Custom Kraft Thinline Hollow Body Electric Guitar, c. 1968, made in USA, red/black sunburst finish, laminated maple body, maple neck.
An interesting and flashy guitar from the tail end of the "Guitar Boom" era. As the 1960s waned, many American guitar makers found themselves overstreched from meeting the frantic demand for instruments in 1964-66 and forced to re-trench. Increasing Japanese competition and a suddenly stagnant market forced many of the familiar names out of business, including Kay and National/Valco.
As these two former rivals collapsed, for a brief time in 1967-8 both companies were under the same ownership and built guitars with features drawn from both lines. The name "Custom Kraft" had been a Kay house brand for secondary dealer instruments, much like Epiphone was for Gibson, and was used for some of the final Kay/Valco product.
This Custom Kraft features a double-cutaway laminated body that had been previously seen on National instruments and a neck of indeterminate origin. The pickups are the familiar National/Supro units while the tuners and bridge/vibrato tailpiece unit appear to be Japanese. The wiring rig is the standard double volume/tone with 3-way switch�the eccentric classic National multi-knob formats having been abandoned. The body is triple-bound with a red/black sunburst finish and features F-holes shaped rather like lightning bolts.
The large pickguard surrounds the pickups and is clear plastic back-painted black with white piping and a "Custon Kraft" logo. The neck carries a bound rosewood fingerboard with Gibson-style double parallelogram markers and a wildly sloped headstock sporting a plastic-and-metal plate with a logo and inexplicable Rampant Lion emblem. Despite its mixed pedigree, this is a stylish, relatively deluxe guitar, and although out of step with the 1968-69 market, is a good playing and sounding instrument in its own right.
Overall length is 43 in. (109.2 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) deep. Scale length is 25 in. (635 mm.).
All original; in excellent playing condition. Minor finish and plating wear; two of the knobs appear to be missing an insert. An interesting piece of guitar Americana. Excellent Condition.
