All you guitar freaks

[Harvey2]

Any guitar freaks out there know anything about a model I recently picked up called a Gibson Kalamazoo? It dates from 1934.

[russ]

The only references to the Kalamazoo that i could find were

1. In Gibson Guitars - 100 Years of an American Icon on page 268 they mention a Kalamazoo award
but no reference to the guitar.

2. A 1930s Kalamazoo KG-14 - a ladder braced version of a Gibson L-00 and a 1930s Kalamazoo KG-11:
http://littlebrotherblues.com/Gear/Guit ... index.html (scroll down to pics)

3. eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kalamazoo-Archt ... 587wt_1132

[KenB]

Hi Harvey
I'm no expert but I do appreciate that sometimes it's difficult to find a good starting place with instrument research. Maybe these two links will get you started.

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/I ... KG_14.aspx

This is a section that may be helpful.
"Guy Hart was Gibson’s president between 1924 and 1948, and he is probably best-known for keeping Gibson alive during the Great Depression. Hart was a true businessman, and he didn’t have any prior musical background when he came to work at Gibson. Although Hart wasn’t as innovative as the legendary Ted McCarty (president of Gibson 1948-1966), the Super 400, Gibson flat top acoustics, and Gibson pickups and amplifiers were all developed with Hart as president.
At the beginning of the Great Depression, Hart realized that Gibson would have to produce something cheaper in order to stay in business. In the early 1930s, Gibson started building children’s toys and other wooden items to keep their employees working. Toy making became very successful at Gibson during its short run, but by early 1934, they were back to building instruments full time again. However, Hart also realized that a budget line of instruments was vital to survival. *****In 1934, Hart introduced the Kalamazoo brand of budget instruments that was named after the city Gibson resided in.

Kalamazoo instruments came in a variety of configurations including acoustic flattops, acoustic archtops, electric Hawaiians, mandolins, and banjos. Although Kalamazoo instruments were built by Gibson, there are several factors that make them different from one another. Kalamazoo instruments featured ladder bracing instead of Gibson’s X bracing, less ornamentation than Gibson, and other cheaper appointments. Most notably, Kalamazoo lacked an adjustable truss rod that has become an important feature in guitar construction these days. Regardless of these features, Kalamazoo instruments were very well-built.
Unfortunately, Kalamazoo instruments often do not have the model name or number stamped anywhere on the guitar, making identification difficult. Kalamazoo only produced two variations of flat top acoustics, so it is a fairly easy process of elimination. Your guitar appears to be a KG-14 that is very similar to the Gibson L-0 in size. Features include a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, a round soundhole with white binding, tortoise top body binding, a mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, a rosewood bridge, and a firestripe pickguard. The other Kalamazoo is a KG-11 that has a smaller body with squarer shoulders and a square-topped headstock. Gibson also built a KG-14 in Hawaiian and tenor configurations.

The headstock shape is the best dating feature of the guitar, since Kalamazoo serialization does not follow Gibson’s. The top of your headstock tapers up to a point, placing the date of manufacture between 1938 and 1940. According to your pictures the guitar has been used extensively, and although it is in perfectly fine playing condition, it is still considered “Average” by the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars grading system. Currently, this guitar is valued between $550 and $700 in the used marketplace."


Maybe this will help.
http://home.provide.net/~cfh/gibson.html#col

Cheers,

[Harvey2]

PICT0984.JPG (102.21 KiB) Viewed 937 times

As you can see the guitar does not have the scratch plate but it's a 1934 Kalamazoo. I've been offered £350 for it - SOLD! Thanks for the info guys.

[Richard H]

Very interesting, I'll pass all the info on to a friend of mine who plays a very old Kalamazoo. Like anything made by either Gibson or Martin, & in my experience especially Gibson, they can be incredibly hit & miss in the quality / tone departments, but my pals Kalamazoo is an absolute gem, loud, balanced, & full of character. His is an archtop by the way. It's lovely to see another one. He'll be chuffed!

[Mike Rogers]

I hadn't realised that Gibson had used Kalamazoo as a budget brand.
Any old acoustic guitar should be judged by its tone, its playablity and its overall condition rather than the
name on the headstock. (The headstock in this case has a Martin look about it).

I get rather frustrated with Gibson. I have an L130 and by deciphering the serial number I can determine the exact day
of manufacture (completion). However I went along to a guitar fair a couple of years ago and the guy representing Gibson
could not tell me if the model was still being made - in fact he could not trace anything about it. So, either the Gibson
archives are incomplete or the guy was an idiot. I suspect a bit of both. But I can tell you that at a mere 11 years of age
the guitar is maturing nicely.

[russ]

Anyone know anything about a Gibson J-1000?
Apparently there were only a handful made in the early 1990s.
i may have a chance to get one.

[Richard H]

Hi Russ, I remember the J-1000, a pal of mine had one. I think Gibson made them for maybe a year or two in the early 90's. As I recall it was a jumbo body with a cutaway, Rosewood back & sides, spruce top, 25.5 inch scale length, 14 frets to the body, I think a bound fingerboard, definitely diamond shaped fret markers. His had a pick up but whether that was standard to the model or added later I don't know. Oh & a rosewood fingerboard & bridge. I don't know how experienced you are in guitar buying, so forgive me if I'm telling you what you already know, but the best advice I can add is to try before you buy, try to avoid buying unseen & without playing it (ie over the phone or the internet unless the seller is known to you & has a good returns policy), & whilst it's very difficult to do, buy with your head & not your heart. A good guitar is a good guitar whatever name is on the headstock, & Gibson's quality has had it's ups & downs over the years. Hope it goes well for you.

[russ]

Thanks Richard, i appreciate your help and advice. Here's some photos of it.
It's here in Vermont so i'd be able to - and would of course definitely
check it out beforehand - if it came to that.

gibson j-1000.2a.png (224.84 KiB) Viewed 882 times

[Richard H]

Hi Russ, it looks in lovely condition for a 20 year old guitar, it's obviously been cared for which is always a good sign!