The Legacy Begins in 1976

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The Kramer Guitars Years

In 1976 Henry Vaccaro Sr. became Co-Founder and CEO of Kramer Guitars and helped bring to life one of the most revolutionary ideas in modern guitar design: the aluminum neck.

These early Kramer instruments delivered exceptional tuning stability, strong note attack, and extended sustain, offering real performance advantages for working and touring musicians. At a time when reliability and consistency were constant challenges, the aluminum neck changed expectations of what a guitar could be.

Artists Noticed Immediately

Across genres, Kramer aluminum-neck instruments were embraced by players who valued clarity, precision, and durability.

Stanley Clarke, Johnny Graham of Earth, Wind & Fire, 10cc, Kansas, Gene Simmons of KISS, Hank Williams Jr., The Johnny Cash Band, and The Jacksons were among the early adopters who carried this innovation onto world stages.

What began as an experiment quickly became something much bigger.

The Eddie Van Halen Moment

By the early 1980s, Kramer connected with Eddie Van Halen at a pivotal moment in rock history. He recognized the performance advantages of the aluminum neck, but the weight and feel didn’t fully align with his playing style.

That feedback marked a turning point.

Aluminum had pushed performance forward, but players ultimately gravitated toward what felt familiar. As Van Halen’s influence grew, that shift accelerated. Kramer adapted, moving toward wood neck designs, and as MTV took off, the brand surged into the cultural mainstream.

The MTV Era

During the wood-neck era Kramer became one of the most visible guitar brands of the decade, seen in the hands of artists such as Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Skid Row, Great White, Queensrÿche, Loverboy, and The Cars.

It was a defining chapter in modern guitar history.

A Question That Never Went Away

For Henry Vaccaro Sr., the original challenge remained:

How do you keep the clarity, sustain, and stability of aluminum while eliminating the weight?

The Birth of Vaccaro Guitars

In the 1990s that question led to a new solution.

Henry Vaccaro Sr. and Henry Vaccaro Jr. launched Vaccaro Guitars around a redesigned concept: an aluminum core wrapped inside a traditional wood neck.

This hybrid approach preserved the tonal benefits of aluminum while delivering the feel and balance players expected from a modern instrument. That idea became the foundation of Vaccaro Guitars and a new chapter in the family’s design legacy.

The Vaccaro Era

Under the creative direction of Henry Vaccaro Jr., Vaccaro Guitars built a reputation as a true alternative to mass-market manufacturing.

Independent and forward-thinking artists were drawn to instruments that balanced tradition with innovation and refused to follow trends.

Players from this era included

The Edge, Fountains of Wayne, Lenny Kravitz, Hole, Porno for Pyros, Billy Idol, Kid Rock, Everlast, Nancy Boy, Jane Jensen, Ira Dean, and Stevie Salas.

These were artists who valued originality, tone, and guitars with real character.

The Story Continues

Today Vaccaro Guitars continues that same spirit.

What began in a small New Jersey factory more than five decades ago now lives on as a modern brand built on experience, innovation, and family heritage.

We didn’t read this history.

We lived it.