MEGADETH's DAVE MUSTAINE Launches KRAMER Vanguard Guitar

Kramer, the original made-to-rock-hard guitar brand, has been setting trends with premium, performance-focused instruments since 1976. Kramer is proud to welcome Dave Mustaine, the legendary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and founder of the multi-platinum selling and Grammy Award-winning band MEGADETH, to the Kramer artist lineup with the release of the Kramer Dave Mustaine Vanguard. The new Kramer Vanguard guitars arrive in Ebony, Silver Metallic, and a limited edition "Rust In Peace" in Alien Tech Green. The Dave Mustaine Collection is now available globally and at all authorized Kramer dealers and on www.kramerguitars.com.

Said Mustaine: "While on our recent 'Crush The World' tour, when I'd take the stage for our first number, 'Hangar 18', my adrenaline is racing. I'm not nervous, I'm pumped! I get handed my guitar each night by my guitar tech and I head out onto the stage to do my job. Imagine my surprise when I was a few songs into our set and I realized I was not given my Gibson signature Flying V, I was given my new Kramer signature Flying V. The playing ability of this guitar is superb and if I didn't look at the legs on this beauty, I would never have known the difference. An excellent guitar from an excellent company; this is a serious metal weapon."

With its Original, Modern and Artist Collections, Kramer offers entry-level and intermediate options, as well as guitars for professional musicians and continues to be the guitar of choice for today's rock and metal legends. The Kramer Dave Mustaine Vanguard delivers the powerful, heavy sounds and exceptional playing performance on the stage and in the studio that Dave demands. The Vanguard is equipped with a symmetrical mahogany Vanguard body, a 25.5" scale mahogany neck with a medium C Dave Mustaine custom profile, an ebony fretboard with 24 jumbo frets, black chrome hardware, and Dave Mustaine's signature Seymour Duncan Thrash Factor pickup set. The Vanguard is available in Ebony and Silver Metallic, as well as limited edition Rust In Peace version in Alien Tech Green. For all Kramer Dave Mustaine models, a custom Dave Mustaine hardshell case is included.

Mustaine is a guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader who formed MEGADETH at the dawn of the American thrash metal movement. Mustaine has sold 38 million records worldwide, earned six platinum albums, and is a Grammy Award winner, cancer survivor, and a certified first-degree black belt in Ukidokan Karate, and Songahm Taekwondo, an honorary fourth degree black belt and Goodwill Ambassador in the World Taekwondo Federation, and is currently on the way to a first degree black belt in Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu.

In February 2021, Gibson officially announced a new partnership with Mustaine, who joined the company as a Brand Ambassador. The new Dave Mustaine Collection spans acoustic and electric guitars across Gibson, Epiphone and Kramer.

Ranked No. 1 by Joel McIver in "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists" book, Mustaine godfathered fast-heavy-metal guitar generations, first as the original lead guitarist for METALLICA, and then as the founder of legendary MEGADETH.

In 1983, Mustaine founded MEGADETH, and the band released its first album two years later, established Dave and his bandmates as pioneers in the thrash metal movement. The band has since sold 38 million albums worldwide, including five consecutive platinum or multi-platinum albums in the U.S., while garnering 12 Grammy nominations. MEGADETH also landed a 2017 Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" for "Dystopia", the title track of the band's 2016 album.

Prior to MEGADETH, Mustaine was an early member of METALLICA. Before leaving the band in 1983, he had co-written a half dozen songs that would appear on METALLICA's first two albums.

In the video game arena, Mustaine composed the Grammy-nominated MEGADETH track "Sudden Death" for the 2010 release "Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock". The game also featured two other Mustaine-composed MEGADETH songs: 1990's "Holy Wars… The Punishment Due" and 2009's "This Day We Fight!"

MEGADETH's 16th studio album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", arrived last September via UMe.