Custom KC Young Parlor Guitar
A rare example of a custom K.C. Young parlor guitar in beautifully restored condition. K.C. Young handcrafted instruments in Hawaii around the 1960s with professional musicians in mind. He is known to have made ukuleles and guitars for some of Hawaii’s most famous and accomplished musicians of yesteryear. Musicians such as Izrael Kamakawiwo’ole, Mo Keale and Kahauanu Lake, the leader of the Kahauanu Lake Trio, which comprised of Kahauanu Lake, his brother Tommy Lake, and Al Machida, were amongst the legendary Hawaii musicians who enjoyed the wonderful craftsmanship and tones of K.C. Young ukuleles and guitars.
This beautiful KC young parlor guitar has a deep body construction with a 14 fret joint to the body and 19 overall frets to the sound hole. Handcrafted of a master grade set of Zebra wood, the back, sides, and neck all exhibit the same vertical streaking from the same billet of wood. Ebony wood fingerboard with a Maple wood center stringer, paying tribute to features commonly found on 19th century ukuleles. Tight-grained Sitka spruce soundboard. In keeping with the theme of a fully handcrafted instrument, the guitar also boasts a custom-designed musicians’ grade Gaboon ebony wood bridge. Iconic hand-carved slotted headstock with “crown.” Intricate rosette with rosewood top and back binding. Original geared tuners. The instrument has undergone a few repairs since it was first handcrafted in 1960s and received a new coat of finish as well. The string action is set perfectly, making it a breeze to play higher up on the neck.
A truly rare instrument offering warm and historical tones that bring us back to an earlier time of some of Hawaii’s most treasured and famed musicians. This instrument has a huge sound with a tremendous amount of sustain and projection. Pronounced lows with balanced and crisp highs. The body profile is slightly deeper than most parlor guitars, adding to the breath and tone. At first glance, you would question what you might get with a small-bodied guitar but this one exceeds expectations. An extremely rare instrument by one of Hawaii’s hidden but treasured luthiers of custom guitars and ukuleles – KC Young.
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