Kasuga Barney Kessel Copy

Made at some point in the 70s in Japan. Havent been able to find much on Kasuga, but they ceased to exist in the late 70s/early 80s.
20 frets, pretty worn, as bought second hand a couple of months ago. Wears 25 years with pride,l except previous owner was abusive and kept it in the damp, meaning a wee bit of neck warpage, and a hole cut for a third pickup.
Archtop, full-hollow, top probably spruce. Unsure about back and sides. Neck and headstock probably mahogany. 2-tone cherryburst finish.
2 humbuckers, Les Paul configuration with 2 volume and 2 tone. Passive PAF-style humbuckers, possibly fitted by a previous owner.
Body is deep archtop with twin florentine cutaways, do a Google image search on 'Gibson Barney Kessel' to see. Has a rosewood mounted tunomatic which is way too high and I plan to file down, if not replace. Tapeze tailpiece which will shortly be replaced with a Bigsby (email me if you have a cheap one going and will deliver to the UK). Non-locking, non-adjustable enclosed tuners. All hardware nickel/chrome. Have fitted on a scratchplate to cover the numerous dinks, scratches and holes in the finish.

I play anything in which a guitar fits, basically, but I really like rock 'n roll, some surf and some blues. This is perfect for all apart from the surf, where a Strat or, even better a Jaguar would rule. The pickups work extremely well together, the bridge open and biting and the neck closed and muffly. I generally play it with all controls on full because I cannot be bothered with anything else, although I sometimes use the volume controls for toggle switching. The sound is very very full, and the clean sound is very similar to the unplugged. It is very warm and middy, and I love it. The variety isnt great, but it isnt needed either. I use a wee Marshall 10-Watt (MG10CD) which i am aching to replace (if Im lucky with a Roland Jazz Chorus) and my effects are a Dan-o Spring King and an EHX Double Muff. Distortion on loud volumes caused screeching, uncontrollable feedback which does not even quieten if the strings are damped. This is the only thing preventing my guitar from getting a 10. It must be a characteristic of hollow archtops, and I plan to fill it with rags or, if Im desperate, insulation foam to muffle the sound.

Second hand, and all the worse for it. When I got it the action was painfully high, even at the nut, and freeting the first fret was a semitone sharp because of how much the string bent when it was depressed. I removed the thumb wheels from the bridge, which lowered the action by a few millimetres, but of course that means my bridge is non-adjustable. The bridge is floating, and when I got it it must have been shaken in transit because the intonation was so bad. It has been fun, but also time-consuming, moving the bridge and adjusting the saddles (which were rusted-a bit of white spirit and a toothbrush took care of that). Pickups are well fitted enough, but years of use meant the screw holes were worn down, so I filled the holes with Polyfilla to give a frim grip for the screws.

So far it hasnt suffered any damage at my hands. It seems very sturdy even thow it is hollow. The finish does not flake, but it has been chipped in places. The strap buttons are very reliable (one of them fitted by me, it only came with one). I would certainly gig it without a backup. Tuning stays pretty stable unless I'm bashing it good and the bridge slips.

Company does not exist any more!

I love it, and at just #95, it was well worth it. I paid virtually nothing (compared to the prices guitars normally swap hands for these days) and got a whole lotta guitar. She's my bitch and I love her with all my heart. I call her...Betty.