Hi All,
Up for sale is a truly unique bird, my double-Darkstarred 1979 Kramer artist 650B. I don't imagine that there are any more like this out there.
I am pretty much retiring from this game and so am I am liquidating most of my equipment. This is the first item to go.
Basically, this is a modified 1979 Kramer 650B artist. It was an awesome bass (I had a new one in High School) but the electronics were a disaster. I removed the fairly nasty Kramer pickups and mounted a matched set of Darkstar DS3s. Then I bought new pots and caps from Bayou Cables and re-wired the bass like a guild Starfire II. The three way switch is a pickup selector and the controls are volume and passive tone for each pickup. The operation was a complete success and the tone absolutely kills. It is in good condition, subject to a few dings and such, noted below and captured in the photographs linked to below.
Surprisingly, the bass only weighs eleven point zero pounds (according to my digital fishing scale). Eleven pounds is not light, but this bass hangs extraordinarily well and plays much lighter than that. It is strung with Chromes, as Darkstars are pretty much made for flats.
The conversion necessitated some modifications, none of which should be too much cause for concern. First off, the pickup routes needed to be enlarged. I did not have a router at the time, so used a Dremel-type tool. Therefore the routes look a bit like they were gnawed out by trained beavers just back from a three-day absinthe binge. Happily, this is covered by the pickup rings, so no one need ever know. There is a gouge between the pickups (just above the bridge pickup - this motivated me to buy a router) and an extra drilled hole or two from the initial pickup mounting. Other than that, besides a few dings and general play wear, it is a really nice looking bass. It is completely shielded with conductive paint and quite quiet. The original Kramer pickups mounted and adjusted from the rear. I re-installed the plates and screws, but they are epoxied in place and non-functional. Everything else is original. The neck is in good shape, the frets have lots of life left, and she takes a great setup.
This bass will amaze your friends and confound your enemies. I can assure you that you will be the only one on your block to have one. It plays great and sounds even better. He who hesitates is lost, as there will not likely be another one of these around anytime soon.
I am asking $900 OBO for the bass. That price includes a random gig bag and shipping to anywhere in the continental US. International shipping will be more and subject to negotiation. Paypal is fine. I am trying to clear things out, so am not really interested in trades, but might consider a 2008 Precision or a minty Butterscotch Blonde / GOT G&L ASAT.
PM me if you have any questions. I reserve the right to pull this ad if I get cold feet.
Cheers,
Russ
Behold it's majesty....
Linx...
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k0.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k1.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k2.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k3.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k4.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k5.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k6.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k7.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k8.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k9.jpg
Up for sale is a truly unique bird, my double-Darkstarred 1979 Kramer artist 650B. I don't imagine that there are any more like this out there.
I am pretty much retiring from this game and so am I am liquidating most of my equipment. This is the first item to go.
Basically, this is a modified 1979 Kramer 650B artist. It was an awesome bass (I had a new one in High School) but the electronics were a disaster. I removed the fairly nasty Kramer pickups and mounted a matched set of Darkstar DS3s. Then I bought new pots and caps from Bayou Cables and re-wired the bass like a guild Starfire II. The three way switch is a pickup selector and the controls are volume and passive tone for each pickup. The operation was a complete success and the tone absolutely kills. It is in good condition, subject to a few dings and such, noted below and captured in the photographs linked to below.
Surprisingly, the bass only weighs eleven point zero pounds (according to my digital fishing scale). Eleven pounds is not light, but this bass hangs extraordinarily well and plays much lighter than that. It is strung with Chromes, as Darkstars are pretty much made for flats.
The conversion necessitated some modifications, none of which should be too much cause for concern. First off, the pickup routes needed to be enlarged. I did not have a router at the time, so used a Dremel-type tool. Therefore the routes look a bit like they were gnawed out by trained beavers just back from a three-day absinthe binge. Happily, this is covered by the pickup rings, so no one need ever know. There is a gouge between the pickups (just above the bridge pickup - this motivated me to buy a router) and an extra drilled hole or two from the initial pickup mounting. Other than that, besides a few dings and general play wear, it is a really nice looking bass. It is completely shielded with conductive paint and quite quiet. The original Kramer pickups mounted and adjusted from the rear. I re-installed the plates and screws, but they are epoxied in place and non-functional. Everything else is original. The neck is in good shape, the frets have lots of life left, and she takes a great setup.
This bass will amaze your friends and confound your enemies. I can assure you that you will be the only one on your block to have one. It plays great and sounds even better. He who hesitates is lost, as there will not likely be another one of these around anytime soon.
I am asking $900 OBO for the bass. That price includes a random gig bag and shipping to anywhere in the continental US. International shipping will be more and subject to negotiation. Paypal is fine. I am trying to clear things out, so am not really interested in trades, but might consider a 2008 Precision or a minty Butterscotch Blonde / GOT G&L ASAT.
PM me if you have any questions. I reserve the right to pull this ad if I get cold feet.
Cheers,
Russ
Behold it's majesty....
Linx...
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k0.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k1.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k2.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k3.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k4.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k5.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k6.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k7.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k8.jpg
http://members.cox.net/arybicki/Kramer/k9.jpg