Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

[beaner]

Today in a yard sale I found what looks to me to be a very old Kramer. The headstock is a long skinny banana shape. Dot inlays, no binding. It has the Kramer logo, and says Barretta right next to that. The body is a about the size of a full size strat, though a lttle misshapen compared to a strat. Only one humbucker at the bridge. The bridge was a non recessed floyd rose. Black guitar black hardware. The frets were huge! The neck seemed very wide and flat, but then I'm used to playing my Les Paul so maybe it wasn't that big and flat compared to Jacksons. The neck plate was finda plain. The word "Kramer" matched the style on the headstock, with a number stamped under that. It was somewhere in the 6000 range I think. "06451" or something like that.

You guys think this was a genuine USA Kramer from the 80s? Are the old Kramers selling for much? They wanted 300 for it, but I could probably talk them down a bit.

Anyone on here from Dallas, and collect these things? It's over in north Garland.

Thanks

[kickinsomeaxe]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

[ QUOTE ]
Today in a yard sale I found what looks to me to be a very old Kramer. The headstock is a long skinny banana shape. Dot inlays, no binding. It has the Kramer logo, and says Barretta right next to that. The body is a about the size of a full size strat, though a lttle misshapen compared to a strat. Only one humbucker at the bridge. The bridge was a non recessed floyd rose. Black guitar black hardware. The frets were huge! The neck seemed very wide and flat, but then I'm used to playing my Les Paul so maybe it wasn't that big and flat compared to Jacksons. The neck plate was finda plain. The word "Kramer" matched the style on the headstock, with a number stamped under that. It was somewhere in the 6000 range I think. "06451" or something like that.

You guys think this was a genuine USA Kramer from the 80s? Are the old Kramers selling for much? They wanted 300 for it, but I could probably talk them down a bit.

Anyone on here from Dallas, and collect these things? It's over in north Garland.

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

http://www.vintagekramer.com/parts2.htm

[beaner]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

Thanks. I just found that site and dug around a bit before coming back here. It took some digging to find the info, but it looks to be the real thing. I guess now it depends on whether I wanna spend that much on it. It seems really nice, but I'm not in the market right now. If 300 is a killer deal I'd probably go for it, otherwise I guess I'll pass. I'm still searching the net trying to prices. Too bad it wasn't an old Charvel for 300.

[lerxstcat]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

Try offering $200. My cheesy trick is to pull out the money, count it and say "Dang! I've only got $200 here!" You'd be surprised how people react when they see the $ in your hand.
If it doesn't work, it helps to have someone with you who you'll retreat to "discuss it" with. hen you caome back and say your buddy has loaned you the difference, if it's a great deal at $300. I never owned a complete Kramer
but I had a Pacer banana-head neck that I put on a Jackson trad-Strat body with OFR and EMG humbucker and single coil. The neck was $75 and the body with OFR and pickup assembly was $125, so it was a helluva $200 Frankenstrat.
The neck was kinda fat compared to Jacksons and Charvels though, but with the backmounted Floyd nut I think that's needed so the neck doesn't crack at that point, like so many Ibanez Wizard necks do. That's another guitar I miss!

[bluebullet]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

i think the old american kramers are collectable and 200 to 300 for a american made guitar with a floyd is about as cheap as your ever gonna get. unless it had the hell beat out of it if you got it for 2 im sure you would at least get your money back out of it

[krimson]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

Actually, Mike Wolverton, who runs the Vintage Kramer site is from Dallas. He would probably be very interested. You can find him the kramerforum.com

[metallicarocks]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

[ QUOTE ]
Try offering $200. My cheesy trick is to pull out the money, count it and say "Dang! I've only got $200 here!" You'd be surprised how people react when they see the $ in your hand.


[/ QUOTE ]

I can testify to that one! I'm sure it's got a lot to do with how I got the Toni Iommi pickup with black chrome for only $125 brand new! Great pickup, I might add. It sounds better than my neck pickup when I need the guitar to have a neck pickup sound! (If that makes any sense...)

[Greg Crowe]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

Only the first year Barettas(1984) had "Baretta" next to the Kramer logo on the headstock. Those are worth the money easy! One confusing thing though, if it has a shiny chrome neckplate with the Kramer logo and a 5 digit all numeric serial number, that's a Japanese Focus guitar. A 1984 USA Kramer Baretta should have a serial number starting with a "C" and 4 numbers.

[markD]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

unless it was a custom ordered guitar. then it would be a plain plate with just a serial #.

[Greg Crowe]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

[ QUOTE ]
unless it was a custom ordered guitar. then it would be a plain plate with just a serial #.

[/ QUOTE ]

yep, and most of those would be w/ maple fretboards, some even having a skunk stripe in 84. If it's one of those, grab it as fast as you can !

[Big Al]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

Does the body's neck pocket have a cut out for a truss rod (even if the adjustment nut is at the headstock)? Is the body heavy like maple? Check that "other site" and compare the lower horn. On the Focus series, the horn almost points down.

[beaner]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

The neckplate wasn't chrome, it was black with the Kramer logo and the numbers. No "made in USA stamp either, though according to vintagekramer.com some of them didn't have that. VK.com also says that on occasion just numbers were used with no leading letters. Go figure. And I just glanced at the number, it was definitely five digits with what I thought was a leading zero, but it coulda been a C. I don't know if it sold or not since I didn't head back there. Looks like the early Kramer history is as cloudy as early Charvel.

If anyone on this board starts a guitar company, keep good records and use a solid ID system from the start. That way if you end up rich and famous, we'll all be able to figure out your stuff 20 years from now. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[charvelguy]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

So, the 300.00 question is:

Did you buy it?

[nonamemx]

Re: Old Kramer in a yard sale..questions!

GAH!!

Ive been wanting an old Kramer!

Why couldn't I have seen this post earlier!!

This makes me mad. I go around from sale to sale, NEVER finding ANYTHING. ITs very fustrating when people are like. . . Charvel here! or Found yardsale Gibson Les Paul for $300. Nothing but furnature, fancy figurines, and old books at the sales I go to.

Im sorry, rant over.