A Kramer fan forum has built Kayla Kent a custom electric guitar after the company itself turned down the YouTuber's ideas when it offered her a guitar.
The JK8000 is the only Kramer model that has been officially made with a star body and a reverse hockey stick headstock. They were built in the 1980s and have since become extremely rare.
This vintage electric has been the axe of choice for Kent, who has made a name for herself in recent years thanks to her scary-accurate Pantera covers, and oddball alternative guitar takes such as 'What if Dimebag Darrell played the solo in Megadeth’s Symphony of Destruction?'.
Her eerie Pantera covers eventually led her to be in the running to join the reformed metal giants, making a list of names from which Zakk Wylde ultimately emerged triumphant.
Following her rise, Kent says she's had numerous brands try to entice her to play their guitars on camera, but those offers typically came with exclusivity clauses, which meant she'd have to shelve her beloved JK8000.
A few years ago, Kramer itself approached Kent and offered a deal that would require her to play its off-the-shelf models. Kent, though, had other ideas.
“People started noticing that I'd only be seen playing this guitar and it became associated with me in a way that was almost like having my own signature guitar, which is really humbling,” she says.
“I told [Kramer] I wasn't interested in any money, I just wanted them to make me one single backup of this guitar, because I'd be devastated to this guitar.”
Kent's suggestions that a Snake Sabo neck could be married with a Voyager body to capture the JK8000 vibe quickly fell by the wayside, with Kramer ultimately turning down her ideas for a one-off backup build.
Then, Guitar World's story on the guitarist – in which she discussed meeting Phil Anselmo, who told her she'd been considered for Pantera – caught the attention of a Kramer fan group, which decided to step in and save the day.
Understanding her plight, Kent says, the fans in the Kramer Forum “started discussing plans about how they could make me a backup guitar of their own”, and proudly declared: “If Kramer the company won't step up, then Kramer the Forums will.”
One year later, the power of the community pulled through. Kent's new JK8000 backup comes in an ice-white hardshell case, which was crafted by one Kramer forum user.
Another member, meanwhile, was responsible for the body, which was custom-made from a blank slab of alder using a trace of Kent's original Kramer.
“I really can't stress how we got the beveled edges and the proportions of the wood just perfect,” Kent beams.
Another forum member was in charge of the guitar's Baby Blue paint job and contributed the guitar's original Floyd Rose, while a fourth then assembled the guitar. A Dimebag-approved Bill Warren XL 500L humbucker (supplied by an anonymous contributor) and a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail are in charge of tones.
The neck itself was lifted from the same Snake Sabo model that Kent played on her channel in 2023, which was ripe for the picking because of its reverse headstock and JK8000-mirroring profile. The three-piece maple neck has a laurel fretboard, which has been re-fretted, while the neck has been repainted with a body-matching finish.
Finishing touches come via a mother-of-pearl capybara found on the truss rod cover, and a custom-engraved neck plate.
Of her “incredibly meaningful” new guitar, Kent concludes: “When Kramer decides to turn down my idea and their own fanbase decides to pick it up and do it anyway, that's pretty freaking remarkable.”
Having a backup will be reassuring for Kent, given the JK8000 has long been an essential component in her Dimebag-channeling style.
“Since I got the JK8000, my squeals have probably gotten way more Dimebag-like,” she told Guitar World. “That, and I like to use the bar for vibrato on bends a lot – and that's probably a Dimebag thing, too.”
