Anyone recognize this Kalamazoo

Charlie Campney · From: The Villages, FL

The guitar on the right is a Kalamazoo that my mother played Hawaiian steel back in the 30's. She took lessons from my dad who played the Regal (ser #5080) on the left. That's how they met. Romantic, isn't it?

Anyhow, I have started playing my Dad's Regal and the other day I got the Kalamazoo out to try it. And as soon as I started to tune it I heard a creaking sound which was the bridge starting to separate from the body near the low strings so I stopped and took the strings off. I don't know if I will get it fixed or not. Would it be worth it?

There is no identification at all on this guitar that I could find, just the Kalamazoo logo silk screened on the peghead. Is it marked some way? Doing some looking this week, I found that it might be a KG-14 that was made by Gibson. One just like it went on E-Bay this week for almost $600. The same buyer has a bid in on another Kalamazoo that is listed now. I don't want to sell it but was wondering about it's value, and that of the Regal too.

Any information on either of these guitars would be appreciated.

Regards,
Charlie Campney

Dwayne Martineau · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I don't know much about these guitars, but Richard Buckner had a Kalamazoo that I almost bought a while back. It looked similar, perhaps a little newer. It was a great guitar. He had it strung with silk & steel strings--they have a silk core, are a lot lighter, and have a very smooth feel and mellow tone. Perfect for parlor guitars and guitars without a truss rod (the Kalamazoo might fall into that category?). Anyway, it sounded excellent.

-Dwayne

Dwight Mark · From: Denver, Colorado, USA

This is probably a late 1930's KG-11. The KG-14 is the same body style as the Gibson L-00. The Kalamazoo's were the budget Gibson line and they typically had ladder bracing inside which is "less collectible".
http://www.guitarandbanjo.com/details/1354.html

My guess is that on ebay you would get around $300 - $500 for it if it is in excellent condition.

Al Sato · From: Texas Hill Country

Looks like a '30s KG-11, which is also almost identical to the Gibson Carson J. Robison model.

Alan Kirk · From: Scotia, CA, USA

I think you should be able to get that bridge reglued for a reasonable price, say around $100-$150, maybe even less. That's actually a common repair, not all that major. Ask your local guitar store to find a repair guy in your area.

[This message was edited by Alan Kirk on 19 September 2004 at 06:28 AM.]

Ron Bednar · From: Rancho Cordova, California, USA

Charlie, I'm getting to sound like a commercial for these guys cause I say this so often, but they work really well. After you get that bridge reglued, you might want to try Newtone Aloha strings on both of them. They have a thinner round core and come to pitch under much less tension than regular strings, putting less pressure on the neck, top and bridge. Actually thay are made for Weissenborn and older wood bodied Hawaiian guitars like your's. They sound great to boot.

Russ Young · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

I can't get a very good look at the Regal, but it appears very similar to a guitar that I've seen pictures of (#3434) that has rosewood back, sides and bridge. That guitar also lacks any fretboard marker between the ninth and seventeenth, although there is a marker on the side of the neck at the twelfth. It is a "auditorium" size guitar, with a 24-3/4' scale, a 19"-long body and a 14"-wide lower bout.

Unlike the more common Regals with a decal, #3434 has a inlaid mother-of-pearl "Regal" on a green background. Is yours similar?

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

The Regal looks very much like my 1930 Martin Style O-18.

------------------
Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

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