Duke Robillard’s 1950 KAY archtop+Gibson Super 400 case

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from I SL AN DF UN HO US E vintage guitars + parts Please remember your bid is a contract. C all JIM if you need assistance: . Visit the new "ME" page for articles on perfect pitch, artist profiles, vintage collecting,..more! click on "ME"...upper right of this page We now carry all three volumes of the new Wes Montgomery chord method books.... see other auctions or call . All bidders are private to protect your privacy and security! If you are paying by Paypal -- Now shipping ONLY to confirmed Paypal addresses. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Both guitar and case are from Duke Robillard’s private collection, and each is collectible in its own right! First….the archtop guitar is a Kay from the 1950’s. This is a great looking and great playing guitar that Duke used for rhythm tracks on his Les Paul Tribute CD….”because it sounded so good!”. The guitar has had a pro refret (jumbo Dunlop frets) and a pro refin that is really nice. An abalone pickguard was hand made specifically for this guitar…it is very unique and is top-level craftsmanship. The tailpiece is a really old nickel Gibson trapeze (the hinge portion is chrome and is from a slighlty later Gibson trapeze...it works fine). One tuner has a slight bend. The vintage tuners all work fine. Dimensions: Nut width 1 and 11/16ths Scale length 25 and 3/4 The action is very nice....but it may need tweaked or set up a little as t is just a little string buzz in the higher frets. Th e neck is straight, I think it shows alot of promise if it would get a normal setup and possible very light fret level. Duke thinks highly of this instrument and says that it would be a good candidate “to convert to electric”. The guitar is over 17 inches in the lower bout and is a very deep archtop…..it is so deep that the only case Duke could find that fit is the 1930s hard case we are offering with the guitar! The accompanying case is an amazing piece of history in its own right and is a description of the case: This is a 1938 18 inch deep archtop two-tone tweed case. This hard wood case -with extra tall arch in the top of the case- is pretty amazing when you think about the craftsmanship that went into it.....despite the natural relic wear it shows, every piece of brass hardware is still intact and working, even after so many decades! This is from the era when Americans really knew how to make things. Our staff luthier has done some restoration work on the case...it is a very strong case and you can use it, or would make a great part of a collection if you are looking for an 18 inch case for a Stromberg or Super 400 or Epiphone. The hardware is brass and made by CHeney...all in working order. Original leather handle is in good shape. The case is a factory two-tone tweed case, with a turquiose color top and back, and this color is still retained well. My luthier has re-sealed several seams...TOP AND BACK ARE BOTH ROCK SOLID....his work looks good. Some edges were fiberglass-filled and re-colored with turquiose so that the restoration work blends better...I think it looks realy good and is rock solid now. The interior: all the original material is present and still has some of the blue color left. Padding has deteriorated a bit, so it's pretty flat inside but will still protect well. Overall: I would give this case an 8 for original parts and solid structure and a 7 on general appearance. It has a great vintage vibe to it, and some historical importance (it must have been the absolute best case you could get in the thirties....look how long it lasted and is still going!). Notice all the case feet/studs applied at the factory to the bottom rim of the case, for protection....built to last....ten studs! My 62 Super 400 fits in the case perfectly. Case and guitar are heavy…we will use UPS ground shipp... read more

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