Hamer

Sunburst

1980s

Inspired by the classic cherry sunburst 1958-1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard (thus the name), the Sunburst combined the best features of some proven ideas, improved on others, was virtually handmade in America, and was an unbelievable value for its price. It still is today. One of the earliest offerings of a company now entering its third decade, the Hamer Sunburst is destined to be a classic in the 2lst-century vintage market. Right now they're well under a grand.

The Hamer Sunburst was one of the first production guitars to use two different humbucking pickups for neck and bridge positions, each designed for a specific tone. Made to Hamer's specs by DiMarzio, the zebra-stripe (one cream coil and one black coil) rhythm pickup is like a hot PAF, and the double-cream lead pickup is similar to DiMarzio's Super Distortion model. The pickups are mounted in cream surrounds without covers. Controls are straight forward: a 3 position toggle switch, two volume controls and one master tone, with black barrel, or "speed," knobs. The tone control is a tapered contour that offers clear, usable sounds throughout its range, without mud or loss of presence.

$1,199.99