Why did Hamer never make an SG?

[Cboss]

I've wondered this many times over the years, I'm sure one of the experts will have the answer.. they redid so many of the famous Gibson guitars, why not the sg?

[scottcald]

They had other ideas?  Wasn’t the Standard made because Gibson had abandoned the Explorer?

[JGale]

Blasphemy!

[joshoowah]

Because even in checkerboard, it wouldn't surpass "The Fool" '61 SG/Les Paul Custom, and if you can't even challenge a fool, it's best to walk away.

[Steve Haynie]

Was the Prototype a little thinner like an SG?

[devrock]

Because they weren't Gibson.

[cmatthes]

On 7/30/2025 at 12:13 PM, Steve Haynie said:

Was the Prototype a little thinner like an SG?

Nope.

[cmatthes]

On 7/29/2025 at 9:17 PM, Cboss said:

I've wondered this many times over the years, I'm sure one of the experts will have the answer.. they redid so many of the famous Gibson guitars, why not the sg?

Not ever a consideration.  

[LucSulla]

1 hour ago, scottcald said:

They had other ideas?  Wasn’t the Standard made because Gibson had abandoned the Explorer?

Yeah, this was my understanding. Gibson wasn't really making Explorers in the early 70s, so those made sense. Likewise, no one had really done double cut Les Paul before. If I wasn't too lazy to get off my couch and look at the Hamer book, I'm guessing Vs came along because Gibson had deviated so far from the original spec by the early 80s that the original V was another Gibson design that they had deprecated by the time Hamer started making them. 

Edited August 2, 2025 by LucSulla

[mirrorimij]

Forgive the shitty digital photo of the original.  This was built at Hamer for employee Jim O’Keefe.  I would guess 1994?  I can’t remember the headstock but 99% sure it DOES NOT have a Hamer logo. As soon as you picked it up, you could tell it was 100% Hamer USA.

No I don’t know why the body is reversed.  

Edited August 7, 2025 by mirrorimij

[tbonesullivan]

Is the SG body even thick enough to handle the hamer neck joint? Might just not have been any interest in them. Hamer already was making LP Junior style guitars that actually had a neck joint that didn't fall apart, unlike Gibson. Maybe they figured it wasn't worth it trying to improve the neck joint. The Guild Polara was one attempt to "fix" the SG style guitar, and I believe former Gibson Employee Jim Deurloo was at Guild during that time, though I could be mistaken.

[hamerhead]

On 8/6/2025 at 9:24 PM, mirrorimij said:

Forgive the shitty digital photo of the original.  This was built at Hamer for employee Jim O’Keefe.  I would guess 1994?  I can’t remember the headstock but 99% sure it DOES NOT have a Hamer logo. As soon as you picked it up, you could tell it was 100% Hamer USA.

No I don’t know why the body is reversed.  

Did anyone there ever build a Les Paul? I mean a Les Paul Les Paul - not a Monaco Elite, but a full-on replica.

I always thought the best guitar ever would be a Les Paul Custom built by Hamer.

[Dave Scepter]

1 hour ago, hamerhead said:

Did anyone there ever build a Les Paul? I mean a Les Paul Les Paul - not a Monaco Elite, but a full-on replica.

I always thought the best guitar ever would be a Les Paul Custom built by Hamer.

Yes... it's very cool and I think Chris M. has photos of it

[cmatthes]

One was completed/finished:  Mahogany body, Flametop, the works.  Based on a recent R9, and I believe it was given to Frank Rindone.
 

Another one was also started in Korina, and was not completed.  It's circled in the New Hartford shop photo of the forms/templates, and marked "LP".

 

 

[stratacus]

Hamer Les Paul thread

 

[Dave Scepter]

On 8/10/2025 at 7:08 AM, hamerhead said:

Did anyone there ever build a Les Paul? I mean a Les Paul Les Paul - not a Monaco Elite, but a full-on replica.

I always thought the best guitar ever would be a Les Paul Custom built by Hamer.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2025 by Dave Scepter

[hamerhead]

 

ETA: Old age sucks - I saw those old threads, even commented on it being the best thing ever. Can't remember yesterday....

Edited August 16, 2025 by hamerhead

[hamerican gigolo]

Im glad Hamer didn't. I despise SGs. 🤮

[Dave Scepter]

On 8/16/2025 at 7:54 AM, hamerhead said:

I know, right?.. I would commit crime for that guitar! 🤣

[UncleGreg]

[Disturber]

On 9/18/2025 at 6:49 PM, UncleGreg said:

I have this pic on my computer. I remember it being discussed here on the HFC years ago. But I don't think it was ever confirmed if it is legit? Or is it?

[kizanski]

37 minutes ago, Disturber said:

I have this pic on my computer. I remember it being discussed here on the HFC years ago. But I don't think it was ever confirmed if it is legit? Or is it?

The picture is legit.  The guitar is not.

Greg had a messed up Hamer Phantom with a sound neck and a screwed up SG with a broken headstock, so he mated the two.
I was at his shop when he got the brainstorm to create the guitar. We laughed about how everyone on the HFC would freak.

[UncleGreg]

2 hours ago, Disturber said:

I have this pic on my computer. I remember it being discussed here on the HFC years ago. But I don't think it was ever confirmed if it is legit? Or is it?

I had gotten an old checkerboard special that somebody had cut the body down to a coffin shape. I use the parts for other guitars and just hung the wood up on the wall for something to laugh at. I somehow ended up with a 1967 SG without a neck. The idea was born and way too damn much Work was involved in mating the Hamer neck to the SG body. But the end result was pretty cool. I have no idea where that guitar ended up.

[Saul Goodman]

On 10/2/2025 at 2:26 PM, UncleGreg said:

I had gotten an old checkerboard special that somebody had cut the body down to a coffin shape. I use the parts for other guitars and just hung the wood up on the wall for something to laugh at. I somehow ended up with a 1967 SG without a neck. The idea was born and way too damn much Work was involved in mating the Hamer neck to the SG body. But the end result was pretty cool. I have no idea where that guitar ended up.

Wasn't it Pelham Blue? I think I saw it on Ebay 10 or so years ago. I may be confusing it with another guitar because I seem to remember the guy telling me it was a Monaco Elite neck. But then again, a long time ago. 

[kizanski]

28 minutes ago, Saul Goodman said:

Wasn't it Pelham Blue?

It was black. As in the photo.

[Saul Goodman]

1 minute ago, kizanski said:

It was black. As in the photo.

Then there are two or it was repainted. One of the main reasons I was looking at it was because I love Pelham Blue. I also remember the backstory to a degree. Main reason I didn't get it, I was concerned about neck-dive and stability.