Kramer SM-1 Electric Guitar Review
Our Verdict and Review Summary
A very flexible and gain-friendly hard rocker, the SM-1 has a lot of application for both rhythm and lead styles. The Seymour Duncan JB bridge pickup promotes a lot of intensity, but this is certainly one of the heaviest (in terms of tone) guitars I've played.
BEST FOR: Metal, hard rock, lead/rhythm hybrid styles, high-gain, power chords.
PICKUPS
92
BRIDGE
90
TONEWOOD
95
TONE
95
- AAA figured Maple top is one of my favorite specs to see. Props to Kramer for specifying the tonewood grade.
- Seymour Duncan JB is hard to beat.
- Seymour Duncan Cool Rails are still really punchy.
- HSS arrangement adds a lot of flexibility.
- Floyd Rose bridge.
- Looks absolutely fantastic.
- Lots of appeal to a wide range of playing styles, not just metal.
- I didn't like the cleans as much as the distorted tones, but that could be a question of preference as well.
- Note sure how I feel about the dinosaur claw-lookin' inlays.
I was excited to test this guitar since Kramer is not a brand I've spent a lot of time with. I love my PRS collection, but this was a nice change of pace. Plus, I haven't gotten to mess with a Floyd Rose in a long time. For my review, I tested with two amps, a Boss Katana 50 and Mesa Rectoverb. The recordings below are with the Katana. The SM-1 is very metal and modern, which is definitely a comfort zone for me, but not for blues or subtlety.
Whenever you see a AAA figured Maple top, you're in high-quality territory.
Tone and Sound of the Kramer SM-1
I used my Amptweaker TightMetal distortion for testing gain levels, which paired very well with the SM-1. High-gain is clearly in this guitar's wheelhouse, as it produced a very smooth saturation with a lot of sustain. It reminded me of Brad Delson's heavy Linkin Park tone, which I took for a spin here to illustrate the guitar's distortion sound:
The SM-1's clean tones didn't thrill me quite as much, but with the five-way selection blade and the coil splitting switch, there's plenty of options to work with. But it's definitely more of an '80s shredder than a gentle open-chord sort of guitar.
Controls and Onboard Flexibility
There's a switch for the coil splitting, which I like better than the push/pull knobs. It sounded like the difference between tapped and untapped was more subtle than other guitars with this feature, which I think is because the JB is just a really high output humbucker and the Cool Rails are already similarly punchy. But overall, there's a ton of room to experiment with the guitar itself, before you even get to pedals or an amp. The Floyd Rose works as advertised and, once set up, keeps everything in tune come hell or high water. I was able to tune once at the headstock, tighten the locks and then make tweaks at the bridge.
The highlight features of the Kramer SM-1. This is a different color, but the exact same specs. The five-way selection blade for the HSS pickup configuration and coil splitting give you a lot of room to work.
Since the humbucker is in the bridge position, you won't get as much brightness out of this guitar, in which case you might find yourself avoiding some of the middle-neck positions of the selector switch. It's almost like different "shades" or variations on a theme. But as a whole, this is a very multi-dimensional guitar, even if the hard rock/shredder profile is front and center.
Definitely fits the profile of '80s metal with plenty of modern amenities.
Price and Value
There are a few different versions of the Kramer SM-1, but the one I tested was roughly $1200 at the time. You can see updated prices here, though they're likely to be similar or the same:
This is a very common price range for guitars with third party pickups and hardware (Seymour Duncan and Floyd Rose) and perhaps even on the lower end, depending on the comparison. But it's the AAA figured Maple top that pushes the value a lot higher, and is something that I don't necessarily hold my breath for in this price range. Getting the Maple top, Seymour Duncan pickups, and Floyd Rose hardware is a fantastic value, so I have no complaints about the price tag.
Kramer SM-1 Review Wrap Up and Questions
The Kramer SM-1 has a lot of application in rock and heavier styles, especially for someone that dabbles in both lead and rhythm. It has less upside for blues and more subtle genres, but also gives you a lot of versatility to work with. It's price is very reasonable, which makes me think Kramer is a brand that I should keep a closer eye on.
If you have questions about the review, leave them in the comments section below and I'll help out as much as possible.
More Electric Guitar Reviews
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Electrics & Reviews
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Electrics & Reviews
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Hey there. Great review. Heads up though, there are no single coil pickups on this guitar. The cool rails are both humbuckers just in a single coil size.
Dom – you’re right. Thanks for pointing this out. I made the correction.
Hi. Good review. I used to own the original Kramer Stage master. It came with Duncan’s as well. It was a great guitar and had the original German Floyd. I guess this one is the same exact Floyd, but just made in Korea. Not a problem though.
I’m wondering if the frets were jumbos? I think the Kramer website says medium Jumbos if memory serves me, but it may have been another model . I loved mine when I had it and they were made by ESP in Japan. That said; I’ve heard nothing but good from these Indonesian versions.. I live for high gain 80s metal and blues rock so this is so me… How well were the frets? Sharp at ends and were they good and level so you can get a low action?
Thanks brother. Have a great day man and keep writing and reviewing. I have you on my phone feed so I get most of your articles and they are a pleasure to read sir..
Best regards from Southern Central Indiana. USA..
Tim.
Hey, Tim. Thanks so much for the kind words!
So I’m not a speed or lead player (I just kind of suck at it). But this Kramer just made me feel a lot more comfortable with lead runs. I do think the frets are medium jumbo and they felt “easy” I guess would be the best way to describe them? Smooth, for sure. Action was fine. It’s just a monster of a guitar, and I’m tempted to keep it instead of selling.
Again, thanks for keeping up with our content. I’m always encouraged when it’s helpful to people.