Kramer VT211-S Fatboy Deluxe Reviews 
4 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI bought this instrument online at musicyo.com for approximately $90. I can't say enough good things about my first experience with this on-line retailer- a refreshing and pleasant surprise. It was purchased to be used as an inexpensive but decent secondary guitar. This is not a guitar for a seasoned pro, but it's not supposed to be and I didn't expect it to be. It did, however, far exceed my expectations in all categories.
The overall quality (sound, appearance, hardware, features and action) is astounding for the price. I didn't expect much and the unit exceeded all of my expectations substantially. The paint (candy green in a subtle metallic), wood (maple neck, maple fretboard, natural satin finish) and hardware look far better in person than on the website; a pleasant surprise, since it's usually the other way around. It doesn't look, play, sound or feel like a guitar with such a low pricetag.
The pickups perform adequately but have a cheesy look to them (I expected that for the money paid). Still, I found no need to immediately replace them to enable the unit to do what I bought it to do. Slight buzz on the e-string; corrected with a minor neck adjustment (clear and well illustrated instructions as well as an adjusting tool were included). The 10' cord that came with the unit was a piece of trash and had to be immediately discarded.
The paint job was great. Nice 3-ply pickguard. The hardware, although typically low-end given the price of the unit, had a nice appearance and seemed both durable and functional. Surprisingly, the trem doesn't detune the guitar unless you really yank it hard. The unit came virtually flawless and was well set up- practically ready to play right out of the box. This is an inexpensive Chinese-made guitar, but it easily rivals practically any other lower-end guitar.
This guitar should not be compared to a high end instrument since it is not intended to be one. However, I think one would be hard pressed to find a better guitar in this price range. In fact, going a step further, I think one would be hard pressed to find a better unit if spending two to three times the money. It is an ideal secondary guitar for a seasoned recreational player (not pro) to "knock around on" in it's stock form and would be an excellent choice for a first guitar for a student or intermediate player.
fitco rated this unit
on
2003-03-26.
