1940 Kalamazoo KG-12 Shade Top

The Kalamazoo KG-12 was offered in the sunburst finish with dark stained Maple back and sides from 1939 to 1940. Few remain; even fewer in a condition best described as "near mint". This particular example is offered with the original Geib soft shell case, Kluson open back tuners, Ebony nut and frets. The top shows 0% of the top distortion that many ladder braced Kalamazoos are known to have. A neck reset and bridge reglue were required for a perfect setup up low action.
This model is one of the few marked Kalamazoo that received a hidden truss rod that was adjustable at the heel of the guitar. I asked the luthier to add a small access hole in the block so that it could be adjusted if necessary after the neck was reset. The access hole is not visible unless the guitar is held at such an angle so as to view the top of the neck block. He also fashioned a beautiful new bone saddle that could fool even the most discerning observer. A crack between the sound hole and bridge was glued and three holes at the base for a tailpiece were filled long ago. Intonation is spot on, action is 3/32 at the bass E string and playing it is an absolute pleasure.