Great review! Couple of thoughts... It could be that the Chinese companies making these guitars slightly alter the body and headstock shapes so that they don't get sued. As for the neck shape, I have a Musikraft neck on my Van Halen 78 model and it has the same kind of reverse taper on the neck... larger at the first through fifth fret and then thinner as it goes up. Feels great.
Thanks Pasquale! You could be right about the body and the headstock, but that still would leave me scratching my head about why they put that Kramer logo on there. Really strange 🤷♂️. That's very cool about your Musikraft neck - I had no idea that this was a thing. I agree, it's really not that bad to play at all once you get used to it. Cheers brother! 🎸🍻
Do you know if Musikraft has a name for that reverse taper neck profile? I too really like that feel for filling the hand for open chords while also allowing for easier lead playing. Cheers
That could be but, Chinese companies rarely, if ever, get sued in America any more. Out government protects them from that and allows them to do basically whatever they please. The only ones who really ever do anything substantial is when customs make a seizure and that doesn't even slow them down. The top gov guys profit in one way or another in delaying legal action and ignoring or playing dumb.
Nah, they just trace the body and neck off a picture when 3D modeling for the CNC g-codes. More likely traced off a photo from the net where the aspect ratio are wrong when resizing to the 25.5' scale, also causing the resolution being heavily pixelated. The molder would basically guess curves off pixelated squares when zooming in. That's how the Chinese copy guitars.
I'm a lefty and got one, dropped a Bill Lawrence in it because I figured Dime would approve and love those pickups. Plays great sounds much better, hell I love it.
It’s so funny I go through these phases where I see the Ali express ads to myself and think damn I could get two signature knockoffs for less than the price of one real one. Then I see these kind of reviews and remember what a terrible idea that is haha.
I think they are great for the price. Bought a evh frankie and it came in a box wrapped in a plastic bag......for $2800. This is $300 in a over the top safe Styrofoam case , sounds good and a unassembled kit cost more. Need for is to buy more to make the larger companies give us a better bang for your buck.
No problem! Glad you found it helpful! For the cash you can definitely buy something of better quality from some of the big names. This is slightly more than a Baretta Special - those are a steal. Cheer! 🙏🍻
Cool 80s ish guitars, and Great vid! I got (2) of these guitars, but got lucky.... b'c I was able to buy them from Amazon when they had some in stock - which only lasted for about a month. They jumped off the shelf. LOL They were branded as Zuwei guitars. Same deal with the finish. I thought the finish was awesome, but yes - you can feel the raised areas, where the paint was taped and striped. I don't care tho. The bodies and necks on both guitars were awesome, for me. The electronics and hardware were HORRIBLE on both. But again - I was happy. I had the bones I needed. I changed out pickups and Floyd bridges. Each guitar - and extra $120 or $130 bucks... and boom. I am in business. Both guitars are killer. I have an EVH Frank (Black & White), and an EVH Wolfgang, and honestly... my 2 Frank Clones are not quite there.... but close. Loving them! My advice is.... how precise and perfect do you want the guitar to be? If you need close to perfect? Don't get one. If you can be happy with a solid bones guitar, and you can do mod and corrective work... then you could be really happy with one of these. Oh also - Necks on both of mine were a little fat - but not too bad. I sanded the high gloss off the back of both.... and that even made them a little narrower too.
I’ve done a rattle can finish of one, and you can make them flat smooth by just sanding lightly in between coats and then ever couple sand more flat. Mine feels baby smooth love it
I have the same guitar. Figured why not? I had to basically replace everything but the body lol. So to save money,,,,,I spent money,,,,rule now,,,,spend the money for the REAL ONE. It’s not worth the headaches. It’s amazing now after 2 years and another $500. I relic’d mine. Was fun. Now it’s one of kind. Mine had the star sticker up top. Not painted on.
For $300 all I see is a pretty complete kit guitar with a bass wood body. So not a bad start as a kit guitar to mess around and better your guitar building skills.
Oh man. I brought one of these a year ago. Well, i paid the money but got a refund as they said it would take 6 months to arrive! So i built my own! Thank God lol.
You are lucky it arrived. Customs runs through cycles of seizing them. Chicom dealers can be very deceptive and sometimes ship a box of whatever and go out of business. Months later they cashed out and gone.
Great review, and better still an honest non clickbait title that I prefer over the usual "worst guitar ever etc" nonsense that you see. Plus the review doesn't treat me like i am (a) stupid or (b) a luthier but strikes the best path through the middle. Thanks again.
I bought a green 5150 I also made some adjustments to a luthier and he told me that the wood of the body makes the note lose sustain. In the end, it's no use expecting quality for an instrument of little value. But it will serve as an excellent souvenir lol. Big hug 🤜
Thanks for the kind words Blake! 🙏 I’ve got another 1 year later review on this guitar up on the channel. I think I have a go at EVH’s solo from Ice Cream Man in that one. Feel free to check that one out if you liked this one. Thanks again! 🙏🎸🍻
Ive been trying to get Ali's left handed Wolfgang for around $300. I have low hopes on quality and high hopes on sound. But the only EVH Wolfgangs available in LH are white and black. Ali has them in blue, and striped hopefully with that I can upgrade. Thanks for the review it was very helpful especially knowing you got it. It sounds like the rush made it on order.
I don't think I would wait 4 months to be disappointed. Meanwhile, other deals may com up for sale on a legitimate one. Of course I have never had to deal with shopping for a left handed guitar. I'm left handed, but never played that way. As a kid, my dad never let me play instruments, or sports left handed.
@@qua7771 Oh wow, i actually learned how to play drums right handed, and then switched to left handed in 1996. So when i bought my first guitar, i asked a guitarist in our jam band if i should get right or left handed cause there's no turning back. He told me to learn left handed and ever since just can't get the guitars i've wanted.
@@pashon4percushon In 4 months you can build a guitar. If you do, don't cheap out. Build it for life. Buy it nice or buy it twice. I have wasted a lot on cheap gear in my life because it seemed like a good deal at the time. I have built several guitars starting on a budget that usually doubled by completion. If you buy cheap stuff, your going to have fitment issues that aren't worth fixing the right way. It's hard enough to get a good fit from reputable dealers. I have gotten good body, and necks from Warmoth. They are not the only game in town though. Check out their web-sight. While you are waiting on shipping, it a good time to research how to do a professional finish. Prior to paint, double, triple check how everything fits. If this sounds like too much work, you could still convert a Strat.
Thanks for the review! I agree with the Kramer name issue, though China don't care about trademarks, and that is to be expected with anything coming from a country specialized in clones. You might need to be careful ordering something like that, that this doesn't get confiscated as counterfeit. I'd rather get a cheap no-name lookalike without the blatant rip-off thing going on.
With you 100% on that one. It's one thing to sell something as an unbranded clone but another entirely to try and pass something off as the authentic article. That's one thing I appreciate about that Rhoads clone V I have even though the playability on this is better - it has nothing on the headstock. Cheers!
Good point guys, it's not illegal to purchase these knockoff guitars from China but it is illegal for you to sell it to someone else, once you buy one of these guitars by law you own it forever and the penalties are pretty steep!
@@hadleymanmusic Gibson hasn't made a Les Paul since 1960 . the Norton era were plywood bodies and the Jew era were hollowed out , only a very few custom shop are true solid bodies and even at that are not the same . gibson uses imported hardware and rarely stay in tune a chibson les paul is a better choice
Not work it anymore. Prices too high now. Back in the day, you could get it for under $100, with a dang good hardshell case...sans stankness. It was basically a custom guitar u could get. The seller world email u pics several times and u could say change this, change that, add this, remove that. I see the prices now and I think why? U can get a name brand from the local guitar store that will be much better. Chibson days are long over. Thanks for the vid tho
I do the same thing! 6-7 beers in I buy guitars and guns.. lol I have about 10 guitars and 5+ guns. I’m a super responsible gun owner however my weakness is getting bonus checks from work.. I do HVAC maintenance so people pay out the ass for it TX heat is no joke. So I always have $500-$1K coming in so there’s my problem lol
There is soooo much I could say, for some reason I find your videos hilarious 🤣🤣 also good thing you found a way to show off your purple tiger. You still need to do a Steel Panther cover with it 😁
Honestly I wanted to watch it but then I saw it's 23 minutes long and I wasn't sure if I could make it through all of that but it was really enjoyable. Keep them coming!!!
@@nataschabomm Thanks so much Natascha! Yeah, these review videos seem to turn out way longer than my usual lick videos 🤣. Ugh - more editing. I promise I'll get something together with the tiger soon! 🐅
If I recall correctly, the guitar that this knock-off is based on was not a Kramer body. I vaguely remember Eddie saying that he bolted Kramer necks onto his own bodies.
Fantastic review !!. Thank you so much :) . Can I ask what strings you stuck on it when you replaced them please . Huge thanks and I shall be checking out alot of your other videos :)
Thanks so much brother - I'm really glad you liked this review! I restrung this with D'Addario XL Super Light 9-42 gauge strings and down-tuned the guitar to Eb standard to play the Van Halen catalogue.
@@dexdeimos425 Thank you so much for such a super quick reply. Wow that really is super light after the down tune. I'm always bouncing between 9s and 10s standard tuning but when I got into malmsteen i started to get alot of questions and i came across the 5150 from the same site as you and though ooo it's very nice and now as I'm going though my evh stage and just really wanted to know what you was playing on . A huge huge thank you sir and keep rocking !!! :)
@@Michael_Killner_Davies LOL I've been going through my EVH phase since.... about.... 1981. I hear you Bro. We love this stuff, don't we? I ordered 2 of these guitars - but I got lucky. Got them on Amazon. They ran them for about a month, but they jumped off the shelves. Branded as Zuwei guitars. Both of the guitars I got were the same: AWESOME bodies and Necks. And everything else was worse than junk. Electronics and hardware were a big pile of steaming cow-dung. But I was happy with that result. I had the bones I needed..... and for $130 each.... I replaced pickups and Floyds on each. The end result for me - Two KILLER Frankenstrats. Both the same. And now I am after a 3rd Frankie but this time with the hockey-stick. Or possibly the Kramer body with hockey-stick.... like the one in this vid. Anyway - rock on Brother!
yes indeed this stuff is so so addictive. I don't ever understand people on RUclips buying a cheaper China guitar and expecting it to be as good as one thats 10x the price . I'm on the same thought pattern as you , it's the bones of something that can be very nice and becomes a personal project that one can be proud of. Thank you so much for all the info and wow 3 Frankensteins is a very nice thought ;) . It always surprises me the huge difference people can play in string gauge but can shred just as easy in their personal gauge choice ,from industrial thickness to so thin you can't see the string. For speed picking I like 10s but tapping I find very hard . 9s downtuned a half would be like 8s .. which I haven't tried for years (I'm guessing you use 8s for standard running?) I should really experiment more instead of dismissing it for loyalty to the old strings lol . Then I see some guitarists can jump on any guitar and any gauge and play anything and everything .... I guess that's when they become gods lol . Thanks again and I'm very happy I stumbled across your channel :) .
Thanks so much man - really glad you liked this one! I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out - it's quite the change in video flow from my usual rapidlicks series. Shred on brother!
I wasn't sure about ordering stuff from these guys. I chose a couple cheap tuners that had good reviews. One order showed up, the other didn't. Good to know guitars show up....
I bought a Chinese cobain jag a few months ago and when it was on eBay they covered the logo and when it arrived I was surprised to see that it was covered with a sticker over the jazzmaster logo
Yeah, it’s a quite crazy that they are doing that. I had them send me a Mick Mars Kramer Tele earlier this year and asked them to specifically NOT put another company’s trademarked logo on it. They told me they’d have to make a whole new guitar, but that’s what they did! It showed up without one which was awesome. I guess communication is the key here 🤷♂️. Anyway, I have a review or two up on that guitar too if you’re interested. Cheers! 🍻
Love the video. I bought this for wall art and to bang out panama once in a while. Luckily my cousin is a luthier and the fret job is a major difference. The humbucker in mine is an alnico V 16k and I love it. Nut stripped and had to replace. Other than that I love it. Fun watching your thoughts on it. Also, why is the guitar so small but the headstock is huge? Oh well. Thanks
Glad you liked the video! And I agree, as long as your expectations are realistic, this can be a reasonable player with a bit of elbow grease. Cheers! 🍻
Glad you found them helpful! AliExpress is really hit or miss. This guitar isn’t terrible, but I’d say a Baretta Special is far superior quality. I had many more problems with the Rhoads polka dot V I have than this 5150. Cheers!
I'm sorry that you don't really like the polka dot Randy Rhoads guitar butt but like you said you always have the 5150 so I'm glad you're happy with that even though the smell from a price still makes you sick I just can't wait to get mine I just I'm so excited that it's driving me crazy I never thought it'd really take this long to get something and the more I sit here and wait for it the more upset I get but hopefully I get it
I wouldn't pay 2 cents for that poor excuse for a guitar, it is nothing but a bunch of headaches to me. I'm glad that you gave it an honest review so others don't get suckerd into into it.
A while back I scored a Yngwie Malmsteen strat knock off from AliEpress and the headstock had all the decals that came the original Fender issue…..including Yngwie’s signature…no effort to hide its infringement….it was pretty bad….the scalloped was extremely bad….tuners were worthless…tone was unbearable…..but it was a $130.00 guitar so my expectations were very low to begin with….gave it to my friend who owns the local guitar store….he uses it as a cautionary tale….
Don’t be that guy! You knew damn well you were buying a knockoff. Bitching about the logo to make yourself seem more ethical is ridiculous.. no one cares
Greetings from England! I enjoyed your video. I've bought some good watches and fountain pens from Aliexpress, which have been great, but I'll give the guitars a miss just in case I get a really bad one. Cheers mate.
Thanks! Honestly I can’t recall. I tried to order it from a few, but they kept canceling my order. Probably due to shipping being too much to be “free” with purchase. I think this was the 4th vendor I tried 😂.
To piggy back off my last comment…I also purchased a knock off Gibson Johnny A signature… the blatant counterfeit of this particular model besides the Gibson headstock inlays was the “ Made in the U.S.A “ stamped on the back of the headstock with the bogus serial number….I put some locking Grover tuners and Seymour Duncan’s on it and it’s a pretty decent guitar….but I stress to people who see that it’s a “ Genuine Chibson” ….
Just by a Beretta special a real Kramer for $199. And it is amazing guitar I love mine mines purple I did same stripes as the bumble bee only mines purple with black stripes its a fantastic guitar
I have one AliExpress motive painted pin up "Charvel ". That neck feels like an large tube cut in half. It looks allright that is it. I do not play it as it hirts and that it is of pure crap. It hangs on the wall as an celebration over the 80`s at that time I had one genuine Charvel stripped and repainted by me cause that was what we did to them as they came in uncool plain colors.
Mine finally showed up today I inspected the hell out of it it didn't have the smell and all the stripes on it where exactly like Eddie's which I got lucky on that you're right about the strings I had to change them immediately because soon as I touch them my hands turn black but other than that I am just going to hang it on the wall with all my other Cramer's
I don't exactly remember the seller but it took about four and a half months for me to get mine I inspected the hell out of it and the stripes were exactly like Eddie's but the downfall of it is my my fretboard is starting to separate from the neck and I had I had to order another neck and I'm going to get it striped up just to match the body that's the only downfall I had from that guitar I did have to change a bridge on it and put the original Floyd Rose on it
This one is just a sticker as well, but the wrong one of course 😆. I didn’t know the EVH store was selling the real ones - thanks for the tip! Yes, the lines are really wonky. It looks good at a glance, but the more you stare at it, all you can do is laugh 😂. At least it plays fairly well. Rock on brother! 🎸🎸
Not a bad buy. It`s a good way to go if you are willing to pay up to around $400 for a painted neck and body. Great idea reviewing items from Aliexpress. You have started a new fad of reviewing overseas guitars. Do you have any Japanese axes? Korea make some good ones. My Korean PRS has a perfect neck, Gibson like finish and soon a Floyd Rose. The factory nut was the only shit part. It totally looks American made. Awesome man. CRANK IT !
Thanks man. Yeah, I have a bunch of Japanese stuff. Incredible instruments. I just did a review yesterday on an Indonesian made Schecter. I'll try and get a few more of these reviews together when I get some time. Rock on brother!
@@dexdeimos425 lol it ws the dice on a tone knob in your video that clicked in my head.. beautiful guitars man.. I ended up trading the Erie dess for a epi zv stealth but I always liked the black one better.. plays beautifully.. im actually about to drop an original floyd rose in it as well...love the channel man.. Cool to hear from you. 👍
HA! Yeah, I guess that is something I end up doing to quite a few of my axes! Glad you like the channel and we were able to reconnect! Too bad you don't still have that swirl - I'd love to get that thing back (Those ZV are killer BTW!). Yes, the black one definitely played nicer, but there was just some hidden mojo to that swirl - one of those things I can't quite put my finger on, but you know how it goes. Rock on brother!!!
I get what you are saying but if you look at Eddie Kramer 1984 and 5150 up close the paint job’s on everyone was a little different and the paint jobs sucked but will be iconic guitar
I just wanted to add that my fretboard is peeling away from the rest of the neck of the guitar and that it's everything on it starting to go to s*** on it so like you said you get what you pay for
I bought the Kramer 5150 from juggs guitar store and they wont respond to any of my questions and im wondering how long it took you to get yours I wodering if i didn't get riped off i paid total 374 i place oder on 2/17/22 still waiting for it to show up
Thanks man I'm I thought I was the only one that or ordered an Allied Express guitar I just hope to God they don't really smell that bad if you're smell.bad as much as you're saying in the video I mean I guess like you say you get what you pay for
Thanks Stashman! Sharp eye - it's a very old Planet Waves one. I think they're long since discontinued. I bought it used years ago, but I still find it incredibly accurate, and best of all it has the longest battery life of any clip-ons I've tried! Rock on brother!
Without changing the bridge, the only thing this would be good for is a wall decoration 😆. If you can live with the paint inaccuracies and don’t mind paying extra for a replacement bridge, this thing plays fine. Good luck!
I have another video up on this guitar you might want to check out. It will probably help answer some of your questions: ruclips.net/video/BcgdPJ8EWfw/видео.html
Awesome Dex.Whats the old saying?.....Its not the Golf Clubs but the Golfer.Give Tiger Woods a set of Canadian Tire Golf clubs and he's still gonna be better then 95 percent of the population
Nice. Check that trem out carefully. My Rhoads V came with a Floyd Rose branded one too, but it was definitely a fake copy🤷♂️. I should do a video on how to spot them. I’ve been unlucky enough to buy a few fakes from China, but also own a few legit ones, so can tell and compare the differences. Enjoy the guitar though! The bare bones are there for a real shredder! 🎸🎸
Yeah you should actually do a video on how to spot a fake Floyd Rose for people that really don't know what they're looking at when they think it's a real one
I mean I even buy a Kramer Baretta special and I keep trying to convince myself to stripe it up but I can't bring myself to do it I mean I just don't have the courage to stripe up a Guitar I don't want to screw it up
Good comment! I definitely could, although I likely wouldn't unless it was a VH tribute band or something. With the small changes I've made to this thing, it plays quite well and is reliable. Rock on!
Well, If I ever get around to picking up an actual EVH version I'll definitely give you dibs on this one. It plays pretty well and sounds good to my ears. Everyone seems to complain about the electronics on these knockoff import guitars, but honestly, I find for the most part they sound just fine. The only humbuckers I really hate the sound of are those stock Belcats that come in most Jacksons these days. I think they are in just about anything they have that does not say Duncan Design or better, but I could be wrong.
Honestly, I have no idea. When I ordered this one, there were only two listed though (the other one was green) and both were the same “shop”. Cheers! 🎸
Yeah, using the Kramer brand name is not good. It is illegal. And some people could try to sell this guitar for a high price, and the buyer could get tricked. I bought a Jem777 pyramid looking neck from Aliexpress not so long ago (a video at my channel here) and that neck did not have a Ibanez logo. That is good I think. Just silly using brand names on non brand parts. The neck was ok for the price. Not perfect fret ends and had to lover the nut some. But just small easy fixes so good enough for my usage. But another thing that is just silly is to pay $5000+ for a Vai, Van Halen or whatever copy. It is a copy even if it is made by Ibanez, Kramer, EVH or whoever. But alright... the market decides the price. 👍
I think you're probably right. This body shape seems closer to my pacer, but still off a bit with the horns and the distance from the bridge to the bottom of the body. Like I said, this particular guitar isn't really either, that's why I showed both. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@dexdeimos425 You are absolutely right. On the other hand, Eddie never used a production Kramer. It was all custom made. For example the Kramers used poplar and maple for the bodies, but I'm quite confident the 5150's body was made of (swamp?) ash.
@@dexdeimos425 my guitar should be here sometime today I'm just waiting for it to show up in the mail I'll send you pictures of mine as soon as I get it
I want one, let me know if you sell. I looked on their website and couldn't find anything. Oh well. Great video. A new subscriber here!!👍😉 Sincerely, Albert Jackson Munoz
Thanks so much Albert! Really glad you liked the review and have subscribed. I hope to put a few more of these reviews together when I get some time. Rock on brother!
Great review! Couple of thoughts... It could be that the Chinese companies making these guitars slightly alter the body and headstock shapes so that they don't get sued.
As for the neck shape, I have a Musikraft neck on my Van Halen 78 model and it has the same kind of reverse taper on the neck... larger at the first through fifth fret and then thinner as it goes up. Feels great.
Thanks Pasquale! You could be right about the body and the headstock, but that still would leave me scratching my head about why they put that Kramer logo on there. Really strange 🤷♂️. That's very cool about your Musikraft neck - I had no idea that this was a thing. I agree, it's really not that bad to play at all once you get used to it. Cheers brother! 🎸🍻
Do you know if Musikraft has a name for that reverse taper neck profile? I too really like that feel for filling the hand for open chords while also allowing for easier lead playing. Cheers
That could be but, Chinese companies rarely, if ever, get sued in America any more. Out government protects them from that and allows them to do basically whatever they please. The only ones who really ever do anything substantial is when customs make a seizure and that doesn't even slow them down. The top gov guys profit in one way or another in delaying legal action and ignoring or playing dumb.
Nah, they just trace the body and neck off a picture when 3D modeling for the CNC g-codes. More likely traced off a photo from the net where the aspect ratio are wrong when resizing to the 25.5' scale, also causing the resolution being heavily pixelated. The molder would basically guess curves off pixelated squares when zooming in. That's how the Chinese copy guitars.
@@ronmorey3475 got a Dean Buddy Blaze ML that has an A shape neck that changes to a thin C around the 7th-9th frets
I'm a lefty and got one, dropped a Bill Lawrence in it because I figured Dime would approve and love those pickups. Plays great sounds much better, hell I love it.
"Saturday night after a few beers"....is exactly when I end up buying more guitars I don't need!
It’s so funny I go through these phases where I see the Ali express ads to myself and think damn I could get two signature knockoffs for less than the price of one real one. Then I see these kind of reviews and remember what a terrible idea that is haha.
I think they are great for the price. Bought a evh frankie and it came in a box wrapped in a plastic bag......for $2800. This is $300 in a over the top safe Styrofoam case , sounds good and a unassembled kit cost more. Need for is to buy more to make the larger companies give us a better bang for your buck.
Thank you so much for the review. You saved me a lot of money. I was going to buy those guitar. You saved me the head ache.
No problem! Glad you found it helpful! For the cash you can definitely buy something of better quality from some of the big names. This is slightly more than a Baretta Special - those are a steal. Cheer! 🙏🍻
Cool 80s ish guitars, and Great vid! I got (2) of these guitars, but got lucky.... b'c I was able to buy them from Amazon when they had some in stock - which only lasted for about a month. They jumped off the shelf. LOL They were branded as Zuwei guitars. Same deal with the finish. I thought the finish was awesome, but yes - you can feel the raised areas, where the paint was taped and striped. I don't care tho. The bodies and necks on both guitars were awesome, for me. The electronics and hardware were HORRIBLE on both. But again - I was happy. I had the bones I needed. I changed out pickups and Floyd bridges. Each guitar - and extra $120 or $130 bucks... and boom. I am in business. Both guitars are killer. I have an EVH Frank (Black & White), and an EVH Wolfgang, and honestly... my 2 Frank Clones are not quite there.... but close. Loving them! My advice is.... how precise and perfect do you want the guitar to be? If you need close to perfect? Don't get one. If you can be happy with a solid bones guitar, and you can do mod and corrective work... then you could be really happy with one of these. Oh also - Necks on both of mine were a little fat - but not too bad. I sanded the high gloss off the back of both.... and that even made them a little narrower too.
Thanks - glad you liked the video! Yeah, I agree, these guitars are not 'perfect' but are definitely playable with a little effort. Cheers!
I’ve done a rattle can finish of one, and you can make them flat smooth by just sanding lightly in between coats and then ever couple sand more flat. Mine feels baby smooth love it
I have the same guitar. Figured why not? I had to basically replace everything but the body lol. So to save money,,,,,I spent money,,,,rule now,,,,spend the money for the REAL ONE. It’s not worth the headaches. It’s amazing now after 2 years and another $500. I relic’d mine. Was fun. Now it’s one of kind. Mine had the star sticker up top. Not painted on.
The bottom of the neck is also squared off as opposed to the rounded bottom of the Kramer.
For $300 all I see is a pretty complete kit guitar with a bass wood body. So not a bad start as a kit guitar to mess around and better your guitar building skills.
None of us will ever sound like Eddie. So it's a good wall hanger for a tribute to the goat .RIP Eddie.
i heard eddie no longer beats the hell out of valerie
100% correct just hang it up and remember EVH!
Oh man. I brought one of these a year ago. Well, i paid the money but got a refund as they said it would take 6 months to arrive! So i built my own! Thank God lol.
You are lucky it arrived. Customs runs through cycles of seizing them. Chicom dealers can be very deceptive and sometimes ship a box of whatever and go out of business. Months later they cashed out and gone.
Great review, and better still an honest non clickbait title that I prefer over the usual "worst guitar ever etc" nonsense that you see. Plus the review doesn't treat me like i am (a) stupid or (b) a luthier but strikes the best path through the middle. Thanks again.
Thanks for the kind words! I'm really glad you liked the review - I wasn't too sure how this was going to come across. Cheers!
I bought a green 5150 I also made some adjustments to a luthier and he told me that the wood of the body makes the note lose sustain. In the end, it's no use expecting quality for an instrument of little value. But it will serve as an excellent souvenir lol. Big hug 🤜
you are a very good guitar player! that eruption bit sounded reallygood
Thanks for the kind words Blake! 🙏 I’ve got another 1 year later review on this guitar up on the channel. I think I have a go at EVH’s solo from Ice Cream Man in that one. Feel free to check that one out if you liked this one. Thanks again! 🙏🎸🍻
@@dexdeimos425 I watched that review! you got even better! keep working man!
Ive been trying to get Ali's left handed Wolfgang for around $300. I have low hopes on quality and high hopes on sound. But the only EVH Wolfgangs available in LH are white and black. Ali has them in blue, and striped hopefully with that I can upgrade. Thanks for the review it was very helpful especially knowing you got it. It sounds like the rush made it on order.
I don't think I would wait 4 months to be disappointed. Meanwhile, other deals may com up for sale on a legitimate one. Of course I have never had to deal with shopping for a left handed guitar. I'm left handed, but never played that way. As a kid, my dad never let me play instruments, or sports left handed.
@@qua7771 Oh wow, i actually learned how to play drums right handed, and then switched to left handed in 1996. So when i bought my first guitar, i asked a guitarist in our jam band if i should get right or left handed cause there's no turning back. He told me to learn left handed and ever since just can't get the guitars i've wanted.
@@pashon4percushon In 4 months you can build a guitar. If you do, don't cheap out. Build it for life. Buy it nice or buy it twice. I have wasted a lot on cheap gear in my life because it seemed like a good deal at the time. I have built several guitars starting on a budget that usually doubled by completion. If you buy cheap stuff, your going to have fitment issues that aren't worth fixing the right way. It's hard enough to get a good fit from reputable dealers. I have gotten good body, and necks from Warmoth. They are not the only game in town though. Check out their web-sight. While you are waiting on shipping, it a good time to research how to do a professional finish. Prior to paint, double, triple check how everything fits.
If this sounds like too much work, you could still convert a Strat.
I bought a real Wolfgang standard left handed $400
@@imilf2003 what color, black or white?
Thanks for the review! I agree with the Kramer name issue, though China don't care about trademarks, and that is to be expected with anything coming from a country specialized in clones.
You might need to be careful ordering something like that, that this doesn't get confiscated as counterfeit. I'd rather get a cheap no-name lookalike without the blatant rip-off thing going on.
With you 100% on that one. It's one thing to sell something as an unbranded clone but another entirely to try and pass something off as the authentic article. That's one thing I appreciate about that Rhoads clone V I have even though the playability on this is better - it has nothing on the headstock. Cheers!
Good point guys, it's not illegal to purchase these knockoff guitars from China but it is illegal for you to sell it to someone else, once you buy one of these guitars by law you own it forever and the penalties are pretty steep!
Me 2 i got a bcp red 335. I laugh at gibsons now. I put tuners pickups switch nut. Set it up intonated and even cut the nut. Now it plays right
@@hadleymanmusic Gibson hasn't made a Les Paul since 1960 . the Norton era were plywood bodies and the Jew era were hollowed out , only a very few custom shop are true solid bodies and even at that are not the same . gibson uses imported hardware and rarely stay in tune a chibson les paul is a better choice
nobody cares about kramer. customs doesn’t even know what it is. they go for gibson/fender
Nice playing and good review
Thank you kindly!
Not work it anymore. Prices too high now. Back in the day, you could get it for under $100, with a dang good hardshell case...sans stankness. It was basically a custom guitar u could get. The seller world email u pics several times and u could say change this, change that, add this, remove that. I see the prices now and I think why? U can get a name brand from the local guitar store that will be much better. Chibson days are long over. Thanks for the vid tho
Sounds like I'm better off getting a real Baretta
Get a matte white and paint the stripe..
84
The EVH knock off is the exact shape of 80's model of "Memphis" Brand Srat bodies!
At least it didn't say.."Crammer"..on headstock
I do the same thing! 6-7 beers in I buy guitars and guns.. lol I have about 10 guitars and 5+ guns. I’m a super responsible gun owner however my weakness is getting bonus checks from work.. I do HVAC maintenance so people pay out the ass for it TX heat is no joke. So I always have $500-$1K coming in so there’s my problem lol
Really love your content very enjoyable to watch keep it coming :)
Thanks so much! Glad you're liking the channel - I'll have some more content coming your way shortly. Cheers!
There is soooo much I could say, for some reason I find your videos hilarious 🤣🤣 also good thing you found a way to show off your purple tiger. You still need to do a Steel Panther cover with it 😁
Honestly I wanted to watch it but then I saw it's 23 minutes long and I wasn't sure if I could make it through all of that but it was really enjoyable. Keep them coming!!!
@@nataschabomm Thanks so much Natascha! Yeah, these review videos seem to turn out way longer than my usual lick videos 🤣. Ugh - more editing. I promise I'll get something together with the tiger soon! 🐅
If I recall correctly, the guitar that this knock-off is based on was not a Kramer body. I vaguely remember Eddie saying that he bolted Kramer necks onto his own bodies.
Ah, that's right if I remember correctly...was it a Charvelle body?
Great video dude. Ive seen these,but haven't triggered the purchase. I jumped on your channel. Keep it up.
Awesome, thank you!
Fantastic review !!. Thank you so much :) . Can I ask what strings you stuck on it when you replaced them please . Huge thanks and I shall be checking out alot of your other videos :)
Thanks so much brother - I'm really glad you liked this review! I restrung this with D'Addario XL Super Light 9-42 gauge strings and down-tuned the guitar to Eb standard to play the Van Halen catalogue.
@@dexdeimos425 Thank you so much for such a super quick reply. Wow that really is super light after the down tune. I'm always bouncing between 9s and 10s standard tuning but when I got into malmsteen i started to get alot of questions and i came across the 5150 from the same site as you and though ooo it's very nice and now as I'm going though my evh stage and just really wanted to know what you was playing on . A huge huge thank you sir and keep rocking !!! :)
@@Michael_Killner_Davies LOL I've been going through my EVH phase since.... about.... 1981. I hear you Bro. We love this stuff, don't we? I ordered 2 of these guitars - but I got lucky. Got them on Amazon. They ran them for about a month, but they jumped off the shelves. Branded as Zuwei guitars. Both of the guitars I got were the same: AWESOME bodies and Necks. And everything else was worse than junk. Electronics and hardware were a big pile of steaming cow-dung. But I was happy with that result. I had the bones I needed..... and for $130 each.... I replaced pickups and Floyds on each. The end result for me - Two KILLER Frankenstrats. Both the same. And now I am after a 3rd Frankie but this time with the hockey-stick. Or possibly the Kramer body with hockey-stick.... like the one in this vid. Anyway - rock on Brother!
yes indeed this stuff is so so addictive. I don't ever understand people on RUclips buying a cheaper China guitar and expecting it to be as good as one thats 10x the price . I'm on the same thought pattern as you , it's the bones of something that can be very nice and becomes a personal project that one can be proud of. Thank you so much for all the info and wow 3 Frankensteins is a very nice thought ;) . It always surprises me the huge difference people can play in string gauge but can shred just as easy in their personal gauge choice ,from industrial thickness to so thin you can't see the string. For speed picking I like 10s but tapping I find very hard . 9s downtuned a half would be like 8s .. which I haven't tried for years (I'm guessing you use 8s for standard running?) I should really experiment more instead of dismissing it for loyalty to the old strings lol . Then I see some guitarists can jump on any guitar and any gauge and play anything and everything .... I guess that's when they become gods lol . Thanks again and I'm very happy I stumbled across your channel :) .
Hey dude! Awesome review.
Thanks so much man - really glad you liked this one! I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out - it's quite the change in video flow from my usual rapidlicks series. Shred on brother!
I wasn't sure about ordering stuff from these guys. I chose a couple cheap tuners that had good reviews. One order showed up, the other didn't. Good to know guitars show up....
I bought a Chinese cobain jag a few months ago and when it was on eBay they covered the logo and when it arrived I was surprised to see that it was covered with a sticker over the jazzmaster logo
Yeah, it’s a quite crazy that they are doing that. I had them send me a Mick Mars Kramer Tele earlier this year and asked them to specifically NOT put another company’s trademarked logo on it. They told me they’d have to make a whole new guitar, but that’s what they did! It showed up without one which was awesome. I guess communication is the key here 🤷♂️. Anyway, I have a review or two up on that guitar too if you’re interested. Cheers! 🍻
Love the video. I bought this for wall art and to bang out panama once in a while. Luckily my cousin is a luthier and the fret job is a major difference. The humbucker in mine is an alnico V 16k and I love it. Nut stripped and had to replace. Other than that I love it. Fun watching your thoughts on it. Also, why is the guitar so small but the headstock is huge? Oh well. Thanks
Glad you liked the video! And I agree, as long as your expectations are realistic, this can be a reasonable player with a bit of elbow grease. Cheers! 🍻
Thanks for your video review I respected now that I saw your video I don't think I'm going to be buying things from AliExpress
Glad you found them helpful! AliExpress is really hit or miss. This guitar isn’t terrible, but I’d say a Baretta Special is far superior quality. I had many more problems with the Rhoads polka dot V I have than this 5150. Cheers!
I'm sorry that you don't really like the polka dot Randy Rhoads guitar butt but like you said you always have the 5150 so I'm glad you're happy with that even though the smell from a price still makes you sick I just can't wait to get mine I just I'm so excited that it's driving me crazy I never thought it'd really take this long to get something and the more I sit here and wait for it the more upset I get but hopefully I get it
I wouldn't pay 2 cents for that poor excuse for a guitar, it is nothing but a bunch of headaches to me. I'm glad that you gave it an honest review so others don't get suckerd into into it.
I agree.
A while back I scored a Yngwie Malmsteen strat knock off from AliEpress and the headstock had all the decals that came the original Fender issue…..including Yngwie’s signature…no effort to hide its infringement….it was pretty bad….the scalloped was extremely bad….tuners were worthless…tone was unbearable…..but it was a $130.00 guitar so my expectations were very low to begin with….gave it to my friend who owns the local guitar store….he uses it as a cautionary tale….
Don’t be that guy! You knew damn well you were buying a knockoff. Bitching about the logo to make yourself seem more ethical is ridiculous.. no one cares
Best review you really know your gear
Glad you liked it - Thanks a bunch! 🙏
I looked pretty close to me I like it sounds good also 300 dollars ain't bad for what you get.
Greetings from England! I enjoyed your video. I've bought some good watches and fountain pens from Aliexpress, which have been great, but I'll give the guitars a miss just in case I get a really bad one. Cheers mate.
Thanks for the kind words Ronnie! I agree, as it's a bit of a gamble on the guitars, I'd probably skip on these again. Cheers!
Looks like they used different body radius tool and that is what makes the body look smaller.
Eddies original was a Boogie body 2cnd and a warmouth neck
Not on this one. You are referring to the frankie, this is the 1984 5150 stripe guitar.
Ed's volume knob is a Fender brand marked TONE.......lol
Supprised you received it seller not responding to any of my messages
Great review, what vendor did u buy it from? I appreciate any info u can give
Thanks! Honestly I can’t recall. I tried to order it from a few, but they kept canceling my order. Probably due to shipping being too much to be “free” with purchase. I think this was the 4th vendor I tried 😂.
To piggy back off my last comment…I also purchased a knock off Gibson Johnny A signature… the blatant counterfeit of this particular model besides the Gibson headstock inlays was the “ Made in the U.S.A “ stamped on the back of the headstock with the bogus serial number….I put some locking Grover tuners and Seymour Duncan’s on it and it’s a pretty decent guitar….but I stress to people who see that it’s a “ Genuine Chibson” ….
The 5150 was NOT based on the Barreta. It wa a highly modified Pacer.
Just by a Beretta special a real Kramer for $199. And it is amazing guitar I love mine mines purple I did same stripes as the bumble bee only mines purple with black stripes its a fantastic guitar
A few beers seems to be an excuse I hear a lot about when ordering off of AliExpress!! hahahahah
I have one AliExpress motive painted pin up "Charvel ". That neck feels like an large tube cut in half. It looks allright that is it.
I do not play it as it hirts and that it is of pure crap. It hangs on the wall as an celebration over the 80`s at that time I had one genuine Charvel stripped and repainted by me cause that was what we did to them as they came in uncool plain colors.
5150 he used a Pacer body. Which I have:)
That body shape reminds me of a N2
Mine finally showed up today I inspected the hell out of it it didn't have the smell and all the stripes on it where exactly like Eddie's which I got lucky on that you're right about the strings I had to change them immediately because soon as I touch them my hands turn black but other than that I am just going to hang it on the wall with all my other Cramer's
What seller did you buy from and how long did it take to come in?
I don't exactly remember the seller but it took about four and a half months for me to get mine I inspected the hell out of it and the stripes were exactly like Eddie's but the downfall of it is my my fretboard is starting to separate from the neck and I had I had to order another neck and I'm going to get it striped up just to match the body that's the only downfall I had from that guitar I did have to change a bridge on it and put the original Floyd Rose on it
@@ce4276 it took four and a half months I do not remember the seller I was just I just put in evh guitars
The original had a 5150 sticker not cleared coated,the evh brand sells the 5150 sticker
This one is just a sticker as well, but the wrong one of course 😆. I didn’t know the EVH store was selling the real ones - thanks for the tip! Yes, the lines are really wonky. It looks good at a glance, but the more you stare at it, all you can do is laugh 😂. At least it plays fairly well. Rock on brother! 🎸🎸
Not a bad buy. It`s a good way to go if you are willing to pay up to around $400 for a painted neck and body. Great idea reviewing items from Aliexpress. You have started a new fad of reviewing overseas guitars. Do you have any Japanese axes? Korea make some good ones. My Korean PRS has a perfect neck, Gibson like finish and soon a Floyd Rose. The factory nut was the only shit part. It totally looks American made. Awesome man. CRANK IT !
Thanks man. Yeah, I have a bunch of Japanese stuff. Incredible instruments. I just did a review yesterday on an Indonesian made Schecter. I'll try and get a few more of these reviews together when I get some time. Rock on brother!
Right on. Check the bald rocker dude on RUclips on calling the seller and how not to get burned by Ali. It`s pretty good.
Odd question but are you from Ontario Canada, you look a lot like a guy I bought a couple Jacksons from a few years back..
Man - I remember those guitars. I really miss that hybrid Eerie Dess swirl guitar! I was just reminiscing about that guitar the other day. Cheers!
@@dexdeimos425 lol it ws the dice on a tone knob in your video that clicked in my head.. beautiful guitars man.. I ended up trading the Erie dess for a epi zv stealth but I always liked the black one better.. plays beautifully.. im actually about to drop an original floyd rose in it as well...love the channel man..
Cool to hear from you.
👍
HA! Yeah, I guess that is something I end up doing to quite a few of my axes! Glad you like the channel and we were able to reconnect! Too bad you don't still have that swirl - I'd love to get that thing back (Those ZV are killer BTW!). Yes, the black one definitely played nicer, but there was just some hidden mojo to that swirl - one of those things I can't quite put my finger on, but you know how it goes. Rock on brother!!!
GO LEAFS GO !
The people love reviews🤘❣️
Thanks! I'm trying to diversify a bit, especially since I have so much gear kicking around. Hahaha!
@@dexdeimos425 reviews are super helpful because we can all order stuff but how the heck to choose lol?!
Good guitar ....love It and the price
I get what you are saying but if you look at Eddie Kramer 1984 and 5150 up close the paint job’s on everyone was a little different and the paint jobs sucked but will be iconic guitar
If I got one it would just be a wall hanger
Dang boy! Nice playing.
Thanks!
I just read on Google that Gibson is moving Kramer guitar to China
I just wanted to add that my fretboard is peeling away from the rest of the neck of the guitar and that it's everything on it starting to go to s*** on it so like you said you get what you pay for
I bought the Kramer 5150 from juggs guitar store and they wont respond to any of my questions and im wondering how long it took you to get yours I wodering if i didn't get riped off i paid total 374 i place oder on 2/17/22 still waiting for it to show up
4 months.
Thanks man I'm I thought I was the only one that or ordered an Allied Express guitar I just hope to God they don't really smell that bad if you're smell.bad as much as you're saying in the video I mean I guess like you say you get what you pay for
Cool review!
What “tuner” is that on your headstock?
Best! ✌🏼
Thanks Stashman! Sharp eye - it's a very old Planet Waves one. I think they're long since discontinued. I bought it used years ago, but I still find it incredibly accurate, and best of all it has the longest battery life of any clip-ons I've tried! Rock on brother!
Should i buy it?i really would like a evh signature but they all 800£/$+ which is wayy outta my price range,do u think its worth it?(unmodded)
Without changing the bridge, the only thing this would be good for is a wall decoration 😆. If you can live with the paint inaccuracies and don’t mind paying extra for a replacement bridge, this thing plays fine. Good luck!
I have another video up on this guitar you might want to check out. It will probably help answer some of your questions: ruclips.net/video/BcgdPJ8EWfw/видео.html
@@dexdeimos425 could you send me the link of this guitar?
You should demo the stock FR instead of replacement
Compound radius on the wrong side of the neck?
Hell yeah! CHY-NAH!
Right!? 🤣 It actually plays fairly well like that, but is definitely a little strange feeling. 🤷♂️
I meant to ask you did the smell ever go away from that guitar
Not really.
Awesome Dex.Whats the old saying?.....Its not the Golf Clubs but the Golfer.Give Tiger Woods a set of Canadian Tire Golf clubs and he's still gonna be better then 95 percent of the population
Thanks so much Norman!
I also forgot to add that it actually came with the original Floyd Rose Onnit which I was surprised as heck
Nice. Check that trem out carefully. My Rhoads V came with a Floyd Rose branded one too, but it was definitely a fake copy🤷♂️. I should do a video on how to spot them. I’ve been unlucky enough to buy a few fakes from China, but also own a few legit ones, so can tell and compare the differences. Enjoy the guitar though! The bare bones are there for a real shredder! 🎸🎸
Yeah you should actually do a video on how to spot a fake Floyd Rose for people that really don't know what they're looking at when they think it's a real one
It's it's got its ups and downs on it I mean I I'm happy with it you get what you pay for right
Fret board goes lower into the body more than the ali guitar which the fret board ends where the body is .does it have 23 frets vs the real kramer
You can hear the knockoff. There's no sustain with the cheaper body it's all string sound no reverb as the evh would have
Isn't it normal though for Eddie style necks to be baseball batty near the nut and flat and thin up at the high frets ? I think it's compound radius
I think you might be right. I’ve heard that he played some super thick stuff early on. 🎸🎸
I mean I even buy a Kramer Baretta special and I keep trying to convince myself to stripe it up but I can't bring myself to do it I mean I just don't have the courage to stripe up a Guitar I don't want to screw it up
Do you think you would play that guitar for a gig
Good comment! I definitely could, although I likely wouldn't unless it was a VH tribute band or something. With the small changes I've made to this thing, it plays quite well and is reliable. Rock on!
Did you only change the bridge
Yeah, just a bridge and locking nut swap, D-tuna addition and a little tweak of the truss rod and this thing was ready to rock. 🎸🎸
Those white dots on the back of the tuners are stickers. Pull them off, and the tuners won't look so stupid
Is it wrong that i want one of these for the wall?
Not at all! Considering how inexpensive these guitars are, that is what I was planning on doing if they were unplayable! 🤣
Well if you end up selling hit me up
So…it’s not perfect, but what were you expecting?
Mannn now I want to get one just to relic it lol. Sand and oil that neck, scuff up the body big time then flat clear coat, new Floyd and away you go!
Well, If I ever get around to picking up an actual EVH version I'll definitely give you dibs on this one. It plays pretty well and sounds good to my ears. Everyone seems to complain about the electronics on these knockoff import guitars, but honestly, I find for the most part they sound just fine. The only humbuckers I really hate the sound of are those stock Belcats that come in most Jacksons these days. I think they are in just about anything they have that does not say Duncan Design or better, but I could be wrong.
@@dexdeimos425 You’ll love an EVH….and we can def do a deal lol 😉
Which seller was this 5150 from?
Honestly, I have no idea. When I ordered this one, there were only two listed though (the other one was green) and both were the same “shop”. Cheers! 🎸
There’s no difference with the horn cuz I saw the Eddie one and it look the same
I still haven’t noticed any difference in the shape
Yeah, using the Kramer brand name is not good. It is illegal. And some people could try to sell this guitar for a high price, and the buyer could get tricked. I bought a Jem777 pyramid looking neck from Aliexpress not so long ago (a video at my channel here) and that neck did not have a Ibanez logo. That is good I think. Just silly using brand names on non brand parts. The neck was ok for the price. Not perfect fret ends and had to lover the nut some. But just small easy fixes so good enough for my usage. But another thing that is just silly is to pay $5000+ for a Vai, Van Halen or whatever copy. It is a copy even if it is made by Ibanez, Kramer, EVH or whoever. But alright... the market decides the price. 👍
Ed had several of those guitars.
Your playing is better than the guitar. I'd swap the pickup with a Duncan JB or Custom Custom.
Thanks! Yeah, the guitar isn't the greatest, but plays well enough with the bridge swap. Rock on brother!
Kramer is a real brand
The 84 IS a 5150..
I thought the body of the EVH Kramer was a Pacer not a Baretta (7:50)
I think you're probably right. This body shape seems closer to my pacer, but still off a bit with the horns and the distance from the bridge to the bottom of the body. Like I said, this particular guitar isn't really either, that's why I showed both. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@dexdeimos425 You are absolutely right. On the other hand, Eddie never used a production Kramer. It was all custom made. For example the Kramers used poplar and maple for the bodies, but I'm quite confident the 5150's body was made of (swamp?) ash.
how do u think u can get the smell to go way
Actually, it’s been a year since I bought it and the smell seems to be fading 🙂
@@dexdeimos425 my guitar should be here sometime today I'm just waiting for it to show up in the mail I'll send you pictures of mine as soon as I get it
Lines aren't correct size,I would have to repaint lol
Yeah, they’re pretty unfortunate. They must have been looking at a low resolution picture from 20 feet away! 😆😂🤣
How much shipping?
Well, that would really depend on where you live. 🤷♂️
That headstock doesn’t look quite right either.
Yeah, kinda like a misshapen sock - nothing is really ‘right’ about this thing! 🤣🎸🧦
Nice 🤘🎸👊💨
Ahhhhhh its like the rest of the infinitys smaller
I have 3 replica guitars and mine don't smell maybe it's you 😅
I want one, let me know if you sell. I looked on their website and couldn't find anything. Oh well. Great video. A new subscriber here!!👍😉
Sincerely,
Albert Jackson Munoz
Thanks so much Albert! Really glad you liked the review and have subscribed. I hope to put a few more of these reviews together when I get some time. Rock on brother!
Eh, its ok. The stripes are wrong and the fingerboard and headstock is also wrong. Cool tho.
Lesson for the day. Stop drinking. Good excuse though....
That headstock LMAO it looks like a sock lying on the floor.