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I am looking for a Kramer guitar,
new reissues and previous 2015 reissues consider but not the bottom line models please,
not interested in:
strikers
any of the bigger S style body shaped ones
neck throughout construction
non S style body shapes,
neon or tiger colours.
thank youuuu!!
Comments
I have 2 indo 84 one is 2016 the other 2017 and both are great guitars and are head and shoulders above any other modern Kramers that I have owned or played.
This one in the pic below is a 2017 build it is the 84 it has a maple body.
I will say though that in my experience the different models such as the pacer imperial or pacer vintage from 2016-2017 are not the same quality
When I first had my 2016 built 84 which is a diver down paint job I also had a Kramer pacer special that was actually built in 1984 with a Sports maple body and a Sports neck with the beak headstock and the 2016 built 84 and the real 1984 built Kramer sounded virtually identical. The 2016 built one was a better player than the real 1984 built pacer special.
I do have a sound basis for comparison as I have owned and still own vintage Kramers and I have owned quite a few of the modern ones ranging from 2008 right up to 2021.
Music Yo era and 2016-2017 definitely seem to me to be better years for modern era Kramers.
Biggest bang for buck for my money right now are the early Focus from 84-85 and the JK1000 series which from 1986 were all ESP built.
Although I do actually have a very early JK1000 with serial number 0185 that was not ESP built and its easily one of my best kramers. it's a heavy ass maple body.
These pics are the 2017 Kramer 84
https://i.imgur.com/m0povmr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8OyojZ5.jpg
thanks a lot for all the info kipple, it really is helpful!
so basically your suggestion is to find an Indonesian 2016/2017 built better than buying any current reissues right? are the 84s generally better than the pacer for any particular reason?
a Jk 1000 is already at the top of my list but they don’t come by very often...,by the way, is the one on the pic a polar white finish?
The 84 in the pic is white not sure what kramer actually calls the color.
I have no real insight as to actually why there are differences but the Kramer pacer vintage that I bought and played from same era 2016-17 were very hit and miss they had flaws in finish and neck pockets were not cut as accurately which results in neck alignment issues.
The BIGGEST thing was the sound/tone of the 2016-17 Pacers was nowhere near as good as the 84 models. Also the nut shelf on a couple of the pacers were cut so the Floyd nut sat too high for my liking. The neck profile on the pacers are different but that is not really a negative that's just a matter of taste. The Pacer versions were what Kramer describe as the Pacer Vintage, I wouldn't buy another.
The current Kramers are VERY hit and miss, I bought 3 Tiger pacers last year and all 3 had to be returned. Last year a friend of mine bought a Soda Green 84 Alder body I think 2020 production and it is a superb guitar so I bought one and when mine turned up it was a train Wreck, The neck pocket was very badly cut it looked like it had slipped in the Jig when being cut and the edge of the neck pocket on the bass side was cut at one angle half way through and another angle the other half. So it went back..
Here are some JK1000 I have with me now
Something here to fuel your gas... Sorry!
1st pic is my ash body JK1000 it's got a Seymour Duncan ' MJ ' wound AKA Maricela Juarez Screamin demon in bridge.
2nd pic is also JK1000 looks black one day and blue the next it's also got an MJ wound pickup which is a JB
3rd pic is my Maple bodied JK1000 and is serial number 0185 so probably one of the very 1st batches made in JK series and its got a Seymour Duncan MJ wound JB
To be honest I am still learning about Kramers and still have some huge gaps/blind spots in my knowledge but I'm getting there and when I don't know stuff I go to the Kramer forum for help.
https://i.imgur.com/RDRRq5a.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JLqDBYL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/F3K7xuC.jpg
it’s a shame that the new ones are so hit and miss, I guess is best to try before buying but here in London, there is no 84 nor pacer in stock atm.
I will keep my eyes open for an ESP, MusicYo or 2016-2017 Indo then..
btw, what amp do you normally plug them into if I might ask Kipple?
https://i.imgur.com/Ve5Skcr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/O51eHjE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1zHy606.jpg
did you ad a single coil?
any photos buy any chance?
feel free to PM me if you want mate!
wherever I buy, I will be running it through a stock 100w Super Lead with an original Guvnor pedal in front of it most likely, but the 5150 is another classic!,
thank you!
I was surprised when my mate sold it and I think he regretted it afterwards.
You had a real REAL bargain killer guitar at £400
An LK1-BF and a JK1000 are the same guitar apart from the Trem system, The JK1000 came with a German Floyd and the LK1 Came with the Takeuchi Trem but... My mate changed the Takeuchi Trem out on his LK1 for a German made Schaller Floyd rose... Which is why I asked because yours looks like it has the schaller on it.
I seem to remember the LK1 guitar my mate had was in really great condition apart from the Ding, I think my mate calls himself NavyUK or something like that on Ebay. Very nice and cool guitar either way
All the JK LK series were made for the domestic Japanese market only and they had their own brochures that were only ever circulated in Japan and I don't know if you would know this but back in the day when it came to building Kramer building guitars for USA market Kramer gave ESP very strict budget/cost restraints regarding the materials they were allowed to use for the necks fretboards and bodies for the USA/American series and the Focus guitars.
BUT... When it cam to the Japan only market JK LK series ESP were given free reign by Kramer and were allowed to use whatever materials they wanted and as a result quite often the materials used for the bodies and necks and fretboards were way superior also the Japanese pride and sense of competition would not allow them to produce guitars that were below par.
One of my white JK1000 that has the single coil size neck pickup has one of the thickest slabs of rosewood for the fretboard that I have ever seen on any bolt on neck and the body is Ash and it absolutely sings.
The workmanship on the neck of my other white JK1000 with the single pickup has an insane degree of workmanship put into it. In the same way a Gibson has fret end binding nibs my JK has Rosewood fret end nibs left on the edge of the fretboard that are actually part of the fretboard itself . The nibs were a result of someone painstakingly levelling down the rosewood fretboard whilst leaving the wood for the nibs intact and sitting out at a higher point than the fretboard so they act as nibs . That would have taken a lot of work and skill to do that. The Rosewood on the fretboard is so smooth and hard it's more like Ebony,
This in the pic is the area on my mates arun LK that had a small ding. is it the same ne you have?
https://i.imgur.com/aiJWQoD.jpg
I would have been interested in an original 80s era . Probably sounds daft but I need to find a set of West germany Schaller tuners and I would have bought it and swapped the tuners out for grovers and used the Schallers on an old Kramer Vanguard I have here, unfortunately the 2020 versions don't have the west german versions. So it wouldn't really be any use but... Out of interest How much you asking please.
1987/88 USA Kramer Pacer Custom II, ESP Japan made and assembled in USA (unlike the Jolana Pacer Customs which were Czechoslovakia). Maple neck with Rosewood board, Kramer 'Claw' inlays. Original Floyd Rose Trem, Schaller Tuners, Seymour Duncan JBJ Bridge Humbucker (Marciela Juarez wound) 2 X Seymour Duncan APS-1 Staggered Single Coils. Pointy headstock with Large K to Small R Kramer Pyramid logo. Just been refinished in Candy Purple Raspberry.