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Description
The Kramer Pacer Imperial is a solid body electric guitar designed for musicians who crave classic rock tones with a modern twist. Known for its versatility, the Pacer Imperial is crafted to deliver everything from smooth, clean rhythms to soaring, high-gain solos. It's a nod to the golden age of rock with a design that meets today’s performance standards.
This guitar features a double-cutaway body that allows easy access to higher frets, making it perfect for those fast-paced solos. The alder body, paired with a maple neck, ensures a balanced tone that is both warm and articulate. Its sleek, contoured body not only looks stunning but provides unmatched comfort for long playing sessions.
The Pacer Imperial comes equipped with dual Seymour Duncan pickups, offering a wide range of tonal possibilities. The bridge pickup delivers that classic rock crunch, while the neck pickup provides smooth, creamy tones. The Floyd Rose tremolo system ensures pitch-perfect stability, allowing for dive-bombs and expressive vibrato without losing tuning. With a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, this guitar offers a smooth playing surface, ideal for both rhythm and lead playing.
Key Features:
- Alder body with a maple neck for a balanced, articulate tone
- Double-cutaway design for easy access to higher frets
- Dual Seymour Duncan pickups for versatile sound options
- Floyd Rose tremolo system for stable tuning and expressive play
- 22-fret rosewood fingerboard for smooth playability
Videos
Cristiano Stefana
Kramer Pacer Imperial
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Kramer Pacer Imperial.
Features and functionality
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The clamp-looking devices over the nut are for locking the strings, typically part of a Floyd Rose tremolo system, aiding in tuning stability.
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The tool holder on the back of the headstock is designed for storing allen wrenches, essential for guitar adjustments, particularly on models with a Floyd Rose system.
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The original finish was possibly a Metallic Blue, a color offered for the MusicYo Kramer Baretta FX-404SM.
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Setup and maintenance
Mods and upgrades
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Owners may benefit from acquiring original wiring diagrams and specs from collectors to maintain the guitar's authenticity during restoration.
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Other
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The guitar's long storage period without use might lead to various issues, requiring a detailed inspection and potential professional setup to ensure playability.
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Comparisons
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The guitar might be a MusicYo Kramer Baretta FX-404SM, known for online-only sales by Gibson, rather than a Pacer.
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Based on 1 Review and 1 Rating
579
This was a super strat that was originally released in 1981.
Kramer originally manufactured aluminum neck guitars and decided to diversify. The original guitars had Fender Strat shaped headstocks and the 4 models that were released were from the Pacer series. The Pacer Imperial is a 2 humbucker guitar with a strat shaped body that was originally released with a Rockinger Tremolo bridge. Some guitars featured the ESP Flicker bridge. The other guitars that were released shortly were the Pacer Special, Pacer Standard, and Pacer Custom. The Pacer Imperial had a side mounted output jack with 1 volume and 2 tone knobs with a 3 way selector.
The guitars later came equipped with Floyd Rose Original tremolos as standard. Eddie Van Halen was not a fan of the Rockinger tremolo and preferred the Floyd Rose. To secure the endorsement, Kramer started using Floyd Rose and later Seymour Duncan as standard. The original pickups were Schaller pickups.
Kramer later released the Carrera or Pacer Carrera which was the sleek upgraded body with deeper cutaways, Black finish, black hardware, no dot inlays on the fretboard which had the same features as the Imperial - 2 humbuckers, 1 volume, 2 tone knobs, 1 - 3 way selector. The gold font decal is the only color except for black on the guitar.
Floyd Rose later invented a sustaining pickup similar to an E-Bow that was released as a Kramer Pacer Imperial platform.
Artist usage
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He is seen playing what I believe to be a Kramer Pacer Imperial that he put EMGs into at 4:03 in the video
Steve Stevens posted a photo of this guitar on Facebook and stated he used it (a 1983 Kramer Pacer) to record 90% of the album Rebel Yell. Based on the two humbucker configuration and the year, this would be a Pacer Imperial.
A timeline photo published on the official Queensrÿche Facebook page on August 26, 2020, showcases Chris DeGarmo using a Kramer Pacer Imperial guitar. This is corroborated by an article from Circus magazine, originally published in 1985, which states: "Chris DeGarmo has been playing guitar for seven years; his main influence is Jimmy Page. Like Wilton, he plays a Kramer guitar (a Pacer Imperial with a Floyd Rose tremolo), with Seymour Duncan pickups and Dean Markley 10-gauge strings, which he changes after every other show."
I’m this video he eventually used the White Kramer Pacer imperial. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=49ibI3cczWw
Album Usage
The Kramer Pacer Imperial has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Kramer Pacer Imperial, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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