Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center

'83 Blitz Project


Recommended Posts

Some time ago I snagged this sad looking 1983 Blitz for close to the standard asking price of $350. Someone managed to get a shocking amount of butt-ass-ugly all over it. I finally have time to take on the project, and plan on getting this Blitz back in fighting trim. When I got it I wasn’t sure how deep I wanted to get with it, but I’m now thinking a refinish is in order. Perhaps some sort of ‘80s appropriate graphic....

IMG_0708.jpgIMG_0711.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Once I got it stripped of the horrid plastic, bargain-basement hardware and shitty electronics it’s already looking much better. The only original parts left were the tuning machines, trem-claw, strap buttons and the control cavity shielding plate. Gotta love how room was made in the front pickup cavity with a blunt object. I’m not quite sure yet what’s going on in the rear pickup/bridge area. The rear route looks original, but the front has clearly been altered (perhaps more than once). I’m guessing it originally had a sustainblock trem before things got routed for the disturbingly cheap Floyd copy that was on it. It looks like it could have had some significant additional routing done in-between. There’s definitely a large section that has a finish mismatch, and what looks like some pieces glued-in. Maybe it had a Kahler at some point? I definitely want to get the finish off and get a better look at what happened over the years to this poor thing.

IMG_0714.jpgIMG_0715.jpgIMG_0716.jpgIMG_0717.jpgIMG_0718.jpgIMG_0719.jpgIMG_0720.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, they hit that poor thing with the ugly stick.

How did they not drill through that neck pickup area with whatever auger they were using?  Looking forward to the project!

Extensive internet sleuthing has turned up previous owners:

hqdefault.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Keoghpjk said:

I’m now thinking a refinish is in order. Perhaps some sort of ‘80s appropriate graphic....

IMG_0708.jpg

I borrowed this photo from a fellow hfc memberxvGsVNx.jpg

Congrats and welcome to the ugly Blitz Club... I picked up this Sustain Block real cheap & am also deciding on a refin "although I kind of like it as is" 😆

ZsWONes.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Dave Scepter said:

Congrats and welcome to the ugly Blitz Club... I picked up this Sustain Block real cheap & am also deciding on a refin "although I kind of like it as is" 😆

 ZsWONes.png

Glad to have joined the fun! I kinda like yours as is. It has a certain “...what the hell happened?” charm to it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Keoghpjk said:

It has a certain “...what the hell happened?” charm to it. 

It was rocked, that's what happened!  If I came across one like that at treefiddy pricing, slam dunk.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great project! Just go ahead and show us some Stike‘d glittery. B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i will follow this proyect very closely

what u think about a convination with regular black and black mate ?

im trying to find examples of what i mean but i cant, something like this, with the lines you like, only a littke idea😉

vinilo-negro-mate-adhesivo-tuning-auto-oracal-63-cm-x-1m-D_NQ_NP_902705-MLA25067541322_092016-F.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, gorch said:

Great project! Just go ahead and show us some Stike‘d glittery. B)

The thought has definitely crossed my mind. Perhaps adding some glittery-ness to an '80s style graphic?

14 hours ago, pablo said:

what u think about a combination with regular black and black mate ?

This is also interesting... I clearly have much to ponder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I realize it's much easier to suggest certain things when it's someone else's project, I strongly encourage you to do what I feel that anyone should do when repairing/restoring an old, heavily-modded paddle-head Blitz:  plane the sides of the paddle headstock, glue on properly thicknessed mahogany "ears", and then bandsaw/rout/drill the enlarged peghead blank to form the six-inline hockey stick shape found on Floyd-equipped Blitzes a couple of years after yours was built. It will look a hell of lot better than the 3+3 headstock with that body shape, and an OFR will actually look correct on it.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure that Murkat did a similar conversion for Cynic on a Blitz with a Sustain Block bridge, but I'm almost certain that Jay reformed it have a real-deal 4-digit headstock shape instead of the hockey stick shape. Seems like Stike put a pearl finish on it, but that might have been another Blitz project.  Whatever the case, it was cool as shit and I was insanely jealous.

ETA:  I found that old Blitz rehab thread.  Still jealous; what a nice restoration/rebuild!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Keoghpjk said:

Once I got it stripped of the horrid plastic, bargain-basement hardware and shitty electronics it’s already looking much better. The only original parts left were the tuning machines, trem-claw, strap buttons and the control cavity shielding plate. Gotta love how room was made in the front pickup cavity with a blunt object. I’m not quite sure yet what’s going on in the rear pickup/bridge area. The rear route looks original, but the front has clearly been altered (perhaps more than once). I’m guessing it originally had a sustainblock trem before things got routed for the disturbingly cheap Floyd copy that was on it. It looks like it could have had some significant additional routing done in-between. There’s definitely a large section that has a finish mismatch, and what looks like some pieces glued-in. Maybe it had a Kahler at some point? I definitely want to get the finish off and get a better look at what happened over the years to this poor thing.

You might...or might not find this video entertaining...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Biz Prof said:

You might...or might not find this video entertaining...

Very interesting and enlightening, if slightly horrifying. I'm now convinced it went from having a Sustainblock, to a Kahler, then whatever the hell it has in that video  to the shitty Floyd copy that's now in a bin in my garage. Poor, poor little Blitz.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Biz Prof said:

I strongly encourage you to do what I feel that anyone should do when repairing/restoring an old, heavily-modded paddle-head Blitz:  plane the sides of the paddle headstock, glue on properly thicknessed mahogany "ears", and then bandsaw/rout/drill the enlarged peghead blank to form the six-inline hockey stick shape found on Floyd-equipped Blitzes a couple of years after yours was built. It will look a hell of lot better than the 3+3 headstock with that body shape, and an OFR will actually look correct on it.

Maybe make it match its stablemate?

IMG_0692.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since the Two Tone, Black and White graphic on "another" Blitz has been played . . . . . . .   :D

A little Laser Pearl Yellow, Road Warrior Blitz 3x3 with stock hardware  and PU's.

Not quite as, "better get your shots current before playing" gnarly as Dave's but still truly amazing.

 

 

1983 Hamer Blitz RWII ~ Final 03.jpg

1983 Hamer Blitz RWII ~ Final 04.jpg

 

1983 Hamer Blitz RWII ~ Final 06.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Keoghpjk said:

I'm now convinced it went from having a Sustainblock, to a Kahler, then whatever the hell it has in that video  to the shitty Floyd copy that's now in a bin in my garage. Poor, poor little Blitz.

Robo-Blitz. A heinous crime against woodworking...☠️👎

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...