Scored me a Kramer cheap! Quick question also!

[coloradoman25]

Hit up craigslist on my way out the door last night and to my surprise I saw a baretta.

Quick glance she looked decent and for 100$ who would ask much. Even came with the worlds cheesiest case! Just 2 decent chips but I really could care less it adds character.

Drove over at roughly the speed of light to find a nice black baretta with a sick sweet action original pickup and dome knob.

OFR in great shape with all locks and even the bar. I never even plugged it in just said I will take it got in the car and left to go out for the night.

Got her all set up and cleaned up with a set of new 10s on her and it just fuckin rips. This is one of the fastest playing cleanest sounding axes I have ever laid my hands on. It just screams to shred!

I think this one will be in the stable a long time! Pics soon!

Its a B series serial anyone have any idea of what year that may be?

[nhspike]

Congrats!
www.vintagekramer.com will give you all the info you can handle.
Probably 1983 or so.
Welcome to the inner circle of Kramerville.
hehe

edit:
here's the page over there on serial numbers:

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

[coloradoman25]

It seems I have an anomoly. Its a pointy with the cast B plate. No second letter and I have a recessed rout but not scalloped horn. Definintely a nice axe though. Not sure if its american or not but I am assuming import as it doesnt say american on the headstock.

\Thanks for the links!

[Firebird V]

Pics?

[Dogbone]

Need pics... A cast B plate?? Weird??
Sounds like it should be in the 87-89 era, with a recessed trem. Sure the B isn't an E? That would fit. What does the Logo look like? Does it have the Large K to small r, or are the letters the same size?
Could be a mutt, but if it plays great, who cares... A lot of mystery when it comes to Kramers
I will agree though... The Baretta is a great guitar! I have one, and another that I will be picking up soon

[coloradoman25]

Large K little R and I am sure its a B plate and Cast. It could be a mutt but everything sure matches up nice. Ill get some pics tonight.

[Vass]

Sounds like an 87. I have the same body (no scallop/recessed floyd).

Does it say "American" on the headstock? I'm assuming pointy, not hockey stick....?

[coloradoman25]

No american on the headstock. It is a pointy, has a recessed OFR The big K little R for kramer as it pans outward.

[nhspike]

Could be a focus 1000 maybe?
I have one, and love it.

Here's a pic:


And here's my focus 6000 with pointy, and logo like you describe:


Does it look anything like either of these?
Foci are great guitars!

[coloradoman25]

How would I differentiate between a baretta and focus? Seems to look like both lol?

[nhspike]

The website has a great section on indentification based on body contours... which vary slightly.
Is it a sharp-edged body like the black one, or more rounded like the red one?

[coloradoman25]

I cant see your pics lol I am at work military base blocks them

This is my headstock but mine simply says Kramer nothing more it is the "diminishing" logo. To go with this its a dot only neck with no binding.



The plate is Cast Neptune NJ Number B23127 I think I know its B for sure.

Body looks very much like the 85 baretta on vintage kramer, but it has no scallop but does have the recessed trem. I am thinking it could be a mutt I will get pics asap.

[Vass]

I swear I saw somewhere on VK that diminishing Kramer logos without American after them were always overseas models, but I can't find that on their site now.

I guess the easiest is this, although not conclusive- Is the input jack a barrel jack or does it have a plate on it?

If it's a focus, 2 points- It's most likely ESP parts assembled in Japan rather than ESP parts shipped to America and assembled in Neptune. Focii are A W E S O M E and for $100 you absolutely got a steal of a deal regardless of where it was built.

[coloradoman25]

Plate on the lower side not on the face 4 screws. Single slanted hum

Reading the history there were some odball barettas with that cast plate but maybe it is a focus. But looking at the focus on the site it is similar to the 1000 but there is no hockey stick headstock its sharper.

[Vass]

OK here's some basic stuff that might help-

I was asking about the input jack- If it's a barrel jack (no little plate holding it in like a Jackson would have) then that's indicative of one assembled in Neptune. If it has a little plate around it, oval or square, that's indicative of a Focus.

If the middle screws on the cavity cover are slightly offset from each other, not parallel, that's a USA trait. If they're directly across from one another, that's a Focus trait.

There were TONS of freakshow shit coming out of the Kramer factory. Nothing is a hard and fast rule with Kramers, for the most part- They take a little detective work, and it's an accumulation of several factors rather than just one that helps you figure out what's going on.

Either way, in the end it doesn't matter. Both guitars generally play like a motherfucker. I have a USA Baretta and a USA necked monster with 2 hums and a floyd and a switch on it that I have no idea why they placed it where they did, so 99% MUTT with good pups and a floyd. There is no way that body came from Kramer, unless, of course, it did. And it might have. Just the way it is. And that one sounds like someone took 3 55 gallon cans of pure anger and set them on fire with a hand grenade- So I'll never try to make it "stock" because it's utterly insane the way it is. Same with yours, apparently- If it screams like a lunatic and plays like a dream, who cares where it's from. Leave it alone!

The really early beak stuff was more straight forward- I have a Pacer Special and The Pacer. "The Pacer" is in the shop, so I haven't played with it yet. The Special is a monster. Originally came with a Floyd. Or a flicker. Or a Rockinger. Or maybe that Floyd IS original. Anything is possible, and that's what makes Kramers so much fun


Vass