Looking at buying first Electric Guitar. Kramer Striker 211

[Axkoa]

So just as the title states. I've found a good looking guitar that has some alright reviews on gumtree Australia. I'm just wondering how would I go about buying used? Is this guitar a good one for a beginner? I'm looking at mainly playing metal/rock with this guitar.

The main thing I'm worried with about this guitar is that it has a Floyd Rose, and I'm not too sure how suitable they are to a beginner in electric guitars like I am. I'll be getting the guitar for around 350 Australian Dollaroos.

Well thanks for any help you do give in advance!

 

[Cagey]

$350 is a bit pricey for a used one - new ones are within a few dollars of that, give or take. If you have your heart set on that model, you may want to shop around a bit.

Floyds are fantastic bridges in that they let you wank and crank on the thing and stay in tune. But, they're a bit of a pain in the ass to set up and/or change strings on. If you buy something already set up, you don't have that worry unless you change string gauge. But, you still need to carry tools to change strings. Nothing major, but a couple allen wrenches and some wire cutters that will deal with tensilized steel are the minimum. You can carry those things in the guitar case easily enough. Just don't lose them or loan them out (same thing, usually) or a broken string will put you out of business.

 

[Axkoa]

The guitar is pretty much brand new the guy selling it says, but I think I might be able to negotiate down to 300-320. This is Australian Dollars mind you. The pictures that the guy has up show almost no dents or scratches on the guitar and it's recently had a professional setup.

I'm not sure that I'll be using the Trem that much so it shouldn't be too much of a problem for me.

 

[stratamania]

Even if you don't use the trem it doesn't mean it won't have an influence on your playing.

I've been using Floyds since around 85, and so don't have anything against them. However they can be difficult if you don't know what you are doing to get a proper balance to keep them in tune. Also for those who palm mute heavily if you aren't used to them the notes will go sharp due to resting your hand on the bridge.

For a first guitar I would remove the variable of a tremolo of any type if you can and look for a hard tail, that way you don't even have it to contend with the issues a trem can add. You can concentrate on getting the basics of your playing down first.

 

[Axkoa]

I was considering a hard tail but there aren't really any good used ones for the price around where I live, and I'm definitely not buying new. I've played an acoustic for a couple of months now and I'm getting alright at guitar I think. One of the reasons why I enjoy guitar is the fact that they are so versatile for modding, hence the interest in Warmoth, so I don't really mind having to fiddle around with the bridge.

 

[Gemcutter]

I'd have to ask if you've looked at eBay. It appears that they may have some less expensive Kramers available there. http://r.ebay.com/xKb6A4

 

[Axkoa]

I'd have to ask if you've looked at eBay. It appears that they may have some less expensive Kramers available there. http://r.ebay.com/xKb6A4

I would seriously consider eBay, but because I live in Australia it is almost impossible to get the guitar over here to Australia, and once you do it costs almost the same as if you bought from here.

Plus because its my first I'm going to try it out when I go over and see how it is.

 

[ChristopherG]

I would try to get them down on the price, which is high. As far as the floyd goes, they are easy enough to block.

 

[Axkoa]

I would try to get them down on the price, which is high. As far as the floyd goes, they are easy enough to block.

Yeah, I'll be looking for around $300.

 

[DangerousR6]

I have an original Striker I bought new in '84 and I also have an original '84 Beretta. The Striker is remarkably close to the Beretta, body wood and electronics are main differences. But the Striker is a good guitar, I've been playing mine for over 30 yrs, but as Cagey said not worth 350 clams....

 

[Axkoa]

I have an original Striker I bought new in '84 and I also have an original '84 Beretta. The Striker is remarkably close to the Beretta, body wood and electronics are main differences. But the Striker is a good guitar, I've been playing mine for over 30 yrs, but as Cagey said not worth 350 clams....

I'll be looking for around 300 AUD which is about 220 USD, it has had a recent setup, low action, new strings, etc. And its almost new. Is it still too much with that?

 

[Strat Avenger]

If it's what you like, you should get it, as you can't build one for that price.

 

[stratamania]

If it is what you can afford and there is limited availability where you are then why not.

One thing is for sure you can't learn without an instrument so...

 

[Cederick]

Guitars with cheap Floyds = 100% risk of issues

A good Floyd (like german made Original Floyd Rose or Gotoh) is a whole different story. You could play all day long without having to check the tuning.

But yeah, if you get a cheap guitar with a cheap Floyd, block it for dive only, and you wont have to deal with balance issues, and also easier to change strings and everything else.

Either a block of wood, a couple of glued-together coins or something like this: