Not heard anything on the DMZ 4001 series tho. Think it was the XK series that had more of an issue with neck dive.
It is one of my keepers, in the late 70s / early 80s it was the bass I wanted but bought a USA Fender P as the cheaper alternative lol.
KRAMER SERIAL NUMBERS LOOKUP MOD
You will need to do a small (non visible, diy) mod to prevent string silks going over the bridge. Downsides, it is heavy and needs a good strap to prevent neck dive. It is, as Shaggy states, 'toppy' even with TI flats. Clarity of notes is superb, no deadspots, even response over most of the neck. Hard to describe but a pleasure to play, the string response is unlike any other bass I have in a good way. The strings respond back with great elasticity / boing.
KRAMER SERIAL NUMBERS LOOKUP PLUS
Plus points, the DiMarzio pickup, the way the bass almost 'plays itself'. Never had any tuning stability issues even in a rapidly temperature changing venue. I have a DMZ401, bought from this forum at a price that I am still amazed at, thank you to one BCer. I remember liking the tone but how does the neck feel and what does it compare to ? A few of my bass heroes back in 80's incl Neil Murray and Trevor Bolder used them for a bit. The necks are a joy to play as well as being an iconic exercise in styling - the ebanol boards on my two are barely marked after 40+ years.Īnyone ever had one or still does. Meant to say that they're ideally best played through a valve amp (to my ears) as can othwise sound a tad piano-like - I play mine through a Mesa Walkabout or Titan V12 and they sound massive and growly. I'd imagine the DMZ 4001 would be quite a bit more cutting with rather less bottom end than a standard P - alu Kramers have a really ringing sustain too. Think i'm gonna keep my eyes open and if one pops up i might go for it instead of the P basses i've been looking at recently. So many famous bass players had one around the 80's that i always figured they must have been pretty good basses or they simply wouldn't have sold. Its god to know hear your thoughts on the neck as that would be my bigger worry because of the aluminium neck. I've seen a few 450B versions for sale but very rarely a DMZ4001.
At the time i saw Trevor Bolder using one it was with Uriah Heep on the Conquest album tour and i still really enjoy that sharp clear precision like tone but it had something that made it a bit sharper than a normal P bass. I know the sound you are talking about on the Boomtown Rats and i remember him playing the Kramer. I've already seen the Vintage Kramer link you posted.