Guest Luthier Series: Jol Dantzig

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

Anytime I get to talk to a person who's known for building amps, I'm always interested to see which guitars and pickups they use with them.

So my question to you, being known as a guitar builder, is what amps are in your collection, and which amps are you particularly fond of?

This is what I want to know!

[Jol Dantzig]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

Jol,

Here's a reason to build the Cali again



Now what about those Boomers!

OK OK OK. Boomerang inlays. I designed them, I know all about them. I have a set on the mantle over my fireplace!

I cannot tell you how clever I though they were. I also cannot count how many people told me they got rid of their boomerang guitars because they couldn't figure out where they were on the fretboard when they played them.

I though it was simple... you play the fret that the inlay crosses. I lost that battle every stinkin' time. Ok, maybe someday I'll make ones that don't cross the fret, but that just RUINS it for me.

[Jol Dantzig]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

I'm afraid I don't have any thought-provoking questions for you; I just wanted to say I've been reading your excellent blog and have gained a lot of respect for you. I really appreciate your outlook in life and the results it garners. It's nice to know there's someone out there who's still doing things the right way. I also love it when you post pics of weather and animals and other things that make me want to move up there immediately and apply for a job with you.

Actually, I do have a question:

There's something about the guitars you guys make that transforms them into something greater than the sum of their parts, something with "soul", a "real guitar". Is this something you consciously do, and what would you say contributes the most to this result?

You've really articulated the whole essence of what we strive for. Art carries its beauty in an unconscious way that make it seem easier than it is to do. The only way I know how to do that is to relax and have fun with it, but don't take the easy way out either. Yes it's a conscious goal, but in the act of doing it we rely upon years of training to know what to leave out. It's a lot like playing guitar really. If you try too hard, it just comes off all teenage and akward.

[Jol Dantzig]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

This was on the first page and I think it also fell through the cracks. I think it might have been asked loosely through the other posts but here it is.

How does it feel to have a part in molding the sound of Rock and Roll?

What were some of your favorite custom guitars you made for someone famous?

What is your personal favorite tonewoods for your guitar... If you had unlimited access to money/material and had a perfect clone of yourself to build it (so you don't have to spend time doing it yourself)? What fret size, fret number, pickups etc... to sum it up what's your perfect dream guitar that you would build for yourself.

I've lived quite a satisfying dream, getting to work with creative people in our shop and great artists who have used our instruments to make amazing music. It still stops me in my tracks when I see someone playing something I've designed and we've made. The thrill is not gone.

I liked the Andy Summers projects a lot. The Phantom A5 and A7, the harp guitar:


The Jimmy Scott and Pete Farndon era Pretenders guitars were satisfying too. Ilove working with Keb' Mo' who is a genuine and brilliant artist.

I got goose-bumps hearing Elliot Easton play the solo to "My Best Friend's Girl" in a stadium, and Sammy Hagar put a red Scarab on his album cover.

I watched Sting play his Cruisebass on stage in dozens of venues.

Lately, I've worked with Jon Herington who is an amazing guitarist who plays with Steely Dan. To hear Jon play those Dan tunes on one of our guitars is a thrill.

Nope, the thrill ain't gone yet.

[Got_tone?]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

Thanks for answering my question.

[ParameterMan]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

If you're still checking... did you see my question?

[Devnor]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

Jol,

Here's a reason to build the Cali again



Now what about those Boomers!

[Gearjoneser]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

Anytime I get to talk to a person who's known for building amps, I'm always interested to see which guitars and pickups they use with them.

So my question to you, being known as a guitar builder, is what amps are in your collection, and which amps are you particularly fond of?

[Jol Dantzig]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

Hello, Jol.

I have been elected to ask this question. Is there any chance of ever seeing an official Hamer checkerboard strap again? The originals have gotten extremely expensive if you can find them for sale.

Steve, I like those checked straps.


Here's the first one on my 1960 sunburst before I gave it to Rick Nielsen in 1974.


We're not in the accessory business, so I'm not the person to ask about these. I'm sure that somebody can make them.

[KeeperOS]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

Thank you so much for answering Jol and thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to answer to all of our questions.

I only had the chance to skim through the posts before posting myself but I simply cannot wait until I have the chance to read them all (that is however after a good night's sleep!)

Thank you again Jol and thank you again all of you guys from Seymour Duncan!

[elscorcho]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

Thanks Evan & Jol .....THIS WAS/IS AWESOME!

[Jol Dantzig]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

I fell through the cracks also

Originally Posted by Got_tone?
+1 to what ImmortalSix said.

Jol, thanks for taking time out of your day to answer our questions.

What kind of advice would you give to someone who wants to get into in the world of lutherie (repair work,custom guitars, etc.)?

Do you think they are better off going to some school, learning from a pro (who is willing to teach), or are you better off learning on your own?

Start by going to school, then working for someone else. It's commonly thought to take about 10,000 hours for a person to become expert in ANY field. This assumes that you have some guidance. If you try to learn it on your own it may take longer.

[Jol Dantzig]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

I do realize I'm late but work took the best of me so if it's not possible to answer I'll understand.

Ok, Jol, first of all let me start by saying that I'm a Rock/Metal and a Strat guy but when I think about a guitar I simply will own someday that is the Explorer and when I think about the name on the headstock it never says Gibson or any such. It say Hamer (Standard naturally, Custom preferably, that guitar is pure class!)

My question is also about the Californian (BloodRose and I have a tendency to think alike).
I know that SuperStrats today are a dime a dozen but one of my two favorite guitars is a Washburn MG-100, a guitar with STRIKING resemblances to Hamers of the day in general (I was later told that many ex-hamer employees had joined the Washburn Chicago Custom Shop when the MGs were designed so that makes sense). That said I would be extremely interested to know whether there would be any plans for a USA version of the Californian (and preferably one without EMGs) since I have an aching suspicion (that comes pretty darn close to certainty) that one such guitar would be the ultimate guitar for a guitarist such as I (ah, forget it, no, what I meant was it would be MY ultimate guitar!)

Thanks again and I'll understand if you won't be able to answer.

Once again Keeper, I love all those old designs... they were a lot of fun to do. I think the Washburn resemblance thing is a little overblown. A lot of guitar designs back then were all coming from the same philosophy and background as we were all making strats with humbuckers and trems. There was a lot of cross-pollenization that just came from us all being about the same age and making guitars for the same market. Kinda when all the bands of an era sound similar., so I wouldn't say anybody at Washburn ripped anybody off. I actually went to high school with Greg Bennett and Dean Zelinsky was a roadie for my band, so we all were coming from a similar place. As for making the Cali again... we'll see. We have an import model, and it's not very popular. Our shop rate is at a point that any guitar we build starts at around $4000, so if there's a reason to build $5-7000 Calis, you never know.

[Got_tone?]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

I fell through the cracks also

+1 to what ImmortalSix said.

Jol, thanks for taking time out of your day to answer our questions.

What kind of advice would you give to someone who wants to get into in the world of lutherie (repair work,custom guitars, etc.)?

Do you think they are better off going to some school, learning from a pro (who is willing to teach), or are you better off learning on your own?

[Jol Dantzig]

Re: LIVE NOW - Guest Luthier Series Feature's Hamer's Jol Dantzig

Is there anything you would like to build commercially but think/know nobody would buy?

What do you do then? Build it for yourself and be done with it?

Hi everyone... back at my desk, sorry to take so long.

I like this question! I don't think that I really have a real aversion to making what I want for any kind of commercial reasons. Most of what I think about is geared (pun intended) towards musicians like myself. If it satisfies a need for a musician, that's usually good enough for me. I mean, after all, who is gonna play a 12 string bass?

There have been things that I just scratch my head as to why people didn't just go nuts over. Things like the DuoTone in 1991. I figured it was a slam dunk to make a guitar that could go between a true acoustic sound and a great electric sound just by flipping a switch. I guess people didn't believe it actually worked.

Then there's the sustainiac guitar. It allowed you to hold a note as long as you wanted, and even get the octave harmonic by flipping a switch. "Sustain" seems to be on everybody's wish list, but when we gave them endless sustain it was a non issue. Go figure.

There have been far more of these sort of things than not being able to go to market with an idea.