Kramer guitar serial

Please don't confuse any product that comes from Music Yo' with the original. Logo circa XL 5 A chrome or black neck plate with nothing on it but a Kramer headstock and a serial number stamped on them. In general, the following is a good way to determine if your Kramer is USA made or an "American" series: If your Kramer has a Strat or Classic headstock and has a Kramer logo with a capital "K" followed by a lower caser "ramer", the guitar is an early USA made Kramer guitar.

Kramer first released wooden-necked guitars in late , following Charvel's lead on producing instruments that essentially copied the stratocasterheadstock shape from Fender, in violation of Fender's US trademark and design patent. After only a thousand or so instruments were built, in May , Kramer received a cease and desist order from Fender to halt the production of strathead guitars.

The earliest beak guitars were in fact stratheads with a lopped off headstock; these can be identified by prominent sanding marks on the curve of the headstock.

Wooden-necked instruments represented Kramer's first foray into offshoring the production of guitar components to Eastern Asia. Tuning keys and vintage fulcrum tremolos were made by Gotoh in Japan, while the necks were made by Japan's ESP Guitars and shipped to New Jersey for fretting and finishing.

Kramer executives saw that the guitar techniques of the early s demanded a high-performance tremolo system. Kramer partnered with a German inventor named Helmut Rockinger, and installed his bulky tremolos, precursors to Floyd Rose systems, on its instruments. A chance encounter between Dennis Berardi and Eddie Van Halen's managers on an airplane flight set the foundation for Kramer's meteoric rise in the s. Eddie was interested in a tremolo that stayed in tune, which the Rockinger system offered.

At the meeting, he reportedly quipped that he would help make Kramer the ' 1 guitar company in the world. In addition, Kramer once again offered Schaller tuners on their guitars, tapping Schaller to produce Floyd Rose tremolos as well. Kramer was the only guitar company offering Original Floyd Rose tremolos stock on their production guitars, a competitive advantage of Kramer over other guitar manufacturers of the period.

In late Kramer switched from the 'beak' headstock design to the Gibson Explorer-like 'banana' headstock design. This distinctive look also helped rank Kramer highly with guitar enthusiasts. One notable Kramer guitar was the Baretta model, which was a single-humbucker instrument similar to guitars Eddie Van Halen used on stage.

The Kramer Baretta was the flagship of the Kramer line and helped popularize the single-pickup s superstrat guitar design. By late Kramer began installing Seymour Duncan pickups in its guitars, in preference to the more vintage-sounding Schaller pickups. When the sales figures came in, Kramer was the best-selling guitar brand of Schaller tuners, Floyd Rose tremolos, Seymour Duncan pickups and exciting graphics by talented factory artists such as Dennis Kline helped propel Kramer to become the best-selling guitar brand of Some early Focus guitars were also made in Japan by the Matsumoku company.

During , Kramer also commissioned guitarist Rich Excellente, designer of the ' Chevy Tail-fin' guitar, to create a series of guitars based on the patented features Excellente developed on his 'Chevy Tail-Fin' guitar. Kramer, under license from Excellente, manufactured a line of guitars which were marketed as 'The Kramer American Showster Series'. These guitars were sleeker versions of the more traditional shapes of the day, and utilized Excellente's patented 'tear-drop' body taper and 'metal loading' insert feature to increase tone and sustain.

Fewer than 1, of these guitars were produced between —, and the line was discontinued during due to manufacturing problems which began to plague Kramer during that time. In addition, Kramer embraced the excess of the late s—producing slick and fluorescent guitars, losing its thought leadership in the guitar manufacturing arena, and damaging the image of the brand.

Similarly, the image of the Kramer brand was being tarnished by an influx of Aerostar guitars, lower in quality and made with cheap parts. To help promote the band, the infamous 'Gorky Park' guitars were made, reportedly to be given to guitar dealers as promotional pieces. BTE banked on the Gorky Park guitars to help promote the group. When the Russian band achieved only a mild measure of success, this was a significant, and final blow to the first incarnation of the Kramer company.

The original Kramer company effectively came to an end in January , mostly due to financial problems. The company had been spending huge amounts on advertising and endorsements, and then lost a lawsuit with Floyd D. I think the color is called 'flip-flop red'. The neck is straight as an arrow, the truss rod works, the frets appear to have minimal wear with plenty of life left. The pick ups sound great.

The action is very low. This guitar feels so comfortable to play! I believe everything is original on this guitar except the addition of the drop D tuner key. Comes with whammy bar and locking nuts. No allen keys. The finish has surface scratches, some knicks-dents and a spot on the back with two deeper scratches shown by my finger near the Floyd Rose cover.