NGD........Kramer: "The 84" in Blue Metallic ^_^

[harddriver]

I own two original 1983 Kramer Imperials and have owned numerous 83-85 and the 87 Kramers with the thinner D profile necks. The 1982-1985 probably were the best years for Kramers at neckwise at least for me. The early ones up to 84 don't have thin C or D profile necks. The 83's are kinda chunky and with specs about .83 at the first fret and .94" at the 12th fret 12 inch radius and full C profile similar to a gibson 59 neck profile.

I searched like hell to find a twin to my 1983 Imperial with a poplar body and maple neck and after a couple of maple bodied Imperials that I flipped I came across another poplar with a close serial number to mine and the same color. My original came from the factory with no polyurethane finish on the neck and the close twin has a heavy coat of poly. The neck specs are pretty close, I keep meaning to sand the finish off but I do like the stability of the poly versus unfinished with weather and humidity.

I've checked out the new Kramer Pacers Imperials at GC and the quality is nowhere near an original and they felt cheap. The 1984's are better and I have played a friend's 1984 from a few years ago and although better than what I recently played it still wasn't quite there for the price but they are on par with the MIM Charvels and the EVH's IMHO. I get it prices for original Kramers are stupid high but so is everything else. These days I build my own to get the exact specs I want... If you can't build your own then Chubtone is a quality builder for superstrat.

If you like the guitar that's all that matters, enjoy it!

 

[The~Kid]

Congrats. Hope you are not just going through a honeymoon phase and you really do like it. I had the red one and found it to be dark, muddy and completely uninspiring. Really wanted to love it but was happy to trade it after awhile. For 399…yes….799…. Fuck no…. Maybe I had a turd. I know my bro I traded it to dumped it quick also…

Thanks man!!!! Overall build on this one is solid, super tight neck pocket too, no gaps, sleek body and great feeling neck. Got it for 550 new with warranty......... pretty much a steal for new.......


Having said that would I pay the full 800 for it or 899 the new ones with back and front matching headstock and Kramer USA pups and gig bag...... I mean after playing it, reading up on the model and the overall quality...... how resonant they are and the overall comfort/feel of the neck.

Yeah I would and IMO Gibson/Kramer is really knocking it out of the ball park with these top end Indonesian/Chinese Kramers as much with the Epis and the other Gibson stuff in general.


Glad I got it at this stupid ass deal too though not going to lie and brand new ^_^

 

[The~Kid]

HNGD Kid!

View attachment 399525

Thanks man and heres to living the good life

 

[The~Kid]

Also if your ever looking for a matching strap @NowYou'rePlayingWithPower for that Feral Cat........

 

[The~Kid]

I own two original 1983 Kramer Imperials and have owned numerous 83-85 and the 87 Kramers with the thinner D profile necks. The 1982-1985 probably were the best years for Kramers at neckwise at least for me. The early ones up to 84 don't have thin C or D profile necks. The 83's are kinda chunky and with specs about .83 at the first fret and .94" at the 12th fret 12 inch radius and full C profile similar to a gibson 59 neck profile.

I searched like hell to find a twin to my 1983 Imperial with a poplar body and maple neck and after a couple of maple bodied Imperials that I flipped I came across another poplar with a close serial number to mine and the same color. My original came from the factory with no polyurethane finish on the neck and the close twin has a heavy coat of poly. The neck specs are pretty close, I keep meaning to sand the finish off but I do like the stability of the poly versus unfinished with weather and humidity.

I've checked out the new Kramer Pacers Imperials at GC and the quality is nowhere near an original and they felt cheap. The 1984's are better and I have played a friend's 1984 from a few years ago and although better than what I recently played it still wasn't quite there for the price but they are on par with the MIM Charvels and the EVH's IMHO. I get it prices for original Kramers are stupid high but so is everything else. These days I build my own to get the exact specs I want... If you can't build your own then Chubtone is a quality builder for superstrat.

If you like the guitar that's all that matters, enjoy it!

Those things look amazing and I imagine sound and play phenomenal.


Yeah they have Pacer Classics that cost like 300 bucks and those are okay but yeah not that great the higher end Pacers that go for 1000$ like the Vintage or Carrera are where its at and those are not bad IMO and sport the 83 profile.

Maybe it's not the same as the OGs but those current production Pacer Vintage really turned me on to them to start especially those 83 type necks they use on them and they felt great IMO.


May end up getting a Pacer Carrera in red, a Vintage in White or another 84 in red after this maybe next year or later towards the end of this year.


Wish they re did something like this color too. This is from an 83 Pacer Imperial I believe.

 

[The~Kid]

Checking inside to see how thick that paint is and yeah....... as thin and paper thin as my Charvels..... that bit of white is the wood and between that and the paint its a super thin coat......... also super tight neck pocket......


Partly a slant route on the inside so you can't install a tremol-no but wasn't planning on doing that anyways and overall very impressed with the build with that tight neck pocket and that super thin coat of paint ^_^

 

[The~Kid]

What I hope is that they release more metallic colors like a Magenta/Hot Pink in metallic, Green/Turquoise metallic, Metallic Red, Metallic Black or a Metallic take on Texas Tea.......... maybe a "Whiskey Metallic"......


And of course flame top versions because why the hell not. Brown/Orange, Black, White and Blue or Red Tops......... Slime/Gecko tops



These 84s are fucking dope ^_^

 

[The~Kid]

Lost in translation but yeah these things are super popular in Japan too and Kramer is bigger there than in the States even it seems.......

 

[The~Kid]

Got some time to play today ^_^

 

[The~Kid]

Another thing to note here too is the series/parallel push pull........


In pushed its in series and pretty much a regular bucker but unlike a coil split with a Charvel Pro Mod for example where the coils are literally split to get that single coil tone here in parallel both coils are still active but their outputs are lowered to achieve a similar output...... also more harmonically balanced as your using both coils vs one in split....



The benefits are you get a single coil tone that has a bit more juice than if you just split it and you also get no 60 cycle hum or added noise vs a split where you do get the single coil noise and 60 cycle hum.


You don't get as much volume drop if any in parallel vs splitting.....


Pretty nifty and something I may do to my Charvels in bridge position as it's just so nice. Definitely provides more air/note seperation and isn't as stiff feeling as a split bucker by comparison and no single coil hum........ pretty awesome and it's just great. Super spanky, twangy and chimey too and in many ways much nicer a JB with a coil split because you dont get added single coil noise ^_^

I mean both ways are great but I'm really liking this parallel configuration in the bridge vs the splitting on a Charvel Pro Mod for example. I mean both are good and have their place but this parallel pup configuration isn't bad and sounds much better than expected. I was just expecting similar to a coil split and it is but a little nicer in ways too.


The volume pot really offers a lot of range too and what's great and unexpected with a JB in parallel offers much nicer more chimey, twangy and spanky tones than in split IMO. A 59 sounds great split though but here the JB really benefits with a parallel configuration to get the most out of it IMO and it just sounds fantastic.


Pretty much like a very mellow, tight, fat and punchy noiseless SSL1 on with a bit more output and very smooth and slinky in parallel mode.

 

[JackBootedThug]

The more I think about it the more I think mine was a dud. I bet a custom 5 or an emg would have woken it up. Hell maybe it was the direct mount pup that threw me off. It was a good looking guitar.

 

[rsm]

Thanks man!!!! Overall build on this one is solid, super tight neck pocket too, no gaps, sleek body and great feeling neck. Got it for 550 new with warranty......... pretty much a steal for new.......


Having said that would I pay the full 800 for it or 899 the new ones with back and front matching headstock and Kramer USA pups and gig bag...... I mean after playing it, reading up on the model and the overall quality...... how resonant they are and the overall comfort/feel of the neck.

Yeah I would and IMO Gibson/Kramer is really knocking it out of the ball park with these top end Indonesian/Chinese Kramers as much with the Epis and the other Gibson stuff in general.


Glad I got it at this stupid ass deal too though not going to lie and brand new ^_^

I like the white 84, but not big on satin white. then the control knob is black while the hardware is chrome...I'd have to put a chrome knob on it. Also like having a neck pickup.

I bought a Charvel Pro-Mod Sam Dimas Style 1 HSS, and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Weighed a ton, thick, neck felt like Fender p-bass neck from the '60s compared to my Jacksons. Lesson learned.

I'd have to try these Kramers in a store first, to make sure it's not a boat anchor like the Charvel.

The new Jackson Pro Plus Metal Rhoads is tempting...

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

I like the white 84, but not big on satin white. then the control knob is black while the hardware is chrome...I'd have to put a chrome knob on it. Also like having a neck pickup.

I bought a Charvel Pro-Mod Sam Dimas Style 1 HSS, and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Weighed a ton, thick, neck felt like Fender p-bass neck from the '60s compared to my Jacksons. Lesson learned.

I'd have to try these Kramers in a store first, to make sure it's not a boat anchor like the Charvel.

The new Jackson Pro Plus Metal Rhoads is tempting...

The necks aren't as wide or as thin as the Jacksons. closer to Charvels. The neck angle and fingerboard radius are nice which at least to me make them more comfy than Charvels, you might like that. Def wouldn't recommend ordering one blindly if you lean toward shredder necks.
That said, I want this ...

 

[JackBootedThug]

The girl who does the Pantera vids on YouTube…she’s awesome btw, said that out of all the new kramers…she felt the sabo model had the closest neck to her original Kramer..or something to that affect anyway. I personally have always wanted a night swan and I also dig the voyager that she’s playing…I think it’s a voyager anyway….

 

[rsm]

The necks aren't as wide or as thin as the Jacksons. closer to Charvels. The neck angle and fingerboard radius are nice which at least to me make them more comfy than Charvels, you might like that. Def wouldn't recommend ordering one blindly if you lean toward shredder necks.
That said, I want this ...

View attachment 399848

I'm better off not finding another brand/model guitar I like. Still wanting a new Majesty 6, and a Korg Kronos 3 88 - even with the $400 tariff increase.

 

[The~Kid]

I like the white 84, but not big on satin white. then the control knob is black while the hardware is chrome...I'd have to put a chrome knob on it. Also like having a neck pickup.

I bought a Charvel Pro-Mod Sam Dimas Style 1 HSS, and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Weighed a ton, thick, neck felt like Fender p-bass neck from the '60s compared to my Jacksons. Lesson learned.

I'd have to try these Kramers in a store first, to make sure it's not a boat anchor like the Charvel.

The new Jackson Pro Plus Metal Rhoads is tempting...

Yeah I like neck pups too but this format and design kind of offer something else where it's worth the trade off. Also if I want HH or SSS I have those guitars.

While I think Jacksons are great I can't get along with the necks in general. Like a lot of Ibanez necks too, great guitars just not my jive neck profile wise. For me a lot of it starts with the neck and then it's got to have some twang and spank and then I go from there. Though if I had to between an Ibanez and a Jackson I'm probably Jackson and agree they are top quality axes in general for the money and top notch stuff IMO especially the more expensive imports.

 

[The~Kid]

The necks aren't as wide or as thin as the Jacksons. closer to Charvels. The neck angle and fingerboard radius are nice which at least to me make them more comfy than Charvels, you might like that. Def wouldn't recommend ordering one blindly if you lean toward shredder necks.
That said, I want this ...

View attachment 399848

Was looking at some other models and this one popped out...... I was thinking if I get another it's either another 84 or this as I'm a gamer too and totally falls with my vibe/swag. Plus it just looks dope as hell ^_^

 

[rsm]

Yeah I like neck pups too but this format and design kind of offer something else where it's worth the trade off. Also if I want HH or SSS I have those guitars.

While I think Jacksons are great I can't get along with the necks in general. Like a lot of Ibanez necks too, great guitars just not my jive neck profile wise. For me a lot of it starts with the neck and then it's got to have some twang and spank and then I go from there. Though if I had to between an Ibanez and a Jackson I'm probably Jackson and agree they are top quality axes in general for the money and top notch stuff IMO especially the more expensive imports.

I like Jackson and Ibanez; and EBMM; especially for the necks.

 

[The~Kid]

The girl who does the Pantera vids on YouTube…she’s awesome btw, said that out of all the new kramers…she felt the sabo model had the closest neck to her original Kramer..or something to that affect anyway. I personally have always wanted a night swan and I also dig the voyager that she’s playing…I think it’s a voyager anyway….

Yup pretty much that Snake Sabo is like a vintage profile from a certain year not sure if 83 or 85 but it's pretty much spot on to Snake Sabos Kramer which I hear was a Kramer neck on a Charvel body. So it's a "Baretta" model but it really isn't. Pantera Girl is pretty OCD about this type of stuff and I take her word for it....... I mean her name is Kayla Kent but yeah..... Pantera Girl gets down and props to Kayla ^_^



The only other one that may be similar is the Pacer Carrera and Vintage Pacer models...... these come with an 83 profile. What makes them solid, IMO as far as the 83 profiles I tried on Pacer Vintage models is that fat baseball like feel at the very 1st fret but then it slims down some good but stays fat in the right places. Really solid and it sort of starts like a very fat Fender C/Oval and then turns into a wider/slimmer 59 getting up to the 12th.


The K Speed Slim Taper on the regular 84s isn't as fat but it's got a lot of that general vibe too but just smaller but still a comfy size in general and overall just a solid neck based losely on the average feel of a Kramer neck in the 80s as different companies would make their guitars...... for example some Kramers were pretty much the same as ESP/Jackson models and in general there wasn't a lot of consistency sometimes because they would change OEMs year after year or multiple times in the same year or something like that.


Value wise the Snake Sabo and Pacer Carrera/Vintage are kind of worth it for that 83/early Kramer profile and probably the best platforms for that vintage Kramer tone short of a vintage an actual vintage one.... the Snake Sabo could be routed too even though it would take work but yeah stock it's hard not to be happy with one of those I imagine.

 

[The~Kid]

I really appreciate stuff like that and well it's pretty cool. Dude didn't just want to put his name on a guitar and make money....... he really went out of his way to make sure players got exactly what he would play...... and not have to pay 2,000$+ for a "vintage" recreation or replica and up the ass....... making sure to pass it on...... and offering something really special for players.