Is this Kramer anything interesting?

[Lesfunk]

Is this Kramer anything interesting?
I guy I know just bought this at auction and trying to sell it to me, or to anyone really.

I know what it is, but is it something that would be considered desirable to anyone?
It looks like it’s in really nice shape
Just curious. I’m not really familiar with these old aluminum neck basses

 

[mdogs]

How much is he asking?

 

[Flamingo21]

The headstock is interesting.

But that's not what you mean, I think. Sorry, no clue about collector's value or anything.

 

[Lesfunk]

How much is he asking?

He wants 1200

 

[abarson]

I guarantee it is not lightweight. Looks like a walnut body and neck inserts, maple stringers.
This would have been a very early Kramer (late '70s-early '80s) after Gary Kramer left Travis Bean Guitars, who was the innovator of the aluminum neck. Pickups were provided by Seymour Duncan.
It's worth whatever you're willing to pay for it. I don't know if it has any collectability value.

 

[GIBrat51]

Looks like a really nice Kramer 450B. I have a '78 lefty - one of my favorite basses. However...
- That one is missing the wooden trim rings around the pickups. That's not a big thing; they're quite fragile, and it's not unusual for them to be gone. Mine still has them - but, I bought it from the original owner.
- The bridge is a replacement, but it looks like a nice one. The original has holes in the back of the base plate for the ball ends to hook into. It looks like a thru-body bridge - until you look closer. It works quite well, but it's nothing special...
- The price? IMO, it's... a little high, for one that's missing the trim rings and original bridge. But, if there are no other "problems", and you just have to have it? Try and talk him down - of course - but if that doesn't work? $1200 isn't too unreasonable.
But, I gotta warn you;
- A 450B is not a light bass. Mine weighs 10.1 lbs.
- Aluminum necked Kramers are the Neck Divers From Hell. Take your hand off that cold aluminum neck, and the headstock will head for the floor - like a JU-87 Stuka on an attack run. With a grippy strap, mine will try very, very hard to pull my shirt over my head. Doesn't take it very long, either. But...
- Those custom wound Kramer pickups are ridiculously high output, and sound amazing. And the bass sustains like crazy. Obnoxiously long sustain...
I really like mine; strung with Optima 4099RL Chromes, the tone (IMO) is to die for. But, I don't play it for more than a song or two at a time. At my age, holding that neck up is... a strain...

 

[LBS-bass]

Looks like a really nice Kramer 450B.

Can't tell you much about it other than I had its big brother and IMO they are interesting from a novelty standpoint only.

They do not sound good (IMO).
Mine (650B) probably weighed 14 pounds

However, they are slightly collectible because they are fairly rare and the aluminum neck adds collector interest. I can't advise you on current selling prices but with the model number you or your friend should be able to research that.

 

[ole Jason]

$1200 is on the low end of what they sell for nowadays. They're somewhat popular in the doom metal world. Agreed that they don't sound all that great and tend to be stupid heavy.

 

[Dluxe]

Replacement tuners as well. They used the old West Germany Schallers.

 

[vvvmmm]

FWIW, I have one of the guitar versions - heavy neck, weird pointy pick-up switch, great clean rhythm sound. Mine has the rivets nut, natural finish - it's kinda a unique 250.

BTW, search "Kramer 350B" on the Ebog and see the same one listed from Japan with 5 different prices.

 

[LBS-bass]

FWIW, I have one of the guitar versions - heavy neck, weird pointy pick-up switch, great clean rhythm sound. Mine has the rivets nut, natural finish.

Yes, I should have mentioned that both the tuners and bridge are not original on that. Neither would have been black, for one thing. They did also come with wooden pickup surrounds, which was noted earlier. So a lot about that one is non-original.

 

[LBS-bass]

$1200 is on the low end of what they sell for nowadays. They're somewhat popular in the doom metal world. Agreed that they don't sound all that great and tend to be stupid heavy.

I don't think so. I just looked up the 450B and nothing was over $1000, but those were sold listings and I can't say what someone might think they'd get now. But the ones I saw did have all original parts, and this one does not. You might be thinking of the 650B which does go for a bit more.

 

[Phud]

I love the sound of mine. The Koa and maple has a sound all it's own. I don't know if it's the space between the pick ups or the construction but with new strings it's great.

Although the neck is (To me ) is always cold.

 

[micguy]

They do not sound good (IMO).

My opinions varies with yours - Lumies (nickname for the aluminum necked Kramers) were generally excellent sounding instruments. You also will never find a more solid neck. They sustain for days - again, the solid neck does this for you.

Yes, they are generally heavy - mine were 11 and 12 pounds. And yes, they neck dive - something that didn't bother me in my 20's, but now.....

 

[LBS-bass]

My opinions varies with yours - Lumies (nickname for the aluminum necked Kramers) were generally excellent sounding instruments. You also will never find a more solid neck. They sustain for days - again, the solid neck does this for you.

Yes, they are generally heavy - mine were 11 and 12 pounds. And yes, they neck dive - something that didn't bother me in my 20's, but now.....

Yes, we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. The sustain was about the only thing incredible about it, IMO, but sustain was certainly there. The sounds I was able to get were pretty muddy, but I was also quite young and inexperienced at the time, so possibly today's gear would work better with those pickups than what I had back then!

 

[chriscarcinogen]

Aluminum necks are popular in certain punk/metal sub-genres.

Kramers such as this one are easier to find and afford than, say, a Travis Bean.

The fingerboard is non-wood material which a lot of people take an immediate dislike to.

$1200 seems like somebody trying to eke every cent out of a bass with changed parts. I don't see it selling for that much.

 

[GretschWretch]

I have read that the aluminum neck is very temperature sensitive, so much so that changes in venue temperature can throw the tuning out.

 

[LBS-bass]

I have read that the aluminum neck is very temperature sensitive, so much so that changes in venue temperature can throw the tuning out.

This is true. I always had to retune after a song or two due to the neck warming up under my fingers.

 

[deff]

I have read that the aluminum neck is very temperature sensitive, so much so that changes in venue temperature can throw the tuning out.

Nope, not even close

 

[deff]

This is true. I always had to retune after a song or two due to the neck warming up under my fingers.

I had one. Never encountered that. As a materials analyst it sounds incredibly unlikely