Cheap Kramer Baretta Special is getting praise from YTers

jchrisf

Well-known member
I keep seeing influencers on YT praising the cheap Kramer Baretta Specials. Are they really that good? Even the reviews on SW are raving reviews.
 
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I want to get one just to upgrade it. I actually want to route out a space for the locking nut farther up the neck. Change the scale length a little but fuck it. if that makes any sense....
 
I was in a GC last week just to browse and they had two sparkle paint Kramer Classics in there and I picked one up and if felt like a toy. Also the frets were teeney tiny fret super narrow and not very tall. I am a huge Kramer fan but these guitars were entry level at best verging on junk status. Maybe it was their entry model and maybe there is a higher end Classic model but not to my knowledge.

The Charvel MIM San Dimas that I got in a trade was much better quality with nice jumbo frets and an alder body that had some resonance.

Keep your expectations within reason and make sure the ones you buy actually have JUMBO frets at the very minimum.
 
I bought a Baretta Special and sold it right away. Poor HW, poor fretwork. Hardware is cheap, tremolo unusable, no discussion here. Necessary to change trem, tuners, nut. Because that guitar never stayed in tune at least 1 minute. And the fretwork was really bad. Sharp fret edges and uneven height of frets, lot of buzz. I'm not spoiled and I'm a poor guitar player, but that guitar was a piece of junk. Maybe bad piece, I don't know, but I won't try another one..
 
I was in a GC last week just to browse and they had two sparkle paint Kramer Classics in there and I picked one up and if felt like a toy. Also the frets were teeney tiny fret super narrow and not very tall. I am a huge Kramer fan but these guitars were entry level at best verging on junk status. Maybe it was their entry model and maybe there is a higher end Classic model but not to my knowledge.

The Charvel MIM San Dimas that I got in a trade was much better quality with nice jumbo frets and an alder body that had some resonance.

Keep your expectations within reason and make sure the ones you buy actually have JUMBO frets at the very minimum.
I bought a bottom-of -the-line Dean ML once, and upgraded all the hardware.

You wind up with a junk guitar with some really nice donor parts for a quality guitar.

:mad:
 
I want to get one just to upgrade it. I actually want to route out a space for the locking nut farther up the neck. Change the scale length a little but fuck it. if that makes any sense....
This guy did something like that.. printed his own adaptor to put a locking nut in: EDIT.. I queued it to the proper time for the nut
 
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I bought a Baretta Special and sold it right away. Poor HW, poor fretwork. Hardware is cheap, tremolo unusable, no discussion here. Necessary to change trem, tuners, nut. Because that guitar never stayed in tune at least 1 minute. And the fretwork was really bad. Sharp fret edges and uneven height of frets, lot of buzz. I'm not spoiled and I'm a poor guitar player, but that guitar was a piece of junk. Maybe bad piece, I don't know, but I won't try another one..
That is exactly the opposite experience of Liquid Charlie in the video I post in my OP. Hopefully you just got a dud because I saw a red one at SW for $180 and went ahead and bought it. If it ends up being like yours I'm sending it back but hopefully their inspection process will make it play great right out of the box.
 
Different colors yep.

I went over the frets with 1000 grit and then gorgomyte. I swapped out the nut and tuners on 2 of the 3 and the trem on one. Changed trem springs on 2. They are really lightweight and fun, a challenge to keep in tune and the stock pickup is good. I agree keep your expectations in check but my goodness for under $200 these are great. If you hate the trem and nut just lock it down!
 
I bought one and it's a blast. Neck and frets are real comfy. Tuners/nut/bridge are basic shit but at the price point the guitar is worth it just for the body and neck.

I put an EMG 81 in mine, shaved the finish off the neck and threw a chain strap on. I use it for all things thrash.

wtAUz71.jpeg
 
You don't have to tell me anything and I get it but I have one have one for sale on the emporium and It appears to be ice cold, no replies --- nothing even though it has everything that are weak links replaced and alot of cool extras . LOL !!!
 
I want to get one just to upgrade it. I actually want to route out a space for the locking nut farther up the neck. Change the scale length a little but fuck it. if that makes any sense....
what do you mean by "further up the neck"?? ... it is very easy to put a floyd/locking nut on a vtrem guitar
 
Different colors yep.

I went over the frets with 1000 grit and then gorgomyte. I swapped out the nut and tuners on 2 of the 3 and the trem on one. Changed trem springs on 2. They are really lightweight and fun, a challenge to keep in tune and the stock pickup is good. I agree keep your expectations in check but my goodness for under $200 these are great. If you hate the trem and nut just lock it down!
It seems the cheap guitars made today are way better than the Japanese Squire Strat and Charvel Model 2 I got in the 80s for about three times as much. Those two never would stay in tune with the whammy. Hopefully I've learned enough to make it work correctly with my setup by now. But if not I saw one guy on YT put a $40 Fender trem and some locking tuners and it stays in tune now. He also sanded and lubed the nut.. another guy replaced the nut with a graphite one. There are lots of YT vids where people are upgrading these but the first one I posted in the OP.. all he did was remove one spring and he says it stays in tune.
 
You have to figure what you are getting for the money. They are very good with upgrades . Just to buy them for a body and neck for a project is well worth it.
 
what do you mean by "further up the neck"?? ... it is very easy to put a floyd/locking nut on a vtrem guitar
most videos of guys upgrading these-they will remove the plastic nut and insert a spacer for a shelf to stabilize the locking nut. If possible, I would just bring it up the neck a little. It would shorten the space between the nut and 1st fret a little bit. Make sense? Of course I have not actually looked at it. Just thinking of options.
 
These are 320$ in canada and then you consider the time in and additional what 40-80$ in parts? I'd almost go the next Kramer up with the Floyd. Gets better reviews and the fretwork seems more consistent.
 
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