Kramer Proaxe

The Proaxe Page

One of the last production Kramers to come out of the factory was the ProAxe series in 1989. These guitars were designed partly by Ed Heller who was a repair specialist and Kramer luthier since the early 1980s. The ProAxe guitars were developed to carry the new Floyd Rose Pro trem and took on a 7/8 scale mahogany body with a scalloped lower horn, recessed trem cavity, a reverse pointy head with "ProAxe" after the logo, black hardware, Seymour Duncan pickups and a 24 fret ebony fingerboard with pearl markers.

There were 3 types of ProAxe which were distinguished by the pickup configuration:

First was the top of the line ProAxe Deluxe which was the HSS config. had a Trembucker in the bridge and 2 Hot Rail single coils in the mid and neck positions. Controls were 1 vol, 1 tone, coil tap switch and five way pickup selection.

Second was the Special with 2 hums; a trembucker in the bridge and Duncan '59 in the neck, 1 vol, 1 tone and 3 way select switch.

Last was the Standard which sported a Trembucker in the brigde and a reverse tilted single coil Hot Rails in the neck position. Controls were 1 vol, 1 tone, coil tap and 3 way switch.

Catalogs give us the following: basic colors were pearl white, black, candy red, candy blue, and black sparkle, and retail prices and specs were as follows:

Proaxe Deluxe $1550

Body: 7/8 size Mahogany
Neck: Three piece laminated maple
Fingerboard: 24 fret Ebony, 24 3/4 scale
Bridge: Floyd Rose Pro (recessed)
Bridge Pickup: SD Trembucker
Neck/Middle Pickup: SD Hot Rails
Controls: volume, tone, coil tap for neck position
5-way pickup selector switch
Black Schaller Hardware

Proaxe Special $1525

Body: 7/8 size Mahogany
Neck: Three piece laminated maple
Fingerboard: 24 fret Ebony, 24 3/4 scale
Bridge: Floyd Rose Pro (recessed)
Bridge Pickup: SD Trembucker
Neck Pickup: SD 59
Controls: volume, tone
3-way pickup selector switch
Black Schaller Hardware

Proaxe Standard $1500

Body: 7/8 size Mahogany
Neck: Three piece laminated maple
Fingerboard: 24 fret Ebony, 24 3/4 scale
Bridge: Floyd Rose Pro (recessed)
Bridge Pickup: SD Trembucker
Neck Pickup: SD Hotrail Slanted
Controls: volume, tone, coil tap for neck position
3 -way pickup selector switch
Black Schaller Hardware

The ProAxe series did not last long as the company went under the following year. These days ProAxes can be found on Ebay once in a while. For the money, and considering the original prices, these guitars can be considered today as a great value.