Eddie Van Halen brought Kramer guitars into the '80s mainstream, after he endorsed a copy of his Frankenstrat built by the company in 1983. Soon, production-run Barettas and Pacers took off in popularity throughout the decade. For NAMM 2020, Gibson (who has owned Kramer since the mid-1990s) is revamping the brand, in much the same way the post–Henry Juszkiewicz Gibson has revamped its own lineup and that of Epiphone's: with new Original and Modern Collections, along with Artist Series models.
"Kramer’s Original Collection will include the Icon, Baretta, Pacer, Focus , and SM-1 whereas, the Modern Collection will feature the Assault , Striker , Nite-V , Bass and more. Early artist collaborations for Kramer include the Tracii Guns 'Gunstar Voyager ,' the Charlie Parra 'Vanguard' and the Dave Sabo 'Snake-Baretta' with much more to come," Kramer says in a press release announcing the new guitars.
The Original and Modern Collections aim to do two things: return to original specs and reintroduce USA-made and custom finishes like those found on the company's legendary '80s models. While Kramer says the collections will include everything from "entry-level and intermediate guitars to professional offerings across our entire line, including the USA assembled Custom Graphic Collection—hand-painted by legendary Kramer graphic artists," there are no further details on the spread of prices.
Be on the lookout for pricing and availability on all these new models. Explore all vintage, used, and new Kramers on Reverb, and click here for the latest news and gear releases ahead of this week's NAMM 2020 convention.