#Kramer number serial series#
The Striker and Aerostar series were made completely in Korea. The “American Series” of instruments were Japanese parts, assembled in Neptune, NJ. In 1986, Kramer switched to a “pointy headstock” design, no doubt influenced by other manufacturers at the time.īy 1987, Kramer was using Japan exclusively for manufacturing its necks and bodies.
![kramer number serial kramer number serial](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/images2500x2500/kramer_fc_26_ethernet_to_serial_1192046.jpg)
When the sales figures came in, Kramer was the best-selling guitar brand of 1985. In late 1983, Kramer switched headstock design to the "banana" headstock design.īy late 1985, Kramer began installing Seymour Duncan® pickups in its guitars. 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. the “EVH Trem“) was out, and the Floyd Rose® system was in. On the Road to Being Number One 1983-1986īy 1983, the Rockinger trem (a.k.a. A meeting between Eddie Van Halen and Kramer execs took place, and Eddie was sold.Īt the meeting, he reportedly quipped that he would help make Kramer the "#1 guitar company in the world." Tremolo system and partnered with a German inventor named Helmut Rockinger, using his tremolos as precursors to Floyd Rose systems, on its instruments.Ī chance encounter between Dennis Berardi and the manager of Eddie Van Halen on an airplane flight set the foundation for Kramer's meteoric rise in the 1980s.Įddie was interested in a tremolo that stayed in tune, which the Rockinger system offered. Kramer execs saw that the guitar techniques of the early 1980s demanded a high-performance Tuners and vintage fulcrum tremolos and necks were made in Japan and shipped to New Jersey for fretting and finishing. Wooden-necked instruments represented Kramer's first foray into offshoring the production of guitar components to Eastern Asia. Instead, Kramer opted for a "beak" reminiscent of 1960s Kent guitar headstocks. Kramer first released wooden-neck models in late 1981, following Charvel's lead on producing instruments that essentially copied the strathead headstock shape from Fender.Īlthough it isn't clear whether a lawsuit from Fender ever materialized, Kramer stopped releasing guitars with the trademark Fender headstock shape after only a thousand or so instruments were built.
![kramer number serial kramer number serial](http://www.vintagekramer.com/Ed/guitar-1984.jpg)
The bodies were made of fancy woods such as curly or Birdseye maple, walnut, and koa. The inserts, set in epoxy, were usually walnut or maple.
![kramer number serial kramer number serial](https://gbmedia.azureedge.net/aza/user/gear/2017-esp-ltd-kh-demonology-black-e3ldTyh.jpg)
![kramer number serial kramer number serial](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41appWv7jyL._AC_SX355_.jpg)
Instead, Kramer opted for wooden inserts in the aluminum necks. Unlike Travis Bean, Kramer went beyond the idea of a neck forged entirely out of aluminum, due to both its weight and its feel. Introduced in 1976, early models featured the trademark "pitchfork" aluminum-reinforced necks with a fret board made of ebonol-material similar to one used in bowling ball production.