1938 Kalamazoo (Gibson) KG-11 Flattop Guitar

Here's yet another KG-11 passing through the shop. This one dates to '38 and it has the larger sunburst to prove it. It's a snappy, loud, barky guitar that's perfectly-suited to country-blues and old-time applications. Fingerpickers tend to like these a lot as they're clean and clear but have that woody, dry, open, Gibson-y voice to them. Flatpickers will like them if they do a lot of lead/fill work because they have a lot of bite when dug-into -- sort-of like a gypsy-jazz guitar.

Post-repairs, this guy plays on-the-dot and quick and it's ready to go. It has mild crack repairs on the back and sides (photos provided), but it's all in good order, now. The necks on these are a little on the big side and are a definite V shape, so players should consider that before getting too attached.

Like the rest of the Kalamazoo line, these are Gibson-made products and much higher quality than your average catalog-style low-end guitars of the time. The simplified ladder-bracing and non-truss-rod necks are the prime difference between this and a comparable Gibson flattop from the time.

Repairs included: a neck reset, fret level/dress, side dots install, new repro StewMac tuners, new compensated saddle, hairline crack repair to a small one on the top (along one of the top seams), hairline crack repairs and re-repairs to a few side cracks, one brace reglue, cleaning, setup...

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid mahogany

Bracing type: ladder

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: mahogany

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 52w, 40w, 30w, 22w, 16, 12 custom set

Neck shape: medium-big V

Board radius: ~10-12"

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: small/low

Scale length: 24 7/8"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

Body width: 14 3/4"

Body depth: 4 1/8"

Weight: 3 lbs 3 oz

Condition notes: it's had some old repairs in the past -- the back was reglued misaligned to the sides a long time back. I shaved the overhang down and buffed it up and stained it, but the discoloration on the back seam can be seen if you're looking for it -- though it's not obvious. There's a tiny repaired hairline crack (~2") on the front-lower-bout bass side. It's cleated. There's a 3-4" hairline crack on the treble waist-side that's been repaired and cleated as well. On the bass-side below the waist there's a punch-in crack area that's been glued-up, too. All of these are good to go. The finish shows plenty of mild wear and tear as you'd expect and lots of the usual fine weather-check like you'd expect to see on an old Gibson. The tuners are replacements and so is the saddle, but amazingly the bridge pins and endpin are original. Because of the light build and ladder-bracing, the tops of these are never dead flat -- this one has a mild belly under the bridge and a mild dip in front of it. That's normal.