Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? Great Sound (pickups) and Sustain.Strings action looked like they where a mile away from the frets,neck (truss rod) was not adjusted correctly.Once everything got adjusted buzz,buzz and more buzz frets started coming loose.Kramer dropped the ball on this one. Reliability How has it stood up over time? none. General Your general opinion of this product. Get ready to spend a few 100 of dollars on neck and fret work. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? I was a proud owner of a Baretta in the 80's loved the feel of the guitar,thinking that the quality was still the same got me this SM1,what a Disappointment. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? EMG's pickups sound awesome full and HOT. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Paint looks great. Action How was the action out of the box? Bad string action,bad truss rod adjustment.

Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? ver ywell-made, MIK quality that compares favorably to LTDs and Schecters! Reliability How has it stood up over time? so far, so good--it is built solid, I don't anticipate anything General Your general opinion of this product. great reissue of the classic Stagemaster series, I'm playing this all the time, it reminds me of my USA Jackson Soloist, only with better pick-ups and switchinmg options Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? neck is slightly chunky, yet plays fast Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? this is where this guitar totally shines---all the options at your fingertips, you can literally playanything with it--the Duncan Cool Rails and Alternative 8 does deliver!! Finish How did the stain or paint job look? finish is strong and solid plus beautiful, a light creamy white color Action How was the action out of the box? just needed to lower it a bit, but other than that, it played well

Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? This guitar is very well made, with quality components and workmanship throughout. Original Floyd Rose, Duncan pickups, ebony board, neck through construction, etc. Reliability How has it stood up over time? I've had it about 5 months, everything's fine so far. No real concerns over reliability due to the quality of components. General Your general opinion of this product. This is obviously a reissue of the late 80s arch top Kramer Stagemaster. It's very well made, but feels more like a Gibson than my original 80s Stagemaster. (Gibson owns Kramer now.) Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? While my original Stagemaster has a medium size neck and a light feel, the SM-1 has a much bigger neck and more heft to it. The neck is essentially Gibson's 60s Slim Taper design, not the 80s Kramer Stagemaster neck. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? The Duncan version actually has a Duncan Alternative 8 in the bridge and two Cool Rails, not the Duncan JB/Hot Rails combo cited by AMS. The Alt 8 has more output and bass than a Duncan JB. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? The finish and binding are absolutely flawless. Big thumbs up here. Action How was the action out of the box? Very low action right out of the box. After a little set up work, even better. Gibson players will feel right at home on this neck. Folks seeking a small, shredder style neck will be in for a surprise.