Kramer Pacers, 84s and Barettas......

I like the neck shape they’re using. More rounded. Just can’t gel with the flatter charvel necks.
 
Dark and muddy.
Yeah JBs aren't for everyone but they can be used for a lot and sound better than a lot og proprietary pups in the market.

I think the point is they offer it because its not too expensive but still offers value/quality and mainly the guitars with them are kind of platforms too if you want to upgrade down the future.
 
And honestly played a Pacer that blew me away.


One of the all maple construction ones with the neck and body being maple...... it's brights.... has tight bottom end..... Great top end..... and those necks.... it was a white one but those necks are a cut above.


A part of me gave it shade for not having rolled frets....... or a compound radius.... and well other bells and whistles..... oh yeah and it was made in Indonesia......

But to be doesn't that thing was the shit and along with the Pacer Limited Editions that came with Duncans.... I mean I didn't admit it the but they caught my interest...


And seeing some other players digging current production Indonesian Kramers and MIJ Kramers and even the Chinese 100 dollar ones....... I mean dude..... and yeah I may give Gibson shit for Murphy Lab for those who know me.....


But with Kramer and Epiphone the CEO really is going above and beyond to make sure your getting a great product and hell given his personal investment nvm the companies actual investment in Kramer/Gibson......



I may not agree with him but after playing these and seeing other phenomenal way way way better players than me rock current production Kramer imports Chinese, Indonesian or JP....... I'm sold and I feel I can trust that guy at the top because he's just as much a geek as I am or more so to be honest and IMO he knows what's up because these products are simply amazing IMO and if you think about it a lot of the OG Kramers were imports from Japan.......


Now they are from Indonesia or China for the vast majority of them while they do offer some Japan imports....... but yeah manufacturing and quality control are lightyears ahead now whether it be China, Indonesia or Japan relative to the 80s and the quality control and quality in general has gone up on average and narrowed compared to the 80s.....


Imo any MII Kramer now is probably as good or honestly way way better than MIJs back in the 80s in general........ Chinese Kramers same thing relative to the same priced/tier of an import in the 80s... Japanese Kramers...... yeah loads and way way way better than MIJ in the 80s too.



While American models were made that wasn't the average or the vast majority of them and on average they were all imports...... In that respect these kind of keep with the OG heritage of the old Kramers and yeah imports now in general especially the Indonesian and Japanese ones made now are way way better and lightyears ahead of anything made by Kramer in the 80s including MIA stuff I would go as far to say.
 
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I can't stand the way they did the routes for the pickups on the new 84HH. Looks like shit to me.
 
Here's my '83 Pacer. Wasn't cheap, but it was worth every penny and will probably never go down in value. Pickup in there now is a Jalen clear bobbin.

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I liked the newer Barettas and Nightswans I owned. I only sold them because they didn't get played much and were wall art more than anything else.
 
Is it just me or does this CEO seem like a total phoney?
Not everyone is a fan and yeah I give them some crap over stuff like Murphy Labs and the horror stories there......


But in general can't argue with the product lately with the Epiphones and these Kramers and Gibson in general lately and they are pretty top notch and killer and the CEO has been running the show busting these killer guitars out :dunno: :cool:
 
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I like him because he's a nerd, he has a genuine interest ImO in delivering a quality product under Gibson/Epiphone/Kramer and seeing some other stuff like the thing he did regarding the Slash collection it kind if solidifies for me this dude knows what he's doing and what he's talking about.



He also used to work at Normans Rare Guitars as the GM before heading to Gibson so he probably has more knowledge and experience with guitars in general than the average guy or most would care to think.


I mean this was pretty sick and when I saw this after getting my 1959 Epi, I appreciate the fact the dudes a nerd and is busting out some quality gear and a lot of the Epi stuff that gets released he works on too and doesn't just leave it to Product Managers or whatever. A lot of the Gibsons coming out now aren't so bad, aside from some Murphy Lab stories....... the product is pretty damn good in general and it's hard to complain with the Gibson/Epiphone/Kramer product because they are really banging out some killer stuff nowadays.


 
I've actually had the opportunity to see vintage Les Paul from the late 50s don't know what year it was exactly because I was like 14 or 15 when I saw it but yeah it was probably the most amazing guitar I've ever seen in my life. It was a Custom but with a Flame Top and all Gold Hardware. He said he bought it new and had it Custom made with all the bells and whistles of the time or that he could afford.


And I've seen strat prototypes and one of the first Strat prototypes at Fender/Fullerton Musuem. I've seen Tom Pettys Ric he played at the Super Bowl too..... I've seen the first Tele Prototype made of pine with the 3x3 headstock..... Roy Buchanans Tele too.


And yeah a lot of the 59 Epiphones coming out now look pretty much like a guitar you'd find in a case that was never played with the finish like that and the look just like that pretty much with the sheen like that. Even before they switched to the Gibson Headstock on the Epi 59s they were spot on pretty much.



My friends Dad who passed away now had it in a shack for years and years without playing it. He just liked that he had it. He showed it to me and my dad once and even offered me to play it but I said I couldn't because it just looked so damn amazing. I mean yeah those type of tops can't really be replicated but the Epis get a good representation of the overall sheen, look and character of those old guitars.


That Gibson though had this top that was flamed that was just pure glass........ like it had this depth and 3D texture..... I've never seen a guitar so damn amazing. It came in a case pretty much like the ones the Epis come in too.


One regret I do have is never playing it because I just didn't feel I was worthy and still dont but given another chance I would play something like that in a heartbeat but be really careful of course. Went back to check on the guys fam to tell them if they still had it was probably worth a small fortune and to not sell it but unfortunately the sons and daughters all just took whatever they could and no one knows what happened to the guitar apparently.


Thing was a damn Closet Ultra Rare Classic and yeah I mean....... I sure as hell was lucky enough to have seen the real deal in my life at least...... if there is a heaven....... thats where you'll find guitars like that ^_^
 
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