About the Builder:
The origin of the 12-string bass guitar does back to 1977, when Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick approached Hamer Guitars to help him develop an 8-string bass to replace the Hagstrom 8-string he was currently experimenting with. When developing the new design Tom asked if Hamer could build him a 12-string bass in the form of 4 fundamentals with two octaves each (eeE, aaA, ddD & ggG). Hamer was leery about the concept but agreed to “test-build” him a 10-string bass (eE, aA, ddD & ggG) as a confirmation that the neck would or would not be able to withstand the tension. To everyone’s surprise and delight the design prove worthy of the task and Hamer went ahead with the construction of the world’s first 12-string bass guitar.
Based on the 8-String Bass (Short Scale) bass guitar( first produced in 1978) the 12-String Bass (Short Scale) has almost identical details to 8-string but four more octave strings and six-a-side peg-head with three sizes of machine head. Double cutaway maple body (figured top from 1980) with glued-in neck (originally mahogany but later changed to maple) and 30.5 inch scale. Fitted with one or two hum-buckers (originally DiMarzio X2N but EMG on most recent guitars).
About the Guitar:
This bass guitar belonged to Jeff Watson. But there is more to the story and history of Jeff's Hamer bass. It was originally built for the bassist of the group Cheap Trick, Tom Petersson. The Guitar went then to the bassist from the group Motley Crew, Nikki Syxx who asked it to be painted purple, which they did over the original wood finish. From there, the guitar went to Jeff.
The Bass has a very large portion of paint that fell off the guitar. As Hamer painted it purple on the first finish and by the use over the years the paint is flaking off but makes it looking cool.
Jeff's was quite attached to it, as those were his chums in his '80s era.
