Kalamazoo Model KB-1 Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1968)
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Kalamazoo Model KB-1 Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1968), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 940130, Glacier white lacquer finish, composite body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black chipboard case.
In the late 1960's CMI/Gibson revived the budget "Kalamazoo" brand (Originally discontinued in 1942) for a line of simple student-grade solidbody instruments and inexpensive amplifiers. This Kalamazoo line was an attempt to recover sales Gibson was losing to the massive influx of Japanese guitars, and was fairly successful for a few years in the late '60's. We see a lot of the amps, but very few of this KB-1 bass guitar, which as it turns out is a surprisingly nice instrument given its low-budget origins.
Unlike any Gibsons of the time the Kalamazoo solidbodies are built with a surprisingly Fender-like bolt-on maple neck, attached to a solid "composite wood" body that resembled a flattened Gibson EB-0. The Kalamazoo logo is engraved on the headstock, which is Fender-y to a degree that would certainly annoyed CBS! The necks were actually pretty well made, with a dot inlaid rosewood fingerboard and standard Gibson truss rod and are highly playable. Tuning keys are Japanese-made machines also used on the Melody Maker Bass and some 1967-era EBs.
The earliest Kalamazoo basses had a rather Fender-y body as well, but by the time this one was made in 1968 had morphed into a more traditionally Gibson EB mode. The giant "mudbucker" pickup was the same huge humbucking unit used on the contemporary EB and Melody Maker basses, as were the one-piece bridge and chrome handrest. These were mounted on a simple single-layer black pickguard with tone and volume knobs and the typical Gibson style fingerrest.
These basses were offered in three solid-color finishes: Flame Red, Glacier White, and Las Vegas Blue. The list price was $119.50 on June 1, 1968, plus the #915 chipboard case at $10.95, very reasonable for the quality of the instrument. This is a nice example of the KB-1 model, in the cool white finish, of which a total of just over 2100 were shipped from 1966-69.
The Kalamazoo catalog offered: "Modern styling in solid-body 4-string bass that offers full, true bass tones in a sleek, rugged economically priced instrument. With one pickup of extremely powerful design and full volume and tone control, the Kalamazoo Bass creates the full driving bass sound that sells a combo". This is not the most versatile bass but handy and a lot of fun to play, as long as you are not looking for too much treble!
Overall length is 43 1/2 in. (110.5 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 30 in. (762 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This bass remains all original showing some light general wear. There are some small dings, chips and dents with minor wear to the hardware but no notable damage or repair. The headstock has one noticeable ding to the top edge between the E and A tuners, and a worn-through spot on the back of the neck in the center. The neck is in structurally excellent shape, the truss rod works well and the frets show no wear at all. All hardware is original and the bass plays very well with a dark, burpy tone somehow not as monstrously dense as many period Gibsons. It lives in the original chipboard case with a functional if amateur handle repair. Overall Excellent - Condition.
In the late 1960's CMI/Gibson revived the budget "Kalamazoo" brand (Originally discontinued in 1942) for a line of simple student-grade solidbody instruments and inexpensive amplifiers. This Kalamazoo line was an attempt to recover sales Gibson was losing to the massive influx of Japanese guitars, and was fairly successful for a few years in the late '60's. We see a lot of the amps, but very few of this KB-1 bass guitar, which as it turns out is a surprisingly nice instrument given its low-budget origins.
Unlike any Gibsons of the time the Kalamazoo solidbodies are built with a surprisingly Fender-like bolt-on maple neck, attached to a solid "composite wood" body that resembled a flattened Gibson EB-0. The Kalamazoo logo is engraved on the headstock, which is Fender-y to a degree that would certainly annoyed CBS! The necks were actually pretty well made, with a dot inlaid rosewood fingerboard and standard Gibson truss rod and are highly playable. Tuning keys are Japanese-made machines also used on the Melody Maker Bass and some 1967-era EBs.
The earliest Kalamazoo basses had a rather Fender-y body as well, but by the time this one was made in 1968 had morphed into a more traditionally Gibson EB mode. The giant "mudbucker" pickup was the same huge humbucking unit used on the contemporary EB and Melody Maker basses, as were the one-piece bridge and chrome handrest. These were mounted on a simple single-layer black pickguard with tone and volume knobs and the typical Gibson style fingerrest.
These basses were offered in three solid-color finishes: Flame Red, Glacier White, and Las Vegas Blue. The list price was $119.50 on June 1, 1968, plus the #915 chipboard case at $10.95, very reasonable for the quality of the instrument. This is a nice example of the KB-1 model, in the cool white finish, of which a total of just over 2100 were shipped from 1966-69.
The Kalamazoo catalog offered: "Modern styling in solid-body 4-string bass that offers full, true bass tones in a sleek, rugged economically priced instrument. With one pickup of extremely powerful design and full volume and tone control, the Kalamazoo Bass creates the full driving bass sound that sells a combo". This is not the most versatile bass but handy and a lot of fun to play, as long as you are not looking for too much treble!
Overall length is 43 1/2 in. (110.5 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 30 in. (762 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This bass remains all original showing some light general wear. There are some small dings, chips and dents with minor wear to the hardware but no notable damage or repair. The headstock has one noticeable ding to the top edge between the E and A tuners, and a worn-through spot on the back of the neck in the center. The neck is in structurally excellent shape, the truss rod works well and the frets show no wear at all. All hardware is original and the bass plays very well with a dark, burpy tone somehow not as monstrously dense as many period Gibsons. It lives in the original chipboard case with a functional if amateur handle repair. Overall Excellent - Condition.