Journey Band Signed Guitar Hamer Slammer Electric (6) Cain, Neal Schon, etc. – COA JSA

Presented is Hamer Slammer electric guitar autographed by members of Journey. Superbly autographed in silver paint pen on the body of the guitar are signers from the main core of the band including: Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, Aynsley Dunbar and Deen Castronovo. One of the members inscribed the band name, “JOURNEY”. The guitar is a Slammer by Hamer SPIF/CS Sunburst double cut electric with a flame maple sunburst design.

This guitar originated from a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino employee who worked with talented musicians that came to the venue to perform. In the process of all the back stage antics (the partying, the moving and jostling, just dealing with rock stars), many of the guitars have battle wounds including scuffs, scrapes (etc.) and may have been played.

The consigner also worked with the curator of the historic memorabilia laden casino who had the access to many celebrities and musicians (and their memorabilia of course). As a collector, it was truly the place to be as it allowed his treasure trove to be amplified. He is now ready to bring some of those treasures to market. Take notice, in the process of obtaining autographs of the musicians he had them sign the body of a guitar which is more rare than the placed pick guard ones that are often brought to market. As a musician himself, he also made sure that the guitars in his collection were oftentimes elite models like this one.

Other interesting notes:

Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973 by former members of Santana, Steve Miller Band, and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band as of 2021 consists of guitarist/vocalist Neal Schon (the longest-serving original member), keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Cain and keyboardist/vocalist Jason Derlatka, drummer/vocalist Deen Castronovo, bassist Todd Jensen, and lead vocalist Arnel Pineda. They had their biggest commercial success between 1978 and 1987, when Steve Perry was lead vocalist; they released a series of hit songs, including “Don’t Stop Believin'” (1981), which in 2009 became the top-selling track in iTunes history among songs not released in the 21st century.

Hamer Guitars was an American manufacturer of electric guitars founded in 1973, in Wilmette, Illinois, by vintage guitar shop owners Paul Hamer and Jol Dantzig. The company’s early instruments featured guitar designs based on the Gibson Explorer (The Standard) and Gibson Flying V (Vector), before adding more traditional Gibson-inspired designs such as the Sunburst. Hamer Guitars is generally considered the first “boutique” vintage-style electric guitar brand that specifically catered to professional musicians, and was the first guitar manufacturer to produce a 12 string bass guitar.

The Hard Rock resort opened on March 10, 1995, as the world’s first rock and roll-themed hotel. The Hard Rock featured various memorabilia in conjunction with its music theme. Warwick Stone was the longtime curator for the Hard Rock Hotel and Hard Rock International. At the time of its opening, the resort contained $2 million worth of music memorabilia, including concert outfits worn by Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, and Van Halen. The Hard Rock also had a display dedicated to Kurt Cobain, and a piece of the plane that Otis Redding died in. Other items included one of Elton John’s pianos, a drum kit used by Stone Temple Pilots, and the shoeshine stand that James Brown worked at as a child.

Authentication: JSA Full Letter

Journey Band Signed Guitar