1941 Gibson-made Kalamazoo KG-32 Archtop Guitar




I'm pretty sure this gal is a KG-32, but my copy of The Other Brands of Gibson is on loan to a friend, so I can't be 100% sure. In the early '40s, the Kalamazoo line was changing a little bit and it puts my "sensors" off. This one features a solid spruce (press-arched) top over flamed ply maple back and sides and the look is slick. The figure is very pronounced on the back and sides.

Bracing on the press-arched Gibson Kalamazoo archtops is interesting -- it's somewhere between fan, ladder, and x-bracing. Despite having stout braces, these guitars are warmer and fatter than average period archtops which makes them superlative chord-chucking/rhythm guitars, though where they're lacking compared to actual carved-top instruments is in upper-mids velvet and treble pop. For straight backup I actually prefer the sound of these, for the most part, to carved-top Gibsons. Sacrilege, right?!

Work included: a fret level/dress, cleating and sealing to three hairline top cracks, general cleaning, compensation and adjustment of the original bridge, one replacement tuner button, a new bone nut, and a good setup. The neck is straight and it plays on-the-dot with 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret, strung with normal 12s in gauges 54w, 42w, 32w, 24w, 16, 12.

Scale length: 24 3/4"
Nut width: 1 3/4"
String spacing at nut: 1 7/16"
String spacing at saddle: 2 1/8"
Body length: 20"
Lower bout width: 16"
Upper bout width: 11 3/8"
Side depth at endpin: 3 1/4"+
Top wood: solid spruce
Back/sides wood: ply flamed maple
Neck wood: not sure, thinking it's maple
Fretboard: rosewood
Neck shape: f10-12" radius board, medium-V rear
Bridge: rosewood original
Nut: new bone

Condition notes: it's all-original save one tuner button, a strap button at the heel, and a new bone nut. There are several repaired hairline cracks on the top but all are cleated where possible, sealed, and good to go. There's general wear-and-tear with scratches, nicks, etc. all over, but it's "lived-in-lovely." The frets are the usual period thin-and-low Gibson stock.




The board has some wear and tear to it and mark-ups from where someone had attempted fret dressing in the past.



While the bridge saddle/topper is original, I did modify it by adding compensation to the top.














Comments

Nick R said…
Yes, the book (which I also have) confirms this as the KG-32- maple back and sides and made from 1937-42. Just a bit of Gibson nerd info, the company switched to crosshead screws in 1939 which you can see on this guitar. My guitar man tells me they are quite unique in style and are difficult to match up as they are not any old crosshead. I assume that with a slothead, this is not such an issue. We know that the "original and authentic" collector mania trumps all logic. Obviously, some enterprising person needs to replicate these screws!
Jake Wildwood said…
Yes, they are very oddly-shaped and found only on 1940s equipment that I've seen. The grooves are deeper, squared, and more defined and the top is a little more mushroom-shaped.
daverepair said…
Nice looking KG-32! I have a rough '39, and I agree, the tone is good(slightly thin, perhaps), owing to the modified x-bracing. I'm the culprit with your Gibson book- I'm planning a return visit soon, with the volume, and to show you my latest vintage Epiphone acquisitions.