Archives
December 2008
December 16, 2008
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Our builders work slowly to make sure that every task is completed properly and not rushed. It's better to do it right the first time because haste makes waste. It's a theory that has helped us win numerous awards for our creations and set a standard that other builders envy. In Japanese, the word for waste is muda; and that's what the Japanese carmakers would tell you is murdering the US automakers and clogging the arteries of industry in general. That's why we don't mess with it—usually. Despite the best of intentions, sometimes you just have to break the rules—and so it was when our friends at RealWheels called us for a favor. | |
Each year the automotive aftermarket industry's Specialty Equipment Manufacturer Association (SEMA) has a huge convention in Las Vegas. This year, RealWheels was building a tricked out Chevy Avalanche to show off their capabilities and products. Seeing how RealWheels is located a stone's throw from Cheap Trick's hometown of Rockford, Illinois; their idea was to build a Cheap Trick themed vehicle. This full-on rock 'n' rolling thundermobile was going to be decked out with all sorts of Cheap Trick accessories, graphics, and a mega-watt Rock Band set up too. The build was well underway when it dawned on them that their project wouldn't be complete without a custom Hamer guitar riding "shotgun". The challenge was that the show was less than two weeks away! | 
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The call was at the end of the day, so nothing could get done until morning, so I hung up the phone and made a note to talk to Dave first thing. | 
Luckily, Dave had a few test necks and bodies hanging around, and because the guitar would be opaque we could slam out a guitar in very little time. |
We gave Gary the heads-up so that he could start cutting some Cheap Trick graphic masks beforehand. Gary also suggested that we use a special PPG topcoat that would match the Chevy and also could be cured in a couple days. Jamie got to work on carving and fretting the neck. | 
Then Gary got some ground coats on it. |
The masks were ready by the time Gary got the color coat on. | 
The familiar checkers are done one at a time. |
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After the curing Todd hit the buffing wheels with only hours to go.
Here's the finished guitar being held by Mike D. Everyone pitched in to make sure that this project came off on time and at a quality level that we could be proud of. | 
Our checkerboard Standard made it out the door and into the hands of Jhan Dolphin at RealWheels exactly as scheduled. |
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One last quality check... |
The RealWheels boys clipped the guitar into the shotgun mount and rolled the big Chevy onto the floor of the convention center just in time to wow the crowds. | 
Our guys finally could exhale their held breath, and get back to our "normal" routine. At least until the next crazy build. |
December 22, 2008
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First there was the Dream Police Tactical Vehicle. Now there is... "Little Dick".
Your pals at Hamer.
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December 26, 2008
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