5.08.2006
Well, I decided to build another Kramer. I was originally going to do it for myself, but my Bro in Law is hurting for a guitar, and I just can't stand for that. I had a body and an extra trem, but I've started acquiring new parts to assemble this beast into a good-playing guitar.
Let's have a look at the parts...
Well...this is how it all started. I had bought this body to put with a Kramer neck I had. The neck was great, but it was from a Kramer Striker, and wouldn't fit this Focus body. I got rid of the neck, but hung onto the body.
This pickguard will NOT be used for the project. However, the neck and middle pickups, as well as the 5-way switch will be.
Here's a better view of the pickups and switch. The switch is by far the nicest 5-way switch on the market. It's a "Megaswitch" by Schaller. It feels extremely smooth yet crisp while using it, and since it's rarely been used, I'm gonna donate it. I would've kept it, but I didn't want to go through the hassle of rewiring my other Kramer Focus 3000.
What I'm gonna do is, I'll disconnect the bridge pickup from the switch, then remove everything from the pickguard without disturbing the rest of the wiring. I'll simply wire in the new bridge pickup.
This will be the bridge pickup. It's the stock pickup from my other Focus. I replaced it with a Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon. I didn't do it because this pickup was crap though...far from it. It's actually really great sounding, I just wanted something a little hotter.
A little cleaning with a Scotchbrite pad will remove the dirt from the polepieces.
This was a GOOD find. I scour eBay daily for guitar parts. I'll search many, many auctions for something that isn't very well described to find rare stuff. This is that kind of stuff. I found it last week for like $13.00 or so. It's a Kramer Focus 3000 factory pickguard. These never show up. This means it'll pretty much drop right onto the guitar. One screw hole doesn't line up properly, and will be re-drilled on the body, but that inconsistency isn't uncommon on older Kramers.
I found this a couple of weeks ago on eBay as well. It's the right neck for this guitar. The only thing is, the red headstock doesn't match the color of the body.
I may sand the headstock and put on a black reproduction logo with a clear coat. It'd look better that way...still undecided though...
Closeup of the headstock. By the way, it came with the tuners and the locking nut base. I have a bag of assorted Floyd Rose parts. I found 3 chrome lock-blocks and 3 allen-head screws, as well as a chrome string-retainer bar. I've installed them as you can see.
I'm agonizing over this piece... It's the original Floyd off my other Focus. If I can find a good Original Floyd Rose to stick on this guitar, I will. I have plans for this one. This is one of the old Floyds that doesn't have fine tuners. Frankly, it's a kick-ass bridge. Most people don't care for them because they don't have the fine tuners. I like 'em. Eddie Van Halen used one very similar to this and it worked out ok for him :-)
I want to build a another "Super Strat" at some point. Basically, that's what these Kramers were straight from the factory. But I'm trying to come up with something more. I'm not sure what it is yet, but it'll include this bridge. I have another bridge like this, but it's "fugly" (fuckin' ugly).
.
.
So, to summarize: We have the beginnings of a good axe. It'll be built using many original parts, including the body, neck, pickguard, tuners, bridge pickup, and possibly the Floyd Rose bridge. The rest of the parts are pretty much lying around the apartment save for a few small pieces.
I'll update the site as the project moves along.
Pickens out...Join the NRA today!!!
