Kramer Pacer Series - Review And Demo

[@JohnDoe-mh8tm]

Single pickup guitars definitely sound different than two pickup guitars. I have both. I think the difference has to do with the extra magnetic pull of the neck pickup. Even when not activated it is pulling on the strings. Great review! Guitar Center owes you big for this! GARANTEED your video will sell guitars!

[@jimmyjames7946]

Yes I believe that as well.. the magnetic 🧲 pull is not there in the single coil ..

[@akfreed6949]

How does it sound differently ?

[@brianrobinson1259]

The magnet is permanent so you’re not turning the magnet off and on while switching. So the magnet pulls constantly. You’re just taking the sound of the pickup out of the circuit and not turning a magnet on and off.

[@brianrobinson1259]

@@akfreed6949 the pull affects the rate and speed of the vibration of the strings thus affecting the sound.

[@1969Donovan]

I never thought of that before.

[@AudaciousAce1989]

You got me sold when you went into the fallen angel riff! Nicely done!

[@davespin9034]

I like your reviews Marty, good comparisons and great shredding.

[@gearhead2017]

Wow! Brings me back to the 90s when I had a Kramer pacer but the one I had was like a pink swirl and had the strat headstock and maple fretboard,the bridge was a frozen kahler trem system and the frets were worn bad by the previous owner and the cost of the upgrades would've been more than the guitar was worth(paid 100 used) but it had a Seymour Duncan distortion in the bridge and a mini toggle switch,I sold it not long after I swapped the pickup to the distortion pickup

[@randyherbrechtsmeier4796]

I Love Maple Fret Boards on Anything. They Just Play Smoother. Great Way to Wake Up on a Lazy Saturday. Gotta Mow Grrrrrrr

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I managed to get my mowing done Thursday! Woohoo !! I love maple boards too! They look so good and feel great. 😎🤟🏻

[@ronmoore8732]

Great comparison and love your playing

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks so much man! I really appreciate you watching and for commenting. 😎🤟🏻

[@scottpeters4401]

That sounds so good…I like the Pacer,but all three sounded great….It’s amazing how far quality has jumped since the 80’s….These guitars at that price point is crazy good….couple of tweaks here and there,and you have a solid instrument without breaking the bank..

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Absolutely! We live in a time where you can get some amazing guitars at awesome prices. 🎵🎵😎

[@cantstartafire]

Dude! Great video! A bit late coming to the party but I had to find my parachute pants and red leather jacket. Good to go now, let's rock!

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks so much man!! Welcome aboard. 😎🤟🏻

[@jimmyz2098]

Another awesome vid, and killer guitar, Marty! Love it when you rock the Halen.... but man, it's pretty awesome listening to you belt out Warren DiMartini & Steve Stevens too. You're one of the best 80s players on the Tube. Cool guitar. Sounds killer with the rig you're using. Rock on Bro.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Man Jimmy! Thanks so much brother. I’m gonna start calling you Top Jimmy!! 😎🥂

[@jimmyz2098]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker Thanks Marty! Man.... I think I should amend my statement. You are probably "The" Best player on the tube, for the kind of guitar we like. Man I wish I could play like you. But.... alas, I am having a blast doing what I do!! Which is mostly... to maime the guitar!🤣

[@motorcyclemark2889]

Oh JIMMY !

[@JayBirdGuitars]

2 years later and the Pacer is now 229.00 and its a dam good guitar value...I just modded my baretta special. The baretta special has 2 different versions. One is from Indonesia and has subpar pickup and treble bleed and no issues with the trem screws...then the other version is made in china and has cheap trem screws that are jacked alittle and no treble bleed and the pickup is HOT and nice. My next is this pacer here. I cant wait!

[@eddiejr540]

Marty…I still have my Pacer from ‘84….(so it’s almost 40 yrs old)…the neck is marked ESP…I put a dimarzio super distortion in it about a week after I got it, other than that its all original…original floyd…its a beast of a guitar…I use it for all my VH stuff….rock on my brother!!!!!

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Dude that’s awesome. Total keeper!! 😎🤟🏻

[@Matt..G]

Great vid. Very helpful as I have considered all three of these guitars as a possible addition to my extremely small collection.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks a lot, they’re nice guitars. 😎🙌

[@v2vroth]

Just got the blue one and it plays and sounds great. Thanks for your video well done! 🎸🎶

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Congrats man! 🤟🏻😎🤟🏻

[@LookieChannel]

That's cool...might consider one, I like the facts it's just a different than all those modern guitars....everyone plays LP, but this is just different, yet powerfull. Nice comparison and demo, thank you!

[@AHCHUUU]

I actually talked with R&D at Gibson about bringing back the Pacer Carrera had one in the 80`s

[@sixstringer3783]

Kool Marty I've got the blue special and a red 84 have a Jackson soloist with the 3 hot rails in Jeff Beck orange that has a Floyd special haven't had any issues with it as well love those Kramers and 👏👍🤘

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Man that’s great! I hope the Floyd holds up on this Pacer. 😎

[@motorcyclemark2889]

I love my purple Baretta Special !

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

It's a great little guitar man!! 😎🤟🏻

[@jimmyjames7946]

Nice job brotha 👍.. I have had my eye on the pacer for a while.. I love Kramer!! Was my first real guitar in the 80s ! I'm going to buy one and put a Duncan jb in bride and for the $ how can you beat it! The FR special is a little suspect lol. I have Wolfgang standard and I just installed a Floyd Rose original made in Germany in it. That WGS EVH is a force to be reckoned with!! I have not seen a demo from you on that one... ✌️🤘🤘 Keep on rocking brother

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks for the nice comment man! Time will tell how this Floyd special holds up. So far I am impressed. I don’t plan on beating it to death so maybe it will stand the rest of time. I don’t have a Wolfgang Stealth just the WG. I love it man!

[@drdave971]

Man you are an incredible guitar player , great review I like the Kramer pacer but 1984 is 80 hair rock all the way , would like to see you cover some White Lion , Vito is ridiculous , there are only a handful of guitarists on KZbin that can play his stuff , I think you’re one of them sir great playing and review I think I’m going to have to get a 1984 Kramer

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Wow, thanks so much man! I need to dust off the I’ll Wait solo or Lady Of The Valley 😎

[@FoodFolksandGuns]

The Floyd Special on my Wolfgang standard has been nothing but headaches from day one. I finally gave up and ordered a Gotoh GE1996T(?) for it.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I hate to hear that man. What happens with it? We’re the saddle coming loose by chance?

[@FoodFolksandGuns]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker I upgraded it with the titanium saddle inserts and brass block from Fu-Tone and that helped for awhile. But I think what happens is the low quality metal of the saddles gets easily scratched causing sharp spots and frequent broken strings. I just decided to scrap it rather than keep putting money into it and got the Gotoh. I’ll probably have a use for it in the parts bin.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

@@FoodFolksandGuns I’ve heard metal fatigue and chipping is possible. I never cared for then them (when they are floating) because they are so light weight they tend to get worn easier. This model is not floating so hopefully the wear will be less. If I can grab a 1000 kinda cheap I may replace it eventually. 🤔

[@MrGuitarDad]

I know you have said your not massively sold on the 84 but it sounded killer here! Pickups a little hot though distorting the input into DAW but sounded killer. Better than the others for my 80s taste

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I really have started to grow fond of the 84. I clipped the tone cap on it recently and it opened it up a lot.

[@caileanhunt8679]

Great review Marty. I have the older pacer in red. It had a couple of issue that I've fixed and it's amazing now. Seems they've tweaked these new ones to be really solid for the price. Awesome colour too.

[@waylong25]

I've played 4 of this model and they've all had issues. My personal one is better since I've put work into it but it still needs the frets leveled, they're all over the place. I'm also gonna gut the wiring and replace it. Not sure what the issue is, but if I turn the bridge volume down, but the neck volume is up, I still get enough signal to make a bunch of noise. It does this the other way too when I'm on the neck pickup.

[@WayneMemphisMojo]

80s body shape, 80s headstock, 80s tremolo, 80s color ... heck yeah I'm in!

[@KevinMillard68]

its called purple passion i have the exact same one also have the berretta special and the vt211s

[@MR.KERNAN]

I've been wanting to get one of these they look awesome cool video ✌️

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks! They’re sweet guitars man. Quite a value at $379. They make a red one that looks great. Also some H S S models.

[@MR.KERNAN]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker I'm going to pick one up soon that aqua color looks sick too I just did a video on my kramer check it out ✌️

[@buffdaddy2032]

Pickups sound good . Maybe down the road trow in a jb. Great tone

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yeh, I got some Duncan’s sitting around I may throw in. Sh models. ?? Thanks for the comment! 😎🙌

[@davespin9034]

T thing you can do on the Baretta Special is swap out the 6 bridge screws with PRS style notched screws. It'll make the stock bridge really smooth and dive much deeper. A mist have. I have them on all my 6 screw bridges.

[@GregoryPearsonMusic]

It sounds awesome and the price is amazing. Perhaps a good guitar to try an EMG set.

[@MarkPritchardGuitar]

Love the Michael Scott mug oh and the guitar is cool to haha

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Good eyes! Thanks, I appreciate you checking out the video. 😎🥂

[@Troubledplum7]

That's the problem with the baretta specials....they make it so eventually motley crue riffs will start to come out 🎉🤘

[@Hiro.the.God.]

Man, I love that color. I wish it had the banana headstock though.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Agreed, banana headstock would be great!

[@bluwng]

Beautiful, sonically powerful and priced way below its punching power.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks! I agree, this thing is crazy good and priced amazing!

[@franksworld3366]

Baretta special has the slanted pickup so that should sound different

[@dausblack2585]

Sounds killer.I picked one up at G.center and the neck felt like it didn't have any finish at all.I should have plugged it in.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

They’re really good. I was shocked honestly. 😎

[@MRPERFECT_79]

The fr special works fine when its top mounted. Its when there is a recessed cavity that you will have issues imo

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

That makes total sense man! 🙌. Thanks for watching.

[@tony_n316]

If I can ask... How does the Pacer neck compare to the Baretta Special? I have the Ruby Red (Pink) Special and I love the neck on it... Does the Pacer have a similar profile, or are they completely different?

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I haven’t looked at the exact specs, but I can tell you the pacer feels a lot thicker than the special. 👍

[@tony_n316]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker Thanks!

[@vestel777]

I LOVE the color Purple. How much does that guitar cost???

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

They’re $379 new! 😎🙌

[@vestel777]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker Awesome

[@aaronwall9864]

I bought the blue pacer classic new from long and McQuade (the equivalent of guitar Centre in Canada) and it was a dud. I think something was wrong with the wiring because the bridge pick up had only half of the output that the neck pick up had and it would not stay in tune if its life depended on it. I returned it right away

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Aw man that sucks! Sorry 😞

[@Havanacuba1985]

I had this same one but it didn’t feel very nice , it looked awesome but the pots were poor & the floyd wasn’t great & I like floyd specials I sent it back & managed to get a Korean 1984 bullseye which is freakin amazing . I used to have the pacer vintage Tiger stripe which was also awesome . Great looking guitar though & it would have been freakin amazing with some tweaks but I couldn’t afford to spend more on it

[@radio76]

Both mine I bought yesterday on clearance have hum when volume is off. The floydrose is touchy. Small neck pocket paint cracks, minor fret sprout. Better than what ive seen. Not sure the hum. But 3 way switch is hot with volume off

[@akfreed6949]

I bought a Pacer because I'm left handed . I wanted a Baretta but as of now Kramer doesn't make a lefty Baretta . Thanks for the review . You demo'd it great .

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Cool, glad you got a left! Thanks for the nice comment man, I appreciate it! 😎🥂

[@kuzWich]

Incredible bang for the buck on those modern imports. Not to mention the signature JB noise clearly present 12:46, which weren't there with the pacer nor the baretta... yeah 🙄 The brighter baretta is expected due to the lacking tone pot circuit of the pacer. Even if they use one same pickup, it would make an audible difference. And an angled placement also affects the tone

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks for the comment man! It really is amazing what you can get for your money these days. All of these guitars a solid tone and very nice playability. But it’s kind of marginal through the lineup.

[@Jaxisagod5]

Marty, sound good. I use an AX8 as my main live rig. Could you send me your main preset? I would appreciate it!

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I can tell you I bounce between the Suhr Badger and the Friedman Be. I use the Friedman IR’s for the Friedman and a German 4x12 IR with the suhr. I tweak the proximity settings to to give more depth. My delay and verb is all pro tools. 10% Large Plate Stereo Delay 18% mix left 12% right 380 Ms left 700 Ms right (Give or take) 25% feedback

[@youthamongus]

Awesome video Awesome guitar subd

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks so much! 🙌😎

[@AHCHUUU]

If you take the angled pu from the barreta special put it in the 84 paint it black that's the carrera.put a DiMarzio mega drive II in mine.

[@thomasstair3187]

Yeah I've got three of those and I have the Tiger and I've got some high-end charvels for the money you can't beat those

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

True man! Quite a steal for the $$. Love the colors.

[@Mossy5150]

If you had to choose between a high end partscaster project, or just painting one of these with stripes, which would you do to recreate a striped 5150 model?

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I’d go partscaster. Stripping the paint in this would stink!

[@brandonjackson5865]

Seems like those Baretta specials are hard to beat for the money. I’ve been wanting a Ruby Red one. I thought it sounded more aggressive than the Pacer but the neck pickup sounded nice and the individual master volumes is the way to do it. The strings definition on the 84 but it’s 500 more. If like to hear a JB in the Special or maybe one of those GM 84s in it and it’d be a budget beast.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

You really can’t go wrong with those specials for the price. The stock pickups are solid man. I can’t complain!

[@brandonjackson5865]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker No doubt the stock pickup sounds great in your video. I wouldn’t be able to help myself from modding it if I had a special. I could see myself very easily having more money tied up in tuning machines, PU, and a trem than the guitar costs new lol . Probably the only thing those specials really need is a decent set of tuning machines and a good setup, judging by most of the videos I’ve watched on them. I started playing in the 90s and can’t get over my skepticism of sub 200 guitars I know they are much better now.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

@@brandonjackson5865 I understand. Some cheap guitars are unsalvageable. I was really impressed with the neck and fretwork in the special. I replaced my bridge with a $29.99 MIM fender and it’s smooth. I put some graphite in the nut and tightened the tuners. It’s pretty much gig ready now. The pickup isn’t quite a Duncan or a Gibson but I think it sounds close enough. It has quite a lot of gain and clarity.

[@BradPham]

Win big. Momma’s fallen angel!

[@TheFreshmaker02]

I could be wrong but the Baretta Special sounds more bassy like mahagany. Weird combo imo for a hot rodded Strat. I'd prefer Alder or Maple, just not a huge fan of mahogany for a Strat style Axe. Now the 84 is the perfect 80s Axe. Even has the Legendary JB Humbucker. Don't forget the 84 has a treble bleed on the volume and a push/pull Series/Parallel to get more versatility. Neck PUPs are too creamy sounding for me. Personal preference, I just don't need one on my guitar.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yeh man. This Pacer was ok. I wound up sending it back. The pickups were a bit weird. Just not the sound man. I didn’t want to swap em out.

[@kennethhoneycutt4513]

Man that's a sweet guitar but boy that's a crazy color it's a little bit lighter than what I would call plum crazy but I have to admit it does work with it

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

It’s a wild color for sure. But you know, it does kind go with the 80’s vibe. It’s a good show guitar. 🙌

[@kennethhoneycutt4513]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker right what about those madness 84 pickups I've been checking into those but I can't find out much about them but the video that you had and your guitar man they sounded sweet

[@VODECI]

How’s the Floyd ? Is this a special or 1000?

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

It’s a special. Had my hesitations at first… but it’s fixed not floating so I think that helps tremendously! 😎☮️🤟🏻

[@jesterraj]

I see a lot on reverb sellin are they not good ???

[@AHCHUUU]

Hey dude can you review the Kramer assault II I've got one

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I don’t have one to review sadly. ☮️

[@Skywalker5150]

How does this guitar compare to the Ibanez JS140m

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Stick pickups in this are better in my opinion. But I like the feel of the JS body and setup:knob configuration better.

[@gabeabraham9285]

What quality is the floyd rose bridge?

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Ehh. Kinda bad honestly. Not the worst but it would be worth it to install a 1000

[@stephenaronhalt8563]

Great bargain for what you get.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

It really is. You can’t make them this cheap or nice. Thanks for watching 😎🤟🏻

[@jdmp5119]

does it hangs to metalcore and some black metal?

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I don't think so really

[@cf7477]

Great review Marty, the pacer is a great looking/ sounding guitar. I’ve got a baretta special and thinking about doing similar upgrades that you did to you. If you had to choose one, would you go baretta special or pacer?

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Man, I like them both. To me the Baretta looks a bit cooler. But the pacer has a Floyd and is more versatile

[@cf7477]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalker thanks for the reply! I love the baretta, such a fun guitar to play. It makes me want to play. Might keep my eye out of a used pacer. They are $500 in Canada. Love the content that you’re putting out on you’re channel. Always stoked when I see a notification of a new video 🤘🤘

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

@@cf7477 thanks a lot man! I’m trying to do some fun stuff. I am glad to hear you like the content! Hard to beat the special for the $$. I hope you find one or the other used somewhere. 😎🙌

[@mr.timebombman2230]

Put a Schaller or Gotoh Floyd when it starts crapping out. Which it certainly will.

[@chrisharris4975]

The 84 is a jump in tone

[@jakeyoung1066]

Marty, where do you get your money?

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

I work a lot and find deals. Been playing since I was 15 and never sell. Lol

[@stanhawaii]

The problem with this guitar is the frets are not jumbo. If it had larger(taller) frets, I would have bought one.

[@1969Donovan]

Baretta special is 16 K.

[@J-RomeBaca]

Got mine for 200 !

[@lukeshort7092]

I bought the blue one at guitar center in Greenville SC..two days ago...it was absolutely unplayable when I got it home..had to adjust neck...tremelo height, pick up height,and intonation...still ain't perfect but it's close...I'm experienced with setting up guitars,but I'd never recommend this guitar to a new player...it's unplayable,you must've got lucky and got one set up ...only new guitar I ever bought that was unplayable..old school Kramer fan I guess,and I seen it's potential...

[@carloslozada470]

First again

[@randygeren]

They are $299 at sweet water .

[@mr.timebombman2230]

Pot metal