Kramer The Duke Deluxe, trans red, 1981 - ALUMINIUM NECK - *SOLD* £500 Harrow

[Happy Jack]

I bought this intriguing shortscale piece of classic 80s kit from @Hellzero four years ago - in fact, it was my last pre-Brexit purchase from Europe, and I am happy to repeat chunks of his original listing.

 

I will shortly be getting my aluminium bass fix from another source:

Time for the Kramer to find a new home.

 

 

 

The neck is a T-profiled piece of aluminium, offset by trim in either the same very maple as the body (what Hellzero thinks) or a very hard plastic of some sort (which is what some YouTubers clearly think it is).

 

 

That tiny chip on the right is one of the very few blemishes on this bass.

 

 

In fully working condition, fully original (except for the added strap button for better balance, one tuner and the two knobs) and in very good overall condition.

 

 

 

The price includes both the original hard case (but see below before you get excited) and the Warwick Rockbag it rests on in these photos, and also the Comfort Strapp shown in the photos.

 

 

The shell & interior of the hard case are in decent nick but the hardware is a shambles. Given the rarity value of an original hard case for one of these, that's a shame.

 

 

It would respond well to restoration by someone with some clue as to what they're doing (which rules me right out) but whether or not it's worth the effort is something that someone else needs to decide.

 

 

Here are the specifications :

Body : flamed maple (very hard to photograph)

Neck : aluminium with flamed maple inserts and perfect neck joint

Fingerboard : ebonol (bakelite, in fact) with aluminium side and front dots

Frets : 24 (slightly marked)

Headstock : none as it's a headless

Pickup : 1 original DiMarzio Twin Jazz

Controls : volume, tone, 3 positions switch for parallel / split / series

Tuners : 3 unbranded + 1 Gotoh

Bridge : original Schaller 3D-4

Strings spacing at bridge : 18.5 mm

Nut : none with zero fret

Strings spacing at nut : 11.5 mm

Knobs : 2 non original metal dome

Scale : 30.5 inches

Hardware colour : chrome and aluminium

Truss rod : none and perfect very slight relief whatever strings gauge you may put

Finish : high gloss trans red

Land of craftsmanship : USA

Serial number : B1577

Year : 1981

Weight : 3.665 kilos

Action : from 1.5 mm under the G string to 2 mm under the E string at 12th fret (can go lower, but was perfect for me)

 

Link to the Kramer vintage aluminium page : http://www.vintagekramer.com/alum.htm

 

Buy this bass and you'll be able to push up the sleeves on your silk jacket and flick your mullet with the best of them.

 

Edited July 27 by Happy Jack

[alyctes]

Nice to see one that's not black!  These have nice tone; to me they sound almost like an electric guitar stepped down an octave, very rich but not very woody.

Caution needed when changing strings though - it's easy to strip the thread in the head, because it's a steel screw into the aluminium...