Serial Number Identification. While there are several places on Vintage Kramer to learn about serial numbers, here is a rundown of serial numbers, with year models and distiguishing characteristics for I.D. Of old Vintage Kramers.
Ahhh, the 1980s…
A lot can be and has already been said about this infamous decade, but rarely do we talk about its finest guitars. Little love is given to the cream of the ‘80s crop, which means that many of them are currently sitting on the used market at an excellent price point.
Today, we’re taking an opportunity to talk about golden-age Kramers, which were beautifully playing guitars that featured the finest innovations of the decade’s lutherie.
Sure, Kramers were all over hair metal videos and came in a variety of absolutely absurd finishes, but a great guitar is a great guitar and it’s likely only a matter of time before Kramer values skyrocket.
Kramer kicked off the ‘80s switching from their USA-made aluminum necks to mostly Japanese-made wood necks, quickly establishing itself as the premier global guitar brand in terms of quality and sales.
With the wholehearted endorsement of Eddie Van Halen — the foremost guitar hero of the 80s — Kramer rose to the top of the heap and enjoyed a reputation as the best guitar company around.
But much like the bands who played these guitars, succumbing to ‘80s excess would prove to be Kramer’s fatal flaw. Kramer’s later years imparted the brand with a lasting reputation for overbuilt guitars, but many players today are coming to realize how excellent those early Kramers were and still are.
The Golden Years
When players and collectors talk about Kramer at its peak as a guitar company, they’re talking about the production run from 1981 to 1986. The company’s output declined in quality from 1986 to its shuttering in 1989.
During that ‘81 to ‘86 run, Kramer was constantly updating designs. There was quite a bit of variation with the headstocks, neck shapes (C to Boat to Shredder), nut widths, tonewoods, pickups (Schaller to Seymour Duncan), electronics (stereo string panning, coil-splitting, hidden pickups), tremolos, and hardware. So, basically, Kramer played around with every element of what goes into an electric guitar.
The most consistent and widely recognized changes centered around the headstock shapes as described below. Those headstock changes are key when deciphering how to date your Kramer.
The Pacer
From the beginning, Kramer clearly embraced Super Strat culture. The Pacer was Kramer’s signature take on that form, and its early flagship model that showcased Kramer’s forward-thinking design philosophy.
One of the most visible and significant emblems of their approach was the wealth of non-traditional pickup combinations available for this series. The Pacer was one of the first Strat-style guitars sold stock in multiple versions with a humbucker in the bridge position.
The other feature that made the Pacer stand out was its locking tremolo—a feature that Kramer embraced before any other mainstream guitar company. Originally, Kramer employed the Rockinger tremolo but switched over to the Floyd Rose before long. Early Pacers featured a vintage-style flicker tremolo, but these soon faded out making them rarer finds today.
Then, as with much of Kramer’s output, there is a litany of quirky variations across the years in the Pacer line.
For one, when the Pacer debuted, it came out under the Walker brand (Kramer’s original wooden-neck brand) sporting a Walker decal on its Fender Strat-style headstock. In 1982, Kramer switched to its classic beak headstock with a Kramer logo. Between those two headstock eras was a Strat headstock with a Kramer logo.
Walker Pacers tended to have headstocks painted to match the body, while most of the early beak Kramer Pacers were maple-faced. When the Pacer changed to the hockey stick headstock, painted headstocks became the standard.
The ESP factory—where those necks were produced—was known for outstanding craftsmanship.
Coming hot on the heels of the so-called Lawsuit Era in Japan—when factories were turning out high-quality copies of American guitar designs—the early 1981 to 1983 Pacer necks owe a lot to the ones on classic Stratocasters, featuring a shape similar to an old school Fender C.
In 1984, Kramer would transition to a thinner, boat profile until those necks got to maximum shred levels post-’86. From a player’s standpoint, the earlier beak necks are generally favored, but it has proven to be a matter of preference. The banana-era necks are quite popular as well.
The first models generally donned one-piece maple necks with skunk stripes. There were some that featured rosewood fingerboards and even some one-offs that included both the skunk stripe and a rosewood board.
Neck construction became more complex sometime in 1984 when Kramer transitioned to the banana-shaped headstock. After that point, it became uncommon to see a Kramer guitar (more specifically, a Pacer or Baretta) with a maple fingerboard or even a one-piece maple neck, unless it was a custom guitar.
The new necks were typically constructed of three pieces, which sometimes led to complications. A small number of 1984 and 1985 Pacers suffered from joint separation at the headstock due to a bad batch of glue. Rumor has it that most of these instruments were recalled, but from my personal experience, you can still find a few out in the wild — some with that bad gluing repaired.
Apple quicktime player for mac. Eddie Van Halen and the Baretta
It’s impossible to talk about Kramer and not mention Eddie Van Halen. Riding high (and perhaps drunk) off of his enormous success in Van Halen, Eddie was approached by Kramer to develop and release his own signature guitar.
While Eddie initially pushed for the guitar to be a spot-on replica of his beat-up Frankenstrat, Kramer executives deemed it cost-prohibitive. There’s also the story out there that the higher-ups thought the idea of selling a guitar that was purposefully made to look beat-up or aged was beneath their brand.
The most significant result of Kramer and Eddie Van Halen’s collaboration was the Baretta, introduced in 1983.
Like the early Pacer Customs, these had Strat-style bodies with a single bridge humbucker. Yet the features that made the Baretta different from the old Pacer Custom were subtle and numerous. On the Baretta, the bridge humbucker was slanted to better align the poles of the pickup with the strings. This was done to address the addition of the original Floyd Rose tremolo.
Initially, EVH got Kramer to use the Rockinger Tremolo, which Kramer briefly dubbed the Eddie Van Halen tremolo. But Eddie and customers alike had some issues with the Rockinger, thanks to its brass-on-brass construction, which made for unstable tuning and early wear.
Shortly after introducing the Floyd Rose in 1983, Kramer switched to using this tremolo exclusively.
The Baretta also introduced the banana headstock. The Baretta’s neck was thinner than the Pacer’s, spurring quick evolution in Kramer necks.
These guitars also featured early Seymour Duncan pickups, as opposed to the Schaller pickups that came stock in earlier Kramers. Seymour Duncan would eventually become the standard pickups in all American Series Kramer’s sometime around 1986.
Up until the introduction of the Baretta I and II in 1986, Barettas were consistently excellent guitars that remain beloved to this day. Kramer’s shift to a Jackson-style, pointy headstock in 1986 alienated much of its die-hard fan base.
While some respected models did come out of this year/era (such as their first neck-through model, the Stagemaster), this misstep and the influx of cheaper international models resulted in a perceived — and soon, literal — decline in the prestige and quality of the brand.
Kramer fell victim to a number of bad business decisions (which may or may not have involved a Russian hair metal band) before filing for bankruptcy at the close of the ‘80s. It was a sad and unfortunate demise in the classic sense for a company that at one point showed unparalleled promise.
The Gems, Lemons, and Exceptions
Like Fender, Kramer had an outstanding budget MIJ series. That Focus series covered all of the major Kramer models at the time, including the Pacer and Baretta, and were startlingly good for their price point.
The necks and bodies were made at the same ESP factory where the lion's share of the parts for the American Series were produced. The main difference is that the American Series guitars were shipped back to the States for assembly.
Japanese production/assembly wasn’t exactly behind the US at the time, and when you factor in that these guitars also had early Seymour Duncan pickups and original Floyd Rose tremolos, there is a lot of bang for your buck with Focuses.
Another underrated set of models to come out were the Classic series. This series hosted Kramer’s USA-assembled, traditional take on the Strat and Tele. These guitars tend to age gorgeously and combined classic Fender stylings with Kramer’s construction innovations.
For example, the Classic’s Strat was packed with three vintage-style Seymour Duncan single-coil pickups and had a fourth pickup hidden under the pickguard for hum-canceling. It also featured a vintage Strat-style flicker tremolo that originally appeared on the Pacer, along with a more Fender-style neck shape.
The USA Classics can be a bit on the pricey side, but there was also a Focus series made of the Classic and they are pretty affordable.
While many of the Kramers from this time are quality instruments, others are not so much. For one, the Korea-based Striker series is often derided and avoided by Kramer lovers. Intended for beginners, Strikers and other overseas models were made out of plywood as opposed to ash, poplar, alder, and maple like their Japanese and USA counterparts.
It can sometimes be hard to tell if a Kramer is made overseas because Kramer (like other companies at that time) intentionally made it unclear for their own marketing purposes. You can read more about this in our “How to Date Your Kramer” article.
The exciting part about Kramer is that they made a lot of interesting guitars that time has almost completely forgotten. The Ripley Stereo guitar an out-of-this-world technical creation, but people rarely talk about it. It was designed for Eddie Van Halen and had six knobs, each panning an individual string.
1986 Kramer Triax
At NAMM 1986, Kramer signaled a move toward metal guitars with the flashy, intergalactic Triax and Enterprize guitars. While these models were never intended for mainstream production (there are a few NAMM editions on our marketplace), they proved that Kramer had its own spin on ‘80s excess.
Kramer also had a number of signature artist guitars that are not often talked about. The most prominent in the late ‘80s was Richie Sambora’s signature model. This guitar featured three humbuckers with gold-surrounds on a Strat-style body with a Floyd Rose tremolo. It briefly became a popular model before being phased out in 1989 when Sambora switched allegiance to Fender.
1988 Kramer Elliot Easton E.E. Pro 1
The Elliot Easton signature (prototyped by legendary builder Tom Anderson) is arguably the Kramer Signature that has aged the best in terms of features and aesthetic. It’s like a ‘87 JEM mixed with a vintage Fender, featuring a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The visual design of the Elliot Easton is as steeped in the '80s color palette and Futurism as it is in classic '50s guitar shapes.
The prices on these can fluctuate a decent amount, so it’s possible to get an Elliot Easton for a steal if you keep your eyes peeled.
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Product Registration Customer Service Repair and Restoration Report Counterfeits Serial Number FAQ Gibson Guitar Specs (2015. Kramer Bass Guitar. By James Knoble, August 10 in Kramer. All Access; 0 2 posts; Report post; Posted August 10. Hi, My Kramer Bass Plate has a serial # that starts with the letter “A” and is stamped made in.
Working out which model of Spector bass guitar you have can be very difficult if there are no clear indications on the bass itself. Learning the differences in the printing of the serial number can point you to an era in Spector’s production, which then can guide your search for your model.
Best free online backup for mac. Top 6 Backup Software for Mac Time Machine. CloudBerry Backup. Right Backup. Backuplist +. Best Backup Software for Macs. Now that we've discussed what to look for in Mac backup software, let’s look at the apps. Here are my picks for the best Mac backup software for 2018: 1. Time Machine. Time Machine is built into macOS and it should be your first go to as Mac backup software. DropBox – best online backup for mac and pc. The DropBox is an online backup storage Provider for Mac and PC. It gives 100% guarantee as never lost a file or corrupt data file. It keeps your record safe, synced, secure and comfortable to share. You get 5 GB data in free of charge, and then you’ve to pay for upgrade separately. As per ore Collection and user reviews the Dropbox.com is the biggest network for best Online Backup service for Mac. 14 Best Free MAC Backup Software. Time Machine. Time Machine is a very good inbuilt backup software for MAC that can be used to backup MAC for free. Time Machine keeps hourly. From ChronoSync to Backblaze, and including free as well as paid-for services, here are the best Mac backup software and online backup services out there By Kenny Hemphill 15 Jan 20.
Stuart Spector released his first bass in 1977, the Spector NS-Bass, and many models have been made since then. Identifying your Spector bass model by the serial number is easy to do, but it more often revolves around the printing style than the number itself. Check the bridge on old-looking basses. The serial number on the original Spector basses was either engraved into the bridge, or written inside the control cavity. The earliest models had serial numbers that were based on the date.
As a result, the year is easy to identify. These are part of what is termed the “Brooklyn Era,” which spanned from 1975 to 1985. The later models in this era, however, had sequential (not date-based) serial numbers printed in the wood on the back of the headstock. Look on the back of the headstock for a serial number on all other basses. As a result of Spector espousing a sequential serial-number system, the only way to tell different eras apart is by what is printed beside the serial number.
Look for a serial number stamped with ink beside a “Made in USA” label to identify a bass as being from the “Kramer Era,” which was 1985 to 1990. The serial number on these models is often difficult to make out, because of the ineffective stamping method used.
Check the headstock for Stuart Spector’s signature. This is only present on models made after 1991. These models are part of either the “SSD Era” or the current era of production. The “SSD Era” was 1991 to 1998.
All of the models with Stuart Spector’s signature on the headstock also say “Woodstock, NY” on them. Aside from these details, these models also include a serial number — still sequential in construction — and a date. Next to the date, there is also a model number. This is the model of your bass.
The model number will be something like NS-1 or SD-4. Visit the Spector website's Archived Import Model Sheets page (see Resources, below) for older import bass identification and additional information. Select the country of origin for your bass to view pictures for each model. This should help you identify your bass quickly.
Hello, and thanks for the info! Very helpful. The serial number - I can't remember all of it and I'm not near the bass at the moment, but it started with S000XXXXXXX so I guess it was made in 2000. It's a very good bass, gave it a setup yesterday afternoon and used it for a gig last night, sounded great and had a lot of compliments. It isn't quite as easy to play as my Corvette, but I haven't quite figured out why yet. I made the action as low as possible without fret buzz, but it's still very slightly higher than the corvette so that could be it. Or maybe the neck is different, or string spacing.
I dunno, I'll figure it out eventually. Click to expand.Kramer made basses nothing like these in 1990- they actually went out of business that year. The only basses they made then were Forum Basses, and the Striker and Aerostar bass. None of them have reverse headstocks, or big dual rail humbuckers.
Definitely a 2000 in this case, NOT a 1990. I am 100% sure of that. And different grade pickups? I don't know. All the MusicYo basses (asides from the Fender P knock off) had exclusively dual rail pickups, and maybe Gibby changed their make up during production? I don't know. Ok I have another post I got some basses on ebay, this should be a different thread on 'douche of the day', but since it is Kramer MODEL AND CONSTRUCTION related let me put it here.
I have a red ZX70 for sale CHEAP.ok nothing special about that until I get a message from this guy: ( I took his screen name out as not to violate any privacy stuff ) Dear apts3000, Sorry, but I cannot READ the Serial Number on the Neck plate, would you be so kind as to read it and send that to me? I own #AA8877 so you know that I am serious. I expect this to be the same Series. Ed ok nothing wrong with that so my reply: Dear xxxxxx, I don't know why the serial would be so significant to anyone. It's a plain old Korean unit and they made 1/2 a million of them.
However, giving you the serial means nothing to me so when I get home tonight, I'll take a pic and replace it with the one that is in the ad. Perhaps you think this was your old one or something and want to buy it back for sentimental reasons? In any case, sure I'll PM you when I swap the pics around. apts3000 ok nothing wrong with that right? And his reply: Dear apts3000, I have owned mine since 1994. I KNOW what I like, and what I do not like about these, and they only made 9999 of them in EACH Style, and there Are differences it would take me a while to explain. AA and AB are TOTALLY different.
Kramer Bass Guitar Serial Numbers And Values
Early AA and Late AA Are different ALL AB are Later than AA, and they are not SET the same, neck to body, you cannot transfer from one bass to the other and have it all RIGHT. I have said enough.
They are also Solid wood body. Ed well now this is a switch I never knew Aerostars were solidwood. So here's my reply: Dear xxxxxxx, I appreciate the fact that you know what you want. We all do, BUT.where do you get your info from LuLu's guitar shop?
Kramer Korean basses of the Aerostar line are ALL plywood. I have had 7 of these things in 20 years and every one is plywood just like this red one. The headstocks and stickers were the only differences from 86-87 and then 87-89 which dictated AA/AB/ACxxxx and no more were made after 89, then musicYo came around and the cheap Striker bolt-ons were lam bodies. ( yes I still have one of those also ) Honestly, YOU NEED TO LOOK ON VINTAGEKRAMER.COM, and not rely on LuLu’s guitar shop for your info. I have swapped necks between the different headstock styles/years with no mods at all, just bolt it on and play, perfect tight pockets and no issues. Look at my other auction with the Charvel body and the ZX70 neck.perfect fit.why? Because the pockets are all cut the same.
This isn't a Allparts neck trying to fit on a Warmoth body dude. Ed, I’m gonna save you the trouble of placing a bid, ( IF you were even going to bid ) and I’m blocking you today because your whacked dude, and I don’t need the. of you harassing me if there is a scratch I didn’t disclose in my ad, or if the string tree is black and not chrome and you get pissed and you try to return it “ Since YOU know what you want”, this one IS NOT gonna be for you. Oh, and just for the last item in my note to you, here’s a picture of the red cavity.sure don’t look solid to me. apts3000 just one more UN-INFORMED person who just needs to research his facts before posting stupid messages. MODS, IF THIS IS VIOLATING SOMETHING EDIT/DELETE IT, IF IT IS OK TO STAY HERE THEN I GUESS IT STAYS - thanks.