GARYKRAMERGUITARS
“Travis and I worked together in a car dealership in the early ‘70s. I used to watch Don Kirshner’s
rock concert on late-night TV back then, and unless the artist was really special or the group was
somebody I enjoyed, I always focused more on the equipment. I have always been a gadget person,
and I always wanted to be the first with the latest technology. On the show I remember seeing lots
of Marshall stacks, Fender Strats, P-Basses, and, of course, Gibson Les Pauls. They were basically
the only instruments and equipment I ever saw.”
outsider though, because most of the time
I was able to bring someone with me who
played, and there was usually someone in
the store who could play. At the time Travis
made his first prototype guitar, he wasn’t a
guitar player either. It was only later on that
he learned to play. Also, something most
people don’t know is Leo Fender didn’t play,
so that kind of puts me in the same position.
How did your involvement with Travis
come to an end? How smooth was your
transition into Kramer Guitars? What
was your mindset at the time?
www.premierguitar.com
I think the end came when Travis paid more
attention to his drumming than making guitars, of which we had hundreds of orders
for. I was not a luthier and I didn’t have the
responsibility of making the guitars. It was
a frustrating situation; taking orders but not
being able to fill them like I had promised.
To be honest, any breakup is ugly, but, fortunately for me, I already had started a good
relationship with Dennis Berardi, part owner
of Gracin’s In Town, who was our largest
Travis Bean dealer, so my transition was a
little easier. It was still hard on me, since
I had to relocate to New Jersey and start
all over again, and I was concerned with
making additional advancements in electric
guitars. My mindset was how I was going
to go about it.
Kramer was an innovator in the three-tier system of manufacturing – different lines built in America, Japan and
Korea, for example – early on. Were you
involved with that decision?
No, the thought never crossed our minds
to make guitars in another country. I guess
after I left, the decision to make more
money for the company must have been
the deciding factor, but that’s just a guess.
You’ve talked about how important
American craftsmanship is for you,
yet your current company follows the
tiered system of manufacturing to a
certain extent – producing models both
in the US and overseas. How do you
feel this system of manufacturing has
affected the industry?
Well, it all depends. American guitars are
PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2007 17
