Kalamazoo Archtop Tenor

**dorenac** · Aug-26-2012, 6:07am

Recently I've decided I'd like an archtop tenor guitar; a decent sounding one without spending(under $1K) a whole lot. Gibson's Kalamazoos seems like a good direction to go in. On this forum I've not seen much about them though. So I'm putting out this post to see who either has or has played a Kalamazoo and what the opinions are as to playability, sound, etc. There seem to be lots of Harmonys, Kays, and a few other assorted "brands" out there, but not too many others. I would certainly welcome some other ideas. One of the reasons the Kalamazoo appeals to me is the size; it's not just a full size guitar with a tenor neck attached. Thanks for the help.

**Mandobar** · Aug-26-2012, 6:17am

i have an old Kay I just bought off Aaron Keim (former Boulder Acoustic Society and co-maker of May Moe and Beansprout ukuleles) It was in nice shape. Has that funky David Rawlings sound. They generally have flat fretboard, but with a set up it plays quite nicely and it cost me, with the set up less than $250, perhaps even less.

**dorenac** · Aug-26-2012, 10:56am

Mandobar,
Is the Kay all solid woods, not necessarily hand-carved top and back, but not laminates?

**Jayyj** · Aug-27-2012, 3:36pm

The Kalamazoos are great sounding and playing guitars, although with a few things to watch for if you're in the market for one. The neck has no trussrod, so often they have too much relief in them with little you can do to correct it without the help of a luthier (a heat press, skimming the fretboard or refretting with wider guage fretwire are ways of correcting this), and they have a tendency for the top to twist slightly around the bridge under decades of string tension.

The models I'm familiar with (KTG14 and KTG-11 plus various archtops) are six string bodies with tenor necks and repositioned bridges though - as far as I'm aware the only dedicated Gibson made tenor was the first generation TG-1 and TG-0.

That aside, they're well worth looking for and a bargain compared to Gibson models. Intermountain Guitar and Banjo often had them available.

**dorenac** · Aug-28-2012, 2:39pm

Thanks Jayyj, this one I'm considering is a KTG-21. And now to muddy the water, I've located an Epiphone Masterbilt. It's slightly smaller, which I prefer. So there's more to consider. The one thing I've noticed about both is a v-shaped neck which I usually shy away from.

**Mandobar** · Aug-28-2012, 3:07pm

Originally Posted by dorenac

Mandobar,
Is the Kay all solid woods, not necessarily hand-carved top and back, but not laminates?

it is birch. not sure if it was carved. i need to go check. but i do have a solid carved top harmony patrician round hole tenor now too.

**dorenac** · Sep-02-2012, 12:02pm

"And now to muddy the water, I've located an Epiphone Masterbilt."

Thanks for all the responses. The other TG under consideration besides the KTG-21 is an Epiphone Melody. So what experience do you guys have with that one, too? I'm anticipating using a tenor guitar to accompany a mandolin lead. From what little known so far the Kalamazoo may have a deeper tone than the Epi, but I'm not sure.

**Jayyj** · Sep-02-2012, 1:07pm

Ok, I know the one you mean - although I've never played a tenor variant. They're basically an L-00 body with the arched top. Don't know about the back and sides but one that I wourked on a while ago had a cutout for a P90 in the top and it was definately solid. It was a good sounding guitar as I recall, and I just saw the tenor version on Mandolin Bros website, really pretty looking in the tenor format.

Idon't really know the Epi model although another forum member has just bought a Blackstone tenor which posted a recent thread about, so might be worth looking up. Epi build quality is great around this period - I have a Blackstone six string which I picked over half a dozen Gibson archtops from the same era. I've been lusting after an Adelphi mandolin from this era, although I have way too many instruments as it is, and no money! personally I don't like the look of the Melody as much as the Kalamazoo, not that it counts for much...

SO, to conclude, tough decision! Do you get to try them first or is it a question of making a decision and ordering online?

**dorenac** · Sep-02-2012, 1:48pm

The instruments are too far away for a trip to try them out. Probably the best alternative is to make the call and opt for the "high definition sound" of a telephone. Interestingly the Epi is flat top and arched back, while the Kalamazoo is arched both top and back. So it's unclear to me how that affects the sound of the two.

**dorenac** · Sep-09-2012, 7:48am

As I've been working through vs flat top decision process something else has come into the picture; an archtop round hole tenor guitar. I've been wrestling with my preference for a flat top,round hole with warmer tone or an ff-hole, archtop which generally is more percussive and punchy. Seems round hole, archtops are kind of rare. One I heard on youtube was very nice, melodic, but with some oomph, too. It was a Regal. Are there other vintage brands out there? And how does the bracing, x-bracing vs ladder bracing enter into the picture?