All user reviews for the Kramer Focus VT-111S

I've been playing guitar for 37 years, never professionaly. Use to jam with some guys, garage band, etc., but these days I'm too busy working constantly to support a family. I still play by myself a lot. I keep a guitar and amp handy at work (work alone in a trailer). So I pick it up and hit a lick or two but then got to get back to the computer. Back in the 70's I've had people tell me I was one of the greatest guitar players they had heard, but they weren't music industry pros, just some drunks. But I never been much on learning other peoples stuff, just make it up as I go mostly. Check it out: www.soundclick.com/ronnieguitar

Got it from musicyo.com and got it because I got a family to support and can't exactly spend a lot of money on a guitar. I got it because of the great reviews I read on it. Does this guy Mark Chezney (or something like that) really work for Music Gear Review? Musicyo obviously sent him a guitar that had been set up and gone over carefully, (better tuners added probably) this doesn't sound like the guitar I got. Oh yeah paid $85 and $10 S&H.

Well, the finish looks alright. The neck feels comfortable. So far the electronics seem okay. The pickups that other people complain about sound okay to me. It's a Strat, what do you expect. Single coils hum and sound kind of trebly, nature of the beast. I like the way the bridge pickup screams. This is my first Strat type guitar, and first one with a whammy bar, so It's like a new toy.

I got the sunburst model with the black pickguard because I'm a big SRV fan (poor boy's SRV signature). The guitar did not look like the picture on the musicyo website. The sunburst has a black slash painted across the upper right corner, the beveled armrest part. It kind of makes the sunburst look off balance. But that's no big deal. The bad thing is the neck whick everbody thinks is so great. Yeah, you can set the action real low but you get all kinds of fret buzz, and just dead notes in different places all over the neck. I had too set the action up to 2mm and it still has some bad places. You can't play it clean, you have to crank up a little gain, and use a little advanced picking technique to hide the buzzing notes. Of course, it goes out of tune if you use the vibrato more than very lightly, but the G string goes sharp when I do much bending on the E and B strings, something to do with the tremelo springs I guess. The tuners are real cheap, when I changed strings the posts were all real loose and couldn't be tightened up. Might get some more tuners, but a good set of locking tuners would cost as much as I paid for the guitar!

Pretty well constructed I guess, except for the neck, finish okay except for the black slash. I managed to catch a loose input jack nut and tighten it before it came off. Recommend going over it and tighten everything. Like I said, tuners are crap. I can't believe pro reviewers who said it holds it's tune. It goes out of tune if you look at it wrong.

Musicyo advertises this as a "professional" guitar. Their out of their mind, no professional would use this. Luckily, I'm just an amateur who never gigs or nothing so it's okay for me to mess around on. Would not be good for beginners, takes some advanced playing technique to make it sound decent. Musicyo quotes your Mark Chezney as saying if your willing to spend $300 for a guitar get four of these (year 2000 prices I guess). No, I say get a good $300 guitar, don't even get one of these things.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

My dad bought my guitar off Ebay, for £79 because i was starting guitar lessons at school and research had shown this guitar to be a good buy. It was a good price at £79, (normal price £70 to £80) and the quote was "this guitar if made for rock". For me that sealed the deal. Yes i know what your thinking, "it cant be any good for that price". But wait. You can't judge a book by its cover. Read on...

I like this guitar because it sounds amazing, amplified or un amplified it has a real rock kick to it that so many other guitars fail to achieve. It has two tone nobs so i have more controll over the sound it gives as some amps cant produce the desired sound. The sounds the pick up selector can give are good, they vary from hard crunch to a more mellow deep bassy sound and the sound stays constant when you turn it down and doesnt muffle away.

This guitar is heavy! i mean heavy. My advice to anyone who gets this guitar is to buy a padded strap or wear some thick clothes. Another problem it that it is very easily disturbed by radio waves or electrical appliances and the fact that it is hollow means that any viabrations echo loudly.

The guitar has a standard guitar shape with a relatively long neck. It is well built as far as i can tell and I have had mine a year now and nothing has gone wrong with it. The only two possible flaws are thefact the jack in socket comes loose occasionally and the area around the base of the neck looks slightly rough and hewn.

It is undoubtaly one of the best guitars to buy for beginners or keen rock rhythm guitarists. It is after all "made to rock".

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

i got it off ebay for about £80

it looks nice, i got the red and black version and it looks reaaly cool. It sounds pretty good (especially for the price) and you get a reasonable range of sounds from the pickup selector

i bought this a as first guitar, seeing the low price and the good reviews, however, for me, it doesn't work as a begginers guitar becaus of the neck . The frets are spaced quite away apart (at least, compared to some of the other guitars i've tried) which makes learning chords for the first time hard, also, the strings are high off the neck which is hell on the fingers until you get used to it. Another problem I've found is getting it to stay in tune, epecially when using the whammy bar.

seems fairly well built

a good guitar, but DON'T buy if off the internet, try it out first, especially if you are a beginner. (i personally am thinking about getting a strat)

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I never heard of Kramer Guitars untill today. I was out hitting pawn shops looking for an electric guitar for my 12 year old son(wants to learn). I got him a Peavey Raptor Plus(looks new,Peavey Backstage Plus 35w amp, Crate G10LX 30w amp and the Kramer 111S for $318 out the door. (the Kramer is really for me, don't tell his mom) They sell new on Ebay for about $80 or so, or thats what I found them for there. I cant believe it sells that cheap. The guy sort of threw it in for $50 since I was buying for my son. I just couldn,t resist taking it home to see how it stood up against the Peavey.

I have th sunburst one and it looks very nice and feels like a guitar you like to hold. Some low end guitars, you pick them up and they feel like SH*T and everything about them scream put me down.

This is like a good solid guitar that says try me, then when you do, your glad you did.

Kramers are made in Korea, but it feels like they are made in the U.S., when made in the U.S. meant quality. No Lie.

That's all I can think of, is that I don't like that it's made in korea, I think it is anyways.

1. Neck is solid, no warping.
2. Fretts are large like good quality guitars, not tiny thin crap. They are also filed on the ends so they dont dig into your fingers when you drag them up and down the neck.
3. Neck is solid to the body, no big gaps like other cheap guitars.
4. Body and neck finish is very nice, no color bleeding or dull spots in clear finish.
5.Keys are solid(dont feel like cheap crap)

I have to tell you, this guitar freaked me out (born 1966). I could not believe the quality of it, the construction was like the Peavy guitar. This thing is used and sounds like the new $300 Washburn I played 2 days ago. If I let you play it blind folded and asked you how much you think it costs new, you would say about $300 to $500. The neck feels sweet and solid and it keeps tune like the Peavey Raptor Plus. I feel stupid saying a guitar new on Ebay for $100 is this nice. Oh and they have been making it since at least 1980, so I dont know how I never heard of it.. For a low end guitar I give it a 5 of 5, to compare it to $200-$300 guitars I give it a 4. Keep in mind I got it for $50, how can a guitar even used for $50 be this nice. If I got it for $150 new I would still be this happy.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought mine on ebay, but you can get them for around $80 on musicyo.com. The quadrod was around 60 I think

With the quadrod I bought it, the pickups sound great with a touch of overdrive. Clean they have a warm sound, but quite an edgy one if that makes sense. Looks great, even with all the scratches. It's obviously a matter of taste, but I find the neck very easy to play on.

Well, if it had cost me $1000 i could name a number of things. But at less than $150 for the lot it's hard to criticise. I suppose I have to though.

It does detune quite quickly, and the sustain isn't great. Without the quadrod the pickups are useless, although I only had to put up with that for a day or two. The frets on mine have got quite uneven, making for some buzz. Not a huge amount though.

Very good. I've dropped it a few times, and hit the wall more than a few. It's a miracle that it's still in one piece, really. It's nice and simple wiring, no awkward routing, so very easy to work on (and fit a quadrod). The finish is good, except from where an unusually violent piece of metal attacked it once...

With a low budget guitar, I don't think you'll get much better than this. I wouldn't replace it with anything short of a $600 axe, anyway.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Well, this is my second review. I got it a month ago at Christmas. Two days after I got it I wrote a 4-pick review here, but my opinion has changed greatly.

It's good looking.

MY GOD! At first it was fine, but now it buzzes like a monster. E, A, and D, the note is quieter than the horrible buzz. I can't find a cause except for uneven frets, because the truss rod is fine. but the thing is, it is not 1 or 2 slightly jagged frets. it's 6 or 7 extremely uneven frets. I had to take of all the strings so I wouldn't try and play it to file the frets and try to fix it. and when I took the strings off, I got to see just how cheap they were. everyone on here talks about the great neck, so I guess it's really just inconsistency. but when the only place you can get it is online, there's no way to know if you're getting ripped off.

It fell apart on me. I doubt every single one is like this, but I suggest that if you're going to buy one, have the number of the person you want to re-fret it. seriously.

I'm furious. It has literaly deteriorated from my prized possesion to my disgusting atrocity of a guitar.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

59.99 at mjusicyo.com

I am learning to play guitar and I wanted to use an electric guitar vice my acoutstic steel sting fender.

I needed to find a cheap strat copy to learn to play. I looked around on ebay and went to the local guitar store which showed me the squire bullet for 150.00.

I thought for 100.00 less I could get some more things to play with on my budget.

this guitar is beautiful. It is well-made b and there are no cracks,dents, scratches.

The neck is asolutely straight.

My small hands fit nicely around the neck. Catfish blues sounds much nicer now.

it was playable right out of the box.

well packaged.

for a cheap guitar there is nothing on it that LOOKS cheap.

sounds acoutstcally as good as my fender acoustic (believe it)

cheap strings and cord but what do you expect for freebies.

beatifully finished. No flaws or crack. The neck joint is tight and solid.

nice rosewood fretboard...no nicks or rough spots.

nice action.

comes with the allen wrnches to adjust.



For 59.00 I cuold not be happier. I am enjoying playing this thing like I never thought I would.

I am happy to have received tremendous value here and recommend this for anyone.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

i got this electric guitar from www.musicyo.com for US $79.99 , why i bought the guitar, becuase i needed a guitar to play and it was the cheapest i could find at the time.

The standard pick up arnt so good but there is a Focus QuadRod 422 boster pack that makes it sound like a 200 to about 5 or 600 dollar guitar, my friend hase one with the booster pack and its awsome

not really any thing except for the stock pickups thats it, really nice for the price..

the quallity is awsome nice and clean sound but with the booster pack it is un belevable
of the sound you can get from it.

none

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought 2 units from musicyo.com. One for me and one for my 9 year old son. I wanted surf green and it was only available on the deluxe model. The other, vintage white was only available on the standard model. I can't see any other difference except that the green one has a lighter colored neck. Also, all the screws on the deluxe model were silver colored and on the standard model the 6 screws holding the pickups in were black. I founde them on MUSICYO.COM for $69 bucks each. I already had a beautiful '56 les paul gold top and an alvarez acoustic. I have some relatives over all the time and they always want to play my guitar. I grit my teeth as they bang around my priceless gear. Now they can bang around this great guitar and I won't cringe again.

Both units came just about perfect out of the box. The standard model had fret buzz on the 5th and 6th string around the middle. I noticed that both guitars were set up very low action all around. I got scared at first and checked for a twisted or bowed neck, then for high frets. Nope. I then losened the strings and raised the individual bridges per string with the wrench supplied. Just 2 complete turns and wow did that make all the difference in the world. The action is still medium low but no fret buzz at all anywhere. I checked the tuning open strings to the 12th fret and just perfect. I went to the other guitar and made similar adjustments. These guitars are just great sounding even compared to my les paul. Although, the les paul is a completely different sound compared to the strat type Kramer. It sure sounds like a strat to me. I don't care if other people might pull out the pickups and put another $300 worth into them. Not me. I like this baby just like it is. It's got it's own personality and the tuners are just fine as well. Why put cadillac fins on a VW bug? It sort of defeats the purpose doesn't it? If you want those expensive pickups then buy the guitar that they come on. If you want a well constructed, substantial feeling ax for next to nothing this is the one. It's just fantastic. That's one way I can introduce my 9 year old to the guitar and not lose my shirt.

Both of the units have hairline looking cracks where the neck meets the body. After looking into it I found that it't right at the start of the curve and it's in the thick paint job. Looks like the enamel has cracked a little. That's only bringing more character to this tool. It is solid. Oh, it's made in china by the way not korea if that matters.

Some people don't like the metal knobs. I think they are great. They are textured and easier to twirl than the smooth ones on my les paul. I found the 5 way switch is solid as well. The whammy bar is great and that's something I don't have on my les paul and if I were to put one on it, it would far exceed the price of this FOCUS.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this guitar at Musicyo.com and I paid $120.00 for it. I have a real passion for the guitar and all I had was one of those cheap acoustics from Wal*Mart and of course, I wanted a better one. So I didn't want to spend $600 for a guitar that I could get cheaper and maybe better. So when I was looking on this site I found out about the Kramer guitars and the people on this site said they were good for their price.

Everything. The body's beuatiful. They don't sell it anymore, but I got it and it has a beautiful patriotic design on it. It has a great sound.



There was only one thing that I didn't like was that when I got the guitar the third and second string were off. I tried to tune them over and over and I could not get it to sound right. But all I had to do was take the little screws(That were included in the box) and mess with the bridge and it fixed it right away so now my guitar sounds perfect.

Well I've read on these reviews that the strings weren't good and the sixth string made a buzzing noise. I did not have at all besides what I mentioned up there (I was able to fix). I think the quality is great. There is nothing wrong with it.

Well I guess my bottom line would be buy it. Even if you have the $600 to spend on a guitar get one of these. I would choose this over an expensive guitar any day. And if you wanted to get a better, more roaring sound, get a good amp.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I paid 79.00 for the Kramer Focus VT111S at www.Musicyo.com , as a beginners guitar.

I really like the design of it, and I love the coloer of the guitar. I mean its awesome lookin for 80 BUCKS.

I really like this guitar and have seen no problem with it.

Now its an awesome guitar for beginners and people without alot of money, but it cant really compete with a strat or those high dollar guitars, but it has a great body and its smooth sounding.

This guitar is great for what you pay. If your a cheapo than this is your guitar

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this electric guitar off musicyo.com using my dad's credit card. I bought it because my friend and I were planning to put a band together. I paid 90$ plus shipping. However, keep in mind that I only paid 90$ because I am left handed, the right handed version is 85$.

I like the focus's sleek design and smooth, slim neck. It stays in tune for an incredibly long time. I admire its durability and efficiency. I like almost everything about it.

The only thing I do not like about this guitar, is its fret buzz. It has a small problem with fret buzz when you blow on the strings a little too powerfully or if you strum it at a weird angle.

The focus 111s comes with three pickups, twenty-one frets, two tone controls and one volume control. It is a proffesional guitar for one hell of an inexpensive price. It of course has six strings. And thats about it.

Alltogether this is the most incredible guitar I have ever seen, less then one tenth of a grand this guitar is one of the best. Its only flaws are natural for almost all guitars and its extraordinarly great features are more than worth the price!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this guitar at music yo.com I payed $99 w/ gig bag and extra's




What I like about this guitar is that it looked good out of the box and I payed under 100 dollars. I also originally liked the fast fretboard.



I bought this as a first/beginner guitar. I must say I was not impressed. I could tell right away it would be a chore to play on this guitar. The intonation is terrible and playing chords sound horrible due to the guitar going out of tune so often. The pickups are mediocre.



The construction is BAD. I actually took this guitar apart to practice soldering for my new guitar. I realized this is very cheaply made. I unbolted the neck and found a huge crack in it. The pickups are bottom of the line also.



I recently purchased a fender american strat and let me tell you, you get what you pay for. I don't care if you are a beginner you should not subject yourself to trash. This guitar will make you take up the flute after playing it. Garbage



This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought it at MusicYo for $70. It's my first guitar, so I wanted a cheap one.



Unamplified, this thing sounds better than just about any other electric I've heard. Amplified, it's significantly better than a $600 Les Paul I played at a friend's house. It sounds a LOT better than $70. It's on a par with some $400 or $500 instruments.



I play hard, and the low action makes it so I buzz the lowest string all the time, even after adjusting the truss rod. Most people shouldn't have this problem. My cousin plays Nirvana without buzz on this thing. And if you do buzz, it doesn't come through when it's amplified unless you really give that last string a whack.



I'm klutzy, and this thing has survived near unscathed from close encounters with doorframes, office chairs, and falling cabinets. It has one nick in the back from the cabinet. My one complaint is that the jack came a little loose, but it doesn't take long to screw it back in, and that only happened because I plug and unplug it once or twice a day.



It's cheap, it sounds good, and it plays well. If you don't have a grand burning a hole in your pocket (who does?), this is a good buy. For the money, it's definitely a five.



This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This guitar is only available online at musicyo.com and sells for $69.99. I have noticed that people are selling them online at auction sites and have seen the bids go over $80 though I can't figure out why someone would pay more for a guitar than they need to pay!!!



I have wanted a throwaway guitar to have with me when I go to work, play with my nephew (he's 2 yrs old but loves to play my guitars) something that I wouldn't fret over if I messed it up. After playing the low buck ($100-150) squiers and yamahas available locally I decided to gamble on the kramer. It was a very good gamble I like everything about this guitar!



If I had to find fault with this guitar it's that I really need to get another one now I'm afraid to treat it as a throwaway or beater guitar it has become an important part of my stable. Mind you I have a variety of other high end guitars including Les Pauls, Ibanez and Carvin and even a couple Dano's for fun and this guitar won't replace them but it is valued beyond it's cost by me. Oh I'd love to see these available with a maple fingerboard-What do you thinkKramer?



My particular guitar came looking fantastic in Lake Placid blue with a black pickguard and pickups. Rosewood fingerboard on a slim maple neck and although the single string tree isn't a roller tree like the Fender's have it is a machined button not a flimsy stamped tree like many others use.




The fit and finish were first rate and it was shipped in a nice carton for protection. Once unpacked and tuned up it played wonderfully especially for an entry level guitar. I use Line 6 and marshall amps and it sounded wonderful I haven't played a strat in years but it definitely has that strat tone. It's a sweet guitar!If you play PRS and Parker's buy one of these to beat on. If you are just getting into playing this is not like my beginner's guitar-it actually has a good action, no fret buzz and good tone. You will want to play this guitar. Anyone in between those extremes for $70 bucks you can't go wrong I mean if nothing else hang one on your wall as artwork that you can take down and play it's worth it!!



This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com