________________________________________________________ *** VINTAGE & TRADITIONAL GUITARS *** - NEW LISTING - 08​​/​​10​​/​​2024! _________________________________________________________ ACOUSTIC BLUES​/​ JAZZ VINTAGE ARCHTOP - KAY K1 1952-1955 CUTAWAY SPRUCE & MAPLE MASTER-SIZE 17" "BUDDY GUY MODEL" - Essentially Original & in Really Exceptionally Good Condition, Kluson Deluxe Tuners - MODEL PLAYED BY BUDDY GUY ON THE MUDDY WATERS "FOLK SINGER" 1964 ACOUSTIC CHESS RECORDING! __________________________________________________________ Stock Number: VTG1574. In addition to the following description notes, further background information and restoration details can be found on my Vintage & Traditional Guitars website, on this link....https://www.vintagetraditionalguitars.co.uk/details.php?id=602 This guitar came in a little while ago, with advice that it had ben purchased around 1959, on Tyneside, second hand, believed to have come over with a touring American Bluesman....that was the advice anyway. Since then it had been apparently in one ownership, father and son, kept in very smart, clean condition, but with a couple of fittings alterations, which I did not appreciate. This superb guitar arrived in excellent condition... overhaul​/​restoration has only been delayed by my preoccupation with other projects, before getting the appropriate fittings needed to replace rather distinctive fittings from other makers, which really didn't do it any favours, in my view. A new repro Gibson-style tailpiece, not dissimilar to the originally fitted trapeze unit, and an Ebony adjustable floating bridge have been fitted, whilst the distinctive pickguard, which was the only detached original to come with the guitar, has been re-fitted. It came with newly fitted repro Kluson Deluxe tuners fitted, and the original '50s Kluson Single-line enclosed machines included, in generally good shape, so were re-installed....as shown in the photos. To me they work fine...only issue is that following re-use the cracks in some buttons have become more obvious, and are a concern. This gives us two options...firstly I have a set of matching cream buttons, and will replace all the originals....secondly, the matching new set of repro Kluson Deluxe machines can be re-fitted... I am happy to go with whichever option the buyer prefers...no price change. Body is in good shape, no damage, only very slight age​/​use marking....one of the cleanest original vintage '50s guitar you are likely to find! The neck angle is good, the fingerboard effectively level, the original wide brass frets remain, original nut (said in the catalogs to be bone, but well fitted so has not been disturbed to check), headstock retains original chromed "Kay" headstock badge on traditional shaped Kay headstock of the time, and non-adjustable neck reinforcement....quite a rarity to find one of these original logo badges still in place! Hence the fingerboard has been retained s-is, but frets lightly stoned​/​releveled, re-profiled and polished. Fingerboard has 12" radius, with the 9 large inlay dot position markers, 42mm.​/​1.65"​/​1 21​/​32" nut width, with 660mm.​/​26" scale length. With good neck angle and fingerboard alignment the guitar plays very well, with a reasonably full C-profile neck, typical of similar guitars of the period, and with action appropriate for a large, longer scale archtop, of around 3.5mm.​/​4mm. at the 12th fret. It has been strung with a set of Newtone Archtop Double Wound Nickel 12-54 strings. No original case with the guitar, and cases this large are difficult to source, but I may be able to obtain a Hiscox hard shell jumbo case at reasonable additional cost if required, or include a good used large gig bag. Additional details, links to YouTube videos etc. are available on my VTG website via the link above. I have restricted the wording here to a basic outline, so please do fully research the details provided on my VTG website, and contact me for any further information in order to fulfil your purchase. Thank you, Bob Chaffer, Vintage & Traditional Guitars.