Kent Videocaster

This was probably near the top O the line for this cheapo Jap guitar manufacturer.The one I have has 4 pickups(the2 lead ones have round screw type polepieces and the 2 neck ones have square polepieces) with individual switches mounted above the pickups on a seperate chrome panel one for each pickup off/on a rythym/solo switch for the front 2 and the back pair.There is also a roller type switch for tone for each pair. On the lower bouton the main pickguard(also chrome) is 2 volume controls for the front and back pairs of single coils
There is a rather nice bigsbyish tremolo bar that works fairly well.
The bridge is the standard whit plastic Kent rocker bridge with preset saddle positions and a slotted moutimg where it screws to the body to allow the whole works to be moved forward and back somewhat.It is also adjustable for height by a couble of threaded wheels under the saddle piece. The neck has small frets(20 of em) and a rosewood looking board with triangle shaped makers along the upper edge. The tuners are your typical barely servicable cheapo Jap ones from the 60's(once you get it in it stays in tune fairly well), the sting spacing is a little narrow and the neck is rather fat,and it's a big heavy guitar like a stratocaster(which it somewhat vaguely resembles style-wise),no idea of what the body and neck are made of becaue it's been refinished in a metallic blue car finish everywhere but the fretboard.

This thing is a bit noisy but it has more sound combinations than just about anything I ever seen besides my Wurlitzer stereo guitar!It will give you anything from a twangy surf rockabilly vibe to a spazzed out Hound Dog Taylor Grunge-blues with a real fat distorted tone,those white Kent single coils are one of the best sound pickups ever made,every bit as cool as the Dano Lipstick tubes,I have several cheaper model Kents and the pickups are just as hot on them and it don't seem to matter if they are the rectangular ones or the rounded stratocaster shaped ones,this one by the sheer number of pickups and all the switching combinations just kicks ass!

This came to me setup like the typical 60's Jap Cheapo ,action a mile high ,intonation all out of whack ,the tuners are like an afterthought,It makes me wonder just what were these people thinking? To make something that was so cool in some respects then blow it by making the thing nearly unplayable.Don't despair tho it's easy to shim up the neck or shve down the bridge to get the action under control and like most of these Jap Jewels the necks are built fairly well and are usually pretty straight so it's worth sinking a little time into them to get them set up properly,and if I were gonna play this puppy out I would invest in a better set of tuners to make tuning a faster process.

well it lasted all these years,the wood part seems like it would last forever,and the electronics on this one work fine ,but my past experience with these old Kents and Teiscos and such is that the cheapo Japan swithches and pots seem to self destruct with a constant daily pounding.I really seriously doubt I would rely on this axe alone for a nite playing out,but with some different tuners maybe. Definitely not a world tour though!

LOL grab your soldering iron and the dremel tool and have at it.

/i've been playing blues for over 30 years and I'm a sucker for these old funky axes and have everything from a LaBaye2X4 and a Wurlitzer stereo guitar to a Guild DeArmond and a see thru Strat copy,I also have a couple Danelectros, Some old Harmonys and Kayes plus a whole fleet of Cheapo Jap Junk like this and worse!Sure I would buy another as a matter of fact by the time you read this I probably already have !