Reply With QuoteIf the JB isn't metally or edgy enough, I'd consider it. Sheering trebly highs, tight lows.. good for drop tunings, not great for cleans.Originally Posted by Pro-ace
Kramer Master
Yeah, ironic indeed, I had a stock JB in my RR1 and I really hated it! In this mahogany guitar it works better but it's dominated by the hot rails, so I'm looking for something else, perhaps a Duncan Distortion? Anybody have experience with that PU?
Guitars:
1) '92 Fender Strat, scalloped neck
2) '97 Gibson Les Paul Classic
3) '97 Jackson RR1, pile o'skulls
4) '90 Jackson Soloist Professional
5) '03 Burns Brian May signature black beauty
6) '07 Rich Perfect Bich, 10 strings
7) '07 Ovation BCS Collector's edition
8) '04 Ovation 6759 Custom Legend, 12 strings
9) '81 Guild D-25 sunburst
10) '08 Guild Cv-2C, two of them
11) '00 Guild JF-30-12
12) Gibson Flying V '84 reissue
13) '89 Kramer Pro-axe dlx G0067
14) Baretta reissue
Kramer Kommander
If the JB isn't metally or edgy enough, I'd consider it. Sheering trebly highs, tight lows.. good for drop tunings, not great for cleans.
Kramer Master
Wasn't the distortion the PU Lynch used in Dokken? Songs like Dream Warriors have very good cleans...
Guitars:
1) '92 Fender Strat, scalloped neck
2) '97 Gibson Les Paul Classic
3) '97 Jackson RR1, pile o'skulls
4) '90 Jackson Soloist Professional
5) '03 Burns Brian May signature black beauty
6) '07 Rich Perfect Bich, 10 strings
7) '07 Ovation BCS Collector's edition
8) '04 Ovation 6759 Custom Legend, 12 strings
9) '81 Guild D-25 sunburst
10) '08 Guild Cv-2C, two of them
11) '00 Guild JF-30-12
12) Gibson Flying V '84 reissue
13) '89 Kramer Pro-axe dlx G0067
14) Baretta reissue
Kramer Master
I guess George Lynch in studio used a electroacoustic/acoustic guitar to record the cleans partsof the songs , only live he played everything electric because it was more pratical.
My neighbours always listen to good music...Either they like it or not!!!!
Kramer Master
That was into the fire, but I'm pretty Dream Warriors (one of my favourite songs) was recorded with a clean electric sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEcjUE6XDeY
Anybody agree with that?
Guitars:
1) '92 Fender Strat, scalloped neck
2) '97 Gibson Les Paul Classic
3) '97 Jackson RR1, pile o'skulls
4) '90 Jackson Soloist Professional
5) '03 Burns Brian May signature black beauty
6) '07 Rich Perfect Bich, 10 strings
7) '07 Ovation BCS Collector's edition
8) '04 Ovation 6759 Custom Legend, 12 strings
9) '81 Guild D-25 sunburst
10) '08 Guild Cv-2C, two of them
11) '00 Guild JF-30-12
12) Gibson Flying V '84 reissue
13) '89 Kramer Pro-axe dlx G0067
14) Baretta reissue
Kramer Kommander
Regarding the Dream Warriors tones, this site says "The clean arpeggiated guitars, which are another Lynch trademark, are layered with a thin, metallic-sounding DI acoustic guitar track."
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazin...by_Dokken.aspx
I couldn't imagine getting that tone with a DD personally... great track though!
Kramer Maniac
Great review!
Now I might buy SM-1
I was afraid that it would be like low quality korean guitar...
Some of korean made guitars are quite well
1985 Kramer Baretta w/EVH Frankenstain
1986 Kramer Stagemaster Custom w/Bare Knuckle PU
2002 Peavey Wolfgang Standard Deluxe
2005 Peavey HP Signiture Custom Shop
2010 Peavey HP Special CT Custom Shop
----brothers----
1988 Kramer Ferrington (USA made)
1990 Kramer Stagemaster Deluxe II w/dot inlays
1986 Kramer Stagemaster Custom Shop
Kramer Maniac
count me in as part of the SM-1 Owners' club---just got mine yesterday PM, I am impressed overall--the neck may be slightly chunky, but I can live with it--and after lowering the action and adjusting the bridge pick-up, it kicks ass---I love all the tones in it, esepcially the coil tap and phase swith, plus the 5-way switch...clearly one of the most versatile guitars I've ever owned!
*Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom
*Kramer SM-1
*Jackson Kelly KEXMG
*Blackstar HT40+HTV 112 cabinet
*Fender Mustang I
*Furman Pedalboard with various Boss, Dunlop,
Digitech, BBE and ISP Pedals
*Monster Cables and Dunlop Strings
KF Member
Hi Gary
I'm stuck between three guitars right now for my next purchase. I'm looking into the SM-1, Jackson DK2MQ and Ibanez RG920MQM. Looking for a guitar that can handle many styles, but mostly with a rock edge. How does the SM-1 compare to your DK2M (besides the upper fret access)?
-Rory
Kramer Master
I haven't touched any of the new Jackson DK2MQs, which are made in Mexico, so I can't give you a good comparison between those and an SM-1.
My own DK2Ms are the older version made in Japan. I have two of them at this point - a blue bengal and a black & white bullseye. I hear there is some variability between the DK2Ms, and I indeed found that to be the case with mine. My bengal came with great fretwork and was a breeze to set up. My bullseye, on the other hand, needed a lot of fretwork right out of the box and even had to have a couple of the inlays re-glued in. That said, once the bullseye was finally set up properly I found it to be a bigger and ballsier sounding guitar. Both my DK2Ms supposedly have JB pickups, but the two guitars sound pretty different. The bullseye also has a much larger neck with less finish on it than the bengal.
Concerning the SM-1, the biggest thing i think you should consider is the neck. If you like Gibson necks, you'll like the SM-1. If you don't like Gibson necks, I'd steer you to the DK2M. My SM-1's neck is way bigger than either of my DK2Ms. I may at some point talk to a luthier about the possibility of shaving down my SM-1's neck to feel more like my Stageys, which have my all time favorite neck.
Pickups are a personal thing, but I like the classic JB as found in the DK2M much more than the SM-1's Alternative 8. The Alternative 8 is a bit too high gain and bassy for me. Of course, pickup swaps are not a big deal if you know what you want. Assuming you had a humbucker you liked in the bridge position of the SM-1, I think it would be as versatile a guitar as you would ever find.
In terms of build quality, the SM-1 is good. The finish and binding are flawless on mine. The build quality on my two DK2Ms seemed inconsistent; the bullseye DK2M showed up in the worst shape of the three, but after some fairly extensive work, it turned out to be the best sounding guitar of the three.
Again, I think the biggest thing to consider is the neck. If you can try before you buy, that's always preferable. The SM-1 is a well made guitar, but I personally wish Kramer/Gibson would've gone with a smaller neck. Tommy won't agree with this, but the SM-1 feels more like a Gibson to me than an 80's Kramer.
The first guy in the world to gig with an SM-1!!!
Kramer arch top Stagemaster Custom I, florescent pink
Kramer arch top Stagemaster Standard I, flip flop blue
Kramer Voyager (Kline Fantasy Wizard)
Kramer SM-1, Seymour Duncan version
Kramer Pacer Custom II, champagne
Custom Baretta, artwork by Beyond Custom Guitars
7 BC Rich's (2 Gunslinger Retros, USA Mockingbird, 3 Biches, Beast)
2 Gibsons (LP Classic, Explorer)
4 Jacksons (Bullseye & Blue Bengal DK2Ms, Kelly, King V)
70's Ibanez LP
KF Member
Ok, thanks for the help. I do prefer a thinner neck, but I'd have to feel it to be sure. It seems impossible to find the SM-1 in any brick and mortar stores though, that's why I wanted to find out more. I've so far tried the Ibanez, which I liked a lot, and I've found a store where I will try the Dinky when I get the chance. Hopefully I'll find some opportunity to try an SM-1 though, because like you said it seems quite versatile and it has nearly all the features I want in my next guitar
-Rory
KF Member
Oh, and one other thing I was wondering. I read a few ppl saying that the "treble bleed" feature on the SM-1 basically turns the volume knob into a tone knob. I like to use the volume alot to get clean sounds on a distorted tone, does the SM-1 handle that sort of thing nicely?
-Rory
Kramer Master
With the treble bleed feature, turning the volume knob down does two things:
1. It reduces the gain (volume) coming from the guitar, and
2. It reduces the amount of low end coming from the guitar.
So the more you turn it down, the less gain and less bass you will have. If you don't like losing the low end, it's very easy to disable the treble bleed in the electronics cavity and then the volume knob will function like a normal one.
I personally don't utilize my volume knobs a whole lot, so I'm not really a good judge of which guitars have "good" ones.
The first guy in the world to gig with an SM-1!!!
Kramer arch top Stagemaster Custom I, florescent pink
Kramer arch top Stagemaster Standard I, flip flop blue
Kramer Voyager (Kline Fantasy Wizard)
Kramer SM-1, Seymour Duncan version
Kramer Pacer Custom II, champagne
Custom Baretta, artwork by Beyond Custom Guitars
7 BC Rich's (2 Gunslinger Retros, USA Mockingbird, 3 Biches, Beast)
2 Gibsons (LP Classic, Explorer)
4 Jacksons (Bullseye & Blue Bengal DK2Ms, Kelly, King V)
70's Ibanez LP
Kramer Kommander
I've read the "feels like a Les Paul" thing many times. All I have to say is, take a tape measure and measure the neck. I'd really like to know if it's different than your Mach I Stagey. It's the same as my Mach II and the same as my 87 Baretta and Baretta Special. The circumference is actually 1/16th bigger at the 12th fret
Tommy
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