DoctorPaul's Guitar Emporium

1985 Kramer Ripley Stereo RSG-1

"Steve"

#E0050

 

Yup.  A Ripley.  And a REAL one.  Let's set the scene.

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Us sad 80's guitar geeks were broadly divided into two sects back in the day, those who wanted a Kramer, and those who wanted a Charvel.  I fell heavily into the latter camp, which is why (at one point, at least) you couldn't MOVE around here without bumping into a Charvel.  It didn't seem remotely feasible to like both, it was similar to the whole 'Beatles -v- Stones' thing ... (I still adore the Beatles and abhor the Stones by the way).

 

Once the years passed, however, I mellowed a little, and I allowed a few Kramers to enter the collection.  The old ones are generally very nice guitars, so why not.  

 

Whereas the Charvel boys aspired to an original USA San Dimas 'Glendora' guitar (like 'Damascus'), the Kramer consignenti were drawn to two models in particular.  The first was/is the 'Holy Grail' Kramer Barretta (with the non-tilt / non-scarf-joint banana headstock), and the second was the Ripley.  Both are as rare-as-rocking-horse-shit, and therefore get collectors ... well ... let's say rather 'moist'.

 

Of the two, it was the Ripley that always caught my attention, principally because they're so bloody rare; I've heard a couple of collectors claim that only about 20 of these were made.  I don't know how much truth there IS in that, but it is a fact that the Vintage Kramer serial number records only list five Ripleys ...

 

Also, the Holy Grail Barettas are rare, and are great guitars (I've played one, and it was very nice), but are they better than other vintage Barettas?  Well ... actually ... no.  They're just rare.  That doesn't make them BETTER. 

 

The Ripley, in the other hand, is not only rare, but is also almost unique in that it operates unlike any other production guitar.  The heart of the guitar is its Bartolini hex pickup, which comprises six individual pickups; one per string.  The output from the pickup is routed through six individual pan controls, which send each string's output (through a stereo cable) to wherever you want it in the stereo spectrum ... the output is split through a dedicated Ripley splitter-box (the original one was included with this guitar) to two outputs, which you send to a pair of amps.  So you can send the output from each string wherever you want, and pan between the two amps on the fly.  That all sounds stupidly complex, but it is an absolute HOOT, especially when you assign different effects to each amp ... does the fun EVER end?!

 

If you're less adventurous (or if, like me, you just can't be bothered much of the time), the pan pots work as individual volume controls (when run in mono) which also allows its own collection of cool effects ... like reducing the output of the treble strings so that they don't overdrive your amp, but having the bass strings run flat out ... which is a bit of a giggle, not to mention bring musically interesting.

 

Whatever you do with it, the saving grace is that this is a bloody great guitar just to rock-out on.

 

I snagged this from the same guy that I've bought all of my Kramers from, a very affable local Kramer collector who happens to be Kramer-collector-Royalty ... there aren't many cool Kramers that he hasn't owned.  True to the idea of my 2016 re-hash of the collection, I shed all of my 'run of the mill' Kramers (a NightSwan, a Pacer and an Easton) to get this one ... and this fits in perfectly with the 'quality not quantity' target.

 

This was (apparently) in a bit of a state when he got it, with lots of the electronics either missing or shagged (although the original pickup was present, and is still installed).  Although that would be fatal for most of us, our collector-Royaly buddy simply contacted Steve Ripley and got him to make up a complete new wiring loom, with all the pan-pots pre-wired (see the photos).  The electronics were then installed by a local pro, so bringing the dead guitar firmly back to life.  It's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know, right?!  To add a bit of sparkle (and to further-moisten us Collector-types), Mr Ripley also signed the control cavity cover while he was at it.  Could that BE any cooler?  So, a rare guitar, made rarer still by being rejuvenated (and signed) by the inventor.  That makes me smile inside.

 

The geeks amongst you might know that a Ripley was used by a certain Mr Van Halen on the 1984 album ... "Top Jimmy" being one of the most obvious tracks.  Listen carefully ... see how the guitar kinda bounces around from left to right?  Uhuh ... that's his Ripley.

 

So.  This is a keeper.  Not only a great-playing and rare guitar, but a little slice of history.  Now ... if I could just find a red one too ...