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Kramer Vintage Guitarsby Barbara Wood
For collectors, the important years of production were 1976 to 1990. November of 1976 saw the first Kramer guitars produced. They were made with headstocks in the shape of tuning forks and aluminum bolt-on necks. The necks featured wood on the back to give the guitar balance and a classic warm feel instead of the coldness of aluminum. They also used a different material for the fretboard. The fretboards were made of "Ebanol," a durable material used to make bowling balls. The first models were called the 350G (guitar) and 350B (bass), and 450G and 450B. The 350's were a cheaper line than the 450's. The bodies were in a straightforward guitar shape and made of high quality woods beautifully polished. The wilder shapes and colors that Kramer collectors enjoy did not appear until 1980. After 1976 other aluminum neck guitar models were introduced. In 1978 Kramer expanded it's line to include 250's on the low priced end and 650's on the high end. Along with the wood bodies, some were available in solid black or white with a black pickguard. The DMZ line of Kramer guitars and basses made its debut in 1979. DMZ stands for DiMarzio pick-ups, which were used on these guitars. DMZ guitars are numbered 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, or 4001, 5000, or 6000, again in both G (guitar) or B (bass.) The only ones that were made with pick guards were the 4000's. Colors again were limited to wood or black. In 1980, Kramer introduced two more lines of guitars, which began to take on the angular, cutaway body shapes. The XL models were again available in wood tones. The XL8 was an 8-stringed fretless bass. The XK series also debuted this year, but were dropped the next year. These were available in two body shapes, a classic shape and a wedge shape. The XK's were the first Kramer guitars to be available in a range of colors. Guitarists could choose from natural, Arctic white, midnight black, flame red, Aztec rust, sundance orange, electric yellow, slate blue, and pacific blue. About this time, Kramer produced the Gene Simmons Axe model, which literally was shaped like an axe used by an executioner in the middle ages. These were only made for a year. Some sport Simmons' signature while others do not. There are probably only about 500 of these guitars in existence, making them highly collectible. In 1981, guitar manufacturers began to produce guitars with a minimalistic look, having a simple, almost rectangular body and no headstock. Kramer's minimalist guitar line were called the Duke line. These were produced until 1985, and came in a variety of colors, although most are black. Two more series of aluminum neck guitars were produced before Kramer went to all wood necks in 1985. These were the Challenger and the Stagemaster lines. All of the Kramer aluminum neck guitars sported the tuning fork shaped headstocks (except, of course, the Dukes.) The Stagemaster name lived on through the last half of the 1980's as wood neck guitars, but the first ones were aluminum neck, and styled almost exactly like the earlier DMZ 6000's. The Stagemaster Imperial guitar or bass had the option of having either an aluminum or a wood neck. In 1983, Kramer formed its alliance with Eddie van Halen and produced the first wood necked Baretta guitars. Ed had made a number of guitars for himself and painted his own Baretta himself with black stripes on white. These early Baretta guitars probably had more impact on the future design of rock guitars than people realize. Kramer began using headstocks that were copied from the Fender Stratocaster. They had to abandon this for a more classic look because of a lawsuit from Fender. Another name that must be mentioned in examining the history of Kramer guitars is Floyd Rose. He designed the floating tremelo used on many of the later Kramers. Another development in Kramer guitars was the neck-through-body design. Other design elements the collector might want to look for include the hockey stick shaped headstock. Some of the Floyd Rose designs are pretty unique. The company hit financial trouble around 1990, which ended the golden era of Kramer guitars. ------------------------------------------------ Barbara Wood is a writer and homeschooling mom who has played the guitar for over 30 years. She would like to note that information about the history of Kramer guitars varies a bit with different sources, and apologizes for any facts that might not be correct. Barbara's articles on homeschooling can be seen at http://www.gardenandhearth.com/Homeschool-Activities.htm. She has also written a number of folk-style Christian songs. If you are interested in obtaining a CD, email Barbara at barbarawood4@hotmail.com. |
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