Comments on: Hair Bands, Soviet Russia & the 1989 Kramer Gorky Park Electric Guitar

By: Wayne Crandall

Wayne Crandall — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 03:15:37 +0000

I won one of these at a giveaway in 89 or 90 at Monte Vista guitar shop no longer in business. The ad said win one of 1000. The band was supposed to come to the shop but only visited the Seattle store.

By: Tina

Tina — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 17:13:05 +0000

I also own one of these. Purchased in the early 1990s in St. John’s, Newfoundland Canada. It is definitely a conversation piece. 🙂

By: Frank Robbins

Frank Robbins — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 00:35:56 +0000

These guitars were actually made as promotional items, to be given away
at the many in-store appearances GP
did. Many dealers balked at the fact that
Kramer made the dealers actually PAY for them, at a price higher than any other Striker quality guitar, so many dealers bailed on the promotion, hence the stack of these that were finally sold cheap.
A very important missing part of the story above is the guy who actually played the guitar this one is modeled after.
Alexei ‘Alex’ Belov was the other guitar player in GP, and had as his main guitar a balalaika shaped electric made in Russia from an old piano soundboard. Kramer built him 5 more in the Spector division of the company, 2 of which were build up and went on the road and the remaining 3, because of budget issues were mothballed. I bought them when Kramer was folding up, and since have sold off 2 to collectors.
I know all this because I was their guitar tech for a year, while they toured the US and a short run overseas in Denmark, after working at Kramer for a little over a year, and kept up contacts there as they closed the place up. I bought a bunch of parts at the end with the idea of building some guitars but eventually sold off most of the parts over the years. I still have my red ‘signature’ Balalaika tho!

By: Sean Tighe

Sean Tighe — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:18:57 +0000

There are more bits of the Berlin Wall than there ever was of the Berlin Wall…
I seem to recall one of these guitars in Music Ground in Doncaster, UK in the early ’90s. It wasnt cheap because of the Sambora connection.

By: Michael Welch

Michael Welch — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 14:52:00 +0000

I also have a piece of the Berlin Wall.

By: Jared

Jared — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:12:58 +0000

Funny… I saw one of these at Musician’s Discount in Mesa, AZ several months ago. I actually humored the idea of buying it. Kewl!

By: Paul Sherman

Paul Sherman — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:44:32 +0000

Last year I read on the interweb that Gibson no longer had rights to the Kramer thing…

By: Paul Gagné

Paul Gagné — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:11:23 +0000

Great story. I think Gorky Park were discovered by German band Scorpions when they toured Soviet Union in April 1988. Scorpions were the first western real hard rock band to be allowed to perform in the USSR. Scorpions put Gorky Park in contact with their US manager, the infamous Doc McGhee, leading to the connection with Bon Jovi, Sambora and ultimately, Kramer guitars.

By: John

John — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:47:32 +0000

I worked at Thoroughbred Music in the 1990s and I remember tons of these guitars stacked up for cheap, maybe $99? I suspect there’s still a ton of these in the Tampa, FL area.