Man !!!!! You make EVERY guitar you touch sound INCREDIBLE!!!! Your note choice is always perfect, incredible phrasing, melodic runs, flat tasty playing !!!!
I am 54...Back in the 80's I picked up a red Kramer focus 3000 flying V used from GC. It had a crap knock off Floyd trem. I got along with that guitar very well. I got a Master of Puppets tab book and basically learned how to play on it. Oh the memories....Good to see Kramer making guitars again.
The one you have I think are the new ones made on china. I tried one of those but the neck of the Indonesian version was definitely a little bit better.
I think most of the guys our age (I’ll be 42 in June) love the Baretta special because of nostalgia and we all wish you could’ve gotten a guitar like this for 200 dollars when we were starting out. I don’t think it’s as awesome as some people let on but they are definitely fun for 200 bucks, I think I let the hype get to me and maybe I was expecting too much out of it. I was a little disappointed when I first got it but quickly put into perspective that it was only 200 dollars mine is Ruby red and damn it if I don’t want a white one now seriously that white with the maple fretboard looks sexy!
@@bikeman1x11 well I prefer rosewood or ebony, but affordable guitars don’t come with rosewood anymore and I much prefer the look of a maple board as opposed to the rosewood substitutes . The white one only came with the rosewood substitute up until last year and now they offer a little brighter white one with a maple board. All that being said have you ever played anything with a really exceptional maple fretboard on it ? A higher end maple fretboard is pretty hard to beat they are very comfortable and smooth is the best way I know to describe them. I used to not like tinted lacquered maple boards because I didn’t like the yellowed look now I like the look and love the feel of a good lacquered maple fretboard. I’ve played raw and satin maple boards that are excellent too . Ultimately for me the fretboard is more of a visual preference for me. I just don’t think it makes much difference in the sound or feel from maple to rosewood to ebony, maple is harder than rosewood like ebony and I guess feel wise more compatible. The neck on my Baretta was all jacked up out of the box it had no relief the strings were laying on top of the frets and open strings fretted out the fret edges would cut you. I cleaned up the fret edges and adjusted the truss rod when I put new strings on it the day after I got it so it wasn’t a big deal, but someone who was just started to play the guitar would’ve been practically useless for them unless they new someone who could set it up for them. I think every beginner should have their guitar set up but beginners don’t understand why it needs it , it’s anomaly the people who need the set up worse of all don’t understand the importance of a decent set up because they don’t have the experience to recognize it lol.
I have 3 custom necks that I ordered from Warmoth. All have maple fretboards. I ordered them with no finish and then put tung oil on them. They are fantastic! Love the maple.
@@thebaldshredder I’ve been thinking about sanding the neck of my special and either leaving it raw , because I kinda like dingy looking maple fretboards or putting some tung oil on it . I can’t leave nothing alone.
In 1985, I was 15 and got my first guitar and started down the hair guitar highway. In 35+ yrs I've have em all. $599.00 and up to $3500.00. I got one because I had compare it to the original one I had in 87. Cream white with the original Floyd. The Holy Grail of old Kramers. I'm blown away by it. It's the only guitar I've played in 3 months. I look over at my Soloist and Mockingbird and say sorry. They are both very expensive and play great, but there's something about it that I just can't put it down. I'm going to get the gray Vintage. It's a replica of my old white one. I'm sure it won't disappoint. I miss fine tuners and Floyd stability.
Absolutely love this guitar and with a few mods (a graphtec nut, locking tuners and a better quality bridge = £100) this is now my number one guitar. I actually prefer it to my 2 £800 charvels and I love the neck on the Kramer (neck size is definitely a personal thing)
Just purchased one an hour ago at GC. Simply comparing the necks and frets to other offerings in the sub $200 range makes the Baretta stand out. On sale for $149, it seemed the obvious choice for the ultimate budget guitar.
Hello Richard! I found your channel searching for info on Aliexpress guitars. I ended up watching several of your videos, which I found to be both informational and entertaining. You have a clever, witty and sometimes humorous approach, which is refreshing to just watching others "shred". Subscribed to "The Bald Shredder"! 🤟
I have it in Candy Blue. I cut the treble bleed out, removed a spring from the trem system, and now it stays in tune pretty damn good going on a year now. I hardly ever have the trem bar. I just play it like a hard tail. I play a shoddy rendition of Eruption with it on my channel.
I got one with a Wilde p.u. and a tone knob, just as a lark, and it’s played more than any other guitar of mine. They are surprisingly d3cent, but at the price they’re unsurpassed. Enjoyed your video.
I owned two original Kramers in early 1990s, and I have tried this recent remake. I'd say other than the Van Halen/'80s nostalgia trip, the best thing about Kramer is that it has a really great medium *oval neck profile*. That's just not something you find on many guitars at any price point. To me its that neck shape that makes this stand out from a dozen other Indonesian/Chinese made $200 price point instruments that do the same thing (or more things!). BTW, reason I got rid of my original Kramers was because although I did really love the neck profile, that was the only thing about them I liked. Appearance is pretty 80s cliche, and having only neck pickup/no tone control really does limit available tones.
I’m diggin’ that cool Ibanez triple humbucker Destroyer back there. It reminds me of Def Leppard. It looks like you’ve got some super slinky eights or nines on that Kramer Baretta. Liked and subbed. 🎸👍
Im a bass player, and grabbed one of these in purple for noodling and for if someone comes over to jam. Its big bang for buck, and the simplicity appeals to me. Also helps that it matcues well with my Stirling Stingray
I traded in my fender stratocaster for cash and a barrette special and I believe I made right decision. I didn't know i liked playing 80s metal that much until the other day
I have 60+ guitars, mostly BC Rich/Ibanez, but I picked up one of these KBS and modded it w/ graphtech 6060 nut, locking tuners, a brass block and a JBJ pickup and it is easily as good as any guitar I've ever played. I have since purchased 10 more of them and only 1 of them showed up with any issue (the new 2023 Chinese one) which was some easily fixed fret sprout.
I've never owned one, but I've always loved the Kramer headstock. It's the classic EVH 5150 headstock (Which is way cooler than his later EVH style guitars, if you ask me.)
I'm sorry to be so pedantic here but it's not the 5150 hockey stick / banana headstock, it's the Kramer beak headstock which is shorter than the banana headstock on the 5150. But I agree they look better than the EVH Wolfie headstocks.
I have one and love it... i did some zero cost mods, clipped the treble bleed, got rid of the middle spring... tightened the claw to keep the trem flat to the body, lubed the nut and saddles... and its the ideal shredder for us 50 something Eddie Van Halen fans... what's that fezzly guitar, did you do a video?
Great review! I love mine, but two things I noticed in store: 1. The frets were very hit and miss. The store I bought from had 6 in stock, and even though I went in for a Ruby Red with maple fretboard, I ended up with a white guitar with a rosewood fretboard because that was the only one that didnt have horrible fret sprout (like leave scratches on my hand for several days from lightly sliding up and down the neck) 2. It needed a set up. Tuning stability out of the box was horrible. A proper set up made it an absolute gem.
I bought the Kramer Baretta Special last week and find it easier, more comfortable and faster to play than my $1100 Charvel and that is because it has a thicker, chunkier C shaped neck (very similar to a Fender Stratocaster. Something that one can appreciate as we get older, develop arthritis, etc.. Of course, the Charvel has a superior sound but it's worth it to me to put $300 worth of upgrades in the Kramer for the way the neck grips much better in my hand.
my friend picked up a purple one and he never really played it and so today he asked me if I wanted it, bought it for 120$ one of the best decisions I've ever made
Isn't the orange guitar on the wall a George Lynch something? Looks familiar. Like the one he played by the volcano. Can't remember the song. Gotta look it up.
Definitely not over hyped. It's the perfect beginners guitar. When I started, I was lucky. I got an old Charvel Model 2 with the Jackson headstock. Played great. A friend had an inexpensive Les Paul copy that was hard to play. Those guitars discourage. I had a schitty amp with no effects. That is even worse. Today, $400.00 any you have a top notch sounding guitar and amp for a beginner.
zzounds has the Kramer pacer classic which is HH setup and a floyd for 50-100 more i would go with that one but i did get a barretta special when the maple necks came out the candy blue it is a fast neck i must admit.
not overhyped i bought the 2021 model its vintage white with rosewoods fretboard and black banna headstock... i swapped the stock pickup for a JB and put a graphtech nut, and man is it a amazing guitar.... yeah i coulda spendt 300 more and got a kramer baretta with a floyd , but thats not what i wanted... i was happy with modding the special and making it my own, its a beautiful guitar and SHREDS... neck is amazing, you can upgrade the bridge would be the only con... but even the tuners are fine as is ... even the stock pickup is HOT , u dont have to swap it... i just did cause i had a vison for my guitar..
I don't know if they all do. You can still get the vintage white finish with the rosewood fretboard and black headstock. I like the maple fretboard better.
Bald Shredder - I'm not sure what your normal "go to" guitar is, but could the nut width be too wide for you on this? It is a 1.69 nut width with a U-Shaped neck. Most Fender style guitars (with a few exceptions) have a 1.650 nut width. May not seem like much, but it makes a significant difference in the feel.
Was stupid enough to let the vintage white one go when they were still available, now I cant find it anywhere anymore 😭 hope they havent discontinued that one
Hey man , lovely sound and playing. ive fallen in love with these guitars. Ive an ESP MII and actually prefer the £140 kramer to it . what is going on !? I put a dimarzio super distortion in mine , wired parallel and it is full racer x 80s tones ! Also put a £15 black bridge on , with the fender half size saddle screws so they dont stick out into your palm. Set of black gotoh tuners. £260 all in and it smokes guitars around £1000
FYI - Anyone seeing this April 2023 or later, I bought the white with matching white head stock and maple neck Beretta Special (KPBSWHCT1) and the latest updated version has changed A LOT! 1 - They are now made in China, not Indonesia (i have no beef with that, just FYI) 2 - It weighs a full 1.2 LBs heavier (could be just luck of the draw, but it felt a lot heavier in the hand and resting on my leg, but on my scale 7.0 to 8.2 LBs 3 - Volume pot has changed, it's dime sized and did not have the resistor Steve shows removing in this video, also much firmer turn 4 - Neck finish is nowhere near as smooth as my Indonesian made model which is def. satin style. It was also slightly thicker (I forgot to measure that w/ the caliper, just going on feel) 5 - They increased the price from $179 to $229 6 - Kramer's website says 9-42's but it came with 10-46's (checked with a digital caliper) Small but for me, important differences... always luck of the draw with budget guitars for sure, but I personally feel they went backwards on these changes. Returned and bought the vintage white with granadillo finger board (KPBSVWCT1) version... NOW I am really happy and get why all the buzz around this model has lasted for several years. Maybe I just got a lemon but I wanted to mention it here as I found this guitar and found Steve's tips in this video really helpful, so hopefully this helps someone else.
@@thebaldshredder lol. Sorry, I actually posted this on another video in April and then I saw yours, I bought he same white / maple version you had in this video and I thought it sucked… when I went back to my local store, they had the aged white / granadillo version and so I took that home a few months ago, but thought all my comments above were still very relevant to your video lol
Great guitar for the money. Ditch the capacitor they put across the volume control, install locking tuners and maybe do a pickup upgrade ( GFS are great pickups for the money) and you've got a very good guitar with a usable trem.
Music has a magical way of bringing you to a special time and place. Those riffs bring me right back to the 80s. Great stuff, man. In my humble opinion, Firefly and Leo Jaymz give you more bang for $200
I think the key detail of the argument is that if you find a guitar you love, that’s all that matters. I have many (way too many) guitars and most are in the “value” range. My Baretta Special has the best neck of all my guitars….per ME! Someone else might think it sucks and that’s fine. I play to make me happy because I love the art of guitar. I love these videos and honest opinions! The jams are inspiring me as a player above all else. Appreciate the community and content! Now, back to trying to learn Acoustic Elephant 😂
I have this guitar , and i think its a great guitar! I have a wilkinson vitage tremolo, locking mechanics by schaller and a seymour Duncan. Its a great guitar! Greetings from Frankfurt germany.
I'm guessing that you prefer the neck on your orange AliExpress Custom Shop "Charvel" PC3 - would you mind revealing the specifications you give the sellers to get those great slim necks? 😃
Looks like you might be using Dunlop 500 picks, .96mm? I used those for years but now use the Dunlop Jazz III XL. Oh also, remove the capacitor on the volume knob, it really helps the sound of the pickup and the volume will taper better. The tuners are my only complaint about mine, need to be a higher ratio IMO.
Dude, I think it's all what people don't know about what you can do to upgrade it, if you want, if you know how; you can even use the bridge it has on it and have it floating that even stays in tune for a good while if lube it, i mean nut and bridge or change to a tusk nut, if you like it that way , I have a black one that I, want to put on a Wilkinson Floyd rose type tremolo on it, that i have already done on one of my other white KRAMER BS and love it you can dive bomb it big time floating even. Dude there is other things you can do, like unsolder the bleeder capacitor to rase and lower the volume, you can also put in a push pull switch and a tone knob or even add another pickup, if you have the tools and know-how and if you want to put the time and extra money in, without paying someone else to do it for you, so it's worth every penny to me Dude! Anyway, keep shredding!!!!!
I have this guitar and love it! It plays great and although it IS a little on the weighty side, I still love it. I had an '85 Baretta back in the day and regretted trading it for a Strat. As I remember, the one I had in '85 was a little on the heavy side too. Glad to have a Baretta again, it goes great with an EVH overdrive. 😀🎸🎶
My buddy had a Kramer Striker back in 1986 and I loved that particular guitar and the way it played and sounded. Made in the USA back then (ah, the good old days) and I think it was only like a hundred dollars or so.
@@theuserthatishere It said made in USA on the neck plate but it doesn't surprise me that Kramer lied about that. It was still a great guitar and played fantastic.
Dude you killed it on that jam , best I’ve heard from you . Kicked ass . I’m gonna come out of my slumber and start jamming again . Hey there is another Kramer with 2 double humbuckers . Goes for around 299 to 350 by Kramer
Just picked up a purple one for $100.00 at a pawn shop in mint condition with the film still on the pick guard tuners and pickup , couldn't get the money out of my pocket fast enough , oh hell yes i got a good deal 👍.
Loved your new jam Richard. I ordered one of these many months ago because of all the great things people were saying about them, but the one I received had serious fret sprout and I just simply didn't want to deal with it, so I returned it. The guitar was okay, but the hype was far greater than the guitar was in my opinion.
Just play the fuxkin thing! Some of the comments on these guitars are ridiculous. I've had $75-150 guitars that play fine. With distortion on you're not going to notice those one or two frets that have "fret sprout". B.s... I swear people watch too many youtuber guitar tech videos and just pick apart every little thing like they're some master luthier, when they're all still playable.. no matter if it's a cheap Epiphone LP or SG, an $80 Glarry Telecaster, or a $150 Squier Mustang. Don't be so quick to have buyers remorse and send it back next time.
Awesome, melodic, heavy song. Great playing and sound. If I had met you in the late 80s, I would have been happy to move to the bass. My friends all seemed to have a Kramer Barretta, or a Striker, or Pacer at various points. I have always loved these guitars, irrespective of what music I was into at the time. A heavy, yet warm sound, out of a simply, high-quality instrument. I am buying one soon, and will but a lock nut.
I got one in from a friend... going to make a Hot Rod EVH inspired 5150 Mod out if this thang! Should be fun! So far... dropped the new Kramer (Gibson) "78" Eruption pickup into it.. next.. a stripped paint job and then...a Vega-Trem bride, new GraphTech nut and some locking tuners... then we'll see if it can compete with me EVH Slime Green 5150 before we send it off to its owner! 🤘😎🎸🐦🥒
There isn't a cat out there that wouldn't like that lick 😉. Awesome intro playing as always! I have two of these. One in black trimmed with gold and the other Purple trimmed with black. Both look awesome and thanks for the review!
Get a few grades of sandpaper and hold it in your fret hand and start sanding like you're playing the guitar, up and down the neck. Start with about an 80 grit and go up to at least 320 grit to get it back to a nice finish. In about an hour that chunky neck will be awesome! Also file that horrid heel of the neck with a file if you feel confident on doing it to make it look and professional.
A cool guitar. And a very nice jamm. Good work, as always, Richard! I picked one of these up.... in the cobalt blue type color. I wasn't nuts about it. It wasn't a bad guitar. And it did the thing it was meant to do... well. It just wasn't for me. Really bad fret sprout on the one I ordered. Totally fixable. Pickup was off-center, and just didn't have the punch I wanted. Cool guitar. It' just wasn't for me.
I had a baretta special. For what I paid ($179 new) it was a pretty great guitar that had that 80s shredder look and feel. The issues I had with mine were mostly that the treble bleed cap made the volume knob unusable, no big deal just snip that ugly little bastard out, and it was a battle to get it to stay in tune. I ended up selling it because I bought a baretta vintage and there just didn't seem like much reason to keep it. Still, I would have loved to have one when I first started playing guitar.
Played one of these for years. It did really well with some minor “tune ups” … I’ve been longing for another Kramer after letting my Baretta special and ‘86 Striker go. These are good, but if you can’t mod your guitar, the features can be limited. The one pickup would be cooler if they atleast gave you a coil tap, and the tremolo definitely sucks without some sort of lube in the saddles. But hey, you can dive bomb for about 15 dollars after buying it if you lube the nut and saddles! Great beginner guitar, but nowhere near the 80’s Kramers
I grabbed a purple one because of the price & upgrade potential. This thing has easily the best neck I've ever had. That includes *many* guitars from the $500 - $1000 range and several in the $2000 to even $4000 range. The neck is ridiculously straight and I was able to get the action lower than any guitar I've ever owned, with no buzz. The stock bridge kinda sucks, causing tuning issues for me and that's after replacing the tuners with some nice locking ones. Stock pickup is decent/adequate. I will be replacing it with either a Wolfgang pickup or one of Petrucci's DiMarzio's. I also plan on replacing the pots with some nicer ones. At some point, I may strip this thing and give it a nice EVH-inspired paint job and possibly a real Floyd Rose. Certainly one of the 1000 series ones if I don't go bananas. I'm also considering an Evertune for it. I would be an amazing guitar for recording with an Evertune and a better pickup.
i just got the blue one...... its light, i think the ones made in china are heavier, but i may be wrong. anyway i do like mine a lot, and i know there are better guitars out there in this price range, but im happy with mine. I would buy another if i ever lost or sold this one.
i agree. it is a very good guitar, but you can get quite a few guitars for same price, the only upgrade that is required is changing the plastic nut to a graph tech tusk nut. if you were looking to upgrade the pickups, i would recommend the crunch pats from guitar fetish or the evh Frankenstein pickup.
I picked one of these up in a store and it was easily my favorite guitar in the store. I should have bought but I already have two of them.
Lock the bridge and slap a burstbucker or similar pickup in and you have a $1000 guitar for $300.
Then thats some badass lame store
Man !!!!! You make EVERY guitar you touch sound INCREDIBLE!!!! Your note choice is always perfect, incredible phrasing, melodic runs, flat tasty playing !!!!
Wow, thanks!
I am 54...Back in the 80's I picked up a red Kramer focus 3000 flying V used from GC. It had a crap knock off Floyd trem. I got along with that guitar very well. I got a Master of Puppets tab book and basically learned how to play on it. Oh the memories....Good to see Kramer making guitars again.
Great jam awesome video as usual. These videos always make Monday workday more tolerable. Thx
It is such a joy watching you do your thing. Keep on keeping on!
The one you have I think are the new ones made on china. I tried one of those but the neck of the Indonesian version was definitely a little bit better.
In the 80s nobody used that bridge...
I think most of the guys our age (I’ll be 42 in June) love the Baretta special because of nostalgia and we all wish you could’ve gotten a guitar like this for 200 dollars when we were starting out. I don’t think it’s as awesome as some people let on but they are definitely fun for 200 bucks, I think I let the hype get to me and maybe I was expecting too much out of it. I was a little disappointed when I first got it but quickly put into perspective that it was only 200 dollars mine is Ruby red and damn it if I don’t want a white one now seriously that white with the maple fretboard looks sexy!
Nostalgia is a strong factor.
i hate the maple fretboards and i too was let down- the neck is great but the cheap wood such it just sounds bad
@@bikeman1x11 well I prefer rosewood or ebony, but affordable guitars don’t come with rosewood anymore and I much prefer the look of a maple board as opposed to the rosewood substitutes . The white one only came with the rosewood substitute up until last year and now they offer a little brighter white one with a maple board.
All that being said have you ever played anything with a really exceptional maple fretboard on it ? A higher end maple fretboard is pretty hard to beat they are very comfortable and smooth is the best way I know to describe them. I used to not like tinted lacquered maple boards because I didn’t like the yellowed look now I like the look and love the feel of a good lacquered maple fretboard. I’ve played raw and satin maple boards that are excellent too . Ultimately for me the fretboard is more of a visual preference for me. I just don’t think it makes much difference in the sound or feel from maple to rosewood to ebony, maple is harder than rosewood like ebony and I guess feel wise more compatible.
The neck on my Baretta was all jacked up out of the box it had no relief the strings were laying on top of the frets and open strings fretted out the fret edges would cut you. I cleaned up the fret edges and adjusted the truss rod when I put new strings on it the day after I got it so it wasn’t a big deal, but someone who was just started to play the guitar would’ve been practically useless for them unless they new someone who could set it up for them. I think every beginner should have their guitar set up but beginners don’t understand why it needs it , it’s anomaly the people who need the set up worse of all don’t understand the importance of a decent set up because they don’t have the experience to recognize it lol.
I have 3 custom necks that I ordered from Warmoth. All have maple fretboards. I ordered them with no finish and then put tung oil on them. They are fantastic! Love the maple.
@@thebaldshredder I’ve been thinking about sanding the neck of my special and either leaving it raw , because I kinda like dingy looking maple fretboards or putting some tung oil on it . I can’t leave nothing alone.
Dam you are a guitar virtuoso, love the jams ALWAYS the best shreds keep shredding Baldy:)
Beautifully arranged brotherrrrr...... u rock.. \m/
I was going to comment, “Wow you shred.” But now that I see your name, you already know you shred! Keep it up.
Your arrangements are 110% brother. Very very clean mixing and my god the Melodic structures.
Glad you like them!
In 1985, I was 15 and got my first guitar and started down the hair guitar highway. In 35+ yrs I've have em all. $599.00 and up to $3500.00. I got one because I had compare it to the original one I had in 87. Cream white with the original Floyd. The Holy Grail of old Kramers. I'm blown away by it. It's the only guitar I've played in 3 months. I look over at my Soloist and Mockingbird and say sorry. They are both very expensive and play great, but there's something about it that I just can't put it down. I'm going to get the gray Vintage. It's a replica of my old white one. I'm sure it won't disappoint. I miss fine tuners and Floyd stability.
Absolutely love this guitar and with a few mods (a graphtec nut, locking tuners and a better quality bridge = £100) this is now my number one guitar. I actually prefer it to my 2 £800 charvels and I love the neck on the Kramer (neck size is definitely a personal thing)
Excellent playing, love the vibe
Thanks for listening
Just purchased one an hour ago at GC. Simply comparing the necks and frets to other offerings in the sub $200 range makes the Baretta stand out. On sale for $149, it seemed the obvious choice for the ultimate budget guitar.
where?
ok sorry isee
You made that thing SING James! Fantastic playing.
Thanks!
Hello Richard! I found your channel searching for info on Aliexpress guitars. I ended up watching several of your videos, which I found to be both informational and entertaining. You have a clever, witty and sometimes humorous approach, which is refreshing to just watching others "shred". Subscribed to "The Bald Shredder"! 🤟
Thanks Sean!
The way to pump out these new tunes every video is absolutely amazing. As my Australian friend would say, "You play a treat. You got the goods!"
Ha ha, thanks!
Sounds great, excellent playing
I have it in Candy Blue. I cut the treble bleed out, removed a spring from the trem system, and now it stays in tune pretty damn good going on a year now. I hardly ever have the trem bar. I just play it like a hard tail.
I play a shoddy rendition of Eruption with it on my channel.
I got one with a Wilde p.u. and a tone knob, just as a lark, and it’s played more than any other guitar of mine. They are surprisingly d3cent, but at the price they’re unsurpassed. Enjoyed your video.
I owned two original Kramers in early 1990s, and I have tried this recent remake. I'd say other than the Van Halen/'80s nostalgia trip, the best thing about Kramer is that it has a really great medium *oval neck profile*. That's just not something you find on many guitars at any price point. To me its that neck shape that makes this stand out from a dozen other Indonesian/Chinese made $200 price point instruments that do the same thing (or more things!).
BTW, reason I got rid of my original Kramers was because although I did really love the neck profile, that was the only thing about them I liked. Appearance is pretty 80s cliche, and having only neck pickup/no tone control really does limit available tones.
I’m diggin’ that cool Ibanez triple humbucker Destroyer back there. It reminds me of Def Leppard. It looks like you’ve got some super slinky eights or nines on that Kramer Baretta. Liked and subbed. 🎸👍
Im a bass player, and grabbed one of these in purple for noodling and for if someone comes over to jam. Its big bang for buck, and the simplicity appeals to me. Also helps that it matcues well with my Stirling Stingray
Great playing! You smoked!! 🔥🔥🔥😲😉😉. Well done!!! 👌😲😲😲🤘🤘🤘🤘
Thanks Tony!
Awesome and I can say that, im 52
I traded in my fender stratocaster for cash and a barrette special and I believe I made right decision. I didn't know i liked playing 80s metal that much until the other day
Ahhhhaaa. I knew it
That is the best 200 dollar guitar
I have 60+ guitars, mostly BC Rich/Ibanez, but I picked up one of these KBS and modded it w/ graphtech 6060 nut, locking tuners, a brass block and a JBJ pickup and it is easily as good as any guitar I've ever played. I have since purchased 10 more of them and only 1 of them showed up with any issue (the new 2023 Chinese one) which was some easily fixed fret sprout.
Dude you never disappoint. That jam was badass 🎸🔥
Thanks dude!
I've never owned one, but I've always loved the Kramer headstock. It's the classic EVH 5150 headstock (Which is way cooler than his later EVH style guitars, if you ask me.)
I'm sorry to be so pedantic here but it's not the 5150 hockey stick / banana headstock, it's the Kramer beak headstock which is shorter than the banana headstock on the 5150. But I agree they look better than the EVH Wolfie headstocks.
I have one and love it... i did some zero cost mods, clipped the treble bleed, got rid of the middle spring... tightened the claw to keep the trem flat to the body, lubed the nut and saddles... and its the ideal shredder for us 50 something Eddie Van Halen fans... what's that fezzly guitar, did you do a video?
Yes I did 2 videos on the Fesley.
Thanks for entertaining me today! I like my Baretta Special, it is basic fun. 🤘🏼
🤘
Oh, awesome demo..! ☮️💜😊🤘🏻
Thanks
Great review! I love mine, but two things I noticed in store:
1. The frets were very hit and miss. The store I bought from had 6 in stock, and even though I went in for a Ruby Red with maple fretboard, I ended up with a white guitar with a rosewood fretboard because that was the only one that didnt have horrible fret sprout (like leave scratches on my hand for several days from lightly sliding up and down the neck)
2. It needed a set up. Tuning stability out of the box was horrible. A proper set up made it an absolute gem.
I bought the Kramer Baretta Special last week and find it easier, more comfortable and faster to play than my $1100 Charvel and that is because it has a thicker, chunkier C shaped neck (very similar to a Fender Stratocaster. Something that one can appreciate as we get older, develop arthritis, etc.. Of course, the Charvel has a superior sound but it's worth it to me to put $300 worth of upgrades in the Kramer for the way the neck grips much better in my hand.
Have one in the purple. Great guitar, especially for the low cost.
Getting ready to buy the black one, awesome guitars for cheap, i have a striker 212 that i love ❤️
my friend picked up a purple one and he never really played it and so today he asked me if I wanted it, bought it for 120$ one of the best decisions I've ever made
I love listening to you play. You rock dude.
Thanks!
I 100% Agree with your assessment .
Isn't the orange guitar on the wall a George Lynch something? Looks familiar. Like the one he played by the volcano. Can't remember the song. Gotta look it up.
The skewed mounting of the humbugger is visually disturbing, but the guitar is good value for the money.
Definitely not over hyped. It's the perfect beginners guitar. When I started, I was lucky. I got an old Charvel Model 2 with the Jackson headstock. Played great. A friend had an inexpensive Les Paul copy that was hard to play. Those guitars discourage. I had a schitty amp with no effects. That is even worse. Today, $400.00 any you have a top notch sounding guitar and amp for a beginner.
My first amp was 10 watts. Two knobs: volume and tone. No distortion. Nothing. Talk about discouraging! lol
That music is awesome!!! Awesome sound and playing!! Great guitars imho...
Thanks
Great job on the shred jam! Appreciate your honest assessment. Thank a bunch 🤘🎸.
🤘
zzounds has the Kramer pacer classic which is HH setup and a floyd for 50-100 more i would go with that one but i did get a barretta special when the maple necks came out the candy blue it is a fast neck i must admit.
Btw forgot to compliment you on the great peice of music your comps are top notch.
Great video !
You can fly on guitar .
I have a purple one with Vega Trem , graph tech nut , Di'Addario locking tuners . It's a BEAST !
Thanks! I almost got the purple one.
not overhyped i bought the 2021 model its vintage white with rosewoods fretboard and black banna headstock... i swapped the stock pickup for a JB and put a graphtech nut, and man is it a amazing guitar.... yeah i coulda spendt 300 more and got a kramer baretta with a floyd , but thats not what i wanted... i was happy with modding the special and making it my own, its a beautiful guitar and SHREDS... neck is amazing, you can upgrade the bridge would be the only con... but even the tuners are fine as is ... even the stock pickup is HOT , u dont have to swap it... i just did cause i had a vison for my guitar..
Do the new ones in 2023 come with the maple neck/board and headstock? I bought a 2022 and it has a rosewood board with a black headstock.
I don't know if they all do. You can still get the vintage white finish with the rosewood fretboard and black headstock. I like the maple fretboard better.
Bro, your jams are seriously the best I’ve ever heard on youtube
Please never stop writing
Thanks!
My son bought one and modified it and it's killer!
What is the name of the guitar you said was better????
Bald Shredder - I'm not sure what your normal "go to" guitar is, but could the nut width be too wide for you on this? It is a 1.69 nut width with a U-Shaped neck. Most Fender style guitars (with a few exceptions) have a 1.650 nut width. May not seem like much, but it makes a significant difference in the feel.
Was stupid enough to let the vintage white one go when they were still available, now I cant find it anywhere anymore 😭 hope they havent discontinued that one
Hey man , lovely sound and playing. ive fallen in love with these guitars. Ive an ESP MII and actually prefer the £140 kramer to it . what is going on !? I put a dimarzio super distortion in mine , wired parallel and it is full racer x 80s tones ! Also put a £15 black bridge on , with the fender half size saddle screws so they dont stick out into your palm. Set of black gotoh tuners. £260 all in and it smokes guitars around £1000
That's awesome!
FYI - Anyone seeing this April 2023 or later, I bought the white with matching white head stock and maple neck Beretta Special (KPBSWHCT1) and the latest updated version has changed A LOT!
1 - They are now made in China, not Indonesia (i have no beef with that, just FYI)
2 - It weighs a full 1.2 LBs heavier (could be just luck of the draw, but it felt a lot heavier in the hand and resting on my leg, but on my scale 7.0 to 8.2 LBs
3 - Volume pot has changed, it's dime sized and did not have the resistor Steve shows removing in this video, also much firmer turn
4 - Neck finish is nowhere near as smooth as my Indonesian made model which is def. satin style. It was also slightly thicker (I forgot to measure that w/ the caliper, just going on feel)
5 - They increased the price from $179 to $229
6 - Kramer's website says 9-42's but it came with 10-46's (checked with a digital caliper)
Small but for me, important differences... always luck of the draw with budget guitars for sure, but I personally feel they went backwards on these changes. Returned and bought the vintage white with granadillo finger board (KPBSVWCT1) version... NOW I am really happy and get why all the buzz around this model has lasted for several years. Maybe I just got a lemon but I wanted to mention it here as I found this guitar and found Steve's tips in this video really helpful, so hopefully this helps someone else.
Cool, but who the heck is Steve???
@@thebaldshredder lol. Sorry, I actually posted this on another video in April and then I saw yours, I bought he same white / maple version you had in this video and I thought it sucked… when I went back to my local store, they had the aged white / granadillo version and so I took that home a few months ago, but thought all my comments above were still very relevant to your video lol
Great jam Richard, that was awesome and a great video man 😀🤘🎵🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Great guitar for the money. Ditch the capacitor they put across the volume control, install locking tuners and maybe do a pickup upgrade ( GFS are great pickups for the money) and you've got a very good guitar with a usable trem.
Music has a magical way of bringing you to a special time and place. Those riffs bring me right back to the 80s. Great stuff, man. In my humble opinion, Firefly and Leo Jaymz give you more bang for $200
Thanks
awesome stuff !!!!
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I have the red/pink one . Its a nice player. Thanks for the demo Bro
Thanks for watching!
I think the key detail of the argument is that if you find a guitar you love, that’s all that matters. I have many (way too many) guitars and most are in the “value” range. My Baretta Special has the best neck of all my guitars….per ME! Someone else might think it sucks and that’s fine. I play to make me happy because I love the art of guitar. I love these videos and honest opinions! The jams are inspiring me as a player above all else. Appreciate the community and content! Now, back to trying to learn Acoustic Elephant 😂
Awesome! Thanks Dude!!!
I have this guitar , and i think its a great guitar! I have a wilkinson vitage tremolo, locking mechanics by schaller and a seymour Duncan. Its a great guitar! Greetings from Frankfurt germany.
WILKINSON
Pacer w Floyd $2 bills cant beat it
I love Kramer guitars, I have two. They play great and look great.
I'm guessing that you prefer the neck on your orange AliExpress Custom Shop "Charvel" PC3 - would you mind revealing the specifications you give the sellers to get those great slim necks? 😃
Wonderful solo playing you have the 80 flow 👏👏👏
The lead in that jam was sick
Здравствуйте! Чьё производство и какое качество сборки?
Looks like you might be using Dunlop 500 picks, .96mm? I used those for years but now use the Dunlop Jazz III XL. Oh also, remove the capacitor on the volume knob, it really helps the sound of the pickup and the volume will taper better. The tuners are my only complaint about mine, need to be a higher ratio IMO.
1.12
Love the Vinnie Moore sound and style.
Dude ! Bought one on my birthday last week. I get one in purple!! It’s definitely bang for the buck 😎🤘🏻🤘🏻.
It's a lot of guitar for only $200!
@@thebaldshredder I know right! Is worth the money and and easy mod platform for upgrades to.
picked up this same guitar for $160 it's pretty awesome.
wow ...amazing play ....
Thanks
Dude, I think it's all what people don't know about what you can do to upgrade it, if you want, if you know how; you can even use the bridge it has on it and have it floating that even stays in tune for a good while if lube it, i mean nut and bridge or change to a tusk nut, if you like it that way , I have a black one that I, want to put on a Wilkinson Floyd rose type tremolo on it, that i have already done on one of my other white KRAMER BS and love it you can dive bomb it big time floating even. Dude there is other things you can do, like unsolder the bleeder capacitor to rase and lower the volume, you can also put in a push pull switch and a tone knob or even add another pickup, if you have the tools and know-how and if you want to put the time and extra money in, without paying someone else to do it for you, so it's worth every penny to me Dude! Anyway, keep shredding!!!!!
I have this guitar and love it! It plays great and although it IS a little on the weighty side, I still love it. I had an '85 Baretta back in the day and regretted trading it for a Strat. As I remember, the one I had in '85 was a little on the heavy side too. Glad to have a Baretta again, it goes great with an EVH overdrive. 😀🎸🎶
The Kramer I did love was Vivian Campbell’s Nightswan.
the mid pup is in the way when picking
My buddy had a Kramer Striker back in 1986 and I loved that particular guitar and the way it played and sounded. Made in the USA back then (ah, the good old days) and I think it was only like a hundred dollars or so.
@@theuserthatishere It said made in USA on the neck plate but it doesn't surprise me that Kramer lied about that. It was still a great guitar and played fantastic.
Dude you killed it on that jam , best I’ve heard from you . Kicked ass . I’m gonna come out of my slumber and start jamming again . Hey there is another Kramer with 2 double humbuckers . Goes for around 299 to 350 by Kramer
Thanks Robert!
The kramer pacer
Forget the guitar, Tell me what affects you are using to achieve that harmonizing tone during your lead parts?
Tube screamer, delay, reverb. Song is multitracked so harmonies are recorded separately.
Didn’t the white and black ones come with a rosewood fretboard.
The off white has a darker fretboard.
Just picked up a purple one for $100.00 at a pawn shop in mint condition with the film still on the pick guard tuners and pickup , couldn't get the money out of my pocket fast enough , oh hell yes i got a good deal 👍.
Loved your new jam Richard. I ordered one of these many months ago because of all the great things people were saying about them, but the one I received had serious fret sprout and I just simply didn't want to deal with it, so I returned it. The guitar was okay, but the hype was far greater than the guitar was in my opinion.
Thanks!
Yes , because fret sprout is so hard to rectify .........
Just play the fuxkin thing! Some of the comments on these guitars are ridiculous. I've had $75-150 guitars that play fine. With distortion on you're not going to notice those one or two frets that have "fret sprout". B.s... I swear people watch too many youtuber guitar tech videos and just pick apart every little thing like they're some master luthier, when they're all still playable.. no matter if it's a cheap Epiphone LP or SG, an $80 Glarry Telecaster, or a $150 Squier Mustang. Don't be so quick to have buyers remorse and send it back next time.
Awesome, melodic, heavy song. Great playing and sound. If I had met you in the late 80s, I would have been happy to move to the bass. My friends all seemed to have a Kramer Barretta, or a Striker, or Pacer at various points. I have always loved these guitars, irrespective of what music I was into at the time. A heavy, yet warm sound, out of a simply, high-quality instrument. I am buying one soon, and will but a lock nut.
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I got one in from a friend... going to make a Hot Rod EVH inspired 5150 Mod out if this thang! Should be fun! So far... dropped the new Kramer (Gibson) "78" Eruption pickup into it.. next.. a stripped paint job and then...a Vega-Trem bride, new GraphTech nut and some locking tuners... then we'll see if it can compete with me EVH Slime Green 5150 before we send it off to its owner! 🤘😎🎸🐦🥒
There isn't a cat out there that wouldn't like that lick 😉. Awesome intro playing as always! I have two of these. One in black trimmed with gold and the other Purple trimmed with black. Both look awesome and thanks for the review!
Thanks Dan!
Get a few grades of sandpaper and hold it in your fret hand and start sanding like you're playing the guitar, up and down the neck. Start with about an 80 grit and go up to at least 320 grit to get it back to a nice finish. In about an hour that chunky neck will be awesome! Also file that horrid heel of the neck with a file if you feel confident on doing it to make it look and professional.
Ohh man the beginning riffs reminded me of Ain't Talking about Love! Nice playing brother and I think my Firefly SG is a better deal IMO!✌️🤘
A cool guitar. And a very nice jamm. Good work, as always, Richard! I picked one of these up.... in the cobalt blue type color. I wasn't nuts about it. It wasn't a bad guitar. And it did the thing it was meant to do... well. It just wasn't for me. Really bad fret sprout on the one I ordered. Totally fixable. Pickup was off-center, and just didn't have the punch I wanted. Cool guitar. It' just wasn't for me.
While this is a good guitar that is well made, it's not one of my favorites. So I understand what you're saying.
I had a baretta special. For what I paid ($179 new) it was a pretty great guitar that had that 80s shredder look and feel. The issues I had with mine were mostly that the treble bleed cap made the volume knob unusable, no big deal just snip that ugly little bastard out, and it was a battle to get it to stay in tune. I ended up selling it because I bought a baretta vintage and there just didn't seem like much reason to keep it. Still, I would have loved to have one when I first started playing guitar.
I agree that it would've been a killer first guitar back in the 80s.
Played one of these for years. It did really well with some minor “tune ups” …
I’ve been longing for another Kramer after letting my Baretta special and ‘86 Striker go. These are good, but if you can’t mod your guitar, the features can be limited. The one pickup would be cooler if they atleast gave you a coil tap, and the tremolo definitely sucks without some sort of lube in the saddles. But hey, you can dive bomb for about 15 dollars after buying it if you lube the nut and saddles! Great beginner guitar, but nowhere near the 80’s Kramers
Anyone know where I can get this Color with maple neck in Canada? I can only find the other colours like red and the off white with brown neck
Sweetwater has it. Do they ship to Canada? The shipping would probably be overly expensive though.
I grabbed a purple one because of the price & upgrade potential. This thing has easily the best neck I've ever had. That includes *many* guitars from the $500 - $1000 range and several in the $2000 to even $4000 range. The neck is ridiculously straight and I was able to get the action lower than any guitar I've ever owned, with no buzz. The stock bridge kinda sucks, causing tuning issues for me and that's after replacing the tuners with some nice locking ones. Stock pickup is decent/adequate. I will be replacing it with either a Wolfgang pickup or one of Petrucci's DiMarzio's. I also plan on replacing the pots with some nicer ones. At some point, I may strip this thing and give it a nice EVH-inspired paint job and possibly a real Floyd Rose. Certainly one of the 1000 series ones if I don't go bananas. I'm also considering an Evertune for it. I would be an amazing guitar for recording with an Evertune and a better pickup.
I almost got the purple one.
@@thebaldshredder Purple is my favorite color.
What about a Jackson JS11 ,12,22 maybe your IYV IS-400?
The IYV is a much better guitar.
Je possède une Kramer Baretta Spécial, quel bras de vibrato ( en mm) me faut t’il, j’ai perdu le miens, gracias, tchao. R3NO ❤
I like the single pickup and that there's only a volume knob. No pretensions.
Love your playing! If you decide to make lessons I'll be watching :)
No lessons, but my 4th album will be released tomorrow on every major platform. Speed of Light.
@@thebaldshredder awesome, I'll be listening! :)
i just got the blue one...... its light, i think the ones made in china are heavier, but i may be wrong. anyway i do like mine a lot, and i know there are better guitars out there in this price range, but im happy with mine. I would buy another if i ever lost or sold this one.
That guitar is rad!
i agree. it is a very good guitar, but you can get quite a few guitars for same price, the only upgrade that is required is changing the plastic nut to a graph tech tusk nut. if you were looking to upgrade the pickups, i would recommend the crunch pats from guitar fetish or the evh Frankenstein pickup.
nothing required to upgrade, it is a $200 guitar
@@ltcuaa the plastic nut needs to be upgraded to a graphtec tusk nut. The rest can stay as factory default.