Kramer Stagemaster Standard • 1986-87 • Speckle Finish Like Brian May's • OHC

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Seller's description

Kramer Stagemaster Standard • 1986-87 • Set Neck • Speckle Finish Like Brian May's • OHC. Stupidly rare and none have ever been up for sale... Right now, there are no Stagemaster Standards for sale anywhere I can find. Stagemasters began in 1986 as flat-topped, 7/8 sized sharp radiused squared-off edge bodied, rock monsters with bound pointy headstocks. They had 24 fret necks with ebony fretboards with diamond shaped inlays with a dot in the middle and a rectangular Kramer logo at the 24th fret. A small block headstock logo, non-recessed Floyd, Duncan pickups and black or gold hardware. There were three models of the first Stagemaster, the Standard, Deluxe and Custom. Andy Papiccio of Kramer noted that all Stagemasters were shipped from ESP Japan assembled and ready to sell. So technically, the Stagemaster line is not USA at all, since the parts manufactured were made in Japan and the guitar was assembled in Japan except for this one, it was found 30 years later unassembled with this non standard finish and no headstock overlay. I found these 4 pix of Brian May with a speckle finish 1986 Stagemaster online from a 1991 studio session. There is no mention anywhere of a speckle finish Kramer anything. This guitar while having a speckle finish, has no clear coat. This Stagemaster was bought as a curiosity/project and after a year or sourcing parts and assembly it became a monster player. It has an insanely low, fast action. The guitar is light and balanced. Super slim neck, no fret wear, neck straight as an arrow. Sounds great. I have no idea what lurks under this finish, there is a faint line on the headstock that might be the remnants of a repair or what we believe is a badly applied finish, there is no matching line on the reverse, see pix. The right horn (when you are facing the guitar) was apparently shortened by approximately an inch, without a body to compare it to, I'm just guessing, it doesn't look bad, just short. It has a bound neck with an unbound headsto