA- built guitar now 25 years old! And yes, it comes in its original Hamer hard case.

Sold to Joseph

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