c.1939 Kalamazoo KG-22 Archtop Guitar #2

How weird is it that right now I have two sets of twins in stock? I have the MayBell pair (here and here) and now this pair -- the instrument in this post, and the KG-22 I posted about earlier. And the best part on this pair is that they're the same year!

Like its brother (or sister?), this KG-22 has that Kalamazoo creamy punchy tone going on, but is just a hair darker and gutsier on the bass side comparably. The other KG-22 has a more singing voice on the treble, though, but both are almost identical in terms of (lots of) volume and general tone.

The specs are the same: 24 3/4" scale, solid spruce (press-arched) top, pressed laminate maple back, solid maple sides and maple neck, all on a L-48/L-50-style 16" wide archtop body with a narrower waist for extra comfort in the lap. This guitar has had its original v-shaped neck profile modified to a 50s-style Gibson shape (rounded, thinner) at some point and seems sturdy enough this way, though I'd say 12s would be the absolute heaviest I would put on this and 11-52 gauge seems just about right (and a hair safer). Chop (and chomp!) chords are great on this guitar and can definitely cut through in a band.

No cracks anywhere, though the pickguard is long since gone, as is the original case -- though this one does come with a beat-up old chip case that does the job.

Rosewood board with pearl dots and side dots. I received this guitar as a trade and the only work that needed doing on it was a fret level/dress, cleaning, and setup. It plays like butter, in case you were wondering...

Cool Kalamazoo logo and headstock shape. Original bone nut.

The original rosewood adjustable bridge is still present, too,which is nice!

The finish is in pretty good shape but does show general wear and the usual crackles and weather-checking throughout.

Bound top and bottom edges in a yellowy-cream celluloid.

The "dark walnut" finish over the maple is slightly lighter than the almost-black-brown color these usually have, so you can actually see the maple woodgrain underneath.

Here's the Gibson label from inside. It's rare to actually find this on a Kalamazoo.

Original endpin and tailpiece.

Good heel set.

Original Kluson tuners work just fine after a lube.