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I thought I would add something about the rare Hamer bolt on necked SS-3 or Steve Stevens Signature model 3. The first two SS-1 and SS-2 were set neck guitars and very different than the SS-3 Hamers.
Since Steve received his famous Glow Charvel Dinky Strat head he fell in love with the neck. Previous to that he had had some Charvel pointy necked guitars I do not know which model they were but probably single coil-hum with Floyd Rose top mount. He played these in the 1983-4 time period.
Grover Jackson approached Steve and since Grover never got back to me after promising to, I don't have both sides to the meeting of him with Steve. Anyway Steve wanted a bolt on necked guitar and with he ended up with the Glow whose neck in particular was a favorite part of Steve's.
Prior to 1987's Whiplash Smile the making of this album which finally fractured the relationship that Steve had with Billy Idol, Steve told Jol Danzig of Hamer that he wanted a bolt on necked solid body guitar with a neck similar to his Glow Charvel and featuring angled pickups similar to the previous two signature Hamer models. The guitars specifications were a "25.5 scale, Strat shaped body of mahogany, maple cap neck, 22 jumbo frets, top mount Floyd Rose tremolo, single/hum pickups, some were built with two humbuckers, one volume and one tone control. three way pickup selector.
Once he received the first guitars these are what Steve played live with the Atomic Playboys, occasionally with Idol.
Hamer built the Centura model, a production version of the SS-3 with quite different specs after building the SS-3's for Steve. Steve never played a Centura though he is pictured with one in a Hamer ad of the period. The SS-3 was never built in quantity and was never a production guitar available for sale to the public.
I always loved the SS-3 that was finished in a white/black body with a maple capped neck, no fret markers, black hardware, top mounted Floyd Rose tremolo and an angled single coil in the neck position with a JB SD in the bridge.
This guitar was featured in the Atomic Playboys videos of the title track and the song Action. Also in a live performance video for the song Dirty Diana featuring Micheal Jackson at Madison Square Garden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1VacSU8kFA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLOAxXl_zEA
Great track Evening Eye which is actually the Charvel Glow on the album
At 5:24 Steve is featured in this video:
There are two versions of the white/black themed guitars, the white top black backed single/hum and the black topped white backed reverse-head stock double-, he also hum. Both these Hamers are now owned by my friend in Scotland Pat Wright also known as Woundstring he also owns the natural finished Washburn SS-80 guitar.
Here are some pics of Hamer Centuras these guitars had 24 fret necks and had primarily rosewood finger boards and recessed Floyd Rose trems
Here is an SS-3 that was built though not to Steve's exact specs, it has no SS signature decal on the head stock and it has a pickup ring on the bridge pickup
This guitar belongs to Roland of Austria who was kind enough to supply us with these pictures and measurements that Matt used in the construction of my guitar:
Continued
Emerald
Since Steve received his famous Glow Charvel Dinky Strat head he fell in love with the neck. Previous to that he had had some Charvel pointy necked guitars I do not know which model they were but probably single coil-hum with Floyd Rose top mount. He played these in the 1983-4 time period.
Grover Jackson approached Steve and since Grover never got back to me after promising to, I don't have both sides to the meeting of him with Steve. Anyway Steve wanted a bolt on necked guitar and with he ended up with the Glow whose neck in particular was a favorite part of Steve's.
Prior to 1987's Whiplash Smile the making of this album which finally fractured the relationship that Steve had with Billy Idol, Steve told Jol Danzig of Hamer that he wanted a bolt on necked solid body guitar with a neck similar to his Glow Charvel and featuring angled pickups similar to the previous two signature Hamer models. The guitars specifications were a "25.5 scale, Strat shaped body of mahogany, maple cap neck, 22 jumbo frets, top mount Floyd Rose tremolo, single/hum pickups, some were built with two humbuckers, one volume and one tone control. three way pickup selector.
Once he received the first guitars these are what Steve played live with the Atomic Playboys, occasionally with Idol.
Hamer built the Centura model, a production version of the SS-3 with quite different specs after building the SS-3's for Steve. Steve never played a Centura though he is pictured with one in a Hamer ad of the period. The SS-3 was never built in quantity and was never a production guitar available for sale to the public.
I always loved the SS-3 that was finished in a white/black body with a maple capped neck, no fret markers, black hardware, top mounted Floyd Rose tremolo and an angled single coil in the neck position with a JB SD in the bridge.
This guitar was featured in the Atomic Playboys videos of the title track and the song Action. Also in a live performance video for the song Dirty Diana featuring Micheal Jackson at Madison Square Garden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1VacSU8kFA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLOAxXl_zEA
Great track Evening Eye which is actually the Charvel Glow on the album
At 5:24 Steve is featured in this video:
There are two versions of the white/black themed guitars, the white top black backed single/hum and the black topped white backed reverse-head stock double-, he also hum. Both these Hamers are now owned by my friend in Scotland Pat Wright also known as Woundstring he also owns the natural finished Washburn SS-80 guitar.
Here are some pics of Hamer Centuras these guitars had 24 fret necks and had primarily rosewood finger boards and recessed Floyd Rose trems
Here is an SS-3 that was built though not to Steve's exact specs, it has no SS signature decal on the head stock and it has a pickup ring on the bridge pickup
This guitar belongs to Roland of Austria who was kind enough to supply us with these pictures and measurements that Matt used in the construction of my guitar:
Continued
Emerald
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