Guitar World Tech Editor Paul Riario and Video Editor Alan Chaput are back with another installment of our video series, Cooking with Sound, and this time the two are heating things up with a pair of hot Kramer Original Collection guitars.
Kramer’s history extends back to the 1970s, but as Paul explains, “Eddie Van Halen kind of put Kramer on the map,” and the brand hit its stride in the '80s with players like Mick Mars, Richie Sambora, Dweezil Zappa and Vivian Campbell.
In this demo, Paul wields a Kramer The 84, while Alan handles an SM-1.
The 84, Paul says, is “certainly an Eddie Van Halen-inspired model,” and features a lightweight alder body with a Radiant Red finish, a classic banana headstock, a hard rock maple neck, a 22-fret maple fingerboard and a Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo.
In the pickup category, there’s a single Seymour Duncan JB at the bridge, operated by a lone volume control with coil split.
The SM-1, meanwhile, adds in a Seymour Duncan Cool Rails alongside the JB, and sports a mahogany body and neck and a 24-fret ebony fingerboard with pearloid inlays.
“The SM is geared to the player that needs a little more versatility - having the other pickups, five-way switching and coil tap,” Paul says, while “the 84 has more of that total rocker vibe to it.”
But, he adds, “I say we shut up and start playing these things.”
And play them they do. You can check out the hot licks and tones in the video above.
For more information on the Original Series, head to Kramer Guitars.