JackBootedThug
MURDERATOR
I mentioned your for sale thread earlier...even posted a link to it-on this thread.
Cheap Kramer Baretta Special is getting praise from YTers
- Thread starter jchrisf
- Start date
JackBootedThug
MURDERATOR
and Japanese Jacksons.
Japanese Jacksons are awesome but not 199 bucks
jchrisf
Well-known member
I've got an 89' Model 2 that I bought new in 89 and never have bonded with it. That thing never stayed in tune when using the whammy. When I get this Kramer I'll be able to compare the two
johnny q
Active member
Does anyone know what specific brand of strings these Baretta Specials ship with? I know the gauge is 9-42. When I installed my Gotoh locking tuners, I re-strung the guitar with Ernie Ball Rock n Roll (Pure Nickel) 9-42 and it darkened up the sound. The stock strings also seemed a little less stiff. I would imagine these guitars ship with whatever is on the Epiphones, (Perhaps Gibson Britewires?) - anyone know for sure?
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johnny q
Active member
In addition the the adjustments and upgrades I mentioned upstream, just today I got around to checking intonation on mine. It's WAY out! Not even close. I got it close enough for Rock n Roll and it plays in tune in all positions - so DO check yours if you did not already.
PS - Does anyone know the answer to my question above in post #45?
PS - Does anyone know the answer to my question above in post #45?
guitarmike
Well-known member
Around 6-8 years ago my son bought me one of those cheap Baretta's for $120 as I wanted a guitar I could change tuning easier than on my floyd guitars. I also wanted it to be a backup in case I broke a string during the worship set at church (we play 3-5 songs in a row, there is no time to replace a broken string until after the service).
Here is what I did to it to make it a very good, reliable guitar:
Here is what I did to it to make it a very good, reliable guitar:
- Changed the tuners to locking tuners
- Upgraded the volume pot
- Swapped the pickup to a Dimarzio Evo
- Installed strap locks.
Fiesta Red
Well-known member
I put a Duncan Distortion in it. The JB with the maple body was awful
johnny q
Active member
Did the strap locks "drop" right in or did you need to do any drilling or mods to make them fit? Thinking of getting strap locks for mine at some point.
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
@JackBootedThug If you want to add a locking nut to without having to do too much you you could just install it on the headstock forward of the regular nut. It's petty straightforward to do and you won't need to worry about fucking up the scale length and intonation. A bunch of 80's guitars were like that when floyds first came out. Since that Beretta has a tiltback headstock there's a good flat area to mount on. No need to try to shim something under the locking nut. Then just swap out the plastic nut for something like a graphite one. You'd also need to move/shorten the truss rod cover so it doesn't sit underneath the nut.
JackBootedThug
MURDERATOR
I have seen the vids of guys doing that and putting the spacers on there to support it. I thought why not get rid of the junk nut and bring it back up the neck a little. I know zero about building instruments so I assumed that there would be no effect on anything other than a scale length of like 25" or a tad more. If that makes any sense.....I just assumed you could just intonate it and be done.@JackBootedThug If you want to add a locking nut to without having to do too much you you could just install it on the headstock forward of the regular nut. It's petty straightforward to do and you won't need to worry about fucking up the scale length and intonation. A bunch of 80's guitars were like that when floyds first came out. Since that Beretta has a tiltback headstock there's a good flat area to mount on. No need to try to shim something under the locking nut. Then just swap out the plastic nut for something like a graphite one. You'd also need to move/shorten the truss rod cover so it doesn't sit underneath the nut.
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
What your saying makes sense, unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Yes you would essentially change the scale length but it's more than just intonation. All the frets would be in the wrong spacing. The longer the scale length the further apart the frets become to produce the same notes. The only way to change the scale length would be to replace the neck with a conversion neck; like the one Warmoth sells.
2 ways to add a locking nut would be to 1. either put it on the headstock past the original nut or 2. retrofit one in place of the original nut. #1 is much easier to do than #2.
Another option would be installing a quality set of locking tuners. Whether they'd be appropriate or not would depend on the application. Personally I wouldn't use them with a full floating floyd bridge. IMO They don't keep tuning stability the way they need to like a locking nut. But if you're using a fender style or dive only they can work wonders, especially with a low friction or roller nut.
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deadnd
New member
Kramers I own
Kramer full custom 2020
1980 pacer
a 1984 baretta
a striker 1989
presently 2021 kramer baretta hot rod.
and a cheap POS purple kramer for 150 bucks
I just bought the list price 200 dollar baretta on the cheap and
What a piece of shit.
Bridge string height will never be correct unless you shim the neck pocket.
It will never ever stay in tune even though you never dive bombed it or touched the trem.
The frets are not great either
To make this guitar playable the way it should be is to throw it out, because you are going to spend 400 more than if you just bought a good kramer at around 700.
THIS is the reason people quit playing guitar before they even start.
Dont get me wrong I didnt go into this blind,I am a huge kramer fan
and I bought this cheap only for the body but now that im looking at it,it is nothing like any of my other kramers,not the body or the neck so I will not be embarking on a cash loosing venture because even the body is lacking in proper weight and build quality.
This guitar will not go to a young person starting out either because they will quit playing as soon as it goes out of tune (every 30 seconds).
so this is going to be a wall hanger.
You will have to excuse me for this rant for it is based on the premise that you just dont buy junk and sometimes not even to upgrade as a hobby , and no one should produce something as bad as this at a price to entice young and or poor players into the world of music
Kramer full custom 2020
1980 pacer
a 1984 baretta
a striker 1989
presently 2021 kramer baretta hot rod.
and a cheap POS purple kramer for 150 bucks
I just bought the list price 200 dollar baretta on the cheap and
What a piece of shit.
Bridge string height will never be correct unless you shim the neck pocket.
It will never ever stay in tune even though you never dive bombed it or touched the trem.
The frets are not great either
To make this guitar playable the way it should be is to throw it out, because you are going to spend 400 more than if you just bought a good kramer at around 700.
THIS is the reason people quit playing guitar before they even start.
Dont get me wrong I didnt go into this blind,I am a huge kramer fan
and I bought this cheap only for the body but now that im looking at it,it is nothing like any of my other kramers,not the body or the neck so I will not be embarking on a cash loosing venture because even the body is lacking in proper weight and build quality.
This guitar will not go to a young person starting out either because they will quit playing as soon as it goes out of tune (every 30 seconds).
so this is going to be a wall hanger.
You will have to excuse me for this rant for it is based on the premise that you just dont buy junk and sometimes not even to upgrade as a hobby , and no one should produce something as bad as this at a price to entice young and or poor players into the world of music
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JackBootedThug
MURDERATOR
my 84 lists for 799.00 us.....I don't see it. I like it-it's nice...doesn't feel "cheap". To me it's a 399 guitar all day long. Unless you just want a project to play with I'd pass. Unless I just had spare parts lying around or was able to upgrade it cheap. The neck is what worries me on those things. I would just buy a better one on the used market.
deadnd
New member
I do a lot of guitar work on the side so I dont mind doing the work however I was not happy to see the fret work on even my current higher end kramers and a few other (hey do me a favor guitars) from friends.
I will not be buying any more kramers not when you can get a 100 percent better neck and binding out of an esp ltd Jackson or my favorite schecter necks. I watched a few youtube videos about how these dudes really love the necks BS BS BS.
I would like to know who did the polishing and radiusing before it was actually put in their hands because the last new 4 Ive seen have been for shit out of the box.
Heres a note:
if your doing frets use one full piece of tape and form it around the fret all the way up the fret board then start leveling and polishing.You wont have to tear the tape in little pieces to see the fret just cut through the tape.
I will not be buying any more kramers not when you can get a 100 percent better neck and binding out of an esp ltd Jackson or my favorite schecter necks. I watched a few youtube videos about how these dudes really love the necks BS BS BS.
I would like to know who did the polishing and radiusing before it was actually put in their hands because the last new 4 Ive seen have been for shit out of the box.
Heres a note:
if your doing frets use one full piece of tape and form it around the fret all the way up the fret board then start leveling and polishing.You wont have to tear the tape in little pieces to see the fret just cut through the tape.
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Mattpor
New member
(modified this response)
About a month ago I had to bite the bullet (for my son) and step foot inside a Guitar Center (>cringe<). While my son was tinkering elsewhere I took a looksy at the guitars. I've been playing for 40yrs, all sorts of music. Born and bread on a LP Custom, and have never been interested in any strat-style guitar. But then I caught the Baretta Special and for whatever reason I gravitated to it. So, I played it and while (on the rack) it wasn't dialed in to my liking but I could quickly tell it had a crap ton of potential. I really dug it, alot. And for the meager $199 price tag - hell, I was sold.
Out of the box the overall feel of the guitar was already a bargain. The action was a bit high. The frets needed smoothing. But as for playability, this thing was a monster. The stock pickup didn't do much for me. Sounded too compressed. The bridge was cast metal, small and didn't have much weight to it - which ultimately makes the guitar sound more tinny. The volume knob was only an on/off switch. But all that aside I enjoyed playing it. I knew with some mods it could be a monster. So...
I replaced the pickup with a Railhammer Anvil (love those pickups..) Much more ballsy now. Such a full sound; not nearly as compressed. A huge improvement.
Replaced the volume pot with a 500k pot thus doing away with the unnecessary resistor Kramer puts on them. Now the volume knob works as a volume knob and not an on/off switch. I know you can just cut the resistor, but I didn't have faith the stock pot was any good.
Replaced the bridge with a much heavier brass block bridge which greatly improved the tone, sustain and warmth of the guitar. The factory Kramer bridges aren't so good and don't do the guitar much justice. A huge difference in tone. A must-do.
Final modification was the addition of a kill switch. Yeah it's corny but fun. More guitars are coming with them. A fad? Probably. But I don't care.
After getting everything dialed in I gotta say - this is now an absolute JOY of a guitar to play. Parts (new) could set one back about $100-$150. Worth it if you ask me. This guitar now feels, plays and sounds MUCH better than any $350 guitar I've ever played.
These guitars are a bargain as-is out of the box. After the mods this thing has become my number 1 hot-rod. So fast and smooth. Great sustain. So much fun to play. I was never a strat-type player in all my years. This sold me.
I'm not much of a whammy player so I can't comment much there. The whammy threw my guitar out of tune regularly because the stock nut isn't good with the whammy bar. I've read replacing the stock nut resolves the tuning issues when wham-whammin'. Wasn't an issue for me.
I will say the purple was a strange choice of color for my tastes. It has an obnoxious but likeable character to it. Doesn't give off an 80's-ish vibe so much as it says 'I know it's ugly but I love it anyway'. It's grown on me greatly. Love this instrument now. Worth every penny.
Hope this helps some.
About a month ago I had to bite the bullet (for my son) and step foot inside a Guitar Center (>cringe<). While my son was tinkering elsewhere I took a looksy at the guitars. I've been playing for 40yrs, all sorts of music. Born and bread on a LP Custom, and have never been interested in any strat-style guitar. But then I caught the Baretta Special and for whatever reason I gravitated to it. So, I played it and while (on the rack) it wasn't dialed in to my liking but I could quickly tell it had a crap ton of potential. I really dug it, alot. And for the meager $199 price tag - hell, I was sold.
Out of the box the overall feel of the guitar was already a bargain. The action was a bit high. The frets needed smoothing. But as for playability, this thing was a monster. The stock pickup didn't do much for me. Sounded too compressed. The bridge was cast metal, small and didn't have much weight to it - which ultimately makes the guitar sound more tinny. The volume knob was only an on/off switch. But all that aside I enjoyed playing it. I knew with some mods it could be a monster. So...
I replaced the pickup with a Railhammer Anvil (love those pickups..) Much more ballsy now. Such a full sound; not nearly as compressed. A huge improvement.
Replaced the volume pot with a 500k pot thus doing away with the unnecessary resistor Kramer puts on them. Now the volume knob works as a volume knob and not an on/off switch. I know you can just cut the resistor, but I didn't have faith the stock pot was any good.
Replaced the bridge with a much heavier brass block bridge which greatly improved the tone, sustain and warmth of the guitar. The factory Kramer bridges aren't so good and don't do the guitar much justice. A huge difference in tone. A must-do.
Final modification was the addition of a kill switch. Yeah it's corny but fun. More guitars are coming with them. A fad? Probably. But I don't care.
After getting everything dialed in I gotta say - this is now an absolute JOY of a guitar to play. Parts (new) could set one back about $100-$150. Worth it if you ask me. This guitar now feels, plays and sounds MUCH better than any $350 guitar I've ever played.
These guitars are a bargain as-is out of the box. After the mods this thing has become my number 1 hot-rod. So fast and smooth. Great sustain. So much fun to play. I was never a strat-type player in all my years. This sold me.
I'm not much of a whammy player so I can't comment much there. The whammy threw my guitar out of tune regularly because the stock nut isn't good with the whammy bar. I've read replacing the stock nut resolves the tuning issues when wham-whammin'. Wasn't an issue for me.
I will say the purple was a strange choice of color for my tastes. It has an obnoxious but likeable character to it. Doesn't give off an 80's-ish vibe so much as it says 'I know it's ugly but I love it anyway'. It's grown on me greatly. Love this instrument now. Worth every penny.
Hope this helps some.
Attachments
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MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
So $200 for the guitar plus several hundred more to upgrade all the hardware, pickup and electronics. Then a fret finish, more money if you can't do it yourself. And in the end it's still only worth $200 at best. At that point just put out the money for something you can play right out the box without upgrades.
I said it before, if you enjoy doing mods and upgrades for the joy of it then by all means go for it. It's something I enjoy doing also. Just don't go in with a delusion that you're going to have a spectacular guitar on the cheap. Yeah, you can come out with a great guitar but in the long run you'll spend more time, effort, and money than you would just buying a better guitar to start. Truthfully, you'd probably get something better in the end for the same investment doing full partscaster.
I said it before, if you enjoy doing mods and upgrades for the joy of it then by all means go for it. It's something I enjoy doing also. Just don't go in with a delusion that you're going to have a spectacular guitar on the cheap. Yeah, you can come out with a great guitar but in the long run you'll spend more time, effort, and money than you would just buying a better guitar to start. Truthfully, you'd probably get something better in the end for the same investment doing full partscaster.