In this video I describe my Kramer 612, a guitar from 1987. It belongs to the Overseas series, which means it was not made in the USA. The original pickups have been replaced with branded ones (though I still have the originals).

I have owned it since 2006. I bought it for next to nothing and have put three or four times as much into it. As a fan of Eddie Van Halen I always wanted a Kramer. As a fan of Nuno Bettencourt I also have an N4, and as a lover of Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci I have a Japanese Ibanez RG550 from ’91.

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. I can’t find information about the wood – I think it is basswood or poplar, but I’m not sure.

In 2007 the frets were replaced with jumbo frets, and it has been very comfortable to play ever since; the nut had to be raised slightly. 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 positions.