ARCHIVED • SOLD
1931 Kel Kroydon KK1
This guitar has just been through our shop. We’ve shimmed and reinstalled the original factory-thin fingerboard to stiffen and deepen the neck, which also helped correct the low neck angle. The results can be heard and felt – the neck is much more comfortable, straight and playable, and with more stiffness through the neck, the guitar’s tone shifts towards the fundamental from the overtone, as it would for a truss-rod equipped 1931 Gibson L-1.
A few brace ends have been glued, as well as two very minor back cracks, and a side-crack though the end-pin hole at the bottom of the guitar. There are no top cracks, and the top’s shape is perfect, with no sinkage in front of the bridge as is common with 12 Fret Gibson flat-tops built from 1929-33. Original unmodified bridge and plate, original saddle, 5 of 6 original bridge pins. Original frets, tuners, nut, and finish.
The guitar’s neck shows fairly advanced capo wear on its backside. It isn’t nearly as noticeable to the touch as we’d have expected, unless the guitar is played with classically trained left-hand thumb positioning.
Set up with our custom 12-52 string set and an action of 5-7 64ths. 1-3/4” nut width, 2-3/8” string spread at the bridge, and 24-3/4 scale.
With original rope strap, case candy (including the offending capo) and original chipboard case.
