Kramer had a little more success when it introduced the small-bodied, headless Duke guitars in the early 1980s. Stanley Jordan, the jazz tapper, was probably their most famous player. Their guitars were kind of a niche item, well made and generally well-received by players, but certainly no threat to Gibson or Fender. Kramer, as you recall, began back in 1976 with the novel idea of building guitars with aluminum necks, sort of “improved” Travis Beans. Or, actually, a copy of Kramer’s “copy” of a Gibson Flying V! You almost need a scorecard! You see the potential for ironies here…įor guitar enthusiasts with a short memory, Kramer’s Focus and Striker series guitars are a cause of some confusion and, to be sure, there have been some unscrupulous people who’ve taken advantage of this fact. It’s a knock-off of a Kramer guitar, but a copy of a Kramer made by Kramer itself. That’s why I love guitars like this 1983 Kramer Focus K4000. And, if there’s a guitar story that’s full of more irony than that of Kramers guitars, I don’t know about it. I love ironies, those unexpected little twists and turns that make you smile.
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