Kramer Baretta Infinity Sustainer 429 Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI live in Colombia, South America, thatīs right, not everybody down here is into Shakira or JLo, although I could never complain about their looks. Pardon me if my English (or my French) isnīt the best in the world, but anyway, I bought my guitar at MusicYo.com. By the time the first Kramer sustainers were first issued back in the 80īs I was in my early teens, and since Iīm not involved in the highly lucrative (and infamous) business of some fellow colombians, I did not have the money to purchase one. Needles to say, that guitar was the axe of my dreams. Finally, when I got the money, Kramer went bankrupt and that guitar was gone forever (or so I thoght).
I canīt describe my happiness when I saw the Infity Sustainer at such an incredible price of US$400 at MusicYo.com last September.
That same happiness turned into sadness very soon īcause the guys at MusicYo donīt take credit cards issued in Colombia (although mine are Master Card and American Express). Itīs not that you canīt buy at MusicYo from the southern parts of the continent, since they take cards issued in Venezuela and Brazil... but we rockers live all over the planet dude!!!! It would be helpful that the guys at Yo broadend their geographical horizons (I have used my cards on other music and softwere U.S. sites without a problem!).
I then tried to contact somebody through the website, but the answer I got to my question made no sense (like asking for directions and geting a recepy).
So I had to contact a girlfriend of mine in the U.S. to help me with the deal and buy the guitar for me (did I mention that love that girl?).
The axe was delivered in time with no delays or damages and she took my new Kramer with her to her next trip to Colombia... yes U.S. citizens can travel safely to my country.
Itīs hard to find where to start...
As for the pickups, the dual rail in the mid position is a really noisless passive unit, that can deliver crisp single coil timber or be pushed to an almost "overheated P90" kind of sound. all included in the price.
The quadrail humbicking unit at the bridge position delivers great tone with punching lows and screaming harmonics, but without loosing clarity or becoming dirty.
The highlight of this guitar is of course the sustainer pickup in the neck position. When turned off it acts as a regular single coil, nothing very special about it apart fro the fact that it is a noiesless coil.
But when you turn it on...boy itīs hell break loose (in the good sense). It acts only in combination with the bridge humbucker (the five position selector becomes inoperative), so the voicing has to be regulated via the master volume and the master tone knobs.
The system can operate at fundamental or harmonic mode, meaning which overtones are added to the original note you play.
In fundamental mode the guitarīs playability doubles and the scorching tone of the quadrail boosts to levels apt for some permanent sonic damage.
Thatīs avery shredder wetdream, clear fat sound with endless sustain, not to mention the imposible harmonics obtained in harmonic mode (ever tried to get an artificial harmonic out of the 24th fret?).
Not to mention the great Floyd Rose copy bridge, that keeps this guitar in tune under some extreme dive bombing conditions.
And at the end you donīt have to worry about battery power, since the guitar packs a LED indicator that turns on when pwer is running short...and all that for 400 bucks!!!
On the down side, the body could have a contour for the right arm, I think thereīs plenty of room to relocate the batteries and favor comfort.
Although the deep lower cutaway gives you good acces to the highest frets, the heel could have a deeper contour.
The construction is very good, the painting (red metallic) is flawless, the alder body is very resonant, the maple neck is confortable and the rosewood fingerboard with the jumbo frets let you shred and bend notes to limits only known to the gods.
For other guitarists the Kramer Sustainer Infinity might not be their particular brand of tequila, but if you are into heavy handed guitar playing, there you have one HECK OF A GUITAR.
Great tone, construction, tuning stability and endless sustain....for that price!
What else do you want?
Klaus rated this unit
on
2003-01-10.
