Kramer Bass Guitar S Serial Number Plate Has

Eddie was interested in a tremolo that stayed in tune, which the Rockinger system offered.

Kramer Bass Guitar S Serial Number Plate Has

All Ive been able to determine so far is that: It was manufactured in Japan (probably by ESP Guitars) The serial number plate has a logo circa 1985-86.

We thank everyone for contributing their Kramers through the years.

Kramer Guitars Subsidiary Industry Musical instruments Founded 1976; 43 years ago in Neptune Township, New Jersey Founder Dennis Beradi, Gary Kramer, Peter LaPlaca, Phil Petillo Headquarters Nashville, Tennessee, United States Area served Worldwide Products Electric guitars and basses Parent Gibson Guitar Corporation Website kramerguitars.com Kramer Guitars is an American manufacturer of electric guitars and basses.

Kramer produced aluminum-necked electric guitars and basses in the 1970s and wooden-necked guitars catering to hard rock and heavy metal musicians in the 1980s; Kramer is currently a division of Gibson Guitar Corporation.

Kramer Models Formation edit Gene Simmons axe bass guitar.

Korean Kramer. There is some dispute over the companys early history, but it begins with Travis Bean, a California luthier who was building guitars with aluminum necks.

Bean and Gary Kramer started the Travis Bean guitar company in 1974, in Sun Valley, and while their guitars did well, Bean lost interest and left most of the business aspects to Kramer; the two parted ways.

Kramer then founded the company that still bears his name, improving on the Bean designBeans necks were heavy and the material felt cold to the touch.

Kramers improvement consisted of two wooden inserts in the back of the neck.

By 1975 he had hooked up with a friend from New York, Dennis Berardi, and the two founded BK International, which engaged luthier Phil Petillo to make prototypes for them.

Other involved parties were Henry Vaccaro, a real estate person who invested money in the venture, and Peter LaPlaca, who had experience with Norlin, the company that owned Gibson Guitar Corporation from 1969 to 1986.

The rest of the account is murky: Kramer says he was supposed to increase production but was too inexperienced in that area, and he wanted to move back to the West Coast.

He was to sell back his interests and receive royalties, and then represent the company out west, but none of this seems to have happened.

Introduced in 1976, early models featured the trademark tuning fork head aluminum-reinforced necks with a fretboard made of Ebonolmaterial similar to one used in bowling ball production.

Other features of the necks included aluminum dots, and a zero fret.

Gary Kramers inserts, set in epoxy, were usually walnut or maple.

The bodies were usually made of high grade Walnut or Maple, with the earliest instruments made of exotic tonewoods including Koa, Afromosia, Swietenia, Shedua, and Bubinga.

The hardware was also from a known quality brand: Schallertuning keys and bridges; Schaller and DiMarziopickups; custom-made strap pins; aluminum cavity covers.

Generally, the ratio of basses to guitars produced was about 4:1, citation needed primarily because bass players were more willing to experiment.

Switching to wooden-necked instruments both held the promise of keeping production costs low as well as being able to appeal to traditionally-minded guitar players.

Wooden neck period edit Kramer first released wooden-necked guitars in late 1981, following Charvels lead on producing instruments that essentially copied the stratocasterheadstock shape from Fender, in violation of Fenders US trademark and design patent.

After only a thousand or so instruments were built, in May 1981, Kramer received a cease and desist order from Fender to halt the production of strathead guitars.

Tuning keys and vintage fulcrum tremolos were made by Gotoh in Japan, while the necks were made by Japans ESP Guitars and shipped to New Jersey for fretting and finishing.

Kramer executives saw that the guitar techniques of the early 1980s 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.

Kramer Bass Guitar Serial Numbers