1939 Kalamazoo (Gibson) Unmarked Carved-Top L-48-style Acoustic Guitar

Overview: The funny thing is that I just posted an almost spec-for-spec similar 1939 Gibson-made Kalamazoo of the same style, but with narrow, Gibson-style f-holes. Judging by the wider, Kalamazoo-style f-holes on this guy, this should have a pressed top construction, but it's actually a carved-top with tonebars just like an L-48 or L-50 from the same time. Outwardly, this guitar appears to be more or less a normal Kalamazoo KG-31 model, but that top difference means it has a huge sound and "punch" upgrade as compared to the pressed-top models (which are nice, but not as oomph-y).

This particular guitar's past is even more muddied but some cosmetic changes (added inlay at the headstock and painted headstock edges, an added diamond in the fretboard, and what feels like a coat of overspray on the whole body and headstock -- but not the back of the neck), and swapped tuners and frets. Despite all that, it's quite a good player and has that classic, seductive, creamier-sounding mids/lower-mids sound that you get from a nice Gibson carved-top -- a great sound for chording/backup archtop guitar roles.

Repairs included: This one didn't get a neck reset but it did get a level/dress of the frets, side dots added, replacement tuners fit, added compensation to the saddle, and setup work. It's playing bang-on and ready to go.

• Weight: 4 lbs 3 oz
• Scale length: 24 13/16"
• Nut width: 1 3/4"
• Neck shape: bigger V
• Board radius: 12"
• Depth at first fret: 1"
• Depth at seventh fret: 1.1"
• Body width: 16 1/8"
• Body depth: 3 1/4"
• Top wood: solid, carved spruce
• Back & sides wood: solid maple sides, ply maple back
• Bracing type: tonebar
• Bridge: adjustable rosewood
• Fretboard: maple ebonized
• Neck wood: maple
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 54w-12 lights
• Truss rod: non-djustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: medium/lower

Condition notes: It appears to have a very light topcoat of finish sprayed on the body and headstock. It's not obvious at all but I'm pretty sure it got hit once. There are lots of scratches and scuffs and some finish-checking throughout the body and back of the neck. There's added inlay in the headstock and fretboard and painted headstock edges. The fretboard shows side-to-side scratching/scuffing -- probably from when the frets were amateurly put in. Jose leveled and dressed the frets decently, but the ones at the extension over the body are a little funky in profile due to the work of the fella who put them in.

It comes with: Sorry, no case.

Consignor tag: MMLK