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Kramer XL-9
- Thread starter Geezer Brown
- Start date
Yup, I used to own one. Bought brand new in '81
Bad Ass! How did you like it? How would you describe the tone of it? What were the pickups and electronics used?
They used DiMarzio pickups in double P configuration. The aluminum neck Kramers are interesting, but never turned out to be too popular.
Kramer Aluminum Neck Guitars
Kramer Aluminum Neck Guitars
It was a beast! It sounded like thunder, and like a piano. Amazing.
2 Dimarzio P pups, with a active pre and passive switch, 5 position rotary filter and stereo outputs. The body was maple sandwiched between cherry walnut, Leo Quan bridge.
Well I remember that it was proprietary, it gave a definite volume boost, also it had coil taps for each pickup too. Honestly when I bought it I'd only been playing a couple of years and really didn't know what was what...haha. I chose the XL-9
No dead spots, if I left it in car trunk in the winter..that neck would be pretty cold and hard too tune.
Did the preamp color the tone or was it pretty transparent? By coil tap you mean it could go from active to passive?
My guess is that it's volume volume tone tone with 2 coil taps, a volume boost, and a p/up selector?
Try using the Search function for "The Kramer Club" here; someone is pretty sure to have one, or know someone who does. I'm a member, but don't have one of those
: just a 450B, a Forum III, and a couple of Dukes.
: just a 450B, a Forum III, and a couple of Dukes.Try using the Search function for "The Kramer Club" here; someone is pretty sure to have one, or know someone who does. I'm a member, but don't have one of those
Not sure how many XL-9's were made. I've only seen 2.
And I have the neck, sanded-down "Flying V-style" passive XKB-10 body, the tuners, and no electronics, pickups, or bridge. Oh yes and original tan case.
It was originally maroon-ish color, 80/81. In a complete moment of drunken madness I took to it thinking I was going to do some kind of awesome paint job (I'd come to hate the maroon to a point approaching obsession), but I got it roughly sanded clean, primed, and subsequently stashed away in shame.
I remember it had a bright, ringing tone that I'm convinced the metal neck had a lot to do with. And it was heavy. And I seem to recall it had a neck-dive that I hated. Forget playing it seated, at least not without a strap or straddling your leg whilst you play it like an upright. I remember now.... I grew to loathe that wretched beast.
Some day I'll have to find some replacement parts for it and restore it to some reasonable facsimile of what it once was, an unwieldy, heavy, not too pretty creature of the 80's.
It was originally maroon-ish color, 80/81. In a complete moment of drunken madness I took to it thinking I was going to do some kind of awesome paint job (I'd come to hate the maroon to a point approaching obsession), but I got it roughly sanded clean, primed, and subsequently stashed away in shame.
I remember it had a bright, ringing tone that I'm convinced the metal neck had a lot to do with. And it was heavy. And I seem to recall it had a neck-dive that I hated. Forget playing it seated, at least not without a strap or straddling your leg whilst you play it like an upright. I remember now.... I grew to loathe that wretched beast.
Some day I'll have to find some replacement parts for it and restore it to some reasonable facsimile of what it once was, an unwieldy, heavy, not too pretty creature of the 80's.
Great Bass - mine is a 4 string in the style of the XL98.
32" scale
active
stereo outputs
3 way pickup selector
6 position Varitone knob focusing tone on different frequencies
3 way switch for bass boost/normal/treble boost
coil taps for each pickup
Knobs are vol/tone/vol/tone
Best one of the Kramer Aluminum Necks that I own
32" scale
active
stereo outputs
3 way pickup selector
6 position Varitone knob focusing tone on different frequencies
3 way switch for bass boost/normal/treble boost
coil taps for each pickup
Knobs are vol/tone/vol/tone
Best one of the Kramer Aluminum Necks that I own
Whoa... What's the model of the one second from the right? I borrowed a fretless one of those from a friend many many years ago after my bass got stolen, remember really liking it.
Also, how did you wind up with such a huge Kramer collection and still not have an 8-string?
From left to right:Whoa... What's the model of the one second from the right? I borrowed a fretless one of those from a friend many many years ago after my bass got stolen, remember really liking it.
Also, how did you wind up with such a huge Kramer collection and still not have an 8-string?
1987 Kramer Ferrington KFB-1
1977 Kramer 250B
1976 Kramer 350B
1976 Kramer 450B
1978 Kramer 650B
1981 Kramer XKB-10
1981 Kramer XL9
1980 Kramer XL24
1981 Kramer Vanguard Special VNB-1
1980 Kramer DMZ-6000
1980 Kramer DMZ-5000
1979 Kramer DMZ-4001
1979 Kramer DMZ 4000
1987 Kramer Ferrington KFB-2
To answer your question, I am not a big 8-string bass fan. I had a custom BC Rich 8 string Mockingbird that was cool for about 15 minutes, then became impractical to play songs for me. I am strictly a 4 string guy. My XL-9 and XL-24 both are the 4 string versions of their 8 string counterparts.
