Kramer Made A Mistake With This Guitar

[@brianbrown543]

Looks very cool and would be a perfect candidate for a Sharpen My Axe episode.

[@markrup6369]

I mean, this is a tough one Phil. Yeah, it seems like a great "beginner" guitar, but if it's unplayable, then that beginner will get discouraged and probably give up before they ever get started. If a parent were to purchase this guitar for their young beginner, then they PROBABLY don't have the knowledge or skill to fix all the issues -- anyone with that level of knowledge and skill would likely NOT buy this as a first guitar. I have always told my friends and family that if they are looking to buy their first guitar, or get their youngster their first real guitar, get a good guitar to start. Heck, at least get a Squier. Anything short of a decent guitar is a recipe for a very short lived interest in the instrument. When my boys showed an interest, I got them all Mexican Fender Strats to start. They have all moved on from there. Just my thoughts.

[@jamesmotiv8989]

Sound advice brother 👍 I will say, I have a Mexican Tele and a Kramer Baretta Special I bought as a mod project (I mention the baretta special cuz its only like $50-80 more than a focus). The frets on the Tele were honestly unfinished, and pathetically done. 2015 was the year. The frets on my squire cabronita Tele thinline, my epi les paul special and 100 are 100x better. The baretta was a little sharp but definitely playable out of the box. But better shape than the Mexican. Everything you said is valid and I agree with, I just thought it funny the Mexican was your example and my experience was so poor. If a kid had mine, they'd have bloody hands if they took to it for more then 20 minutes. However, for all other intents and purposes its a really great guitar. Aside from the sharp fret ends, everything else was beautiful right of the hop, just needed to adjust pickups to my aliking. In my experience its hard to go wrong with those epiphone or squier player packs. At most the guitars need a setup and your rocking haha

[@kogabear1]

Your comment and the other couldn’t be more sound. I would also add that take the intended person who shows interest to a music store and try on all the different shapes and radius of guitar necks and brands. Comfort in my opinion is the key.

[@ericwarrington6650]

You're exactly right..not a tough one at all..nothing is more uninspiring or soul crushing than trying to play an instrument that is unplayable or sounds awful..you don't want your guitar fighting you back especially if you are a beginner...a good set-up would probably eliminate most issues but an extra hundred bucks goes a long ways in buying a guitar.. especially used

[@mindcrome]

As a beginner who bought a cheep pawn shop guitar for 30 bucks then spent over 100 on set ups and trying to fix basically the same issues he had but worse (trust rod was striped) I agree. Spend the extra bucks to get a good guitar and for the price range of the Kramer, there are better options. I stopped trying to learn guitar for almost 2 years because of the bad purchase of the Epiphone. After I got the Pacifica (120H) the playability/tuning issues I had where gone. I spent about the same buying a new guitar vs. the pawn shop+"repairs". The difference: Enjoying playing/wanting to play everyday/desire to keep playing vs. Hating the guitar/feeling that I wasted money/No desire to play or even bother trying to find a instrument that works

[@brymills]

Andertons in the UK have released a review of a Kramer Pacer Classic FR today and said much the same. It’s not a beginners guitar, don’t buy it unless you can set it up yourself.

[@MinstrelDee7]

I've been almost about to buy one of these for a few years. I did buy one of the Baretta Specials for $189. Made in Indonesia. It was a good guitar as is, but I bought it to mod. It's an outstanding guitar, and the neck and body already were. The pickup was also fine. It's an Epiphone pickup. The only true drawback was the set of tuners on it. I replaced the bridge and tuners with a gold wilkinson and gold no name locking tuners, and put a purple dragonfire pickup with a purple pickup ring in place of the original. There are duds out there in the lower end of the Kramer lines, but there are also some true gems. I play the Baretta Special 80% of the time I play at home and I have Charvels, Fenders, and higher end Kramers that sit in cases. Kind of a dice roll, but worth it to see if there's a return policy. They have good bones.

[@bikeman1x11]

The Baretta special is at lest playable from box add some upgrades and it is actually pretty good

[@cheenu711]

Dude that guitar is a steal for what you pay for it. I've played guitars twice or thrice expensive as that guitar and that neck is just incredible. The fretwork is magical. I've put a new nut and tuners and plays pretty well when set up correctly. Currently about to put a SD full shred PU and a new bridge.

[@texanfournow]

I have one of these in purple. Looks great. Mild fret sprout. The strings that came with the guitar were so rough I could not play it out of the box--like barbed wire; put on a new set immediately and started to enjoy it. Neck did not need adjustment. If there is one thing I would change, it would be the tuners. Now that the new strings have stretched out, the guitar stays in tune. But the tuners feel kinda wonky...not smooth. Plus I like locking tuners. I am undecided on the pickups. They are not bad but I might experiment. In sum, no regrets. You get what you pay for. What interests me is that since then Kramer/Gibson has come out with models ranging from $300 to over $1,000. How are they? Those are up against so many competitors. Gibson better have its QC in order if they want to play in that price range.

[@gutsrage9616]

I bought my son an affinity squier that was $200 bucks paid $100 bucks for the setup couldn't be happier he enjoys it I like playing it. Was horrible out the box 🎁 but man what a little polish does worth the setup

[@ryant3600]

I haven't played a Kramer since the 80's.. But once they re-released the Nightswans, I just had to get one. back in the WS days, Vivian had this Kramer ad in magazines of him holding his aztec nightswan. I fell in love with the look, i had that add taped up in my locker, and one on my wall in my bedroom. To me it was a dream guitar that one day I would just have to have. So, when they released the aztec I ordered one immediately. Problem was, they didn't release a lot of them and my was on backorder for months. I originally ordered it in 2020 I think it was spring maybe late summer can't remember. But they kept sending me updates pushing the deliver out further and further. I eventually got an email saying it would be avail in Nov of 2021. By early summer I kinda forgot about it and it showed up on my doorstep in June 2021 so it was a shock to have it there. I have to say it's beautiful, it feels and sounds amazing. I have a lot of great guitars that I just love to play but my nightswan to me is nearly as perfect as I can get a guitar to be for me. Most of my guitars I usually have to tinker with to get it the way I like it. This out of the box was the most perfect guitar I've ever received. Kramer blew me away.

[@nickyd9361]

This is why mom & pop stores are great, whenever i had i beginner in our shop, i'd go over the guitar with the beginner & set it up for him/her. Cheap guitars usually requires a setup before being playable, which is counterintuitive when you think of encouraging a beginner to play.

[@abunai.j]

This is the channel I come to first for the most honest, to-the-point and credible demos and reviews. Trust level is high, and has been for years. Thanks, Phil. Cheers, man.

[@kevinmorris7722]

Kinda glad you are there to show the new people what to do.

[@hartcons]

I purchased a green one yesterday and so far it seems like a great value. sounds good, easy to play. no fret sprout but that's why I like buying from a small, local store where I can buy what I play and they offer a "free" setup (just pay for parts) if needed. they told me they send back the really bad guitars. especially if you're going cheap I think it pays to learn how to do some guitar maintenance yourself. so far I've had one guitar with bad fret sprout (a Nashville guitar works tele) and I used your video to help fix that one up and now I really like it. it doesn't have a truss rod tool but it does have a bridge tool.

[@rickkrainak]

I just purchased one of these in purple at a Guitar Center store. I had them take it out of the box and it plays well and set up was good and no fret sprout. After listening to the audio from your demo, I wanted to have one and thought the pickups sounded great. I was ready to have them open up the other five boxed guitars to find one keeper, but the first one was good 2 go.

[@eoak134]

My first bass was a Kramer focus p bass. My parents bought it for me from “music yo” back in 2005. I think it was 100$ with an amp. It was my foundational instrument. I played and beat the hell out of it. Covered it in stickers and played Black Sabbath and played my first bands with it. Luckily there was no fret spout but there was uneven frets. I remember being frustrated the 18th fret was bad and I couldn’t really play For whom the bell tolls because of it. I still have it, I put fender original pick ups and cts pots in it.

[@picksalot1]

Those pickups sound great! Two minutes adjusting the truss (spelling fixed) rod, five minutes filing down the fret sprout, a couple of taps on the lifted fret, and you are ready to rock. Only 10-15 minutes if you know what you're doing. But if you don't, you have an unplayable guitar, and could easily and wrongly conclude it's garbage.

[@Andrew_182]

The problem is, most people buying a $150 guitar wont know what they're doing. And like Phil mentioned in the video, having all those issues sorted by a pro could run as much as the guitar costs depending on the prices in your area. Pretty tough to justify when for $50 more you can get a Squier Bullet Strat that is less likely to need all that work out of the box.

[@chancemiller9340]

Trust Rod . . . Noice!

[@picksalot1]

@@chancemiller9340 😂

[@FoolishFlock]

Yeah the pickups were surprisingly pretty nice sounding thought for sure they were going to be weak & shrill glass sounding

[@Jesusinrock]

This guitar own sound is a garbage. After the set up too. It is a very light weight (has no sustain) unenjoyable guitar.

[@dfoos]

I had an 86 Kramer Focus 1000 when it was new. Back then, there were three lines. The Kramer American, Focus and Stryker. My buddy had a Kramer Baretta and I loved it, but couldn't afford one, so I got the Focus 1000, which was the built in Japan Baretta. They were really good quality back then. All the same except for the wood the body was made of and maybe the pickup (It only had the one, slanted P/U) I put a Duncan Distortion in it and I loved it. Real Floyd Rose also, because there were no such thing as "Licensed" at the time. It had the same neck as it's more expensive brother, as all the necks were made by ESP at the time. All the Focus models were Made in Japan, and were pretty good. Stryker was Made in "Where-ever" I now still have an 1987 American Pacer Deluxe. I will never get rid of it.

[@gian323]

I've binged enough of Phil's stuff of where I'm even picturing what I'd do if I were to "sharpen" it (note I'm barely an intermediate player). Definitely file the fret ends. I'd have to google the brass hammer for frets. Definitely do a setup.

[@Guitarrobb1969]

Hey, Phil! I have one of these in pewter gray. It was pretty bad right out of the box. After a little set-up and filing all the fret sprout away, it was nice to play. I'm doing exactly what you said to do with it; using it to practice my guitar modification techniques. It's really shaping up into a nice instrument! 😊👍👍🎸🎶

[@jeffleecust]

I think I’m weird, I actually like guitars with lots of fixable issues and badly needing a set up. It makes me connect to the instrument more if I personally take it from unplayable to something anyone would like to play.

[@jeffleecust]

Kinda upset actually just went in $200 on a LTD Viper-10 (SGish Bolt on 24 jumbo frets HH). I was hoping it would need some work or at least a little set up. Nope. Just a fret polish and restring for me and it’s damn near perfect. WTH LTD

[@Eric_01]

I totally get that. I wouldn't want to spend more than $500 and have to do that much fixing, but I also have fun setting up guitars.

[@jeffleecust]

@@Eric_01 yeah, my comfort zone is $300 or less with minor issues/ needs set up. $300-$500 should only need set up, maybe a fret polish. Anything above that should be pretty dang good out of the box

[@neilpatrickhairless]

I have found the more I fix guitars the less I play guitars

[@mbgomez89]

I like buying cheap guitars with bad electronics on CL/OfferUp for next to nothing (have picked up one for free before), then doing the the work myself. I feel closer to the guitar and enjoy it.

[@jeffroq]

Shame it had those problems. Looks good. I had a Kramer Focus bass years ago. Actually forgot about it, this show reminded me 👍

[@Gloveberg1]

Those Focus guitars were miles away from these. Those were built by ESP in Japan and assembled in New Jersey. Can't even compare that to these things I'm afraid.

[@noneedtobeshoutful]

I've got this exact colour and, as a mod piece, it's pretty solid. I replaced the nut with a Tusq one and the stock tuners for Wilkinsons. The bridge seems to hold tune no issue so I'm probably going to leave it as is. Mine also had the same issues with fret sprout (no lift thankfully) but it was just a night for a buddy and me to polish them, round out the edges, and maybe have a beer or two. I've got a push/pull tone pot and plan on ordering a JB to swap the bridge pickup out but the stock pups are totally usable, I just want to be able to coil tap and love JBs. I don't think I'd recommend it for beginners just due to how rough it is out of the box but if you're into tinkering with guitars, it's a really excellent platform to start with.

[@tonepilot]

When did a company ever get up in the morning and say “the world has enough cheap Strat copies”? Never.

[@GlennJimenez]

Why do you think that is? I’ve always thought it’s because they’re rugged and easily made so they’re an easy buck.

[@MarsHalekGuitar]

I personally never have enough cheap Strat copies, either. But I'm trying to cut down! That was a nice sounding one. I'm kind of glad the frets aren't great, so don't have to have one!

[@tonepilot]

@@MarsHalekGuitar Haha, it's so tempting isn't it?

[@Jasonbova]

Thank Phil! Always a pleasure to watch

[@msp1103]

Alot of people on KZbin raving about the Kramer Baretta Special . I bought one from AMS in March 2021. The fret ends were finished nicely, but the fret surfaces were very rough and gritty, once polished they played nice. The volume pot has no taper, it's either on or off, nothing in between, removing the treble bleed capacitor restored some taper. The strap button screws are very short and thin, definitely needs to be replaced if you are going to use a strap. One of the holes that attach the saddles to the bridge is not in line with the others. Some of the screw holes for the back cover plates and the humbucker ring are not drilled straight, as well as two of the four neck mounting holes, someone doesn't know how to use a drill. Pretty big gap in the neck pocket. The paint job shows some waves and irregularities. There are a few deep scratches in the finish on the back of the neck and some jagged edges around the headstock. Overall, it plays well and sounds great once the frets are polished and the strings replaced. Maybe worth the price if you are not too particular about the flaws in the fit and finish.

[@josemartinez-ul6gh]

What happened with the 55 point Sweetwater inspection?

[@gt-37guy6]

If you buy any cheap guitar, it is not going to be setup perfectly out of the box...just the way it is. I purchased a Kramer VT series in 2001 for $59 on musicians friend..lol. After some neck adjustments , nut filing, and lowering the action it played very well - I was shocked! Ended up using it for experimental swapping of pickups and was allot of fun...I passed it on to a neighbors grand-kid who was interested in learning.

[@mallreverb]

I don't judge guitars by fret sprout much anymore, the last two fender player strats I've gotten had it bad, worse than any cheaper stuff I've gotten recently. Easy fix anyway.

[@bbehrens6906]

Phil, MADE IN CHINA! Well, this is the first time that I have ever seen that a "bad" guitar can be made "good". I really don't think that it is a "bad" guitar. It sounded good and had some great features for the price. This proves that with a little TLC and know-how, even a guitar not well set up can be made a great beginner guitar! Thanks man!

[@DedsecEric]

My daughter wants to start playing guitar, so I took her to guitar center to find out what she likes. She decided she wanted a strat-style guitar, so I tried everything they had up to $500 (though I wasn't going to actually pay that much). This Kramer Focus felt better than anything else I tried. They didn't have the color she wanted, so I ordered it from Sweetwater. After watching this video (having already ordered the guitar), I was scared about the frets... I thought maybe the Guitar Center tech filed the frets on the demo guitar or something. So, I ordered a file from StewMac. Well... the guitar arrived today and they fret edges are perfectly fine, not sticking out or rough at all (just like the one at GC). The set up was good out of the box and not worth messing with (maybe Sweetwater set it up?). It sounds good too. There is nothing fantastic about this guitar, but it's MUCH better than my first guitar was (30+ years ago). The only bad thing about it is the tuners are terrible.... not bad, but TERRIBLE. After about 10-15 minutes of playing and retuning, the guitar did stay in tune... but, like Phillip McKnight, I'm also scared of using the tremolo. I didn't even install the trem arm.

[@rogerowens5669]

Hey Phil appreciate your video!!" I bought a Kramer Baretta my first time shopping online so I went with you know the least amount of money and the first thing I noticed was that the action was so low? I ran straight on it and it was level all the way down the the frets now this was just a regular straight it wasn't slotted I thought just simply adjusting the saddles I've never had to adjust the saddles to that high before it's almost maxing them out just to keep the strings off the frets now I noticed the first thing you did was set relief in the neck I'm wondering this what is the correct amount of relief & I don't know if you already have a video out on the Beretta special and how to set it up & what to look ? any help would be appreciated have a great day bro ✌

[@JonNewquist]

It was nice to see what a total failure on the sock test looks like.

[@markiszak]

Thanks for sharing this Phil. I enjoyed your playing in this clip, keep up the great work.

[@caseylee12]

This is exactly why I like to put my hands on it before I buy it. One got 4 Squires and 3 off brand guitars that are really good, but I played them before I bought them. I could fix this guitar, but a kid getting it for a present wouldn't know what to do. And maybe their parents wouldn't either. If it was on the shelf where I could play it first, yeah, I'd buy it, it sounds really good.

[@1RobHunter1]

Kramer dropped the ball on this one. I appreciate good honest reviews.

[@GearGasms]

I did a tribute to you in this week's video! It's the pantyhose trick! lol - There are chapters for you to find it but I know you'll get a laugh out of it! Also a nod on the guitar weight! lol

[@maxmustardman298]

Oh the pantyhose trick...its how theyre gonna getcha

[@kogabear1]

I’ve started and stopped playing a guitar more times then I can count. Several times in your videos you stated you started primarily with a bass. How did you come to be so proficient with a guitar. Besides practice and doing it for a long time. What was “the guitar” that maybe you decided you could play. I played a Strat style guitar, “c” shaped 12 inch radius and it felt natural. I’m now a very happy bass player but I would still like to play a guitar. You amaze me with you playing even though you appear to have good meaty hands like me. Thanks for your channel I’ve enjoyed it very much over the years.

[@shatiquego9876]

The trick to getting better at guitar while playing bass is to simply approach both instruments as sister instruments rather then complete opposites. Write a riff on bass and then transition it to guitar and try and throw in techniques for both, also when your playing bass try and pay attention to what your guitarist (or the guitarist in the band of the song your covering) is doing. The trick is to understand each persons role in a mix/song and what they bring to the table and from there you can set yourself up to replicate it. Done it plenty of times and my guitar playing has leveled up and now I can write some guitar riffs that impresses my guitarist that has played for 10+ years. These are also good skills to have as a bass player.

[@kogabear1]

I understand what you are saying and I understand the musical concept. What I was saying the shape, and size of the neck at least for me determines if I can play a guitar comfortably and be able to keep my fingers out of the way of each other. Playing bass we have less strings spaced differently. Some basses I can’t play well either and it all depends on the neck size and shape. I was ask Phil or anyone else that plays bass who has meaty hands like myself which guitar did they find they could play. I realized that a strat style neck is more comfortable to play.

[@shatiquego9876]

@@kogabear1 oh my bad for guitarist I tend to stick to traditional scale length guitars like 25-27in necks cause those feel pretty comfortable. To me they feel like short scales cause most of my basses are 34 or 35 in so the shorter scale really allows me to play fast cause it’s less work to traverse the neck.

[@demuthjesse]

No phil, u hit it on the head. I bought mine about 3 years ago and I have one of the only reviews on KZbin to date on that guitar. I had all the same issues then. Since then I have changed the neck cause the frets wear out in a year if u playit and put a gotoh trem on it. It's my number one now. I love the pickups and the mahogany body! Also put a mahogany neck on it. So it's a full mahogany strat now (minus the fretbaord).

[@nilesthrompton]

Great review! I also found the same thing - great neck, terrible hardware, but oddly the setup on mine was fine right out of the box. Also, I cracked open the pickups, and they're all ceramic (the telling part is that up here in Canada, probably due to high penalties for false advertising, none of the ads mention Alnico pickups). I replaced everything and did a review on my channel too - it's really a great strat mod platform with a bit of work!

[@hotcakesman]

I think it is a beautiful guitar. It needs a set up badly. If you are the type of person who loves inexpensive guitars.. This is a winner. The color is great and the other offered colors are fantastic as well. I just bought the cheapest Harley Benton and plan to do slight mods. Had I seen this guitar 1st I might have purchased it. Great video Phil!

[@einjarjar]

It's nice to see this kind of straight shooting. Internet is too full of "everything is great"-videos.

[@chrismosquad1056]

Always a wealth of knowledge in your reviews. Thanks, Phil. 👍🏻

[@SteveDGoodwin]

I played one at GC here in Oregon and was pleasantly surprised. Very solid guitar for $150.

[@benner-iw8rx]

I have 2 Kramer Barettas both played good out of the box. Installed Gotoh tuners and a Gibson volume pot in both guitars along with GHS Boomers strings. Made a world of difference. A good guitar is now a great guitar

[@TexanUSMC8089]

Another great example of the difference between some $150 and $300 guitars. SETUP! With new tuners and smooth out the frets...it might be a very fun guitar. Gibson owns Kramer though. They probably have no budget to spend on a setup.

[@benpowersguitar]

Great video Phil, always love your honesty and helpfulness. That is a shame about the frets. I love the feel and look of these inexpensive Kramer guitars. They sound good as well. Fortunately mine (Baretta Special) doesn't have any issues. Honestly, I would take a chance on one of these over a Squier, and I own 3 Squier strats. Especially at the price point. Can always send it back if you get a bad one, though that does suck.

[@chris_2714]

Try the Baretta Special instead. Not much more in price but much better quality out of the box. A great modding platform too, easy to install a Floyd Rose on one.

[@limpindug]

Great review bud. Thanks stay safe and respect.

[@JohnnyBeane]

Kramer rocks!

[@gillamb8669]

It does look cool. Painted headstock helped. 👍🤘

[@spookshilljoe7376]

Great timing Phil. I have this same guitar in blue arriving tomorrow. I like the way it sounds and the problems you encountered are not a problem for me. I'm expecting to do some work in it. Another great video. Keep em coming.

[@jasoncohen2743]

I just bought this myself for $150 Canadian! As soon as I unboxed it I knew the frets were the big problem - it is has by far the worst fret ends I've ever played - and I don't have any high end guitar in my collection. I did buy it to mod it as I wanted to build a baritone - I just got my new neck and will be swapping it out. Glad to know the pickups are good. I also like the colour too!

[@brooksroman2918]

I just love everything Kramer is putting out right now, looks and vibe wise. I’m probably going to pick up a Pacer Classic for my 80’s fill.

[@johnfisher2206]

I bought this last year, happy with it and found no dead fret as yours. Not too bad but indeed it has some fret sprouts. I think besides i live in tropical area (wood shrinking, or something else?), or maybe it was their QC inconsistency.

[@glenclifton4563]

This is a really great looking guitar. The pickups were amazing to me. It wouldn't take much to be as good as most much more expensive guitars. Thanks for keeping it honest and thanks to whoever sent it in.

[@jeffreyodell9994]

I got the teal blue one from Sweetwater last November. No rough edges to the frets. Frets were dressed nicely and bends are smooth. Bridge pickup is a little to hot for clean tones at full volume and neck needed adjustment. Still happy to have a 'S' style guitar from Gibson (they own Kramer).

[@billnelson9413]

Quite the value for someone who knows how to do a setup and a little fretwork. I always do my own setup anyway. It does look cool! I’d at one to the collection if I had any more room lol.

[@rutiger6901]

What you have here is the kind of guitar that I like MOST! It's the cheapest guitar ever, all components are decent quality. Namely STRAIGHT neck and good finish. This unplayable guitar has ENORMOUS POTENTIAL. The Chinese crafters made this fine quality instrument, whisked it off the bench into a box and sent it to "us". for crying out loud, all you or I have to do is get that neck off, level the frets, file the ends, roll the edges, shim as required and BINGO! Perfect player. Once you tend to the nut slots and adjust the saddles. The "things to do list" is long but SO WHAT! Guitars R us! This stuff is what brings great joy into my/our life. That Kramer is a wonderful cheap kit guitar that winds up playing every bit as good as an expensive Fender. BOTH Kramer and Fender consist of wood neck on wood body. All the other bits are interchangeable. Insignificant. Fender does refinement at factory, Kramer does zero. So I'll take a Kramer thanks and spend many happy hours on transforming it. Fender deprives me of that privilege. And Fender does not sound good enuf in comparison through good amps/pedals to make them the better choice!!!!! Thank you for a very fair review of that beautiful Kramer to reveal the advantages offered by "made in China"!

[@BrentAdams]

That sounded really nice! A little work and it could be a winner.

[@noahherne4626]

I love cheap guitar reviews. I always wondered about Kramer. Haven’t owned one since late 1980’s.

[@dontderockmerizz3211]

Have one. Frets weren’t that bad at all. Set up was a 10. No issues. Have the teal color. Stunning guitar. Really like it. However, while taking the pickguard plastic off I went to remove the knobs & one busted the shaft so now I need to fix that. My fault ig but didn’t “yank” on them. Removed dozens of knobs & never had this happen. But out of the box she was ready to go.

[@berry.morgan]

Nice review. I didn't send you the Pepto Bismol fat strat copy. LOL. I'd send the Kramer Baretta so you could add a floyd rose, d-tunah, and kill switch for laughs, but you already know that.

[@motorcyclemark2889]

I just got one its an excellent guitar right out of the box mine just needed a truss rod adjustment then it had low action good frets not a bad one on the neck flat great action feels great much better then anything from squier for half the money

[@justinespinosa7878]

The sock test! 😂 the look on your face 😂🤔

[@DavidHBurkart]

Soooo... love-hate means a Sharpen My Axe episode right? This budget-beauty would be perfect given its legit pickup tone.

[@PhillipMcKnight]

I should, but I have too many projects right now.

[@agcacustoms2852]

I have the baretta special in the same ruby red color. It is a great guitar for under 200 dollars and the single humbucker sounds better than some guitars I’ve played that are double the price.

[@WattchomanBrandySavage]

I gave one to my brother for Christmas last year (yes, also red). I didn't experience much issues out of the box (my expectations were set accordingly) but a few weeks after I set it up and gave it away, problems started creeping up. most damning, fret buzz/dead notes. your mileage may vary but this thing didn't adapt nicely to the Canadian climate. I strongly recommend to anyone with this guitar to block the trem system and change those tuning keys. What good is a guitar if it doesn't stay in tune? The issues are a shame because the guitar looks darn cool but as a mod platform or a canvas to practice basic repairs/mods, not bad.

[@BrianSGuitars]

Doubtful in my mind the neck moved that much after it left Sweetwater, so what happened to the 55 point inspection on this one? Raised fret and convex neck bow ain't gonna cut it even at $150.

[@thomask9577]

I think the 55 point inspection is only on guitars over $299. For cheaper guitars, they don’t even look at what the manufacturer sends.

[@stanleyrimpson5756]

I wouldn’t say take this on a tour “BUT” I play professionally. Slowed down since the pandemic. With a nice setup and some small upgrades like the nut and tuning pegs…you’ll have a gig worthy guitar. I floated the bridge as I play a lot of R&B and that trem adds some nice flair to chords. I did have to file the fret ends. They were very sharp. I use lighter gauge strings so I would say use a heavier gauge but all in all this thing just needs a little love. Can’t expect much for $150. $50/$60 in upgrades and ur fine.

[@markgrant1302]

I picked up the Kramer Baretta special, and though it had some issues over time, its the best guitar under $200. I've ever played or owned.

[@Unchainedmaple888]

I'd love to see an upgrade series to see how to make this guitar better. It seems like a great mod platform and Kramer is honestly better off selling this guitar without any hardware so that we can just put whatever hardware we want on it.

[@rodzillarox4882]

Ive been playing 37 years and the guitar sounded great for me. Neck was adjusted well and I did not have any issues with mine. $140 isnt too shabby

[@pogrebok]

Большое спасибо за полезную информацию, Фил! Купил себе такую гитару в голубом цвете, мне нравится всё, но колки я бы поменял.

[@allanflippin2453]

Phil, Speaking of affordable strats, would you please do a review on the EART NK-C3? There are some KZbin reviews, but they're all over the map (from "fabulous!" to "unplayable"). None of the reviewers have anywhere near the credibility you have. Apparently, there's no problem getting the guitars. EART has an Amazon store, and all four colors are presently in stock at $295. Thanks! And love your channel! Allan

[@cullenjames7542]

I have one of the Baretta Specials, and like a few others have noted, it arrived in very good condition. I bought it knowing I was going to upgrade it, but so far I've only done the bridge and tuners (Vega trem and Hipshot locking tuners). Don't think I even had to deal with fret spout or sharp frets.

[@viperocco]

149 is mad cheap for a guitar. You would think an entry level guitar for the new player would have better playability as not to discourage the new player but I suppose that will just add to the cost. On the flip side the new player can learn setup skills too. Good video Phil.

[@AmberStreetFilmsEntertainment]

When I saw you take it out of the box I freaked.. I just bought the aqua one at guitar center but it's action looks good they sanded the frets for me and it sounded better than the squire in the store on the fender amp... And when I heard your sound I was very glad that I bought it so thank you

[@ereksonf]

I have a penchant for cheap guitars and I want one of these. Only prob is that my local and only guitar shoppe no have them, so I will hafta have one shipped. It's a gamble but I am learning to do set ups and repairs. So could serve well as a learning tool. 🤘🏿🎸🤘🏿

[@guitarmore]

With those pickups, this would be an awesome guitar to buy used. I purchased locally a Squier Bullet Strat HSS that now plays like a dream. All it took was a new nut and some adjusting of the truss rod and action. Bonus: it's sub 7 pounds. Total cash outlay USD $70. There are bargains out there people, just keep looking.

[@ratwynd]

Found a Kramer Focus 111 for

[@tonysarrio8940]

I just got mine this morning. For the exception of it being the wrong color, it playe's very well. The tuners are total garbage. I have a box of decent parts i'm using to replace a few things. I have a nice set of Jackson tuners. That's the first thing getting changed. Also a decent Gotoh bridge. My frets were done pretty good, and surprisingly no sharp edges. I was thinking about getting a tetanus shot before I ordered it from all of the bad reviews about the sharp fret ends, Lol. I usually play Ernie Ball JP and Ibanez Prestige guitars so this was bought as a beater in case one of the cats knocks it over. I have one bad note on the E string which is an easy fix. Thats it. Since I got a good one, I'm keeping it. If I send it back for the right color, I bet they send me a disaster.

[@kfunkkillah4280]

I just did a set up on a friend's brand new MIM Strat. I couldn't believe how bad the fret sprout was! Especially for an $850 guitar!

[@donaldwrissler9059]

I have a hard time not comparing it against my 1st guitar, a Kramer Focus 3000 that I got in 1984. It came with OFR Floyd, maple neck + Rosewood FB made by ESP, Alder body and candy apple poly paint. It retailed for 350 ish which would be 940 in todays moneys. Dont know what the PU.s were like since I swapped them out in a erroneous belief that a SD Invader would make my crap amp sound like a JCM 800.....😁

[@ThrillingTwo]

Respect for the 80s Focus series.

[@jayyoungmusic919]

Those pickups are lowkey nice. Lacking a little note definition in the 2 and 4 positions but they are nice

[@anthonylardo6969]

Did you upgrade your camera, Phil? A welcome upgrade.

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

What an awesome project guitar to customize.

[@chrisggoodwin777]

I'd suggest making a video of correcting the issues you found, but I know you've done quite a few videos on frets, fret ends, and setup/truss rod adjustments

[@PhillipMcKnight]

That is a great idea, but I have too many projects right now.

[@chrisggoodwin777]

@@PhillipMcKnight understandable. Busy is always good, though

[@mrsavedbygrace2569]

Great video Phil. I haven't watched in a while. I'm gonna change that.

[@musicandthewalk]

Hey Phillip not connected to this guitar. But was wondering if you have the yamaha revstar in your review pipeline. Would really love to hear what you think about it. Cheers!

[@dogluv-dogtraining9083]

hey man love your content, i have an overseas brand called newen and their guitars are made in Argentina and the brand is argentina based, some people might say that these budget guitars are equivalent to a mexican strat. They're only a couple hundred dollars. Please review this brand.

[@S.C.87]

I recommended this guitar to a friend after seeing this video. I cut my thumb on it, but after adjusting it, it became a very playable guitar.She didn't want to spend a lot of money but it's ok for that.Not to be compared with expensive guitars, of course. But better than the rubbish I started 20 years ago.

[@gunsnguitars77]

How to tap in a fret video, rolled edges and another fret sprout fix? That thing sounds great.

[@rw9495]

My buddy has been considering one of these for his first guitar. The issues you've presented are nothing I wouldn't be willing to fix to make it a nice player for him. But to be fair, if someone was a new player without a good friend or guitar tech in their area, I'd advise that person not to buy this one. Thanks for the honest feedback!

[@Just-Michael]

I got a Barretta Special in the same Ruby Red colour so I could learn to play right handed (been playing left handed since 2004). It's nice, though I would definitely swap out the nut and the tuners. It could also use a string tree for the G string. A shame that these don't quite have the same quality for only a little less money.

[@adam5744]

When I bought mine, everything was good on it, no issues other than setting it up to my liking

[@guitarmaniac]

Phil is like "nah I'm done playing these horrible frets" 😀 nice video as always!

[@JJ-nq3ll]

Overall is good looking and sound guitar. Some TLC and you got winner, good video with a Hot cup of coffee. 🎸🎸

[@WickedFesterBand]

Need to check out a Baretta Special. Fret work is very good on those and only $50 more. Better tuners too.

[@calbrockocat8728]

Most at this price point- as long as the neck and body are ok- are mod platforms. If you own expensive guitars andare shy about working on them, buy something like this and learn. All modding platforms are great sources for learning new things about electric guitars.

[@JDKingStratslinger]

1) Spend a couple of extra bucks and get a good Squier. If you buy a CV from Sweetwater, you should be good to rawk, chirren! 2) It looks to be Fiesta Red. 3) See #1.

[@davidlalremruata]

Wow, what an awesome guitar! It's gotta be among the best you've ever tested and so amazingly economical, too.

[@scottakam]

Thanks Phil. Looks like a "quitter maker" out of the box! Glad you got this one and not some kid that wants to learn the guitar.