Any Kramer Experts in the House?

[Rising Farce]

Assuming so, I'm hoping you can help me identify an oddball guitar I recently picked up in a trade. I believe it to be an early Focus 1000 with some modifications, but not being terribly familiar with the brand, I can't be sure. There seem to have been quite a few revisions to these guitars over the years as well, complicating things further.

I've included a few photos showing various features and angles of the guitar. If you'd be so kind as to take a quick look and let me know your thoughts, I would be extremely appreciative. I don't expect it's worth a pile of money, especially in its current condition, but I would at least like to know its identity.

Nonessential trivia item: The guitar was originally owned by Brian Hoffman of the death-metal band Deicide, and his signature is on the back of the headstock. (I'd have included a photo of that as well, but it looks like I've exhausted my quota.)

Photobucket link to the whole batch: https://s1293.photobucket.com/user/jayhe ... t=3&page=1

 

[Rick Lee]

That headstock is way too thin to be a Baretta or Pacer, so I say Focus 1000. It looks just like the headstock on my old Focus. Very nice guitar.

 

[Rising Farce]

That headstock is way too thin to be a Baretta or Pacer, so I say Focus 1000. It looks just like the headstock on my old Focus. Very nice guitar.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like a pretty decent score, then.

 

[Stramm8]

Looks like an original Floyd was put on it.

 

[Rising Farce]

Looks like an original Floyd was put on it.

Didn't some of the Focuses (Foci?) come with an OFR from the factory?

 

[GregM]

Looks like the Focus 1000 I bought used in the late 90's, although mine had a black headstock and said Focus 1000. Mine has the same Floyd Rose, same single angled pickup and single volume pot. Mine had several coats of paint and had been shoved into a high school wood shop belt sander, I painted mine almost the same red as this one but metallic. It fell off a stand at one point and the headstock broke, I found an undrilled NOS neck for it on eBay a couple years ago but haven't gotten around to putting it on.

 

[Stramm8]

Looks like an original Floyd was put on it.

Didn't some of the Focuses (Foci?) come with an OFR from the factory?

Most of the Foci 1000 I've seen have the Floyd rose II. I suppose if it was an early one it coul be an ofr. This one looks a little fucked up around the bass side knife edge. Does it operate properly?

 

[Chris6870]

Looks like a Focus 1000 to me. Focus came with the good German Floyd Rose until later on.
http://www.vintagekramer.com/focus.htm

 

[Emperor Guillotine]

It looks so weird to me seeing the Floyd flat-mounted to the body and not seeing a route for it.

 

[Rick Lee]

I bought a Focus 5000 new in 1986. It came with a real German FR and I think it was flush and not floating. Headstock was red with gold script. Around 1990/91 when Kramer was going down, they had a clearance sale at the factory and were just about giving stuff away. I was out of the country that day, but otherwise would have been there. I saw a Ripley last year some guy got at that sale for $200. I got a Baretta neck for $40 and, while it had the FR nut and tuners on it, the heel was undrilled. I think the OP's guitar is a real Focus 1000. I sanded down the headstock on mine and then put the neck on a partscaster I built. I wish I knew where all those parts are today.

BTW, here's a real Holy Grail Baretta (circa 1990) my guitar teacher bought for $500 cash when the three bosses from Kramer were driving around to all the Kramer dealers in NJ to pitch it in 1983. This was one of the very first ones. I put a lot of hours on it. They never made anything this good after the first run.

 

[Chris6870]

I bought a Focus 5000 new in 1986. It came with a real German FR and I think it was flush and not floating. Headstock was red with gold script. Around 1990/91 when Kramer was going down, they had a clearance sale at the factory and were just about giving stuff away. I was out of the country that day, but otherwise would have been there. I saw a Ripley last year some guy got at that sale for $200. I got a Baretta neck for $40 and, while it had the FR nut and tuners on it, the heel was undrilled. I think the OP's guitar is a real Focus 1000. I sanded down the headstock on mine and then put the neck on a partscaster I built. I wish I knew where all those parts are today.

Kramers were nothing more than parts guitars assembled in NJ from parts sourced from ESP, Sports and others, with so many parts floating around now it's hard to tell exactly what is what these days. I used to have a lot of Kramer parts, undrilled necks, bodies, neck plates with no serial #s. I have two Pacers that I built that are awesome players. My neck stash -