"Custom Slammer SLME" African Korina


Co-Designed with and available exclusively at Willcutt Guitar Shoppe

Designer's note:

"Hamer's latest addition to the Designer Gallery is actually a pair of models; the single pickup Custom Slammer SLME and the two pickup Custom Slammer SLMK. We wanted to create a short run of African Limba guitars that were simple, to the point yet complex when studied in detail. In short, you can't judge this book by its cover—as good looking as the cover may be.

This is our philosophy in extreme—a place where the whole is truly greater than the sum of the parts. We might have adorned it with a zillion pieces of pearl or tried to gussy it up with big inlays, but this axe isn't about being seen from across the room. It's more like a serious moment in deep conversation where you connect with another soul."
(click each photo for a larger image)



Sequential serial numbers and a good close look at the "new" Kluson tuners. Dwight at TonePros sent us the first twenty sets for this run of guitars which makes them even more "special."
TonePros wrap around bridge with locking studs clamp the business end of the strings directly to the soundboard. Because the tight grained Limba produces a focused midrange with a distinct ringing treble, Duncan's Antiquity P-90s were employed in order to preserve the clarity. The resulting match delivers a unique tone, exactly what we'd hoped for.
 


The massive neck joint is dovetailed perfectly into the body for unmatched acoustic coupling. There is over fifteen square inches of clamped gluing surface overall! Just look at the vibrant color of the Brazilian rosewood fingerboard.
A lot has been made of lightweight instruments lately, and we make plenty of them. But some of the most awesome midrange-rich guitars weigh in at around nine to ten pounds and that was our target. To achieve this we called on a special reserve of straight-grained Limba that is particularly dense. You'll recognize this unique wood by the dead-straight grain lines of contrasting yellow and brown stripes.
 



To preserve the clean look of this minimalist guitar and show off the straight grain, we fashioned the backplate from the same billet of Limba.
The full wood backplate is secured to the guitar with 304-stainless steel machine screws threaded into brass anchors. Each screw has a silicone gasket underneath its head to equalize stress.
   


Of course we don't slack off on the wiring just because it's simple. In fact, just for fun, we polished and buffed the components. It doesn't make the guitar sound any better, but it's just another way to say that we care about details.
Classic Hamer lines subtly accentuated with cellulose binding and hand-inlaid genuine mother-of-pearl.
   


 
To enhance the Custom Slammer SLME's resonance, the neck and body wood are matched sets from the same board!