Hayman 30/30

I've had a 30/30 for about 10 years now. Natural Maple finish, hunbuckers. $200(spendy for me) at a pawn shop in Alabama. No case or neck pick-up and replaced tuners when I bought it. Just the one humbucker in the bridge position. The original bridge was trash, so I sunk a Tune-o Matic in there.

Back then it was perfect. Turn the amp up all the way and the Hayman sang. I used it through an Orange 120-4/12 set-up. No effects. I used the volume knob on the Hayman to go from cleanish to over the top (this Orange was slightly hot-rodded). Very full tone, lots of bass. I love these pick-ups! Feedback wails in a middle-throat, no screechy highs (a plus with me). I still love it though now it is a back-up x 2.

Obviously, bridge and set-up were crap by the time i got it. I replaced the bridge, saddle, and non-original tuners to make it playable. The deeply coated finish has split, not quite checked. I have found the electronics to be among the highest quality, having withstanded the sweaty assaults of rock for decades

Found a pristine example (like my gorgeous 20/20)? Gig it now! Mine's rarely let me down. Dug up a Beater? Polish that turd and you'll have a friend for life

gggggrrrr

Same features as described previously; oberche body, maple neck, 21 frets, Tele configuration of p/u and controls, Grover tuners, mine has natural/blonde finish. Made in UK 1971-73. My brother and Burns/Hayman/Shergold obsessive initially turned me on these in general and this model in particular, arranging the part exchange for a Squier Tele I had acquired. I already had the bass 4040 so this seemed a good companion. Had mine since 1997.

Suits my style, such as that is, as it is very Telecasterish and so is angular and cutting but also has warmth. Possibly more than a Tele as someone else said, alas my own experience of Telecasters is limited. Like a Telecaster it could probably handle anything except metal which I have no desire to handle. Someone said it was a little lacking in sustain, I think that may be true compared to a Les Paul but the sound is still rich and full. Probably suits chordal work better than lead, that's what I use it for but I'm sure the right player would have little trouble doing that. The body is pretty heavy so I imagine the humbucker version (I know a cat that has one)would probably have quite a meaty sustain.

Initially had some problems with this although some of that was me rather than the instrument. I loved the sound but found it a struggle to play. As others have noted, the frets are not the highest and mine were very worn down. A re-fret and a proper set up have eliminated most of the problems I used to have in this area. I also used to use 9's which broke with alarming regularity until a US friend told me to use 10's like a real man, dagnabit. So these steps plus practice have made it quite playable.

It's rock solid. Nearly as old as me and will be playing long after I snuff it, unless I have it buried with me which I might. Nasty looking crack on the lower horn, near the neck join but it doesn't seem too deep (I hope!) and shows no sign of worsening. I nearly always gig without a backup and have had nothing worse than a string break. Pots are a tiny bit crackly though but nothing out of the ordinary for its age. The only real weak spot seems to be the round Perspex ?H? in the headstock. It?s always missing out of nearly every model I?ve ever seen but so far it hasn?t fallen out of mine.

"Made in UK? should be enough to tell you that the company is but a distant memory although the Burns line was revived recently but I think strictly for reissues.

Been playing fart oo long but only out of the bedroom in this century. For looks alone this was always my favourite axe and a bit of work has made it playable and the sound is fantastic, especially through a valve amp. Don?t see too many of these around but they are out there. Prices have got silly recently, I saw a humbucker version on Denmark Street which had been modded and lost its ?H? and they wanted #600 for it, the rapacious swine. That said if you were going to shell out that much, I consider it as worthy as any of the more famous names which go for those sums. But you should be able to get one for half that or less.

It is a standard and almost original Hayman 3030.
The only things that are not original are the tuners.
It came without the tuners, I have put Grovers on it to make it look as original as possible.
The body has a nice red to black sunburst but is pretty beaten up
through time.

I play all kinds of music from blues to punk, funk, reaggea.
Unfortunately I don't have a good amp to go with the 3030.
My amp is an unknown brand tube amp that is near to its death.
In our rehearsel room I play over a Marshall JCM tube amp (sorry forgot the exact type).

The Hayman sounds awesome on all amps I tried it on but sounds especially great on Marshall tube amps and the Vox AC30.

The front pickup of the 3030 however has an enormous amount of bass that sometimes blows our bass player away, even when I turn the bass real low on the amp. The tone control of the 3030 could be better, when I turn down the volume on the guitar I will lose a lot of high.

I found this Hayman 3030 under a staircase at a studio of a friend I was
playing. The tuners where missing and it was in a terrible condition, covered in all kinds of dirt. I totally fell in love with it and had to have it. After cleaning it up and putting heads on it I never had to fiddle with it, it plays great and stays in tune.

My 3030 has become my personal guitar. I play it every wednesday in our
rehearsel room and the local pub where we organize jam sessions (and on many other occasions).
The Hayman has proven to be a well build and very reliable guitar I can depend on. Although I have always a backup guitar ready I have never needed it.

I have been playing this guitar for many years now and it's my favorite.
It looks great, plays well, has a very rich sound and is very reliable.

What I really love about this guitar is its playability. Once you get used to the flat finger board and the low frets it plays amazingly light.

I had one of these instruments in the early 1970s, it had two single-coil pickups, not humbuckers. It had a three position switch that allowed the two pickups to be combined in the centre position. It had no electronics and passive conreols but they were of good quality, better than any of my Fenders.

I did find that it lacked natural sustain and was prone to howling when my Marshall JTM45 was turned up. I replaced it with a Fender Telecaster in 1974, which I still have, and although the neck isn't as good, soundwise it is much more resonant, even when played acoustically. So in short, a great chord guitar but not so hot for screaming solos.

It was a very nice instrument to play with a wide, flat maple neck that suited my short fingers well. The action could be set amazingly low and the neck was very rigid and straight.

I used it regularly, it never let me down. It was vey well made and solid.

Company extinct years ago!

Been playing since '71, too many guitars to mention

Made in England in the early 70's, it has 21 frets, 2 humbucker, 1 tone and 1 volume, 3 way switch. It has everything I need and more. I've had the pleasure of playing it for 6 or 7 years, and it has never let me down.

I play in a Rock'n'Roll and it fits like a glove. I have had the back pickup changed to a Duncan JB, and left the front pickup stock. I have replaced all the pots, and it runs like a dream.
On the front pickup I can get the best Jazz sound, then I can put it to the back one and all hell breaks loose (in a good way).

The neck is sweet as. it is really flat, plays like a modern guitar. I had to get the guitar setup to scratch because it is a old guitar. everything else was fine.
One thing is the neck is very fragile, and I don't know how to adjust the trust rod. It is very odd, the neck is dead straight and hasn't changed in years. I have to use lighter strings on it, I use 11's normaly, and I use 10's on this.

Over all it plays like a dream.

I use this guitar as my main guitar on stage, and it has never failed me. I always have a backup guitar because you have to if your a gigging musician. I break strings at random times, and that is no fault of the guitar, It's just life.

It has served me well, and will do for a very long time.

The company is now defunct

I have been playing for around 10 years, and have owned my share of dam good guitars, and this one is the most out there. If it was stolen I would cry for a long time, because I don't know if I would ever find another one.
I love playing this guitar live because nobody else has one, and everyone one looks at it with odd looks.

My band The Twitch is playing at the final of The World Battle Of The Bands in Hong Kong, so I'm taking this thing international.

If you find a Hayman, get it.
Rock on

Very Basic with same features as a Telecaster.

The Hayman was a British made guitar. Jim Burns from Burns Guitars had something to do with them and the company more or less morphed into Shergold guitars.

The Hayman Company was around in the early 70s, Mine has 2 stock passive single coil pickups with a 3-way switch, one volume and one tone knob. The plate that the controls are mounted on look like a Refridgirator name plate. The body style and setup is somewhat like a Telecaster with a string-through body. The bridge design is great on this beast is great. I have never seen one like it.

Mine has a natural finish with a transparent smoke colored pickguard. The neck is Maple with a thick polyurathane finish on it (I have played some Ricks that feel like this). It has a zero fret (Wacky Brits)with black dot inlays. The headstock has a clear plastic coin sized disc with the letter "H" in the headstock. It also has not 1,2 or 3 round but four small button sized string trees . (Wacky Brits)They kink of make the headstock look cluttered.

The neck is very thin with black binding. It feels and plays great! As a rule I like a thicker neck but this one feels natural and it is very fast. I am sure that the frets have a lot to do with it's feel but i don't know much about fret sizes. Med and Jumbo is the way I order fresh shrimp (I like the Jumbo myself)

Mine came with the original Hayman case.

I tend to be a bit of a Twanger. I use it in an Americana (Country, Folk, Rock)band and also in a very quiet slow core band.
The Guitar does very well in both settings. This thing sings and sustains like no single coil pick up I have played. I plug it into a Mesa Boogie Studio 22+ amp and Crank it up. I have 70s MXR Dyna Comp with the script logo going into a brown Ross Distortion box but with the Hayman I don't use the Dyna comp much with the 30/30 in the louder band. In the quiet band I don't use the Dirt Box much.


The Hayman makes the guitar a set of 6 vocal chords for my fingers. and this is where it RULES. When I want to whisper it just sounds beautiful and when I want to scream has a roar. I am able to to this without messing with the stomp boxes or without having to mess with any controls on the amp. I own an American Telecaster and and American Strat both with Lindy Fralin pickups in them, they both sound great. I also have an American Jaguar reissue that looks great but sounds like crap to me (going to eBay soon). The Hayman has it's own thing going on. It is fuller than the Telecaster but along that line.

I found it years after it left the Factory but the Action is great on mine. The finish on mine is very nice but it kind of looks like it was dunked in a vat of polyurathane. Neck, body and all. I would imagine that with a lighter finish on it it might brighten up a bit. I have read that the Shergold finishes kind of buckle up like dried up asphalt and I could see how this might happen.

It's drawback (the heavy finish) also has preserved it for years to come. It looks like it was laminated. It will look like this in the year 2173. Hardwear seems fine after 30 years. I always bring a backup to a gig but I have never had problems with it.

Who Knows

I have played for 25 years and own a nice guitar for every day of the week (80s D-28, 80s Strat,70s Tele,90s Jaguar,70s SG,2001 P-Bass and the Hayman) I only own the Mesa Boogie amp (All I will ever need)and a trunk of pedals.

I bought The Hayman first of all because it was a quality guitar that I had never seen or even heard of before. I started taking it to gigs because I love the sound and the way it feels. I also like the odd looks that I get from gearheads. When they want to know where to find one all I can tell them is "Good Luck." I have not seen one on eBay or harmony-central or anywhere and a web search will just bring up the Shergold UK site. I saw one on the Blur video for "Song #2" and it is the only other one I have ever seen. I don't know if they are very rare or if the owners just hang on to them but It will be in my line up forever.