still trying to make a silk purse from a sow's ear !

[tonequester]

tonequester here.

I'm going to give my Kramer Focus 111s a complete re-wire along with upgraded pick-ups soon. I've been unable to find any wiring diagram for
one of these cheapies. The existing wiring is the worst rat's nest I've yet seen. I plan to lable everything I disassemble and will probably take a picture or two as well. I'd still like a diagram though. I got in the habit years ago of collecting info on any of my equipment. I've tried the Kramer sites. If anybody has a suggestion, I'd sure appreciate it. I would also like to know why there would be a .22uf cap on BOTH of the tone pots. I can't imagine any advantage of having two, but I know everything about nothing. If anybody knows why there would be two caps, I might consider keeping it that way when I re-wire. Otherwise, I'll wire it
up with standard Strat wiring, except for adding a Bill Lawrence Q-filter(switchable). As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Damn this oversensitive keyboard !
Apologies for the crappy form. tonequester.

[soundguruman]

tonequester here.

I'm going to give my Kramer Focus 111s a complete re-wire along with upgraded pick-ups soon. I've been unable to find any wiring diagram for
one of these cheapies. The existing wiring is the worst rat's nest I've yet seen. I plan to lable everything I disassemble and will probably take a picture or two as well. I'd still like a diagram though. I got in the habit years ago of collecting info on any of my equipment. I've tried the Kramer sites. If anybody has a suggestion, I'd sure appreciate it. I would also like to know why there would be a .22uf cap on BOTH of the tone pots. I can't imagine any advantage of having two, but I know everything about nothing. If anybody knows why there would be two caps, I might consider keeping it that way when I re-wire. Otherwise, I'll wire it
up with standard Strat wiring, except for adding a Bill Lawrence Q-filter(switchable). As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Damn this oversensitive keyboard !
Apologies for the crappy form. tonequester.

There's nothing poor about a Kramer, they are very finely made. Just two .22 caps to make .44 uF makes the tone bass-ier. but I can't see why "so" bass-y.
Well-if you wanna know...Kramer started after the untimely death of Travis Bean. The people who made Travis guitars started another factory.
Travis Guitars were an all aluminum neck, and Kramer kept the tradition of that design, and added wood to the aluminum. So, it's "post" Travis Bean.
They are actually pretty nicely made.

[rjb]

There's nothing poor about a Kramer, they are very finely made....
They are actually pretty nicely made.

Referring specifically to the Focus 111s, would you call it a "sleeper" on the used market?
I just Googled the model, and found used 111s's selling for $89.99 to $99.99 at GC.
-rb

[52 Bill]

Well-if you wanna know...Kramer started after the untimely death of Travis Bean. The people who made Travis guitars started another factory.
Travis Guitars were an all aluminum neck, and Kramer kept the tradition of that design, and added wood to the aluminum. So, it's "post" Travis Bean.
They are actually pretty nicely made.

This isn't right, Travis Bean died about a year ago. Gary Kramer started Kramer guitars back in the 1970's.

[tonequester]

tonequester here.

Thanks for the replies folks. Hey soundguruman. I agree that the Kramer's are put together pretty well. The only thing that kind of irritated me about mine, WAS the sloppy tuners. It was strange that it WAS a bugger to tune up, but once in tune it stayed that way despite lots of string bending and me allowing it to fall over on the floor a number of times.
About the cap thing. I may be missing something, but each .22uf cap is on a separate tone pot. The pot closest to the volume pot controls tone when the neck or the neck/mid position is selected. The other tone pot controls tone when the mid pick-up or the mid/bridge position is selected. The bridge alone has no control. Knowing this, I don't see how the capacitance could
be doubled. The wiring is a rat's nest, not easily traced. The last upgrade I have in mind for the Focus is a complete re-wire with quality pots and 5-way, plus a set of Bill Lawrence pick-ups
and his Q-filter. Oh, I forgot. The WAS concerned the fact that I've installed a new set of Gotohs in replacement of those stock tuners. rjb. As far as th Focus 111s being a sleeper on the market, I've done quite a bit of searching the web for any and all info concerning it. I have "heard" nothing but good things about it, especially when considering the price. In 1981 I bought
one of the early Fender Squiers, with a little practice amp included. I had shopped around a little, and the $300.00 that I paid for it didn't seem bad at the time. However, it was a piece of
s___ ! I think that I would go out on a limb a little and say that I would recommend the Focus to anybody as a beginner/student guitar, as a knock around, or as with me a cheap foundation to build on. When I am done with it, it may well still be worth only $100.00 to a dealer. However, I believe that for not much more than I gave for that wretched Squier 32 years ago, I'm going to have one Hell of a guitar which WILL be used in gigging. 52 Bill, I have read the same thing that you pointed out about Gary Kramer's starting the company years ago and pioneering the aluminum neck. Since that time Kramer guitars have a complex and hard to follow history, at least in my opinion. That may be why there is so little info concerning "specs"
on this nodel. May be that it is so cheap, that nothing is ever printed up. Anyway, it's been a blessing to me from day one, that just keeps getting better. Thanks again guys. tonequester.

[52 Bill]

About the cap thing. I may be missing something, but each .22uf cap is on a separate tone pot. The pot closest to the volume pot controls tone when the neck or the neck/mid position is selected. The other tone pot controls tone when the mid pick-up or the mid/bridge position is selected. The bridge alone has no control. Knowing this, I don't see how the capacitance could be doubled.

Well if you think about it, when the selector switch is set for the neck and middle pickups both tone controls will be turned on and when both tone controls are turned down the two caps will be in parallel.

I'm not sure, but I don't think that Gary Kramer is still involved with the Kramer guitar company. I thought that the original company went under sometime in the late '80s or early '90s. At one time they were one of the biggest names in the business with the Van Halen endorsment and the Ferrington guitar designs.

[J M Fahey]

1) this guitar does *not* have an aluminum neck. Period.
Not even an aluminum-wood composite, so all speculations about that are wrong.
So linking them to Travis Bean on that account is "not very intelligent" (don't want to use the proper adjective).

2) Not only it's not related to Travis Bean, it's not even related to Gary Kramer.
Some investor bough the trademark rights (like so many do) and slapped the K-R-A-M-E-R letters on the headstock of a cheaply built, no name Indonesian OEM product.

From the very own Kramer Vintage page: (The Focus Series)
The Focus lines remained until the end of 1989.
Well, maybe somebody still has a 1989 calendar hanging on the wall; in that case he may be forgiven for the confusion.

Dear tonequester: I'm not criticizing your guitar, which maybe with a mix of love and elbow grease can give respectable results, I'm just referring to wild speculation passed as Truth almighty.

[tonequester]

tonequester here.

52 Bill. I stand corrected about the "parallel cap thing". I don't know how I missed it but both tone controls do function when the neck/mid position is selected. Thanks for setting me straight. JM. I don't know if your reference to wild speculation passed as Truth almighty was pointed at me. If so, there was some miscommunication. I stand by my comment
"to go out on a limb a little, and recommend the guitar to anyone for a beginner/student, as a knock around, or as a foundation upon which to build upon". I'd also have to be more than blind to not realize that my Focus does not have an aluminum neck. I didn't make the comment about Travis Bean, and I only related the fact that I did read that Mr. Kramer founded the company some years ago, and that he was involved in pioneering work on aluminum necks. I don't take any offense, at critique of my Focus, or anybody elses. I don't know a thing about
any other guitars than mine. I did make mention that I had heard quite a number of favorable comments on them in general, and had not read one major complaint. I came to this by way of a general search for any specs that I could find, and in an attempt to date my guitar. I was nearly stymied on both attempts. I had already figured that the Focus I have is a cheap Indonesian OEM. I also figure that mine is not the same Focus referred to on the Kramer Vintage page, as there is no way that this guitar is 24 years old, not to mention that it does not
look exactly like any of the pictures that I looked at on the Kramer site and a couple of othere as well. To clearify further, my guitar is a $100.00 pawn shop guitar which should have cost me no more than $70.00. It will never be worth much more than that at pawn shop OR dealer. When I'm done with modding it, I'll have no more than $400.00 in it, I'll know it inside out,
and it I already like it in every aspect other than cosmetics, when compared to the last three new guitars that I have owned. Those guitars were : an Epiphone Les Paul type, a Gibson Blueshawk, and a Rickenbacker 360. They were all double the price of what I will have invested in the Focus. No disrespect intended. I just wanted to clarify where I was coming from.
If you want a high quality,name brand, that is a beautiful sight to behold, DON"T buy a Kramer Focus 111s. If however, your funds are a little limited, or you're just beginning your attempt
to learn guitar(and want an electric), or you want something to try to mod/upgrade yourself, I really believe that the Focus 111s, which can be purchased new even cheaper than I paid for used, is a sensible choice. As far as the love and elbow grease getting respectable results......it already has. Thanks for ALL comments, hope I led no one astray.
tonequester.

[big_teee]

Hey Tonequester:
Anyway you could include a few pictures.
Inside and out.
It sounds like a standard Strat type Guitar.
If it is a standard Strat, then duck Soup, and no biggy wiring everything.
T

[tonequester]

pictures, a good idea !

[QUOTE=big_teee;263886]Hey Tonequester:
Anyway you could include a few pictures.
Inside and out.
It sounds like a standard Strat type Guitar.
If it is a standard Strat, then duck Soup, and no biggy wiring everything.


tonequester here.

Thanks for the interest big-teee. I'll get some pics of it from the outside, where i have only added roller string trees, new tuners, and the hardware for dunlops strap-lok system. I'll also take a picture of the "rats nest" under the pick-guard when I change strings. Give me some time though. I'm much more the neophyte on computer than on guitars and amps. I've only used the internet and e-mail up to now. I'll have to call in little brother to walk me through posting pictures(every family
seems to have at least one computer whiz luckily). Anyway I'll get it done. There have been a number of ocassions where the good people here have shared their pics with me, and it was appreciated. You were right to surmise that it is a Strat knock-off. You're probably right about the wiring being duck soup. There doesn't appear to be much difference between the two, and since I printed off a standard,3 single coil,5-way switch wiring diagram for a Strat, I'll probably just follow it. I don't think that I can do any harm to what I see "under the hood", and plan to do as neat a job as possible. Have a great day/night. tonequester.

[big_teee]

[QUOTE=tonequester;263895]

Hey Tonequester:
Anyway you could include a few pictures.
Inside and out.
It sounds like a standard Strat type Guitar.
If it is a standard Strat, then duck Soup, and no biggy wiring everything.


tonequester here.

Thanks for the interest big-teee. I'll get some pics of it from the outside, where i have only added roller string trees, new tuners, and the hardware for dunlops strap-lok system. I'll also take a picture of the "rats nest" under the pick-guard when I change strings. Give me some time though. I'm much more the neophyte on computer than on guitars and amps. I've only used the internet and e-mail up to now. I'll have to call in little brother to walk me through posting pictures(every family
seems to have at least one computer whiz luckily). Anyway I'll get it done. There have been a number of ocassions where the good people here have shared their pics with me, and it was appreciated. You were right to surmise that it is a Strat knock-off. You're probably right about the wiring being duck soup. There doesn't appear to be much difference between the two, and since I printed off a standard,3 single coil,5-way switch wiring diagram for a Strat, I'll probably just follow it. I don't think that I can do any harm to what I see "under the hood", and plan to do as neat a job as possible. Have a great day/night. tonequester.

Here's a picture of a couple of my loaded pick guards I make up and sell locally.
Your Pick guard should resemble wiring something like this.
One is wired with cloth wire, and the other with Top Coat Plastic wire.
Different ways to wire them, but that is one the traditional ways.
I also do some with all shielded wire.
T

[tonequester]

tonequester.

Hey big___tee ! I just checked out the pictures of your wired pick-guards. Now that's what I'm talking about. I've had some fairly expensive guitars in my time. and I've been "under the hood" of every one of them. Your work is as good or better than any of them. You have an obvious talent for exacting work, and "tidyness". I can only hope to even approximate your work. I have to wonder how many re-wires you have done. I worked for a time, years ago in electronic assembly(avionics) and I know from that experience that your sort of work is usually born of lots of practice and lots of patience. If I owned a "shop", I'd hire you in a heartbeat on your wiring alone. I have a feeling that I'll be ashamed to show my work after seeing yours. Thanks for sharing the pics, and giving me something to shoot for. tonequester.



Quote : One sometimes finds what one is NOT looking for. Sir Alexander Fleming(discoverer of penicillin).

[big_teee]

tonequester.

Hey big___tee ! I just checked out the pictures of your wired pick-guards. Now that's what I'm talking about. I've had some fairly expensive guitars in my time. and I've been "under the hood" of every one of them. Your work is as good or better than any of them. You have an obvious talent for exacting work, and "tidyness". I can only hope to even approximate your work. I have to wonder how many re-wires you have done. I worked for a time, years ago in electronic assembly(avionics) and I know from that experience that your sort of work is usually born of lots of practice and lots of patience. If I owned a "shop", I'd hire you in a heartbeat on your wiring alone. I have a feeling that I'll be ashamed to show my work after seeing yours. Thanks for sharing the pics, and giving me something to shoot for. tonequester.



Quote : One sometimes finds what one is NOT looking for. Sir Alexander Fleming(discoverer of penicillin).

Thanks a lot.
I'm retired, I installed electronic Phone Offices for 42 Years.
I've been retired for 2-1/2 years.
Lots of time goes into the pick guards.
First I make the Pickups.
Wax Pot them then Install them in the Pick Guards.
I found it easier to sell a loaded Pick guard than a bare set of Pickups.
Here is another one that is shielded wire.
I make them sometimes with 3 blade pickups, this one has 2 blades, and one single coil.
Do the best you can, that is what it is all about.
Enjoy the Hobby, I do.
Terry

[JoeM]

Nice clean work on those pickguards, Terry.

[David Schwab]

This isn't right, Travis Bean died about a year ago. Gary Kramer started Kramer guitars back in the 1970's.

Yep. Bean the person had nothing to do with Kramer the company, but Gary Kramer was at Travis Bean the company.