Kramer 100-ST

Very early Striker probably an 82 or 83. 100 ST -Hardwood body. NOT PLYWOOD Original FLOYD ROSE American hard maple neck. ORIGINAL BANANA HEADSTOCK. ORIGINAL DIMARZIO PICKUP. so all you know it alls that dog the ST series.. wake up. and pay attention.. if you knew as much as you think. you would be dangerous. DO YOUR RESEARCH. THE EARLY ONES WERE ALL HI QUALITY.

Serious 80's tone . screaming mids and highs, balanced lows.

action is impeccable. its set as low as a med pick. and no buzz rattle or nothing.

Its an 82. and still plays like new. you tell me on reliablilty. I've played for 28 years and this is my main guitar. I own other American Kramers. Custom strats and american wolfgangs. This is the one I rely on everyday.

None. Kramer is long gone. but if you have a good guitar tech it doesnt matter.

I own a house full of other gear and guitars . Strats, Wolfgangs and AMERICAN KRAMERS. This one is still the workhorse of the crowd. IT gets played at least 6 hours a day. When I need a guitar that always does the job. This is it. FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE THAT THINK YOU KNOW KRAMERS. DO SOME RESEARCH. ALOT WERE MADE OVERSEAS. SOME WERE NOT MADE WELL. BUT THATS ANY MANUFACTURER. EARLY KRAMERS HAVE HIGHER QUALITY THAN MOST OF AMERICAN GUITARS TODAY. DONT SPEAK ABOUT THINGS YOU ONLY THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT.

1988 Kramer Striker model# 100st- was made in sout korea--but so what,It could kick tha shit out of an Ernie Ball musicman anyday. Even though it has a plywood body and a Floyd Rose II tremolo it still shreds. I hate double locker tremolos, that means more screws to strip and more blocks to replace. When I saw the guitar in a pawnshop I had to have it. I bought the guitar used and it still to this day is my most used guitar. When I bought it the guitar had a Dimarzio cliplock strap on it, and a pickup which when I removed upon inspection noticed immediatley was a Seymour Duncan full shred (sh-10b) pickup.

I replaced the pot with a 2meg pot but when the knob wouldn't lie flush with the body i re-replaced it with a small 500k pot. It still has a ton of gain and is very clear. Sounds exacltly like Pantera. The guitar itself has a bright sound because it has a solid sealed paint on it. I dont know what the other people are smokin' but I've never had the guitar go out of tune, and I put the guitar through rigerous torture by pulling up and holding down the bar. Thet must not know how to set up a Floyd Rose properly

I find no problem with the paint because I bought it used and it has cracked in ceartain areas and the white paint job it was given has yellowed due to aging throughout the years, but it gives the guitar character. Look at Stevie Ray Vaughns guitar Number One, it has paint missing in some areas but he never complained or ran out to repaint it.

It has survived throughout the eighties, nineties, and still plays like new, it has aged, the parts been used , the body cracked but it still plays like new. This guitar is my little pride and joy. I would gig without a backup even if it loses 3 strings on it I just use the other 3 even though I own a countless number of other guitars.

The original Kramer company went out of buisness and was sold to the Gibson company. I owned a guitar made by Gibson and I wouldn't trust them with my Kramer.

Ive been playing for 18 yrs. I own a lot more equipment which I wish to remain nameless. Like I stated before, I bought this guitar because it was a simple,no frills, all shred guitar I saw what I liked and I bought what I wanted. Kramer might have went bankrupt but I feel I own a piece of history.

It was Saturday afternoon and normally I play 1970 Fender Precission but hey they needed a guitarist. Walked into an Aussy pawn shop and here is this Korean or Indo Kramer Striker 100ST Metalic Red probably a 2001 model by the amount of dirt and condition. Ok it's not a Strat or a Gibson but hey its not my work horse either. Plywood body light and easy to handle even on stage for three hours. One Jap copy humbucker, single volume control, Floyd Ross II licensed bridge/tremolo kit black with independent tuning buttons and the three internal springs that when you push down it goes back in tune but if you pull on it ...forget it look at 1/4 note out. So you don't have to cut the ball heads off the strings but I did notice you have to over tune and then use the lock nut which detunes about 1/4 note. 22 fret rosewood fingerboard which is thin and fast. If you are looking at one of these watch out for the condition of the wood. Newer Asian rosewood cuts can be dry and breakdown easy with a lot of playing on the boards. For a cheap guitar this is great for lead or rhythm work. Typical Strat type body but about 4lbs lighter I think. The tuners are non brand but functional as the locking nut and Floyd copy takes away and superior tuner key issues.
I used a couple of Marshall pedais (Overdrive and compression in series) with a Marshall AS50R (Primarily for my acoustic guitar) and this guitar ripped at it.

It appears a few guys have been swapping the volume pot with one of those heavy greased dual glide 500K or 1M so probably thats next on my list. The guitar does sound thin with flat eq and no effects but who uses nothing these days. For hard rock, some distortion stuff and even contemporary music this guitar holds its own. When I use it with the Marshall pedals the accumalated noise is reasonable. Make sure you have good cables and it might pay to silver foil inside of the guitars circuit board to reduce non-contact earth hum.
The slanted pickup does a great job. Here's the $100US question . Do you invest in a Seymour or a Kidman pickup to give this guitar another 50% sound boost. You choose. If the necks good, it plays well and you play the guitar a lot. I suggest do it and don't worry when someone say's...why bother upgrading a Asian copy guitar.

Factory setup. I don't know as I got from a pawn shop, spent three hours cleaning glue, blood and other unmentionables off the guitar then reset the neck. It was easy to do and the harmonics were as accurate as any vintage Fender or Gibson by the timew I finished withn it. No bow on the 12th fret either!! Pickup did not need adjusting. The paint job once I found it was perfect. Typical asian copies . Enough coats of paint to make at least look good! Watch out for moisture buildup on the Floyd tremolo unit as the rust starts just after the string funnel guide. generally all the hardware was as good as a $400 to $800US new guitar and even if you didn't replace the pickup with a ...say Kidman the original pickup it fine.

With tender loving care, choose wisely in pedals and strings yes this guitar is performing well on stage evenm with a Marshall Acoustic guitar amp!. The hardware will last with care and suggest an extra two way spring in the Flloyd unit guts of the guitasr will help two way stretch back to original tuning.

None there is no Kramer is there?

I have been playing for over thirty years and I own a Fender Precision 1970 with old mighty mite pickups passive inphase and out phace switching. Peavey Mark IV bass head 300 w/ EV Black Widow 15"
Martin D12-28 1971 model with Martin Golden Thinline bridge pickup and the Marshall AS50R 50 watt twin 8" w/ Marshall Compressor pedal.
If the Kramer was stolen I would probably replace it with something similiar or if I can justify it, move back up to a Fender or Gibson depending on the amount I play. All in all a reasonable guitar

Price Paid: 2000 Skr something like 200 $

Purchased from: A local shop

Features: 10
U.S.A. one E:M:G humbucker at the bridge... trem.lock Floyd Rose...Rosewood neck...single volume control...

Sound: 9
the Guitar really sounds nice and it fit my needs
since im playing mostly heavier metal,

Action, Fit, & Finish: 7
I bought it used so today the finish isnt that good,the former owner had scratched the back of the guitar..a member of the swedish death metal band Sacramentum.Well the action is there if ya know what i mean

Reliability/Durability: 10
100% .

Customer Support: N/A
Dont know no need for them

Overall Rating: 9.5
I have conected my guitar through a small Roland amp with built in chorus echo and flanger effects,And as Metal pedals i use Boss Hm2 a really nice one and as 2nd pedal i use the old and reliable Yamaha overdrive.

The kramer striker 100st offers a whammy bar compartment and volume nob but lacks the variety of tone control, bass and treble

Amazing!!!! It works very well with overdrive.

The kramer has a nice Red colour mixed with a sparkaly silver under tone or in other words red-metalic. Which happens to be a personal favorite of mine

I bought it from a pawn shop and Ive droped once or twice but the sound is strill great and it only has one scratch.

The pawn shop guy was not Drunk, go figure!!

The Kramer Striker 100st offers versitility and great sound with a sleek finish and has lasted for years. It's light wieght build and easy handling makes it the perfect guitar for the begiiner or the well trained Jedi expert.

What year was it made?... '86(?)
Where was is made?... Korea(?)
How many frets?... 22
Solid-Top? Laminated top?... Laminated
Which controls are given?... just volume
Pickup configuration?...1 bridge p/u
Make and model of pickups?... Seymour Duncan second(?)
Active or Passive electronics?... passive
Body and neck woods?... Body is plywood and the neck is Maple
Finish?... Solid-color Paint
Body style? Strat
Bridge style? Floyd Rose II--- NONlocking
Tuners?... Low-cost Kramer
Neck/Scale?... Rosewood board on a 25 1/2" scale
Any included accessories?... Gig bag, and wrenches

How does it suit your music style?... Yes, it's great for rock!
What amps and effects are you using it with?... I've used it with an ART DST-4 preamp, an RP-7, and a Johnson J-Station.
Is it noisy?... No
Rich/Full sound? Bright sound?... I'd say that the tone is cool, especially now that I replaced the trem with a thru-the-body fixed bridge!! The tone is fantastic and the sustain almost never ends... :-)
Likes and dislikes?... If you don't understand the limitations of having only 1 p/u, then you need more training :-) The quality of the tone is more than adequate for a part-time musician.

How well was the guitar set-up at the factory?... Fair to good.
How well were the pickups adjusted?... Good to excellent
Properly bookmatched top?... No. Properly routed bridge?... Yes.
Did the guitar contain any flaws?... No, but I did replace the volume pot... changing it to a 1 meg pot made a hugh difference in the tone at lower volume settings. I LOVE the feel of the neck, but HATE the trem bridge!

Will this guitar withstand live playing?... It has for 6 years!!
Does the hardware seem like it will last?... It has lasted for 16 years!!
Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?... It has lasted for 16 years!!
Are the strap buttons solid?... Yep!
Can you depend on it?... ?... This guitar has been my main electric for 16 years!!

Never had to deal with them.

How long have you been playing?... 19 years. What other gear do you own?... Currently, an old Oscar Schmidt 6-string and an Epiphone 12-string acoustic. For effects, I have a Digitech RP-7, a Johnson J-Station, and a Crate stereo chorus amp.
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?... Since I can't buy another one, I'd HAVE to get something else.
Why did you choose this one?... the price, I really wanted a Focus 1000 with the locking trem.
Anything you wish it had?... I'm thinking of adding another p/u.

First off, these guys who think a Kramer 100ST is a 'good' guitar or a 'made in USA' guitar need a SERIOUS reality check. I actually had to laugh at the guy who implied he wouldn't touch the 'new' Kramers, but he's got one of these? Give me a break, this is as cheap as it comes, pal! Everyone thinks they've got an 'American' or 'made in USA' Kramer these days, but truth of the matter is, most are just junky starter guitars, and the 100ST is one of them. Whew, now lets begin:

1987 Kramer 100ST (Baretta copy), made in South K-O-R-E-A, folks! Plywood body, one humbucker, one volume, 6-in-a-line Kramer sealed tuners, with the 'shark fin' headstock, with a 22 fret rosewood fingerboard and a locking nut. The neck is a pretty quality piece, for a budget guitar, and is probably where Kramer spent most of the money in making these guitars. I guess it payed off, because the neck feels very similar to their better guitars, and plays very well. The bridge/tremolo is the venerable Floyd Rose II which doesn't require you to cut the ends off of your strings, but otherwise is exactly like a 'regular' Floyd, it even uses the same trem arm. It's very convienent (especially on stage) but doesn't hold tune as well as a double-locker. A great trem for beginners and people who don't want to keep wire snips in their back pockets. Body is your typical 'strat' style with a little deeper cuts for easier playing. The shape of the guitar is great from a players perspective, and not all 'hard angles' like the '88 and newer Kramers had. Not many features, but if you want a cheap 'rocker' guitar, do not look any further.

Okay, when I got this guitar, I thought it sounded like total shit, but then I realized it needed a new volume pot. It had one of those crappy 'mini-pots' stock and it was pretty clapped out, so I replaced it with a full sized 500K and here's where I was amazed...

The guitar then sounded awesome! I mean really, really awesome. Sure, it's just some cheapo non-adjustable humbucker but it must be wired really hot. Maybe because the stock pot robbed the guitar of so much tone, they wound the pickups a little hotter? I don't know, that seems like too much thought into something that only retailed for like $179 back then... I didn't get a chance to see what kind of resistance value it has, but this thing has full-on whomping metal tone. Very nice range of frequencies, but especially clean (yet full) bass tones similar to Pantera. As a matter of fact, it's hard to get anything but metal (or maybe hardcore punk?) of this guitar. Sounds are full and rich, due to the slanted pickup. More single humbucker guitars should have slanted pickups!

Now, I'm scared to give it a "10" because it isn't a Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio, and it isn't very versatile, but it sounds great for it's intended purpose. It also sounds much better than most more expensive 'rocker' guitars I've played.

I bought the guitar used, so I had to go over the whole thing and totally disassemble and reassemble it. It was pretty grimy, looking back at it. But, now the action is perfect and everything is just to my liking. How it came set up stock, I don't know, but the adjustablity is there, and the neck is very easy to play.

Which brings me to another point: Although I could bitch for hours about how Kramer in their infinate wisdom decide to make 75% of their cheaper guitars out of plywood, the neck is definately good quality for the suggested retail price. Much better than what you'll find on a Mexican Strat or an Epiphone. Due to the use of plywood in the body though, I have to give it a 5.

Hmm. This is a cheap guitar, so it's not perfect. There's lots of things to nitpick, but not worth it, considering the price you can pay for one of these used. Many of them are very beat, so I can't truly answer how well they hold up on average. I was lucky enough to find one that only need a little bit of TLC to make right. The paint has held up as well as my 'better' Kramers have, and better than most Fenders and Gibsons I've owned. Some of the paint has worn off the Floyd's fine tuners. It also needed a new volume pot (which really helped out the tone!) and a couple of screws, but it's basically held up well. When I got the guitar I had to go over the whole thing and totally disassemble and reassemble it, so the action is perfect for me now, and the neck is standard Kramer. (That mean's it's a DREAM to play fast on.) The only bad thing: It's made of PLYWOOD!!! If Kramer spent the extra $5 it would of cost to make these things out of solid wood, they would of been SOOOO much better guitars. Plywood bodies suck, but this thing is holding up well. Reliable enough for it's intended purpose. If you are looking for anymore than a 'practice' or 'backup' guitar, you are looking at the WRONG guitar.

Kramer = long gone.

Honestly, I would of never bought this guitar new. I also would of never bought this guitar if I knew it was plywood, but I got it on eBay and as the saying goes: Buyer Beware! The guy I bought it from listed it as a Baretta and not a 100ST! But he was cool enough to give me a partial refund on it. I really didn't pay much money for it and the neck is awesome. It's almost a carbon-copy of the necks on my 'real' Kramers. The guitar also sounds and plays fantastic! It's solid and dependable, and I like having it as a back-up guitar for playing gigs, especially because if I break a string on this one, it's a breeze to change out. I wouldn't really recommend a 100ST though, since you can probably find a used Focus for the same price or just a little bit more, and the bodies are hardwood in most cases. However, if your friend gives you one, or you find one at a garage sale or pawn shop for DIRT cheap, I think you'll be surprised how well it plays and sounds...

Great guitar. Floyd Rose trem, great distortion pickup, bolt on, slim, fast playing neck, great looking paint, locking nut, and a sound that will last for years.

I play alot of heavy rock, almost metal, but also a lot of punk and ska. It has a great metal sound, a prefect punk sound (nails blink-182). It has a huge sound and neverending sustain. Locking nut, when not fully tightened, gives slight buzzing sound. I play it through a Brownsville Street Distortion (another excellent product) and a 60 watt all tube Univox amp with matching 2x12" cab. Great sound!

Great looking paint. When scratched, doesn't look apparent.

Everything is great, but there is always that issue with bolt on necks. When you bend them, the notes go flat. Otherwise, really a durable guitar. Must be at least 10 years old and still with the original parts.

Dont want to deal with Kramer now that they make budget guitars. Id just bring it to a lockal repair shop, and leave the Kramer workers alone.

I think it is a great investment. the pickups are a little too high-gain to use clean, but other than that, it is a great guitar.

U.S.A. made in NJ. one humbucker at the bridge... trem.lock Floyd Rose...Rosewood neck...single volume control...

This guitar puts out a very thick heavy sound...I'm a metal guitar player so that serves me fine...If your looking for a guitar with a clean sound this not for you... I love the harmonic's and are very easy to achieve...great punk,rock,metal,guitar

I bought this guitar used and was already set up for low action...It must be 12-15 years old so I would say this one is in remarkable shape...No factory flaws that I have found..

As Iv'e already said...It's held up well over the years... Very dependable...

never needed to contact them...

I play thru a peavey combo with a digitech RP6 ...I've been playing for about 17 years and with the exception of a Les paul I once had It is the best guitar I've had...