Steve V. wrote:What's the tone on that thing like?

TONE CHASER!

I have a 250G like the one pictured above, but with a white finish and a Lace humbucker at the bridge. Lots of sustain. Probably over-twangy on its own, but the fudginess of the humbucker evens it out. I like the shape and feel of the neck more than the Vaccaro I have or the Electrical I've played.

I want to get a similar one and add a whammy bar, but alumi-neck Kramers are getting really stupid expensive lately (on ebay, at least). Maybe I'll spring for the next garish/damaged one that comes along for under $500.

ChristopherM wrote:

Steve V. wrote:What's the tone on that thing like?

TONE CHASER!

Huh?

Seems like it'd be real brittle and feedbacky.

Seems like it'd be real brittle and feedbacky.

That sounds about right.

ipitcher wrote:

Seems like it'd be real brittle and feedbacky.

That sounds about right.

And probably with a kind of hollow low end to it because it is mounted to the pg rather than the neck/body.

And probably with a kind of hollow low end to it because it is mounted to the pg rather than the neck/body.

Yes, but I like to think of it as a "quasi-semi-hollow body".

i own 5 lumies - three basses, two guitars, so i think i know a little about them.

first off, that's definitely not a dmz 1000 - i'm not quite sure what it is. it has the same shape body of the later dmzs - the 5000s, but i've never seen a guitar w/ that body, only a bass.

as far as the lumies go - the 450s are the way to go - way nicer than even the 650s, which are just fancier looking, and have a lot of bells and whistles. when it comes to tone, they're pretty close, and i prefer the simple elegance of the 450. i have a gorgeous black 450g and a great 450b. i have the dmz equivalent of those, the dmz1000g, and the dmz4000b. neither compare - it's like two different companies almost.
first off - they were using better woods on the 450s and 650s - and better aluminum as well. so they are bulkier, heavier instruments. i find them to be fuller and warmer than beans - less brittle, but they still have that aluminum bite and scathing tone. but they're way more versatile.

personally, i think the dmz series just isn't comparable. the necks aren't as well made - the roller nuts on them aren't reliable. they're lighter - and they sound less like aluminum. i'm considering selling my two dmz lumies - the only reason i'm hesitant, is because they're both black, and are rarer because of that. they're beautiful instruments. but the dmzs used a pbass split humbucker config that i'm not crazy about compared to the humbuckers of the 450. i feel bad - i own four black lumies - pretty rad, but i'm only using two of them. i'm not a collector, as much as i'd like to be, so i think i have to slim down the collection. i still need to get a shot of all of them together.

but yeah, my 450g lumie is my holy grail guitar - it's stunning, i'd never sell it, ever. and i've never really seen another either. i'm almost tempted to buy a natural colored 450 and have it painted. if i can find a photo of it, i'll post it.

also - for those of you w/ the 250 and 350g's - i once saw a guy mod those out and put some bare knuckle humbuckers in there. w/out the single coil pickups, those things are monsters. if you aren't concerned about resell value and want a total beast, think about upgrading to humbuckers - totally worth while.

re - prices. 450bs have been going for apprx $400-$600 on ebay. i wouldn't pay more than $600 for it. the 450gs have totally sky rocketed - they used to be around $400-$700 - now going for at least $800-$1200. a lot of that has to do w/ the fact that there were far more basses made than guitars. dmz basses usually go for around $300-$400. the dmz guitars are all over the place - but personally, i don't think they're as nice as the 450s, even the 350s, so i wouldn't shell out for one. but they're usually around $600-$800. the 650g usually goes for around $850-1000.


any of you kids have questions about the kramers, don't hesitate to pm me.



-joshua...

gjhardwick wrote:

cjh wrote:I never thought I'd find myself posting about guitars (any way I slice it I can never see myself as a guitarist - I'm beyond hopeless) on a public forum but I own a 1980 Kramer DMZ 1000.

He'll outlast the earth, weighs as much as a man and would be the first thing I'd reach for should I discover an intruder. Drastically underemployed, it forms the main signal source for my mithering ambient wankery and very, very occasionally gets an outing in the tragically unrecorded, one-man kitchen-based punk outfit The Mercy Fucks.

that guitar is FUGLY!!!

helenforsdale wrote:i own 5 lumies - three basses, two guitars, so i think i know a little about them.

first off, that's definitely not a dmz 1000 - i'm not quite sure what it is. it has the same shape body of the later dmzs - the 5000s, but i've never seen a guitar w/ that body, only a bass.

as far as the lumies go - the 450s are the way to go - way nicer than even the 650s, which are just fancier looking, and have a lot of bells and whistles. when it comes to tone, they're pretty close, and i prefer the simple elegance of the 450. i have a gorgeous black 450g and a great 450b. i have the dmz equivalent of those, the dmz1000g, and the dmz4000b. neither compare - it's like two different companies almost.
first off - they were using better woods on the 450s and 650s - and better aluminum as well. so they are bulkier, heavier instruments. i find them to be fuller and warmer than beans - less brittle, but they still have that aluminum bite and scathing tone. but they're way more versatile.

personally, i think the dmz series just isn't comparable. the necks aren't as well made - the roller nuts on them aren't reliable. they're lighter - and they sound less like aluminum. i'm considering selling my two dmz lumies - the only reason i'm hesitant, is because they're both black, and are rarer because of that. they're beautiful instruments. but the dmzs used a pbass split humbucker config that i'm not crazy about compared to the humbuckers of the 450. i feel bad - i own four black lumies - pretty rad, but i'm only using two of them. i'm not a collector, as much as i'd like to be, so i think i have to slim down the collection. i still need to get a shot of all of them together.

but yeah, my 450g lumie is my holy grail guitar - it's stunning, i'd never sell it, ever. and i've never really seen another either. i'm almost tempted to buy a natural colored 450 and have it painted. if i can find a photo of it, i'll post it.

also - for those of you w/ the 250 and 350g's - i once saw a guy mod those out and put some bare knuckle humbuckers in there. w/out the single coil pickups, those things are monsters. if you aren't concerned about resell value and want a total beast, think about upgrading to humbuckers - totally worth while.

re - prices. 450bs have been going for apprx $400-$600 on ebay. i wouldn't pay more than $600 for it. the 450gs have totally sky rocketed - they used to be around $400-$700 - now going for at least $800-$1200. a lot of that has to do w/ the fact that there were far more basses made than guitars. dmz basses usually go for around $300-$400. the dmz guitars are all over the place - but personally, i don't think they're as nice as the 450s, even the 350s, so i wouldn't shell out for one. but they're usually around $600-$800. the 650g usually goes for around $850-1000.


any of you kids have questions about the kramers, don't hesitate to pm me.



-joshua...

please stop referring to your guitars as 'lumies' - we're on the Electrical Audio forum, not Harmony Central you know

yeah, I got that 450 too. earlier model with a glued on nut! it's manage to unglue itself numerous of times, no biggie though, the strings hold it in place anyhow with surprisingly no slippage. I replaced the orginal saddles (set aside) and I put on graphtechs. I rarely break strings now. they would break extremly easily before. the pickups were not stock, so I routed it to fit humbucker sized pickups in. I went with p-94's to get as close to a p-90 sound. I get great piercing tones (subjective I guess) through my mig, I really like my guitar, but I'm tempted by those electricals. maybe down the road... for now though, I'm set!

blackmarket wrote:This was mine.

I had that Kramer in the early 80s. It was heavy and didn't like to stay in tune under stage lights. It sounded fucking great though. I sold it to a guy that converted it to a 12 string. Talk about tuning problems!