I've been rocking Kramers since the early 80's so I have a decent reference for comparison. First the bad: this is not a dead-nuts copy of a mid-80's Baretta, but it is reasonably close, and with the coin original ones are fetching currently, it's not a bad way to get your hands on a legendary shredder in a way that won't kill your IRA.

Sound
With a maple body/neck and Seymour Duncan JB, Kramer nailed the sauce on this one. It could use better tuning keys, but arguably they play no part once the locking nut is cinched down. I am a sucker for the color, so I have to admit they say me coming. Once I plugged in, that familiar SD tone was present in buckets. The FR 1000 trem is hard to tell from an Original, but there is a little difference in the fit and finish. Overall, the dives roar. the harmonics squeal, and the neck is fast with good access to the upper register. I approve!

Features
For me, and many Kramer purists, there is no such thing as a Kramer without a Floyd. Many of today's generation don't like them d/t being touchy when setting up, but once it's locked down, it will play hard and come back in tune reliably. As previously mentioned, part of Kramer's original formula was to apply the "best of the best" to it's manufacturing. Schaller tuners and strap locks, SD pickups, CTS pots and of course, the Original Floyd Rose tremolo. While that would be nice, it cuts out a part of the market that Kramer and Gibson… read more are specifically going after with these new-age shred guitars. NOTE: HEY KRAMER! There's a market for American-made guitars with the "best of the best" construction method! Quit teasing us with prototype pics and get it done! We'll do our part.

Ease of Use
Once properly set up, this guitar is a beast! Polish the frets, set the action and intonation and you'll be bashing out any high speed guitar acrobatics you want. This guitar is made to shred, so it's perhaps a bit tonally limited, but it can split the humbucker for a convincing single coil sound. Don't be expecting SRV, but by all means, dump in anything by Mr Van Halen that you like. The guitar can also do modern metal as well, with plenty of output to thump, the Djent crowd will be pleased.

Quality
This guitar is built to last. Aside from a random paint flaw here or there (Mine had a gob of paint in the hole for the output jack), and the sketchy tuners, maple provides a solid foundation to maybe throw in an upgrade here and there and you'll be good to go. One thing that would be nice is if they guitar came from the factory with bolts through the neck for the locking nut. I've never liked top-mount locking nuts on guitars built for whammy athletics. That's definitely a mod that's on the horizon for my axe.

Value
I liked this guitar better when it retailed for $699, but it's still a solid base for a very sweet shredder for less than a similar American manufactured axe of a similar stripe. My question is; will Gibson bring out a throw-down, balls-to-the-wall American-made blaster for us die-hards to scoop up? Kramer? can you hear me? DC-3!, Liberty!! Clan-up with ESP again and lets get some serious blood pumping!

Manufacturer Support
I've not had an occasion to contact customer support, so I can't speak to the quality of their CS. I have heard good things about them, though, and with Gibson's backing, it's probably fine.

The Wow Factor
I didn't need this guitar by any stretch. However Kramer happened to shoot a color that I find irresistible, plus I haven't had a Baretta in 30 years, so this scratches that itch reasonably well, plus, I have the skills and parts reserve to make this a very near clone of the '85 model, so why not? For the average player, it's a solid score. For the advanced player/gigging musician, it has tons of potential to become the next main axe; it just takes a little TLC. Thanks for reading!

Musical Background:
Jamming, the occasional gig, home recording, and collaboration over the interwebs.

Musical Style:
Literally damn near anything! I favor hard rock/metal, but love blues and country as well. read less