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Up for sale, a 1981 Kramer DMZ 5000 aluminum neck bass in exceptional condition and in perfect working order with the original custom color White gloss finish. An early USA-made Kramer made shortly after Travis Bean’s departure from the company, this custom color DMZ 5000 has the distinct articulation, note attack, and ringing sustain that comes with an aluminum neck design and solid maple body. The DMZ series was an upper tier offering featuring custom-designed DiMarzio (hence the DMZ moniker) pickups, providing both the thump and cut of a P-style split coil with the midrange-forward growl of a J-style single coil. Dishing out plenty of natural resonance and sustain, this bass weighs 10lbs 7oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 45-100 roundwound strings, optimal action, and spot-on intonation.
The neck features Kramer’s patented aluminum t-shape with maple grafts to fill the profile. The neck has a modestly chunky C-shape, measuring .860” at the 1st fret and .945” at the 12th. The Ebanol fretboard has the tonal properties one associates with ebony, with a very smooth and resilient surface, retaining the original medium jumbo fretwire. The frets have plenty of meat, with light wear predominantly beneath the A and D strings on frets 1-7. The bass plays cleanly up the full 33 3/4” scale with a straight neck. The original aluminum nut is present, and the fretboard width at the zero fret 1 5/8”. On the “tuning fork” headstock, the original Schaller tuners turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch.
All the electronics function as intended, with the stock DiMarzio pickups wired to dedicated Volume and Tone knobs, with a three-way pickup selector mini toggle, and individual two-way mini toggle Tone switches for the pickups. The wiring harness has original solder joints and CTS pots that date to the 8th week of '81.
Plastics comprise the original quartet of black speed knobs, and there is an added mini three-ply white pickguard. An extremely rare option, the original gloss White finish is notably well-kept, with cosmetic wear limited to a handful of pinhead-sized dings along the lower bout body edge and some light finish scratches on the body as a whole. There are also a few small cleanly doweled and touched-up mounting holes for a previously removed pickup cover and finger rest. The gloss finish on the maple of the neck profile is flawless.
A gigbag is included.
The neck features Kramer’s patented aluminum t-shape with maple grafts to fill the profile. The neck has a modestly chunky C-shape, measuring .860” at the 1st fret and .945” at the 12th. The Ebanol fretboard has the tonal properties one associates with ebony, with a very smooth and resilient surface, retaining the original medium jumbo fretwire. The frets have plenty of meat, with light wear predominantly beneath the A and D strings on frets 1-7. The bass plays cleanly up the full 33 3/4” scale with a straight neck. The original aluminum nut is present, and the fretboard width at the zero fret 1 5/8”. On the “tuning fork” headstock, the original Schaller tuners turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch.
All the electronics function as intended, with the stock DiMarzio pickups wired to dedicated Volume and Tone knobs, with a three-way pickup selector mini toggle, and individual two-way mini toggle Tone switches for the pickups. The wiring harness has original solder joints and CTS pots that date to the 8th week of '81.
Plastics comprise the original quartet of black speed knobs, and there is an added mini three-ply white pickguard. An extremely rare option, the original gloss White finish is notably well-kept, with cosmetic wear limited to a handful of pinhead-sized dings along the lower bout body edge and some light finish scratches on the body as a whole. There are also a few small cleanly doweled and touched-up mounting holes for a previously removed pickup cover and finger rest. The gloss finish on the maple of the neck profile is flawless.
A gigbag is included.
