Hamer Guitars is often regarded as the first boutique guitar builder. From its humble beginnings in founder Paul Hamer’s Northern Prairie Music Shop to its acquisition by the Fender Musical Instrument Corporation in 2008, the Hamer story is traced through nearly 400 images and dozens of interviews with those involved with the company. See how Hamer rose to compete with the giants of American guitar-making. Learn the inspiration for the making of its “ultimate” guitar, the Standard. Containing pieces by two of the company’s principal architects – Hamer and Jol Dantzig – and told in lavishly illustrated text with many never before published photos and drawings, this history of Hamer Guitars is a treasured keepsake and resource for every lover of the electric guitar. With a foreword by Hamer’s most prominent Standard bearer, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen.