These guitars are not going to be everyone's cup of tea - it is not a serious rock axe - better for laid back jazzy riffing - but it is a beautiful well preserved piece of American manufactured artisanship.
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Kay “Swingmaster” K672 Guitar - $575 (NE Indianapolis)
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Date: 2010-08-10, 5:12PM EDT
Reply to: sale-ucnmk-1891650185@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
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1965 Kay arched top semi hollowbody thin line “Swingmaster” model K672 with a Sunburst finish, 2 Barnie Kessel Kleenex Box Gold “K” Pickups, Grover tuning keys, all original electronics and finish. This guitar was purchased at a warehouse sale in Chicago in 1966, it was played on and off through the 70's and has rarely been used over the last 30 years. Excellant condition with a couple of small nicks, and typical age on the finish, the original case is still solid and functional.
Call: 317-709-7984
•Location: NE Indianapolis
My Kay Swingmaster dual pick-up is a wonderfully playable and still somewhat versatile guitar... It has a unique sound palette all its own, stemming from the two Gibson made proto p-90 "Kleenex box" 'Kessels' - which were professional spec in their day... Kay was clearly attempting to be taken seriously with this model (and the Barney Kessel series archtops which spawned it)...
ReplyDeleteMy fully (thin) hollow '62 model Swingmaster features single coil cleans ranging from: clean and folk rythms and ultra-warm, smoky jazz (on the neck p.u.); through Benson-esque and swingtime leads in the middle; all the way to rockabilly, retro, and country twang (with the bridge p. u. pole pieces raised slightly)... Drop in an effects unit and you've got 60's acid rock compression (Strawberry Alarm Clock, etc), to full on crunch or blues rock screams (using the various tone settings between guitar and amp)... Mine does all this with the original wooden bridge (to boot)!
Touch sensitivity and picking dynamics are supernatural on my Swingmaster: blues, fingerstyle, and other genres will be especially happy... But shredders need not apply! This isn't your best tool.
To sum up: just try playing one of these half century old babies (after carefully changing the strings, tweaking her pole screws, and adjusting the intonation)... And soon you'll forget that the guitar you're playing has a bolt on neck, laminated body, and was produced for 'Kay', King of the bargain discount department store guitar brands ...right!?
- Dave