Kingston/Kawai Hound Dog Taylor 1965 Sonic Blue

1965 Kingston "Hound Dog Taylor" model manufactured by Kawai of Japan.  If the sunburst models are considered rare I suppose that makes the sonic blue models exceptionally rare.  And how about that plaid case?  I've never seen one like it.  It may or may not be from 1965 but is certainly from no later than the early 70s.

This guitar was not owned by a professional player as neither the case nor the guitar shows much wear.  It was most likely used to play Beatles tunes around the house for a few years then stored in a closet for forty years.  There is no belt buckle rash and the finish is totally intact with only a few blemishes (pics 11 & 12).  Over many years the hardwood body has developed slight separations at the glue seams (pics 8 & 10) due to dry climate. This can be remedied by gluing and clamping or by buyer's request I can syringe some glue into the cracks to arrest them.

All chrome is bright and shiny with no tarnish or pitting.  The celluloid pick guard has shrunk slightly over time leading to some tips being broken off because the screw holes no longer match up.

The back of the mahogany neck, the headstock, and the rosewood fingerboard are pristine.  I did a light fret leveling, re-crowning, and buffing.  I estimate the frets at 90% (pics 13-15).  The guitar plays great with low action all the way.  Because I installed 9-42 strings the truss rod is at full relief.  (This is because these guitars were originally strung with medium-heavy strings like all guitars from this era.)  However the truss rod works evenly should you go with a heavier gauge.  The intonation is set with the current strings.

All electronics function with the exception of the on-off switch that controls the bridge pickup.  However since each pickup has a volume control this is a minor issue.  One of the four volume pots scratches a little but is a non-issue.  The pickups on these models don't have a lot of output but an amplifier will compensate.  The subtle tremolo works smoothly and stays in tune.

I don't want the buyer to have any "surprises" so I am always up front with any defects and imperfections on the guitars I sell, perhaps to a fault.  Fact is, this guitar is in exceptional condition for its age and could possibly be the best sonic blue Hound Dog Taylor in existence.  $700 plus $45 insured shipping.