Peach Kramer Focus 3000

[jtpratt]

Couple months ago I bought a Kramer Focus 3000, believe it's 1986 or so - in a really weird Peach color. Wife found it at a garage sale from a guy that hadn't played in 15 years, it was a closet queen. Has original HSC and even the Floyd paperwork. Thing is in 95% mint condition - not a mark on it, has all original everything.

Couple things I was wondering from you Kramer masters....

Peach color: very strange color. I've never seen any Kramer guitar in "Peach" - have you?

Pickups: what kind of pickups did these tend to have stock - who made them back in the day, and what are they comparable to?

Value: I'm not going to lie - I got this for next to nothing knowing it was worth more than what my wife paid at the garage sale. However, what's it really worth in this condition with OHSC in that color?

Part of me says - change the pickups, but another part says "don't change anything - it's all original now".

Here's some pics:

5.jpg1.jpg3.jpg

[gstring85]

Thats bubble gum pink bro. Nice Welcome to the forum

[popvamp]

Yeah, I've seen that color before - it's not all that common.

The pickups are import, Ducnan knockoffs...I've personally always thought they sounded good and don't know why so many swap them out.

Value? Regardless of condition or color, it's still a Kramer, it's still a Focus and we're still in recession. Seriously, asking for values is frowned upon here and I know you've already had this up for sale (I saw the ad). Although it's a nice piece, you're not sitting on a gold mine.

If you got it for a song, whatever someone is willing to pay, it's all profit anyway.

[halo71]

Sorta rare color. I'd change the pups and leave it at that. Tell your wife she is awesome!

EDIT: Just saw the above post. You gonna be hard pressed to catch a fish around here!

[errbt]

Yeah, I've seen that color before - it's not all that common.

The pickups are import, Ducnan knockoffs...I've personally always thought they sounded good and don't know why so many swap them out.

Agreed, I have never understood the party line on Focus PUPS supposedely being no good. I love the sound of the PUPs in every Focus I have (and even the one I sold to Full Crib), except the bridge humbucker in my '87 F-3000...that one is definitely not the same type as the ones in my earlier ('85, '86) Focus 3000s, or 1000s for that matter...unless it's just the ash body of my F-3000 interacting with a similar PUP differently than the alder of all my others. All I know is it sounds a touch darker and way flatter (no "3 dimensional" open sparkle) than all other Foci I've played.

Yours is the last model before the "F" series with their heavier bodys, recessed Floyds, & tilted headstocks, so it probably has the type of PUP I like. No matter what, make sure to play 'er through your rig for a while and see what your ears tell you, and congrats on such a minty score! I'd love to find one in that color for my daughter.

[Vengeance]

http://toledo.craigslist.org/msg/3127314641.html

FYI not a made in the USA guitar,keep dreaming there buddy.

Made in Japan by ESP

You're just here for a value so $51.50 and I'll keep my smokes and beer.

[sixstring]

http://toledo.craigslist.org/msg/3127314641.html

FYI not a made in the USA guitar,keep dreaming there buddy.

Made in Japan by ESP

You're just here for a value so $51.50 and I'll keep my smokes and beer.

[Full Crib]

http://toledo.craigslist.org/msg/3127314641.html

FYI not a made in the USA guitar,keep dreaming there buddy.

Made in Japan by ESP

You're just here for a value so $51.50 and I'll keep my smokes and beer.

hey its a tuff crowd here JTPRATT.....withdraw your CL ad and play the damn thing....ya might like it!

[KickstartMyHeart]

hey its a tuff crowd here JTPRATT.....withdraw your CL ad and play the damn thing....ya might like it!

+1 that!

[sprocket226]

Can't get nothing past you guys. You are on it!
Oh yeah, I like the sound of the pup in my Focus too!

[jtpratt]

sorry, would've responded before now but for some reason I didn't get an email notifications that anybody replied. Thanks for all the replies - there are some inaccuracies.

The person that said the guitar is bubble gum pink - is that actually a catalog color they offered? Because what you see is how the camera captures the color in the light - if you could see it in person you'd see it's actually a dead Peach color (not pink at all).

To the person that said it's not a USA made guitar - I know, read all that after I posted the CL ad - thx for letting me know though.

My wife got this for me because she knew the first real guitar I had was Focus back in the mid-80's. I played it for a month or so, and then ended up getting an EVH. At that point the difference between the two was crazy. The EVH is just an immaculate guitar out of the box -best setup I've every played. The action is like butter - it's like playing a dream.

I realized at that point the action on the Focus was really high (even after I setup the intonation). I ended up adjusting the truss 1/4 turn and shimming the neck to get it where it was supposed to be (and now the action is great). It's just not (compared to the EVH) a super fast player, and bending and such (with same gauge strings) is not the same. In all fairness all EVH have stainless small frets compared to normal nickel frets.

So I put it up for sale in hopes of buying another piece of gear I wanted - and I won't let it go for less than $500 because that's what it's worth to me. So that's the story...

[cullenszoo]

well, you might find someone who might pick it up for that but that seems a bit on the high side to me. But hey I'm a cheap azz!
My Focus 6k has great pups. best in my bunch for recording. of course it's an 86 as well. guess they just made them better then.

[Kramer James]

The Focii and F-thousand series are one of the best bang for your buck super strats out there... if not the best! That being said, I'd play it and enjoy it because it's not going to sell anywhere at 5 bills, unfortunately (or fortunately for buyers).

[amerturk]

Nice guitar and somewhat of a rare'ish color. With that said, unless EVH had it in his hands or played it on stage, your asking price is way out of the park and if you are stuck on that price, expect that thing to be in the house for a very long time.

My suggestion is to put it on ebay and see what happens with a reserve....then you'll know how off you are on the price.

Either way, good luck with it.

[Full Crib]

My wife got this for me because she knew the first real guitar I had was Focus back in the mid-80's..... So that's the story...

that should be the end of it right there...your spousal unit is cool enuff to buy you a Kramer....dooood......that one is worth waaaaaaaaay more than five bills

[eddiedbone]

500.oo wow, this is why i quit smoking that funny tobacco

[Vengeance]

I didn't pay $500 for ALL of these Kramer's.

[kremark]

Spousal Unit !

[Frunobulax]

that should be the end of it right there...your spousal unit is cool enuff to buy you a Kramer....dooood......that one is worth waaaaaaaaay more than five bills

You couldn't be more right.
A present like this worth many more every high end that is finally... wood + some plastic + nickel and copper wire...

[amerturk]

~A guitar gift from a thoughtful wife at a garage sale: $15.00
~Searching the internet to see how much it's worth: Free
~Truss Rod adj and a wipe down: Free
~Thinking you have an American made guitar: Funny and Free
~Ebay Fees for listing (although it didn't make it there yet) $3.50
~Listing the nice gift from your thoughtful wife on Craigslist for $500.00: Priceless!

Class act!!!

[Del Hudson]

This isn't Facebook. You don't get notified when someone posts on your thread. I guess Kramer prices are starting to climb again. $500 for a Focus? I guess that makes my Deluxe worth over $1,200 now. I normally would welcome you to the Forum, but I am not sure what your intentions are for joining. Time will tell.

[Blitz]

I couldn't sell a gift from anyone let alone my wife who had gone to all the trouble of picking something out because it would remind me of my younger years. I think its highly disrespectful to do so. I have a Line 6 Guitar Port that I don't use very often which was bought for me by my wife and although its not used much I would never sell it because she went to the trouble and expense of buying it for me.

Also nothing wrong with having more than one guitar as most if not all other members here will tell you I would keep it and play it, maybe set it up for a different tuning like keep one concert pitch and the other half a step down but don't sell it.

[cullenszoo]

I have to throw the Shinanagin flag on this one. Yet again someone has posted on the forum with a wonderful touching story, a really nice guitar and and the agenda of just wanting to know how much to sell it for. Mr. Pratt, there are easier ways to find out the value or price. You don't have a $500 guitar. IF your story is true keep the guitar or sell it to buy your wife something nice cause with that attitude I'm sure you stay in the doghouse. But, I'm gonna say Bull Sh*t! Shame on you!

[halo71]

I am thinking maybe the OP dropped 5 bills on what he thought was a rare colored "American" Kramer. Now he has found out he may have took one in the rear end and wants to recoup some funds. Good luck getting your money back....if that is what really happened. I am thinking you'd be hard pressed to get your asking price if you had twins for sale.

[japkramernut]

I am thinking maybe the OP dropped 5 bills on what he thought was a rare colored "American" Kramer. Now he has found out he may have took one in the rear end and wants to recoup some funds. Good luck getting your money back....if that is what really happened. I am thinking you'd be hard pressed to get your asking price if you had twins for sale.

+1on that. It's a wonder, what other way could he have come up with that figure of what it's worth to him? Hmmmmm....