The Kramer 612 is a guitar from 1987. In the 1980s Kramer guitars were associated above all with Eddie Van Halen – and that is exactly why, as his fan, I always wanted one.
The Overseas series
Mine comes from the Overseas series, which means it was not made in the USA – although the serial numbers seem to say otherwise. Unfortunately I couldn’t find information about the wood. I think it is basswood or poplar, but I’m not sure.
How I got it
I have owned the guitar since 2006. I bought it for next to nothing and then put three or four times as much into it. That is how it goes with guitars you love.
Mods
- I replaced the original pickups with branded ones – I still have the originals. Today it carries Seymour Duncan and Bill Lawrence pickups, among others (more in a separate video and article about the clean tone of this guitar).
- In 2007 I had jumbo frets installed. Since then it has been very comfortable to play. The nut had to be raised slightly, as the original sat lower.
Sound
The Kramer is so versatile that you can record almost any style on it. The mix of single coils and humbuckers gives a glassy, throaty tone that cuts through everything with its mids, while the humbuckers break through any wall like axes.
For the video I used the iconic – though solid-state – Roland Cube, because my Laney GH100L tube head and Orange PPC212 cabinet were waiting in the attic for better times. Even so, the guitar shows its character and you can clearly hear the differences between switch positions.
My collection in a nutshell
As an Eddie Van Halen fan I have a Kramer, as a Nuno Bettencourt fan a Washburn N4, and as a lover of Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci a Japanese Ibanez RG550 from 1991.
