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History of the Kramer Guitar Company 1980-1990
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS 04.06
Introduction
The Kramer Guitar Company, of Neptune New Jersey, got its start though the relationship between Gary Kramer and Dennis Berardi in 1975. Gary was a Travis Bean Guitars sales rep. and had Dennis' music store in his territory. The two soon formed BKL International Distributing along with Peter LaPlaca and Henry Vacarro Sr. Not too long after this Gary Kramer parted ways leaving the remaining trio poised to write the dramatic guitar Cinderella story of the 1980's. The first prototypes were designed by Kramer and Berardi, and built by local luthier extraordinaire Phil Petillo. These guitars were innovative yet stereotypical of 70's guitar designs in general.......heavy and brown. Their aluminum necks had many worthy attributes. Their exotic wood bodies were a thing of beauty too, but these hallmarks were to be overshadowed by the change in guitar tastes.
1980-1990
1980 would be the year that Kramer would rethink its approach to guitar manufacturing. Kramers first foray into the world of "wood neck guitars" received a cool reception at its NAMM show unveiling. While these new "pacer and Cruiser" models had some really cool features, quality hardware and craftsmanship, but the overall designs missed the mark. 1981 produced a second attempt that more closely followed conventional guitar styling of the past. Clearly this what the often "traditional" taste of guitar community wanted. (OK, now give us some color.) The new models were basically hot rodded versions of 1950's "bolt-on" guitar designs. Charvel Manufacturing had done this to much acclaim the years previous. Not to mention the explosive interest in "hot rod" replacement guitar parts. Kramer was clearly keen on what guitar trends were the rage, and they incorporated them into their new designs. The first production guitars were the Voyager and the "new" Pacer models. The new "Pacer Series" was a "str@t" shaped guitar with tremolo and rear-loaded humbucking pickups. (Popular design features of Mighty Mite, Charvel, Boogie Bodies and other "kit" guitars of the era.) The guitars featured OEM Schaller pickups that were referred to as "Spectrum brand pickups". The other new design was the "Voyager Series", which was a star-shaped design that resembled the Wayne Charvel designed "Star" model. It basically had the same features as the Pacer. These new designs were a REAL departure for Kramer and was a fairly desperate attempt to reinvent themselves. 1982 obviously was a great year to be a guitar player, guitar manufacturer, guitar salesman, guitar rep......... You get the idea. Smaller guitar manufacturers were making a serious challenge to the less responsive and bloated "BIG" corporate guitar companies, and Kramer was now ready to get their share. Why Fender could never make a cool superSr@t is beyond me. (i.e.: Strat, The Strat, Strat Elite, Lead Series.) Kramer continued to tweak its new series of guitars by adding or offering upscale options. The ESP designed and built "Flicker" tremolo along with the new "mechanically locking" German designed "Rockinger" tremolo were worthy designs. Kramer still offered several versions of Schaller pickups that all had a variety of sound characteristics. Several versions of the Pacer and Voyager were designed, with the different hardware and pickup options determining the model. The Str@t headstock design that Kramer had "borrowed from another....um......well know manufacturer, came to a screeching halt. Kramer had to modify its headstock, and the new one would become the so-called "beak" design which was the inspiration of Paul Unkert. This change somewhat coincided with a much greater use of Rosewood fingerboards instead of Maple on all wood neck guitars. Another unique guitar design was offered in 1982, the Pacer Carrera. This new guitar was ALL BLACK! The entire body and back of the neck were painted black. The Rockinger bridge, hardware and pickups were black. The fingerboard was rosewood (dyed?) without any inlays . The overall effect was one classy looking guitar. The Vanguard also made its appearance this year. It pretty much had the same appointments as the Voyager, but was based on the "Flying V" shape of the era as used by others.
Probably the most exciting thing that happened to Kramer Guitars in 1982 was the blossoming relationship with Edward Van Halen. (I don't need to tell you how big a deal this is.) Edwards first public appearance in April of 1982 with a Kramer guitar caused quite a stir in "guitar circles". (WHAT IS THIS NEW GUITAR?) His impromptu jam with Alan Holdsworth in LA really created a "buzz". Edward had never endorsed a guitar even though he was without question the greatest rock guitarist of the day. So every piece of equipment he used was scrutinized and became a staple that every young guitarist "NEEDED". The Pacer that Edward used that night had a Rockinger locking tremolo on it. After a chance meeting With Dennis Berardi, Edward decided to join Kramers team "to help build the greatest guitars in the world". The newly revitalized Kramer was to market the Rockinger bridge as the new "Edward Van Halen" tremolo. Even the June of 1982 catalog proclaimed this on its cover. Towards the end of the year, in another twist of fate, the new Rockinger tremolo would give way to yet another design.
	Enter one Floyd Rose....With the addition of Floyd Rose and his new "fine tuning" tremolo, the holy trinity of 80's guitar manufacturing was complete. The Floyd Rose bridge had a patented pivot that was a radical departure from other tremolo designs of the time. Edward had used the Floyd Rose system on his pre-Kramer guitars, but they were earlier non-tuning versions that had some obvious drawbacks. Putting "fine tuning" Floyd Rose Tremolos on Kramer guitars was the icing on the cake. This opened up a huge world of innovation for the average guitar player, who could now play with reckless abandon without tuning concerns. (Not to mention that every Edward Van Halen wannabe would buy one!)
1983 saw the introduction of one guitar model that would seem fairly obvious........The Floyd Rose Signature guitar. This new design was "scooped" out behind the bridge so that the strings could be changed with the greatest amount of ease. The body shape of the Pacer series morphed to a more distinctive shape. 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 would mark the end for the greatest guitar company of the 1980's. By now the guitar market was completely saturated with a zillion import guitars that had the same vibe......Thin neck, locking trem, flashy colors etc....... Ibanez now had the big endorsees and largest chunk of this market and proceeded to beat this poor horse to death. Interestingly, most of the cool guitar makers who shaped the 80's would be pushed to the brink of disaster within a few years....Kramer just got there first. The constraints of bankruptcy are both a help and a hindrance to a business in trouble. Without financing to provide much needed cash flow, restructuring is an almost insurmountable task. The 1990's ushered in a new era of music, style and attitude. The guitar revolution of the 1980's was started in part by a man from Seattle (Floyd Rose) and ended in part by a another man from Seattle (Kurt Cobain).