{"product_id":"kay-barney-kessel-artist-arch-top-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1958-5844","title":"Kay Barney Kessel Artist Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1958)","description":"Kay Barney Kessel Artist Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar, c. 1958, made in Chicago, natural lacquer finish, laminated maple body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1957, after years of being mostly considered a \"second tier\" guitar builder, Chicago's Kay company boldly made a move into the fretted big time. Now under the new leadership of ex-Harmony man Sidney Katz, Kay jumped into the professional electric guitar market with a new line called the \"Gold K\" designed to appeal to the top players instead of the pawnshop buyer! As Gibson had with Les Paul and Gretsch Chet Atkins, Kay secured an endorsement from poll-winning jazz man Barney Kessel and introduced a line of superbly flashy, well-made guitars bearing his signature. The \"Kessel Artist\" guitar was the middle of the line, with a mid-sized but deep 15 1\/2\" body, fairly fancy cosmetics and a retail price of $300 (which was a lot for a Kay!) This entire line was designed to compete with Gibson and in particular Gretsch, which had made a similar push into the high-quality market a few years earlier with boldly styled archtop electrics. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverything about this guitar exudes 1950's populuxe charm; it practically has tailfins! The gleaming silver accents are back painted Lucite plastic and still shine like new 50+ years later. The back painted pickguard bears a \"K\" chevron logo and Barney Kessel's signature in gold. The natural-finished body is high-grade laminate maple with a spruce top; the neck is maple with a bound rosewood fingerboard and white pearl block inlay. The neck angle and fret work are much better than the average Kay, actually a up to professional standard. The pickups, nicknamed \"Kleenex Box\" units, have a very rich sound and the Grover Rotomatic tuners and adjustable Melita bridge were the best that could be had. Topping it all off is the \"Kelvinator\" headstock, with its giant gleaming silver-and-gold \"K\" logo and kitchen-appliance inspired cosmetics. The flash is not just an empty gesture; the guitar still plays and sounds like a quality instrument, proving Kay could stand with the \"Big Boys\" when they wanted to.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Unfortunately for Kay's ambitions, the\"Gold K\" Kessel line was not a major sales success. Barney Kessel himself, who personally preferred more low-key guitars did not renew his endorsement deal after 3 years, and the last 1960 models lack his signature on the pickguard. The entire line was gone by the 1961 catalog, as Kay returned to its roots as the \"Buick' of guitar builders, making reliable and stylish but not top-notch instruments. The guitars of this line are all fairly rare today, having enjoyed only a short 3-year production run and limited sales. This lovely Blond double-pickup Artist (most examples are sunburst) is a very fine example of Kay's noble if doomed attempt to match the \"big boys' of the late 50's; it remains one of the most distinctive archtop electric guitars ever and a fine playable relic of the most exuberant era of American design.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall length is 41 3\/4 in. (106 cm.), 15 1\/4 in. (38.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1\/2 in. (8.9 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1\/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11\/16 in. (43 mm.). All original, extremely fine condition with no repairs or alteration except a replaced nut. There are some small handling marks and dings, a little fretwear and a bit of finish rub on the treble side of the neck but overall this is as nice an example of this rather rare Kay as we have ever seen. Excellent + Condition.","brand":"Kay","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46852990238860,"sku":"5844","price":3200.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_9a016263-7d59-442d-bedb-a48a2f5a3485.jpg?v=1774329623","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/kay-barney-kessel-artist-arch-top-hollow-body-electric-guitar-1958-5844","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}