Kawai Kingston 2 Pickup 1967 Natural

Kingston ca. 1967

Kingston was the brand name used by the prolific Japanese guitar importer Jack Westheimer after he severed ties with Teisco and switched to Kawai for sourcing his instruments. This guitar has a laminate body composed of two thin pieces of maple on the front and back around a three piece core. In this case, rather than try to hide the laminate construction with paint which was Kawai’s company policy, they celebrated it (like the Gibson V-2) by using a natural stain that highlights the layers. It’s unique for this period and I like it. The neck and head are one piece of maple with a rosewood fretboard and tight (in a good way) open back tuners. The hardware and pickups are typical Kawai with a nice vintage tortoise pickguard and chrome accents. The electronics are quiet and have strong output. It looks all original except the knobs that look like Kay rather than Japanese to me. If you want Japanese knobs, sell the Kay knobs for $30 and buy vintage Japanese knobs for $15. Condition is very good with the body clean both front and back with a few finish scuffs around the sides. As usual it is missing the trem bar but since this tremolo system was used on many Kawai models it will not be difficult to find a replacement if desired. This is a very unique Kawai built instrument, I’m old and I’ve never seen another like it. No Case but we can provide one at a reasonable price if desired.