Silvertone Thin Twin Model 1369L Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar, made by Kay (1957), made in Chicago, serial # L7969-5905, sunburst lacquer finish, laminated maple body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This Kay-made Thin Twin was built for sale by Sears fairly late in the model's 1950s run. The original pots are dated to the 9th week of 1957, the last year these appeared in the Sears catalog. At that time the model had a new stock number 1369L and was listed at $104.95 ($117.95 with the chipboard case). With a red/yellow sunburst maple top and back topped with a pinstriped cream celluloid pickguard with a crest emblem in the center, the 1369 is quite a looker. This particular guitar is an unusually good player as well having had the neck reset and discreetly re-fitted along the way with an adjustable truss rod.
This instrument is commonly known as the "Jimmy Reed" model, as it was his guitar of choice earlier in his career; there is one particularly famous publicity photo of him with an early Kay-branded model that is an iconic image. This connection alone has made it a long standing funky '50s blues favorite, but the guitar is also quite well-suited to that more primitive and authentic Chicago style, with a punchy, growly sound when driven through a smaller tube amp.
The laminated maple body is semi-hollow, with a lot of open space under the pickguard but also some fairly hefty blocking inside. The one-piece maple neck on this later model is noticeably slimmer than earlier examples, comfortable with a more Gibson-like profile. It is topped with a bound, pearloid-block inlaid rosewood fingerboard fitted with Kay's trademark brass frets. There is a truss rod adjustment at the headstock, added along the way and not visually intrusive under a small black cover.
The Thin Twin (which, in truth, is fairly deep by modern standards) has a unique sound, with the sweetly inefficient blade pickups letting a certain amount of acoustic flavor creep into even the raunchiest amp settings. Sears advertised it as "For Rock & Roll, Hoe-down or Bop you can't buy finer" in 1956, "No matter what style of music you like, you'll enjoy playing it on a Silvertone guitar". This is a cool example of the classic Thin Twin, tweaked for playability but not altered in any overly unaesthetic way!
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 15 in. (38.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 3/4 in. (654 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a nice example of this instrument, not the absolute cleanest we have seen but the best player. The finish shows light checking with some flaking, chips and dings mostly around the top and back edges. The back of the neck has some wear to the wood in the first position and a few dings and chips further up. As noted an adjustable truss rod was added with a small black cover on the headstock covering the access point, which means the fingerboard has been off and re-installed with some minor finish chipping along the edges.
The neck has been neatly reset giving a much better string angle over the bridge, also making this a better player than most. The neck pickup was DOA and has been perfectly rewound by tom Brantly, the master of such work. The original tuner buttons were replaced long ago, the fitting is somewhat sloppy but functional but they are cool looking slightly translucent vintage buttons so we have left them in place. A small strap button was added on the upper side. All other hardware is original inside and out, including the full wiring rig.
The original brass frets are still intact and have been neatly re-crowned. This one is cool and funky, hands down the best playing Thin Twin we have had. Overall a sharp looking and sounding 1950s guitar with a great vibe and unique character. It resides in a modern HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.
