Kramer 450B

Same as previous reviews : bolt-on alu neck, ebanol fretboard, laminated center and massive dark body wings in probably imbuia or bubinga. Mine has a strong flame-like figure both on top and back, quite nice. The bridge humbucker was replaced apparently long ago with a Bill Lawrence. Some pots are dated 76, and one 77, so I guess it's an early 1977.

I should first say that I'm a guitar player first and foremost, so what I like in a bass sound is bass, definitely not the ear piercing slap or pop sound some may like. With that in mind, I strung it with flatwounds, and find the result quite balanced. With the neck humbucker, it's warm and muffly, and a bit on the weak side. The Bill Lawrence is much more powerful and has more definition, without sounding harsh : through my Hartke, a really good rock bass tone, with enough sustain to use vibrato. I mostly use the Bill Lawrence, and mess with the tone pot (or dump the pick) in quieter settings. I am tempted to install a push-pull pot to split or parallel the Bill Lawrence, but I am not sure it would really add anything.

Action is where I like it, not too low. The fretboard is pleasant under the fingers, especially with flatwounds, the neck is not (cold metal and you can feel the 3 parts in your palm). The weight for me IS a problem : after two hours, you can't wait to put it down. It is also neck-heavy, which you have to integrate in your playing. Also, the neck pick-up is right under the end of the fretboard, so I frequently find myself digging into the pick-up cover with my pick.

Like most of my guitars, it has had a rough life and shows it (missing parts, bent tuner, battered case etc), yet it is so solid that there's barely a real dent on it. Thick clear finish, alu neck and backplates, metal switch... When you wear it you have to care for what is around you, more than the opposite.

Bought it used, never dealt with them.

In short : good and uncommon looks, good rock sound (but mainly with the added Bill Lawrence), rock-solid, price under a Korean or Chinese new bass, but average player and way too heavy. If stolen, I would regret it, but I'm not sure I would buy one again. But if reliability is the major issue for you, and weight is not a problem, go for it.

The famous aluminium necked Kramer 450B has two humbucking pickups ,that rumour has it are mightymites dressed up with the chrome covers.a pair of volume and tone pots per pickup and a 3 way selector switch. The bass is passive which I dont think is such an issue. The bass body has a twin stripe laminate of what looks like maple,the main body woods do vary slightly, [the first manufacturer to use bubinga??]and the body finish was their own "diamond coat" which after 28 years is a very durable coating The bridge has something that now is commonplace but then [1976]was unique,namely the slotted base to allow ballends to be inserted quickly when changing strings The neck has 2 insets of wood to give it a warmer feel learned from the Travus Bean basses,[all alu.necks]and is fast and easy to play.

The sound suits me very well, I can get the near-Jaco sound at one end and a hard solid punch for rock at the other.The previous 450B that I had was used thru a Musicman tube head and a Fender Bassman 4X12cab and I thoght that was pretty much the cats pyjamas, but since I aquired this one I now use a Trace Elliot GP11 4X10 Combo and i can say its the best sound I've EVER had [That includes my Fender p-bass plus!]

The previous bass that i had from '78-94 was pristine and very hard to scratch accidentally.the set-up was perfect,the only thing I would say about them was the allen wrenches you have to have if you want to make any adjustments the smallest one can get lost really easily and is the only one you need after the thing is set up.I never had to do any adjustments after my initial setup.The pickup height ia adjusted through the back of the body by the wrenches.

This bass and my previous model have endured a lot of use and the seem to not suffer any major fretwear,Totally dependable and have gigged hundreds of times with no back up bass.The weight might be an issue with some.

The old Kramer Company is long gone,Shame

Suits me down to the ground, but not a bass for the faint hearted. A true icon of innovation from the time when you were either a "fender man" a "ricky man" I'm so glad to own one again.

I've got the half fretless version: 10 frets at the deep scales for rock sound, the higher scales fretless for jazz sound. Quite rare to my knowledge, and it works nicely.

Apart from that pretty much like the other reviews, it's the same kind of bass.

For an overview: http://www.vintagekramer.com/alum.htm

I like variety in playing, and that's what this bass supports. My setup is a damn heavy 21'' speaker box, it rumbles from below, but if given another box (like 4*12'') the bass can also produce a warm and soft sound.

Naturally it's not as versatile as todays high prices basses but for its age it's great.

I don't remember having to do any adjustments or maintenance ever, except cleaning and changing strings. It was well done right out of the box and it lasts for 30 years now and will last on.

The question is rather: Will you withstand live playing this bass? As durable as it is, it's damn heavy. For a tough 2m-man like me no problem but I wouldn't advise it for a girl.

I've only once asked a question, about 25 years after they stopped building this thing - and at a fan site I found someone that worked for the company back then that could answer my question perfectly. Kramer themselves though didn't even answer. Not that I'd blame them after such a long time.

I'm rather a guitar player than a bass man but I don't think I'll give away this bass. Ever. I love its sound and its solidness. It's one of the things you keep in hope of giving it to your kids at their 18th birthday - fearing they'd not like it because it's not pink nor neon.

In my guitars I like when they're so easy to play that all you have to do is imagining the melody and the instrument pretends to to it by itself with nothing more than your guidance. This bass is not that way. It's sturdy. It wants YOU to carry it and play the notes. For a bass I believe that's ok. :-)

I hate only one thing about it: I like playing outdoors but you just can't unless on a warm summer day. The alu neck is COLD when the surrounding air is cold and with frozen fingers I can't play.

Given the prices the bass fetches these days I do recommend getting one if you can get a hand on it. I think it's way better than any new bass for a similar price or even double.

Made in 1977, bolt on aluminum neck with walnut inserts, Schaller tuners, ebanol fingerboard with zero fret. The body has walnut wings with maple stripes in the center of the body, finished in a clearcoat. Two humbuckers with Kramer logo chrome covers, 3-way pickup selector switch, two volume and two tone knobs, all passive. The bridge components look like stainless steel to me, which is always a good virtue in a bridge. Contrary to the comments in the previous review, this is not a short scale bass. There's something about it that visually creates the illusion of being short scale, but if you measure it out it's a regular 34" scale. All in all, more than enough features for my simple needs.

These old Kramers have a unique, ringing tone. Although the pickups are humbuckers, they are not particularly powerful so you have to run more input gain than you would compared to a modern bass with active circuitry. The sound of the bridge pickup is clear and trebly, good for punk and metal. The neck pickup has a slightly fatter, more traditional tone that is good for classic rock, but some might consider it still too bright and ringing for blues or ballads. Running both pickups together results in a tone that strikes me as a scooped-mid, funky sound. (Funky as in good for funk, not funky weird)

For a bass that's almost 30 years old, this thing is in great shape. The clearcoat is still good, and no rust to speak of on any of the hardware. It came with the original Kramer anvil-style case. Together they weigh a ton. Kramer aluminum necks do not have a truss rod, so there's no way to adjust neck relief. That is the one thing you have to be careful of when buying these. The relief on this one was almost too flat, so I had to run my bridge height a little higher than I normally would. This isn't a problem if I'm mashing out an up-tempo punk song, but fret rattles can be an issue if playing mellower tunes.

Well, this bass has survived this long, along with its case, and there are no issues to speak of. Everything works as it should.

I've been playing around 20 years now. My main bass is an old Ibanez Roadstar. The Kramer is unique, both visually and sonically, but it might not be the right thing for everyone. It's one of those things you have to try.

Built about 1977. 2 Kramer branded humbuckers, aluminum neck with dark inlays. Zero fret, fairly short scale neck. Heavy clear finish.

Very versatile sound, even unique. Goes from deep to Jaco style lead, depending on pickup selection. Not quite a Rick sound, but loads of sustain. Could get a strong harmonic on EVERY fret, not just 5, 7 and 12 like my Precision.

All the parts oozed quality, from the tuners, finish, zero fret, trapezoidal fret wires. Rather light bridge (later models had original badass bridge) but has keyhole slots for the ball end of strig. Very easy to change strings (unlike the badass). No truss rod, but theoretically didn't need one. A recent eBay aution metioned one with bent neck, though ( did he drive a truck over it?).

Like I said, high quality parts, never any problems. No trus rod

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Been playing for 30 years. Bought new from dealer liquidation at half price, sold it 10 years later for the same price. Although I loved the sound and the neck fit my hands better than my 74 Precision, the physical balance was punishing. Can you say NECK DIVE? Pretty painful after a few hours live. Ebay sellers never mention this fact. Maybe it got better in the later DMZ model, since I've seen players using them live.

I belive the guitar was made in 1974 I got it used in 1976 The natural wood grain and the wood inlays on the neck give it a nice look. It came with dual passive Kramer humbuckers with volume and tone controls for each pickup. The neck is made of aluminium and the tuners are made by Schaller. This bass is heavy and is very solid.

Excellent tone an sustain Have used it playing Jazz as well as Heavy metal

The action is good all components are very high quality.

This bass you can take into battle Rock solid (heavy) built to last. The neck will never warp. Very reliable electronics.

Ive owned the bass for 26 years and never called the dealer

Ive been playing for about 28 years It was my second bass. If it was lost I would replace it with the Kramer DMZ6000 which had the Kramer quality and better pickups. For the money this bass is an outstanding value. Very well made and built to last.