'82 Special Basket Case...

[kkeller]

So, I find myself with an '82 Checkerboard-logo Special that I purchased from eBay a few years back. The shipping, as I recall, cost more than the actual guitar, but I took a chance because the pic on the auction looked like the original pickups were intact. It was missing the bridge and looked to be in really deplorable condition. I received the guitar and it had an unmistakable funk about it, was beat to death and was basically just junk.

The guitar had been routed (badly) for a Kahler Pro, and many of the screws attaching the hardware had been replaced with things like sheetrock screws.

But...The guitar had no breaks and the pickups were undamaged and actually worked! I brought it into the shop with the full intention of bandsawing it up and cutting my losses.

I just couldn't do it. I started talking to the techs in the shop, we decided to rescue it if we could. This is going to involve a good bit of work and skill to make this thing back into a Hamer. The initial exam showed that someone had shaved off one of the 'horns' quite a bit, almost 3/16".

So, the next step is to re-rout the trem cavity and block it in with a piece of mahogany. The Kahler mounting holes will be doweled and trimmed.

The plan: Since the neck angle is shallow on these, we are going to remove about .075"(+/-) of the original top and body, down to meet the sanded part, and cover the top with a AAAA maple cap. The top then gets bound with creme celluloid and I'm thinking a light Tobacco Sunburst finish. It'll get a 2-FIG bridge, new machine heads and all new hardware along with the original pickups.

I'll be posting up more pics as we go along on this project, along with descriptions of problems and solutions as we go. Stay Tuned!

Kim

[G Man]

old Honduras wood

vs.

New wood

?

No contest.

I was going to post this. +1

+2

[Hamer Dave]

And I thought I had a lot of clamps!

You can never have too many clamps!

[Hamer Dave]

Ok. I've just read the full thread. This is super cool. I believe it was Kim who looked at some photos I sent him quite a few years ago of a suspect old black Hamer I bought at a guitar show. I've since stripped the body, and found nice figured maple, with a few peculiarities, that can be worked with. Though, I like the idea of a new cap with added binding. I also just got an 80's Hamer which was stripped of finish. Are logos available to relabel such a guitar when refin'd? The former black one has a mop inlay, which I find unusual, along with some body contouring. Pots inside are dated 77, or 78, if I recall.

[kizanski]

Really... would't it have been easier and cheaper to build a brand new one? lol

Never expect musicians to make the wisest decisions.

Kiz & Steve,

See my earlier post. This was a 30-year old guitar that I was going to bandsaw. I just couldn't do it, and I needed a piece to show off our skills just a little bit. As far as cost, it's projected to cost about half of what a new SB77 would. If you don't remember the SB77, it was also known as the HFC2, a Sunburst with a thicker cap. It should be an interesting shootout in a month or so: an original Sunburst, a SB77 and this guitar. Maybe throw in a Special FM and a Studio Custom for perspective. Let me know if you want to come to New Hartford to help judge, we can post the results here, and I'll buy lunch!

KK

Honestly, it was a rhetorical question.

[Steve Haynie]

Trust me, I can recognize rhetorical questions, but it is fun to play along.

[bubs_42]

^{I'm sitting in my car, just tell me when to be there. I missed all the open houses and would be there in a heartbeat!}

[kkeller]

Sorry - you can't go. 3300 post minimum.

Bummer, that means I can't go either. Oh well, it was a nice thought anyway.

KK

[kizanski]

Nice work, Tim.

lol

[hamerhead]

Dammit.

[specialk]

Don't worry, Kim. I'll lend you a bunch of my posts so you have enough to go.

And feel free to ban hamerhead from the event if you like, (j/k)

[bubs_42]

Don't worry, Kim. I'll lend you a bunch of my posts so you have enough to go.

And feel free to ban hamerhead from the event if you like, (j/k)

Ya, Ban HIM! or let him join us and then we can stone him to death.... Ok that's a little harsh.

[hamerhead]

Jeez. Tough crowd.

....unless you're talkin' rolling your own.........

[murkat]

Sorry - you can't go. 3300 post minimum.

Bummer, that means I can't go either. Oh well, it was a nice thought anyway.

KK

your the host...

[FrankieIII]

I'm highly impressed at how fast this resto is progressing. Ahhhhh, the benefits of having the right tools/machines combined with the know how...

[kkeller]

Not much to see today, the guitar got refretted this morning and the finish sanding is done. Tomorrow it goes into the paint shop to get a sealer coat, then the back and neck will get a medium brown (almost walnut) color, and the top is getting a yellow stain and then a light tobacco sunburst. We are using a nitro finish, so it will be drying for a couple of weeks until assembly and setup. I'm hoping it will be done so I can use it on a TV gig on June 2-3 on the USS New Jersey.

Kim

[veatch]

^{I'm sitting in my car, just tell me when to be there. I missed all the open houses and would be there in a heartbeat!}

Big +1

[kkeller]

_{Here's a shot of the color samples that I approved:}

_{The top is like a dark honeyburst, but a slightly different color.}

_K

[kizanski]

So, is this a keeper or is it a vehicle to showcase the repair/restoration work that you guys are doing? Or do you not know yet?

[cmatthes]

Looks great - I like that 'burst. Very vintagey looking.

[bubs_42]

THATS MY COLOR!!! You couldn't have hit the nail on the head any closer if you tried. Awsome!

[Hamer95USA]

Hey kkeller,

Great job on restoring that '82 Special! I can't believe people would hack up a guitar that badly as some kind of guitar tremolo installation/wiring experiment. I like the honeyburst finish. I can't wait to see the finished result. I'm glad to see the factory doing restoration work. I have an '82 Cruisebass that I'd like to have finished one day.

Guitar George

[Hamer Dave]

That's a lot like what I had in mind for mine. Maybe a tad lighter, Which I'll definitely need to work with on lacewood. Nice warm colors. Can't wait to see more photos.

[silentman]

I like the color you picked for the back.

[kkeller]

Sealer and color has been applied:

And....

[kizanski]

The color is perfect!