Guest Luthier Series: Jol Dantzig

[Pontiac Jack]

G'day Jol,I first saw Hamer guitars in photos of Cheap Trick way back when...
Being a fan of guitars with a more radical shape like V's and Explorers,I was mighty impressed. Then local Aussie band "The Angels" (Angel City in the States) started using Hamers (Prototypes),in the early 80's, and I finally got a chance to see and play them first hand. Awesome!

So,finally,my question:
Were the Cheap Trick guitars,such as the 12 string bass and the 5 neck designed for/with Tom and Rick,or were they concepts you had and just needed the right "vehicle" to promote them?

Thanks for taking the time to do this!!

Cheers,PJ

[cmatthes]

Hey there, Jol! Glad to see you over here.

This is a bit of a subjective question, but I'll ask it anyway. Over the years there have been several "flagship" guitars in the range that demonstrated the peak of your craft as well as resonated particularly well with players at that point in time. The Standard has probably been the most consistent, but there have also been front-runners like the Californian in the late '80s/early '90s, and I'd say that in the last decade, the Improv (top end Jazz Box) is near the pinnacle of Hamer's design.

What would you consider to be the current Hamer guitar that best represents your ideal from both a designer/luthier's standpoint and that of a player in 2009/2010?

Also, any hints as to what the "next big thing" is in Hamer's direction over the next 5-10 years?

[Jol Dantzig]

Yeah, the neck pickup in the Monaco is hot, but it's made to be cranked down away from the strings to balance out the volumes. This tightens up the sound too, losing the bass a bit. The guitar wasn't meant to be a full-on metal guitar... although I've seen it used that way. It's more of a roots/jazz guitar that rocks hard too.

[Jol Dantzig]

P-Jack, yeah, The Angels! Spent a lot of time with Doc and the boys back in the day when the came to town.

The 12 string was Tom Peterson's idea. He just needed someone to figure out how to do it, so I did. Same with the 5-neck. Rick wanted three necks to be bolder than the guys in Rush who were using doublenecks. So I said, "how about four necks" and Rick said "sure, how about five?" We would have settled on six, but we ran out of beer.

[Hoss]

What is your personal #1 guitar...the favorite in your collection and why?

If you could build a custom guitar for any artist...living or dead...who would it be and why?

What other guitar designs/designers are you a fan of?

As a company...when people say "Hamer" or think "Hamer"...what's the first thing you want to come to their minds?

What's the best part of having a business relationship with Seymour Duncan the company?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

[Jol Dantzig]

Cmatthes, I'm really proud of the Monaco 3. I think it's a timeless design that "borrows" from tradition without being an obvious copy. It really opens your eyes when you plug it in. I love Strats, but Fender already makes that, so my way of getting that sort of direction-and expanding on it was the monaco 3. Like I said, you think you know what that guitar is about when you look at it, but when you plug it in... whoa!

[ImmortalSix]

Jol, thanks for coming out!

Do you think there is any down-market / offshore production ($400 - $700) marketability for currently high-end only guitars like the Duo-Tone or the Talladega?

Thanks for your time!

-Hunter

[Jol Dantzig]

Hoss, my favorite right now is a 1964 P-bass that is all original. It's beat to crap and sounds great. It's just like my very first "good" bass right down to the color of the pickguard. I've got a prototype Improv with some special wiring in it that's fun to play too.

I like working with people I admire, who are dedicated to their craft and don't pretend that they know something when they don't. I've known Seymour since 1973 when we first met in England, and he's always been there for me. He built the first quad bass pickup for the first 12 string bass and we've never looked back. I've known Evan for over a decade and he's a straight shooter and easy to work with. He's got an amazing grasp of the guitar industry and music too. As a company, Duncan stands for integrity and excellence. That's important to us because we have to count on getting a consistent product from them. It's one thing to be able to make a great pickup, but it's another thing to do it every time, day after day, year after year.

[scottish]

Jol, absolutely great to have you on here.

Was there a specific reason the T-51 was cancelled and are there any plans to do another "tele" model?

Was there anything specific that inspired the unique 3 in line vol vol tone set up as seen on the artist models, as opposed to staggering them somewhat?

[tone4days]

seeing as today is the much hoopla'd release of the remastered beatles catalogue, would you tell us some cool john lennon and george harrison stories?

[Jol Dantzig]

Hey guys, I'll check back in a while... I've got work to do! Keep 'em coming!

[ErikH]

Hi Jol,

I'm a huge fan of Hamer guitars even though I don't own any. I particularly like some in the import line as well.

Out of all of the instruments that have been made, which model is your favorite out of all of them?

How many guitars have been made for Rick Nielsen?

When building, are there certain woods that you just would not use at all or is there experimentation going on to see if something sounds good that hasn't been done before?

Thank you for your time.

Erik

[willeubanks]

What (if anything) did you have to take out of the 8 knob Quad when you dropped 4 of the knobs? Was that the pan control? Or did you use concentric pots or something to leave that possibility in there?

[Ayrton]

Jol,

Thank you for taking the time to do this.

Who's idea or decision was to to venture into the "superstrat" market with artist like Vernon Reid and Steve Stevens?

Are you happy with the designs from that time (eg: Centuara)?

Could you see Hamer getting back into that market with something more along the lines of what Suhr offers (high end superstrat)?

[fkennjr]

Hello and thanks for taking the time to do this.

At one time I had a custom left handed version of the Standard Custom it was by far the sweetest guitar I have ever played, and am sad to say I no longer have it, I am trying to get it back from the guy I sold it too.

The neck had the best fret work I have ever seen, what steps do you think are necessary to have a fret job stand out from the average?
And, were differnt neck profiles made depending on the guitar?

[B Bent]

Welcome Jol! It is a great treat to have you here!

I just have to say that I love hearing Jimmy Olander of Diamond Rio play his assortment of Hamer guitars. I had no idea he was such a Hamer lover. I saw him live several months ago and the tone that he gets from his Monaco III gives me chills up my spine.

Does Hamer have a working relationship with Jimmy or does he just happen to have a whole stack of Hamer guitar when he plays live?

[The Anti-Matthes]

Jol,

1. I'm currently working on restoring an '85 Phantom A-7
http://reranch.com/reranch/viewtopic.php?t=30842
I'm trying to set it up as Glenn Tipton did with the active EMG in the bridge. I have the original Roland schematics but haven't yet figured out how to integrate an active pickup into that system. Did you guys wire Glenn's A-7 at your factory with the EMG or was that done later on by his guitar tech? Just wondering how you did it if you guys did the install.

2. Do you recall what pickups you were installing for Glenn and K.K. over the years?

3. This may be a sore subject (and I'm not trying to bust your chops), but what happened to the new custom guitar you guys were building for Glenn that you featured on your blog? I was dying to see some photos of the finished guitar. That finger board was awesome with the black pearl inlays. Just wanted to see it all together.

Thanks

[Rich_S]

Hi, Jol. Thanks for joining us today. I'm a long-time Hamer lover (if not owner). I remember the very first Hamer ads in the back of GP - just a couple column-inches, a black-and-white photo of some weird geeky-looking guy, making a funny face and posing all bunched-up, with a fancy Explorer-shaped instrument. The backdrop said CheapTrickCheapTrickCheapTrick, with no other explanation. I remember thinking, "What the heck is a Cheap Trick?" Hamer and the band have come a long way since then.

I have hanging over my desk a page I saved from the Hamer calendar a couple years ago - it shows what is in my book one of the coolest guitars of all time, a sunburst Standard with three Firebird pickups. Whose idea was that guitar?

Along with it, lurking off to one side, there is what appears to be a vintage Vox AC30. What is your favorite amp? Do you anticipate ever leveraging the Hamer name and getting into amplifiers, as PRS did recently?

[Bass Guy Dave]

Hi Jol.

I was introduced to Hamer by picking up a used '81 Cruisebass that I ablosute adore. The ergonomics are simply the pinnacle.


Love the attention to detail throughout.

Thanks for the great insturments.

Any future bass plans?

[statorbt]

Hi Jol!
I add my thanks to you for your time in doing this as well as pursuing your passion for all of our benefit. I really appreciate your comments on the most underrated tool in the shop!
I have just a few questions for you:
1. Is there more myth than substance to the "hand wiring" of pick-ups?
2. Do you have a preference for certain strings on your guitars vs. others?
3. How much body is necessary to provide a solid resonant base in an electric?

Thanks again!