Hamer Finishes Power Trio
August 19, 2004
Old is new again. Dave and Mike show off the latest chapter.
We said we'd never build another one.
You'd think that two versions of the "Five Neck" would have been enough, but Rick Nielsen needed another. So, we topped ourselves again.
The original "Orange" five neck built in 1980 (see insert) has become arguably one of the most recognizable instruments in history. In almost a quarter century of duty the original five-neck has been featured in countless articles, displayed at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston and basically beat to death in thousands of stage appearances with Cheap Trick.
In the mid 1990s Hamer built a second version to share the load. The new model was finished in half-inch black and white checks and pressed into service immediately by Nielsen. Of course Cheap Trick's indefatigable schedule has taken its toll on the replacement as well.
This time we wanted to outdo ourselves, as well as create a more user-friendly design. After some discussion within the shop we arrived at the idea of paying tribute to our full range of designs, as well as our love for African Mahogany (Korina) which would also save weight. The first "fiver" weighed in at a hefty twenty eight pounds, and was clearly a burden to lug around the stage. Korina's light weight seemed like it could provide some relief while enhancing the resonance of the instrument as well. Jol wanted to do something really crazy, so the body was to be semi-hollow with a total of fourteen sound chambers! Of course, we had to have an "F" hole too.
The guys in the shop liked the idea of mapping out a kind of buffet of Hamer traditions, so we chose to include five different variations on our stringed heritage. Starting with a twelve string at the top position, we then added a SubTone with 26.25" scale. This is tuned to a "B" for some serious rumble.
Next in line was our nod to our fabulous Korina Newport. This medium scale six string is fitted with amazing Phat Cat pickups and a Bigsby tailpieceperfect for those rockabilly riffs that Nielsen can lay down at a moment's notice.
Just to throw Nielsen off guard we then added a mandocello. This eight string instrument dates back to our early days with Cheap Trick, when we constructed a "Standard" version for Nielsen to use on the band's song "Mandocello." Its unique sound comes from four pairs of unison strings tuned like a cello starting at a low "C." We can't wait to see how he uses it in their set!
As his reward for successfully negotiating his way through the top four necks, Nielsen will be treated to a single P-90/wraparound bridge six string "Junior" to provide some searing tone to the finale. Whew!
Finished in record time and weighing a mere 22.5 pounds, the latest, yet un-nicknamed five neck was shipped off to Illinois for approval. Nielsen is still taking our calls, so all is well with this chapter of the Five Neck Trilogy.
