K-Ka

made

info    updated 29/8/2011

Kaeser's

Kaeser's musical instruments. George St Brisbane - a music store in the 1910s-1930s at leas.  Mr Albert Kaeser founded a St John Ambulance band in 1919. [Source: St John Ambulance Concert Band]

Images eBay:  Metal name plate: Kaeser's - For Everything Musical - George Street - Brisbane

K Country

K Country brand guitars were made by the Kasuga Musical Instruments Mfg Co Ltd, Nagoya Japan.

K Country guitar catalogs

http://www.t-shiga.com/sub7-5-1.htm

http://www.oldguitar.jp/catalog/catalog.htm

Images Yahoo 2nd label from 1979

see Kasuga

K Line

current at 2009

Chris Kroenlein builds custom K Line guitars in his workshop in suburban St. Louis, Missouri.

Image courtesy of K-Line

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/K-Line+Guitars

K & S Guitars

1991-1999

This entry is essentially the story of George Katechis-Montalvo and Marc Silber that began in the 1970s and discusses K&S, Casa Montalvo and Silber Guitar.  Info is derived from Berkeley Musical Instrument Exchange, and Wayback Machine.

The Berkeley Musical Exchange was established in 1975 in Berkeley, California (current location) by George Katechis Montalvo  George has an extraordinary craft background having worked as a goldsmith, studied Renaissance and Baroque Woodwind construction with Charles Collier in Berkeley and learning the sound board and string technology in association with Steinway new York Concert and Artists Division.

George began importing instruments from Mexico in 1987 under the Montalvo brand.

Marc Silber was a noted guitar historian, restorer, and designer.

Mark joined George in 1990 to form the K&S Guitar Co.  Together they worked with Mexican luthiers, providing better quality timbers and techniques from US to produce a broad range of instruments under the Casa Montalvo, K&S and Silber labels.

The K&S Guitar Company Story from the internet archive.

Specifications and prices from the archive (1997) of the K&S website:

K&S Hawaiian

K&S Ukulele

K&S Steel String Guitars

K&S Mandolins

As of 1 January 1999 K&S split into two companies Berkeley Music and Mark Silber Music.

 Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Acoustic+Guitar/brand/K+&+S+Co.

Image of Silber Charlie Patton model from Wayback Machine:

see Silber, Casa Montalvo

Kakos

1975 to present

Stephen Kakos, classical guitars, Mound, Indiana, USA

Image Cathedral Guitar:

Kalamazoo

1933 - 1970

Kalamazoo guitars and amps were a Gibson budget line

ca 1933-1942, 1965-1970

http://www.rru.com/~meo/Guitar/Amps/Kalamazoo/

http://www.blueheartarchive.com/bluesnews/robertjohnson.htm

http://www.fret-dancer.com/viewguitars.php?groupid=31

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Kalamazoo_Electric_Guitar

Kalamazoo guitar catalog

1966 http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/catalogues.php

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Kalamazoo

Images Retrofret, eBay:

Kamico

1947 to ?

Kamico was a part of the Kay-Kraft Musical Instrument Company (which is where the name was derived from) that operated from 1931 to 1968. Kamico brand appeared on lap-steels, amps, mandolin guitars, archtops...

One thread suggested Kay stopped using the Kamico name in 1951 [Source: Ultimate Guitar] but on eBay found one claimed to be 1961.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_guitar_company

Image Kamico guitars Kokomo Music left, ebay below:

see Kay

Kamouraska

Image Kamouraska guitar label:

Kapa

1962-1970

Kapa guitars were designed and built by Kope Veneman and Company in Hyattsville, Maryland, USA.  Original guitars were made with German parts. Sold to Mosrite in 1970.  [Source: jazzgitarren ] Some parts also sold to Micro-Frets [Source: Vintage Guitar Price Guide]

Kapa was the initials of the members of the Veneman family. [Source: Harmony-Central Forum]

Examples http://vintageguitarpro.com/kapagallery.shtml

http://www.popmuzikant.nl/dossiers.php?itemid=1022&catid=58

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Kapa

Images ebay:

Karol Custom Guitars

2002 to present

"I made my first electric guitar body in 1978, then started building again once out of school and working full time in the late 80s. Acoustics started in 1999, with it becoming a full time profession in 2002. I have my current shop located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, just outside Toronto.
Early Karol guitars have a sequential number, and most will be signed on the inside of the top as well. These were all built in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 2003, numbers were assigned by year, then order of completion, ie. 0304 would be the 4th guitar built/finished in 2003. The underside of the top is also signed by me with the year.
Early soundhole labels read Karol Lutherie, while everything post 2002 would have the newer Karol Guitars label with the serial number and my signature on them." [Source: Tony Karol, email 19/7/2008 ]

Kasha

1967-1997

Kasha is a brand of classical guitars built by luthier Richard Schneider (1936-1997) with Dr Michael Kasha, Director, Institute of Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University. [Source: Cybozone]

Notes on Michael Kasha's theories at Vintage Guitar

In Memoriam

Kasuga

late 1960s to early 1980s

Kasuga was established in 1935 in Nagoya by Miki Bukichi. Kasuga made guitars, banjos, mandolins, violins and ukeleles. Kasuga started their own brand of guitars in the 1960's and in the 1970's made the Heerby and Ganson brands and partnered with Roland on a guitar synth. Kasuga and Tokai made Conrad guitars in the 1970s.

In the 1980's/1990's they made guitars for Yamaha, Burny/Fernandes and the early Navigators.

Kasuga apparently made some Washburn models around 1988 or so with a serial number starting with a K and they might have also made some Jackson and BC Rich guitars.

They also did BC Rich type copies for the Japanese market with a K on the headstock instead of a B.

Kasuga went out of business in the mid 1990's.  [Source: Tokai forum ]

No Kasuga guitar serial numbers?

http://www.guitarpool.com/docs/users/soulman/soulman-guitar-misc3.shtml

Search at http://www.vintageguitar.com

http://www.wietsesguitars.nl/pagina9a.html

Kasuga guitar catalogs

Scorpion series http://lngngo1043.nomaki.jp/index.html

1980 acoustic and K Country catalogs http://www.t-shiga.com/sub7-5-1.htm

http://www.oldguitar.jp/catalog/catalog.htm

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Kasuga

Images courtesy of nicovington 2008 and Yahoo.

The Mellow Tone Guitar label is late 1960s. 1972 labels and a more recent one.

Kata Music

Kata Music.Co.Ltd. China

We mainly produce violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, electric instruments, color instruments, wind instruments, bows, bow parts, bow hair, tools and all kinds of accessories.

Our instruments are totally handmade, their craftwork is very meticulous and
we have the world best quality stallion Mongolia/Siberian/Tibet white, black, grey and color bow hairs. [Source: Jessica, Kata Music.Co.Ltd, email 13/9/2009]

Kauer

Kauer Guitars is a family run business started by Doug Kauer. The guitars are hand-built in a shop in Elk Grove, California

Kawai

1960s to

In 1927 Koichi Kawai and associates established the Kawai Musical Instrument Research Laboratory in Hamamatsu, Japan. Koichi Kawai died suddenly in October of 1955 at the age of 70. Succeeding him at the helm was 33-year-old Shigeru Kawai who would lead his family's company into the realm of modern manufacturing. Kawai began producing guitars in the 1960s.

Kawai guitars tribute site - best resource available run by Tony Kawai - help him build this site.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawai

http://www.bigredtoybox.com/cgi-bin/toynfo.pl?guitarsindex

Kawai moon http://www.tanabe.tv/top/guitar/KAWAIMOON.html

http://wietsesguitars.nl/page27.html

http://www.myrareguitars.com/eKawai.html

1978 Kawai KS 700 http://www.myrareguitars.com/ekawaiks-700.html

Kawai mosrite http://ushigomepan.cool.ne.jp/teiscotone/gallery.html

Kawai KS180

The four pick up S180 manufactured after  Kawai acquired Teisco was made famous by Hound dog Taylor.  Also available in 2 (S160 ) and 3 ( S170 ) pick up models, mid to late 60s.

There is a great deal of mis-information about this guitar on the Teisco Twangers site , mainly the assertion  that  it's identical to the Teisco SS4-L .  I own  a couple of each they're nothing alike apart from the fact that they have 4 pick ups and rocker switches. [Source and image courtesy of M Moffatt, email, 18/4/2009]

Kawai acoustic guitar catalog

 1980 http://www.t-shiga.com/sub7-5-1-49.htm

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Kawai

Kawai moon photos from eBay.

Y Kawakami Guitars

1997 to present

Yasuke Kawakami, a Japanese luthier making guitars since 1997. Migrated to Vancouver, Canada  in 2002.

"Currently, my serial number is 175.  My serial number doesn't use date or year. I make custom guitars for Ritchie Blackmore." [Source: Yasuke Kawakami, email 4/8/2008 ]

Kawashima

Kawashima handmade guitars Japan.

Images Yahoo Japan.

Kawika (Ukuleles)

1985 to 2006

"I began making ukuleles around 1985 and stopped making them in 2006.  The company name is "Ukuleles by Kawika" not "Kawika Ukeleles".  Kawika is the way David is spelled/pronounced in Hawaiian.

 I have probably made about 700 instruments total but those made in the time period 1998-2006 would be my best quality ones.  Near the end of my instrument making career, my instruments were selling for ~$3000.  All my instruments have one of my business cards glued to the back on the inside of the instrument.  Each instrument also has the top, back and the inside of the heel block initialed and dated with its time of completion.  I made several hundred soprano ukuleles when we lived in Houston, TX and Arlington,VA before moving to Hilo where I still live. [Source: David C Hurd, Hilo, Hawaii, USA, email 19/7/2008 ]

Kay

1930s to 1960s

Kay was founded in 1890 as the Groehsl Company. The name was changed to Stromberg-Voisinet in 1921. They made the Mayflower line of guitars, banjos and mandolins. In 1930 they began the Kay-kraft line, named after Henry Kay Kuhrmeyer (company secretary-treasurer). In 1931 the company was renamed Kay Kraft when Henry became President of the firm. Henry sold the company in 1955 to Sid Katz, former manager of Harmony's service department. Katz sold the company to the Seeburg Jukebox Company in 1965. In 1967 the company was sold again, to Valco, makers of National, Dobro and Supro. By 1969 the company closed.
Other brands they are associated with are: Airline and Sherwood for Montgomery Wards, Old Kraftsman guitars for Spiegel, Silvertone for Sears. [Source: Banjo Hangout forum ]

Their own budget line was Kamica (see above)

Dating Kay guitars

http://www.provide.net/~cfh/other.html

Good Kay resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_guitar_company

http://sebastian.virtuozzo.co.nz/gitbox/wiki/index.php/KayGuitars

http://visionloss.blogspot.com/2007/09/kay-acoustic-guitar-story.html

http://kingofkays.com/japan.aspx

Kay reference books

50'S Cool Kay Guitars

Examples of Kay guitars

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Museum/museum.html

http://www.vintagesilvertones.com/gallery.html

http://www.minegitarer.com/vintageguitars.htm

Kay Les Paul, Kay hollowbody http://www.wietsesguitars.nl/pagina5.html

Kay K48 (1957-51) http://www.vintagearchtop.com/kay_k48.htm

Kay Solo King K4102 http://www.myrareguitars.com/eKay.html

1965 Kay K350 Titan I  http://www.myrareguitars.com/ekaytitank350.html

Valco Truetone Search at http://www.vintageguitar.com

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Kay

See Valco

1st headstock image courtesy of Chris Rice, Gear Page forum

2nd headstock Retrofret

Kay Bass

http://www.kaybass.com/

http://www.gollihur.com/kkbass/kaymodels.html

Kay Kraft

1931-1937

Original brand name of the Kay Musical Instrument Company

http://littlebrotherblues.com/Gear/Kay-Bolt-Ons-1930s/index.html

Reviews http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Kay

KB

See B for Bebensee