1974 Hayman 3030H, as made famous by Graham Coxon (nearly)

Woo hoo!  You know the riff.  Now here's a 1974 Hayman 3030H, close match to the single-coil 3030 Graham Coxon uses on the video for Blur's Song 2.  A classic British guitar from the Jim Burns bloodline - the Leo Fender of the UK.  Pleased to meet you!

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From the pared down intro and verse to the full-blast chorus, there's probably not another song by Blur that grabs you, throws you around, and never leaves you.  Apparently written as a joke on the record company and late-US grunge, but then turning out to be one of Blur's biggest selling singles, and their highest charting song in the US.  Graham Coxon wanted a deliberately amateur sound for his guitar.  In the studio, it was "probably a Tele".  For the video, it was a single-coil Hayman 3030 in black, not an amateur guitar by a long shot, but the perfect British guitar for an explosive British invasion.

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Which is kind of appropriate.  If ever there were a UK counterpart to Leo Fender, it's Jim Burns.  The man behind the guitars played by Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and John Rostill of The Shadows.  The innovator behind the gear-box truss rod (a lot simpler than it sounds) or the Tri-Sonic pick-ups that Brian May soldered into his Red Special.  And, teamed up with Vox's Bob Pearson, the designer behind Dallas Arbiter's Hayman range, launched in the late-60s.  As Guitar Magazine summed it up in 2002: "In truth, it’s the unique combination of innovation, design, quality and playability that makes Burns so special. Many would say that Burns made the finest electric guitars ever produced in England – and, in the ’60s, probably in all of Europe."

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Hayman guitars occupy a relatively short chapter in the Jim Burns story, from 1969 to 1971.  But by the time he left, all the major designs were all in place.  By 1975, Hayman morphed into Shergold, with the early Shergolds bearing an almost identical design.  Short his tenure may have been, but the design and quality of the build is testament to all Burns was about.  This is a player's guitar.  Lovely slim neck, low action, and tonal range.  And, surprisingly (for the rosewood-lover in me at least), a maple fretboard that gives you plenty of dig without slipping around.  A beauty to play, even with the temptation to blast out Song 2.  Irresistible, of course, so you just have to do that first!

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When I first posted this guitar on the website, I was convinced that Graham was playing the humbucker-loaded 3030H on the video.  Five years later, I'm hugely indebted to Hayman enthusiast Peter Krbavac for the knowledge and insights he shared to set the record straight.  Not only that, but also for the lead that the 3030H featured frequently in the hands of The Sundays' guitarist David Gavurin back in the 90s.  A double bonus, making this a guitar as made famous by David Gavurin (exactly) and Graham Coxon (nearly)!