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IT’S ALIVE: Hayman 3030

A hayman 3030 guitar

Dun DUn DUNnnNNNnnne.

I update this website sporadically. Every visit I reflect on the fact the most popular post I’ve ever had is the Hayman 3030 one. It’s understandable, because anyone who’s lucky enough to own the baddest guitar in town has a limited number of places on the internet to find information about them, so bosh, they land here (poor souls).

Anyhoo, 10 years later I finally completed it. Yes, like a computer game, I completed it. Have a read of the link above, and then let me break down the key facts:

  • I was very lucky to buy the pickups I needed from Brandoni Guitars just before they closed. They only had the 1010 version (three pickups) so I had to remove the middle one, which I felt bad about.
  • Sanding the body down was fun and fine. It had green marker pen on it so had to be done. Obeche is very soft so I used a fine grit to avoid sanding the whole thing to dust. For the finish, I went with Wudtone. If you want a lovely finish that compliments the natural grain of the guitar and allows it to breathe, then I highly recommend them.
  • The original owner had cut out sections from the back of the guitar. I had to fill those with replacement sections of obeche. It’s very obvious where those sections were/are, but I’m fine with it. No, I’m not going to show you.
  • WIRING. I’d never wired a guitar before. It was easily the most fun part of the restoration, but also a steep learning curve. Let’s list the things: One of the lugs broke on the pickup; the ground wire from pickup to lug broke so had to be joined with solder; the switch selector was confusing because it’s not like your average switch selector. I must have had three attempts to get the correct pickups going in each switch position. Finally, there was an annoying buzz through the amp once I thought everything was done. Guess who hadn’t grounded the bridge. Yep.
  • The only part I can’t complete is the missing logo on the head. I can live with that.
  • I’d read from so many folk about how nice a Hayman is to play, and everyone was right. Not only does it sound bloody great through an amp (it’s the best I’ve heard on clean settings) but the feel on the neck is something else.

So far it’s done quite a few rehearsals and three gigs. I play it cool when I’m playing, but inside I’m smiling like a loon.

Richard playing the Hayman 3030 with his band.

And just as a reminder, here’s the side by side beginning to end pics 🙂Hayman 30/30A hayman 3030 guitar

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