Above you’ll see the two iterations of Parra’s signature Kramer Vs. His first one (right) is the Kramer Charlie Parra Nite-V Plus finished in an eye-catching candy apple red. Notable specs for the slick ride include a mahogany body, maple set neck, ebony fretboard, recessed Tune-O-Matic bridge, Grover tuners, and a set of EMG 57/66 pickups. If you’re keeping score at home, you’ll notice the production models of the Nite-V come with a master tone and master volume, but Charlie’s seen here has just a master volume and pickup selector.

The second sig is based on the radical ’80s Vanguard shape that has a bit more of an offset silhouette to the standard V design. Most of the formula is the same as the Nite-V except for the move from 22 to 24 jumbo frets, a chrome pickguard (a suggestion from his bandmate), and a LockTone Tune-o-matic bridge and stop-bar tailpiece.

Charlie runs the gamut when it comes to tunings as he’ll use everything from standard, D standard, drop C, drop B, and everywhere in between. And because of this, he will use different strings on different guitars—for his standard guitar he goes with Ernie Ball Slinkys .009–.046, when he tunes lower than that his guitars take Slinkys Heavy Top Light Bottoms .010–.052s, and whenever drop B enters the equation, he puts on Mammoth Slinkys .012–.062. He goes to task with Rens Hendrix Plectrums from the Netherlands.