Kramer DMZ 4001 1980 Transparent Red (with OHSC and extras!)

Edit: 13 April: Last call. Dropped the price to $400 even, plus shipping, and clarified that if shipping turns out to be less than $75, I'll refund the difference. I'd much rather ship the bass to a new home where she'll be played and appreciated, but if she doesn't sell by the end of this week, I'll be taking this listing down. My wife even said it was OK to keep 'er, so you know I'm not bluffing... :-)

Edit: 27 March: Just dropped the price for the third (and almost certainly final) time. Now's the time to make your move, folks! You could be playing this bass by next weekend if you act today...

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This is a Kramer DMZ-4001 fretless.  In all the years I've owned her, I've only seen a few others in this model without fret lines. According to the Vintage Kramer serial number registry, the serial number A1191 dates the bass to 1980 or ‘81, and the codes on the volume and tone pots both are consistent with a 1980 production date.

The Backstory: I bought this bass used in 1989 when I lived in New York City. She was only my second bass ever, and my first fretless, and to be honest, she scared me. But I fell in love with her -- not least because I had never seen or heard another one like her. That aluminum neck and hot DiMarzio P-bass pickup gave her a unique punch and growl, and sustain for days when you wanted it. She became my main gigging bass, and she never let me down. We played countless gigs in East Village clubs and Brooklyn dives, and even recorded a couple of tracks that ended up on "Let's Play," a 1991 compilation album with other Brooklyn-based bands. I’m including a SoundCloud link to one of those songs, “Lies,” below. There are two other tunes in the playlist here: 

Playability: The action is still low and fast up and down the neck.

Condition: I won't pretend she doesn't show some signs of her age. I played round wound strings back then, and there's some wear on the fingerboard. There are a few scratches and dings here and there (I’ve tried to show them all in the photos), but they're pretty minimal for a 35 year old bass.  There's a crack at the neck joint that's been there as long as I've had the bass; this is very common in aluminum neck basses, and the neck is totally stable. 

Electronics: The 4001 came standard with a passive high-output DiMarzio P-Bass pickup, and it's still hot and full sounding. Somewhere along the line, I was having issues with the volume pot, and I had someone redo the wiring. The good news is that no one has touched the pickups or the wiring to the original “dual mode” switch, and I kept the original pots, the original jack, and one of the two capacitors. It turned out there was nothing wrong with the pots after all, so I have now restored the wiring to its original configuration based on this image of another DMZ4001: .  Only the .047 uf capacitor (the green one), the uninsulated ground wire to the control cover plate,and the white wiring between the pots and the jack is not original.  

Bridge: The Kramer bridge is a little funky – that’s why you’ll see a lot of these with BadAss or other aftermarket bridges. This is the original with the exception of the intonation spring on the E-string; the LaBella flatwounds I’m using now required more travel in the saddle to intonate than the spring allowed, so I replaced it with one from a Fender bridge.

Case: The case is all original, and it shows the signs of living a rock and roll lifestyle as well. There are dings in the vinyl, a little rust on the metal bits, and the handle is cracked (although it’s still secure).

Extras: In addition to the bass and the case, you’ll get the original strap buttons and screws (I put Duncan straplocks on long ago), the original intonation spring for the E-string saddle, and the original Allen key for the bridge saddle height adjusters.  I’m also throwing in a complete wiring setup with a more conventional P-Bass circuit in case you want to switch it out.  There’s also a spare .001uf capacitor in case the original orange one gives out.  You can also have my neoprene strap. It's been around the block a few times, but you'll be grateful for the shock absorbing neoprene -- this bass is heavy!  (By the way, if you're in the greater Washington, DC area and can save me the hassle of packing and shipping the bass, please feel free to make me an offer...)

The Bottom Line: This old bass has got a lot more rock and roll left in her – give her a chance, she won’t let you down!