Kramer Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG: Flip Flop Fury
Legacy Under Voltage: The Pacer Deluxe Story
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG stands on the shoulders of one of Kramer’s most iconic models from the golden age of shred. The Pacer line defines the late-80s scene where guitars wear chrome, flash, and attitude like armor. The Deluxe version keeps that spirit alive with a design that walks the line between modern aggression and old-school sensibility. Players who want a full-throttle hot rod that still nods to traditional roots find their sweet spot right here.
Back in the late 80s glory days, Kramer is calling in the craftsmen at ESP to shape the bodies and carve the necks overseas while final assembly takes place in Neptune New Jersey. The operation runs like a precision pit crew. Necks and bodies are plug and play, ready to bolt up and rip without ceremony. The bones of these guitars come together fast, efficient, and ready for war.
Kramer’s deep partnership with Floyd Rose fuels the fire. Every Deluxe ships stock with the original German double-locking tremolo system that rewrites the rules of pitch abuse. Schaller builds the Floyd Rose units, so naturally Kramer loads up the rest of the hardware roster with Schaller tuners and Schaller strap locks for a full circle of reliability and metal-grade performance.
The result is a guitar that fuses heritage with horsepower. The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG carries that legacy forward, still dressed for the spotlight and tuned for battle.
Reb Beach Connection: One Video, Infinite Hype
Mention the Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG, and the conversation always swings toward one man. Reb Beach. The Winger shred titan makes the flip-flop blue finish a cult symbol the moment he flashes it in the “Seventeen” video. It is the blink of an eye that fuels thirty-five years of fan obsession and Kramer mythology. Then there’s the July 1989 cover of Guitar For The Practicing Musician, where that same guitar burns its image into every teenage dream of rock stardom.
Reb says the first Winger album is all about his mid-80s Pensa Suhr guitar, but MTV has its own agenda. Magazines, posters, and rotation playtime sell the gear just as much as the riffs. And what do the fans see? A flip-flop blue Pacer dripping in attitude and flashing the ultimate symbol of rock excess. That single video sighting cements a legend that never dies.
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG owes part of its mythology to that brief flash of MTV magic. One appearance, eternal impact.
By the end of 1989, Reb moves on. Ibanez becomes the new stage weapon, and the Kramer chapter starts to fade. Before the curtain drops, though, Kramer builds one more for him. A white NightSwan 2 with an EMG 85 and twin SA pickups in a Jake E Lee reverse slant. Reb never gets it, already being with Ibanez by the time it’s ready to present. Andy Timmons walks in the shop, fate takes the wheel, and that guitar becomes his. Decades later, stories still ripple through the gear underground about that one-off axe.
First Strike: Unboxing the Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG arrives straight from Gibson with zero middle-man interference. No tweaks, no dials turned, no secret adjustments. This is pure factory output, a direct line to what Gibson considers ready for the stage. That alone is a thrill, as a rare glimpse into actual QC from the source, unfiltered and unmasked.
Inside the shipping box, the guitar nestles in a surprisingly solid gig bag. It is well-padded, functional, and far better than expected from a company whose bread and butter has long been the $150-250 entry-level realm. The bag alone says, “We take this seriously.”
Pop it out and the fit and finish meet expectations with a quiet confidence. Strings run straight down the neck, neatly aligned. The guitar is in reasonable tune, the active EMG electronics fire up immediately thanks to a ready-to-roll battery, and the intonation checks out. Nothing is off, nothing is shocking, and yet it all hints at serious potential.
The first touch, sight, and strum of the Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG delivers that rare mix of familiarity and thrill. This is a guitar that invites you to plug in, push it hard, and see how far it will scream. No fluff, no padding, just the real deal ready for a first strike.
Poplar and Power: The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG Body
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG wears the familiar Strat-style silhouette with the kind of carves and contours that make you want to pick it up and never put it down. Every edge and curve whispers comfort, inviting hours of play without fatigue. This is a body players know in their hands, yet Gibson adds subtle tricks to keep it fresh.
The neck joint steps up the game. Unlike the original Kramer Pacer with its traditional heel, this modern version sports a sculpted neck heel. It is subtle, but that extra contour opens up the upper frets with ease, letting shredders stretch and sweep with fewer compromises.
Poplar forms the core, and yes, it sometimes gets a bad rap as an affordable tone wood. But let’s be real: poplar holds its own. Kramer used it alongside alder and maple in the classic days, and it is just as capable of transmitting clarity, warmth, and punch. It may not carry the prestige of exotic woods, but it delivers performance.
The five-bolt neck mounting system adds another layer of practicality. Extra screws secure the neck in its pocket, increasing the mechanical transference of energy and feeding sustain. Sure, it is nothing revolutionary. Legends from Eddie Van Halen to modern boutique builders have played with multiple screws and alignment pins to chase stability and tone. Yet on a guitar at this level, it is welcome, deliberate, and it works.
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG body balances nostalgia and modern practicality, giving players a familiar frame built for the demands of a heavy-handed, high-volume attack. It is comfort, it is control, and it is ready to roar.
Plug and Rip: Electronics of the Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG comes wired with the EMG 89/SA/SA set, and the entire harness uses EMG’s plug-and-play quick-connect system. It is a neat trick. No soldering required if a pickup or switch ever needs swapping. This is pure practical wizardry for gigging players or gear nerds who like fast maintenance without cracking open the cavity.
Reb Beach fans take note. His signature tones are built around the EMG 85/SA/SA set, and he has leaned on that rig for decades. The 89 is a clever twist: essentially an 85 with the ability to switch over to a single coil that mimics the SA sound. It is like giving the player one foot in modern EMG power and one foot in vintage Strat flavor.
The original Kramer Pacer Deluxe came with a coil-split switch to diversify tones. This modern edition keeps the switch, but it also differentiates itself from Reb Beach’s OG setup, which simply removed the switch. It is a nod to history without being a carbon copy.
Control placement has its quirks. The volume knob sits in the classic Strat-style location, which can get in the way during aggressive picking. The coil-split switch is crowded between the volume and first tone knob, making it a little finicky to operate. My take: move it between the two tone knobs or swap in an EMG push-pull pot for splitting. Thankfully, the quick-connect system lets players easily remove or swap the switch for a cleaner visual and to dial in the 1989 Reb Beach tone without fuss.
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG delivers flexibility, EMG clarity, and tonal options without sacrificing the iconic shred-ready feel. It is clever, capable, and commanding.
Lock, Load, Tremolo: Pacer Deluxe Hardware
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG rolls out with a Floyd Rose 1000 series double-locking tremolo system from Korea. It is serviceable, rock-ready, and smooth enough for dive-bombing and squeals. For most players, it hits the mark. If you crave street cred or top-tier tremolo perfection, an Original Floyd Rose or even a Floyd Rose 1984 upgrade is an option. Personally, I dig the classic screw-in tremolo arm on mine. Simple, reliable, and satisfying to use.
Strap pins are the typical non-locking type, a mild letdown for those expecting full period accuracy from an iconic late-80s aesthetic. Schaller locking strap buttons would have been the cherry on top, keeping your axe secure during high-energy stage antics.
Tuners mimic Schaller’s look but are not genuine Schaller units. For a guitar with a locking nut, this is a minor compromise. The nut locks the strings firmly in place, and for the vast majority of players, the aesthetic alone is sufficient, especially when compared to Schaller’s current pricing.
A thoughtful touch is the neck-thru mounting of the Floyd Rose locking nut. During inspection, one nut hex socket arrived stripped, but for tech-savvy players with spare parts on hand, it is easily remedied. Others may run into more frustration here, so it is worth a check before diving into shredding.
The hardware of the Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG blends reliable performance, thoughtful touches, and a few compromises. It is built to survive stage abuse, offer precise tuning stability, and deliver a familiar yet modern tremolo experience for players who demand both form and function.
Grip and Rip: Neck and Frets of the Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG neck is a fun diversion from the endless “ultra-thin” debates. This one leans thicker, giving a sense of substance without tipping into monster territory. It is definitely chunkier than the original legacy Kramer profile from the ESP era and noticeably more robust than the post-Gibson Kramer runs. It feels solid in hand, the kind of neck that invites confident attacks and long stretches up the fretboard without fatigue.
A three-piece laminated maple neck harks back to the ESP days, a nod to how these necks were built for stability and longevity. Done right, it resists warping, twisting, or wandering while providing a sturdy platform for both shred and sustain. Gibson adds a roasted maple treatment, making it thermally aged for tone and resilience. It looks darker and plays smooth, though we won’t be sanding through it to confirm how deep the roast goes. If that matters to you, pick one up and investigate personally.
The rosewood fingerboard is the true homage to the original Pacer Deluxe. Back in the day, this was the defining aesthetic and tonal touch. Swap it for anything else, and you risk committing blasphemy in the eyes of the true gear faithful.
Frets are well-dressed, comfortably rounded, and ready to handle high-speed legato runs, sweeps, and bends without fuss. A few frets are a hair high, but not enough to demand a full fret level and polish service. It is one of those minor quirks that does nothing to dampen the shred potential.
The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG neck delivers nostalgia, stability, and playability in one confident package. It is a neck that says, “Grip me, rip me, and don’t apologize for the thickness.” That’s what she said!
Demo
While I cannot find an official demo from Gibson on this model, I did watch this run-through from Totally Rad Guitars before I bought mine. I have to say that his opinions are fair and I cannot argue with any of the points he makes. Check it out:
Give Totally Rad Guitars a look at their website and their YouTube.
Specs
BODY
Binding – Single-ply White; Headstock
Finish – Gloss Body, Satin Neck
Material – Poplar
ShapePacer
Style – Double Cut
HARDWARE
Bridge – Floyd Rose 1000 Series Tremolo
Control Covers – Black
Control Knobs – Knurled Black Top Hat
Finish – Black
Jack Plate Cover – Black; Recessed
Pickguard – Single-ply Black
Strap Buttons – 2 – Bottom and Upper Horn; Black
Switch Tip – Black
Truss Rod – Dual Action
Truss Rod Cover – None
Tuner Plating – Black
Tuning Machines – Mini Die Cast
NECK
Fingerboard MaterialRosewood
Fingerboard Radius – 10″-14″
Fret Count – 22
Frets – Jumbo
Inlays – Mother-of-Pearl Dot
Joint – Bolt On with Black Ferrules and Kramer KeyLock System
Neck Material – Thermally Aged Three-Piece Maple
Nut Material – Floyd Rose R2 Locking
Nut Width – 41.3mm / 1.63in
Profile – 87 SpeedTaper
Scale Length – 647.7mm / 25.5in
ELECTRONICS
Bridge Pickup – EMG 89
Middle Pickup – EMG SA
Neck Pickup – EMG SA
Controls – Master Volume, Two Tone, Humbucker Coil Split Mini Toggle Switch
Output Jack – 1/4″; Recessed
Pickup Selector – 5-way Blade
Battle Scars and Missed Chords
Before pulling the trigger on this one, I did reach out to a contact within the Kramer division at Gibson. The person I was told is the brand manager. We’ve spoken a few years ago about the brand, but let’s just say things turned chilly when I didn’t fall in line with the corporate rebranding party line. I called with questions. No answer. No call back. So much for “brand engagement.”
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The price point. This Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG comes in higher than other Pacer Deluxe models, and that premium should show. For this ticket, the flip-flop finish should have been way more intense and dramatic. It’s decent, but not “wow.” The Ibanez 540PIII, for example, flexes a more striking color shift without even bragging about it.
And at this price, we should be seeing the Original Floyd Rose, not the 1000 series. The cost gap between the two isn’t pocket change, but it’s not Mount Everest either. For a guitar positioned as a faithful reissue of a late-’80s legend, this feels like Gibson trimming where they should be flexing.
This is a killer guitar, make no mistake. But a few smarter calls – richer finish, top-tier Floyd, and some brand transparency – would have taken this from “solid player” to “modern classic.”
Final Verdict: The New Old School
The Kramer Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG lands squarely between nostalgia and modern shred. It is a nod to the late ’80s, when neon ruled, EMGs were exotic, and Floyd Rose systems unlocked dive-bomb mayhem. Gibson’s version hits many right notes: solid build, faithful body design, and electronics that scream with authority.
The EMG 89/SA/SA pickups cover molten lead tones to crisp single-coil sparkle, while the quick-connect harness makes tinkering a breeze. The neck is thick, stable, and shred-ready, inviting aggressive bends and upper-fret sweeps with confidence.
Yet Gibson plays it cautiously. The finish could pop harder, hardware could push toward top-tier Floyd Rose and locking strap buttons, and some brand engagement feels distant. It is almost afraid to let this guitar fully embrace its arena-ready legacy.
Still, for players chasing the feel and look of a late-’80s stage weapon, this guitar delivers. The Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG is a confident shred machine, nostalgic yet modern, capable of ripping solos that make the crowd cheer and the amps scream.
Plug it in. Crank it up. And let it rip like it’s 1987 all over again.
For reference, this Gibson Kramer Pacer Deluxe 87 EMG guitar evaluation was conducted with a Fractal Axe-Fx II XL+ featuring Celestion Impluse Responses and Fractal MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller. Real cabs in use are Marshall 1960B, Mojotone British, and Peavey 6505 cabs loaded with Celestion Classic Series Vintage 30s and Classic Series G12M Greenbacks.
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