Kramer

Kramer Guitars was founded in 1976 in Neptune, New Jersey by Gary Kramer and Dennis Berardi. Kramer had previously worked as a salesman for Travis Bean Guitars, whose aluminum-neck instruments inspired the new company's founding concept — with one key refinement: walnut or maple wooden inserts set into the aluminum neck in epoxy, addressing the weight and cold-feel criticisms of Bean's fully metal approach. Early bodies were built from premium tonewoods — curly maple, koa, walnut — with Schaller and DiMarzio hardware throughout. Gary Kramer himself departed within a year; Dennis Berardi ran the company through its defining decade.

The pivot to wooden-necked guitars came in late 1981, following Charvel's lead. Kramer initially copied Fender's headstock shape before a cease-and-desist forced the "beak" design. The EVH relationship began through a chance meeting between Berardi and Van Halen's manager on a flight — Van Halen was looking for a tremolo that held tune, Kramer had the Rockinger system, and a deal was struck. When Van Halen grew frustrated with Rockinger's engineers at a subsequent meeting, the switch was made to Floyd Rose exclusively; Kramer locked in an exclusive Floyd Rose deal in early 1983, which became the brand's defining competitive advantage. By 1985 Kramer was the best-selling guitar brand in the US.

The collapse came fast: a Korean labor strike in 1987 created massive backorders, endorsement spending overextended the company, and a royalty lawsuit with Floyd Rose finished it off. The original Kramer closed in January 1991. Gibson acquired the brand out of bankruptcy in 1997 and has operated it since, with reissues and new production running in parallel.

Kramer also had a notable collaboration with American Showster — documented elsewhere on this site — producing the Kramer American Showster series of metal-loaded guitars between 1988 and 1990 under license from Rick Excellente.