Custom Kraft Solid Body Electric Guitar (1968)
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Item # 5526
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Custom Kraft Solid Body Electric Guitar (1968), made in Chicago, serial # 1 76100, sunburst finish, maple body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, original grey chipboard case.
Here is interesting solidbody guitar from the tail end of the "Guitar Boom" era. As the 1960's waned many American guitar makers found themselves overstretched from meeting the frantic demand of 1964-66 and forced to re-trench. Increasing Japanese competition and a suddenly stagnant market forced several familiar names out of business, including Kay and National/Valco. As these two former rivals Chicago-based collapsed, for a brief time in 1967-8 both companies were under the same ownership and built their final guitars with features drawn from both lines. The name "Custom Kraft" had been a house brand for Kay's private dealer instruments distributed by Saint Louis Music and was used on a line of this final Kay/Valco product
This Custom Kraft features a double-cutaway solid body that somewhat resembles many period Japanese guitars with a swooping double cutaway in a Valco-style sunburst finish, topped with a thin tortoise celluloid pickguard. The pickups are the familiar (and great sounding) National/Supro units decorated with an extra gold foil strip, while the tuners are strip Kluson Deluxe and the vibrato tailpiece unit appear to be Italian. The wiring rig is the standard double volume/tone knobs (with Guild-style knobs, in gold) controlled by two on/off switches, also like many period Japanese instruments. The neck is similar to late Valco guitars but with a large single-sided headstock festooned with a flashy "Custom Craft" logo plate with a small rampant lion symbol.
Overall length is 41 1/8 in. (104.5 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.). This is a very nice, clean original guitar-nothing changes, no repairs, some minor finish wear (one noticeable ding in the top) but really not much sign of use. A crunchy-sounding little garage band guitar, complete with the original SSC. Excellent Condition.
Here is interesting solidbody guitar from the tail end of the "Guitar Boom" era. As the 1960's waned many American guitar makers found themselves overstretched from meeting the frantic demand of 1964-66 and forced to re-trench. Increasing Japanese competition and a suddenly stagnant market forced several familiar names out of business, including Kay and National/Valco. As these two former rivals Chicago-based collapsed, for a brief time in 1967-8 both companies were under the same ownership and built their final guitars with features drawn from both lines. The name "Custom Kraft" had been a house brand for Kay's private dealer instruments distributed by Saint Louis Music and was used on a line of this final Kay/Valco product
This Custom Kraft features a double-cutaway solid body that somewhat resembles many period Japanese guitars with a swooping double cutaway in a Valco-style sunburst finish, topped with a thin tortoise celluloid pickguard. The pickups are the familiar (and great sounding) National/Supro units decorated with an extra gold foil strip, while the tuners are strip Kluson Deluxe and the vibrato tailpiece unit appear to be Italian. The wiring rig is the standard double volume/tone knobs (with Guild-style knobs, in gold) controlled by two on/off switches, also like many period Japanese instruments. The neck is similar to late Valco guitars but with a large single-sided headstock festooned with a flashy "Custom Craft" logo plate with a small rampant lion symbol.
Overall length is 41 1/8 in. (104.5 cm.), 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.). This is a very nice, clean original guitar-nothing changes, no repairs, some minor finish wear (one noticeable ding in the top) but really not much sign of use. A crunchy-sounding little garage band guitar, complete with the original SSC. Excellent Condition.