On his 'kalamazoo'?

Subject: RE: On his 'kalamazoo'?
From: doc.tom
Date: 27 Feb 12 - 04:34 AM

Surely Kalamazoo was simply the Gibson factory at Kalamazoo. I know there were a lot of instruments made with 'Kalamazoo' on the headstock, rather than 'Gibson', which were ultra-cheap models made, largely, for the military, but my old 1935 Gibson 00 (with Gibson in old script on the headstock) has a small label inside saying 'GIBSON made in Kalamazoo'.

Subject: RE: On his 'kalamazoo'?
From: GUEST,Bluegrassman
Date: 26 Feb 12 - 08:30 PM

I have a 1934 Gibson Kalamazoo mandolin (its the wifes really) and there are stories that they were issued to US servicemen in that period to encourage music and to allow them to entertain each other.

Subject: RE: On his 'kalamazoo'?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 26 Feb 12 - 06:41 AM

Gotta love it.

Subject: RE: On his 'kalamazoo'?
From: Will Fly
Date: 26 Feb 12 - 05:18 AM

There was an old Kalamazoo on display in a Boots Chemist shop in Lancaster (UK) in the late '60s - lent temporarily for the purposes of display by a customer - and three of us local guitarists spotted it separately in passing. Two of us missed the opportunity to enquire about it - the third didn't, and managed to acquire it from the owner.

As we all knew each other, we had the opportunity to try it out at the new owner's house. It had a very dry, woody sound. It was obviously a cheap model but was very distinctive to listen to - sort of forced you into a particular style of playing. That was my first encounter with a guitar with a v-profile neck - pre-truss days, of course - which I found odd then but have come to prefer these days.

Subject: RE: On his 'kalamazoo'?
From: John P
Date: 25 Feb 12 - 10:23 PM

I had an old Kalamazoo amp back in the late 60s or early 70s. It didn't have enough power for a full-on rock show, but it sounded awesome. I used to see the guitars fairly often back then, but I never owned one. I grew up near Kalamazoo; there was always lots of cool used Gibson gear around.

Subject: RE: On his 'kalamazoo'?
From: meself
Date: 25 Feb 12 - 08:42 PM

Thanks, gents; now I'll be able to sleep nights.

I think it's "Blinky" who "thumps" his gut-bass, actually.

Subject: RE: On his 'kalamazoo'?
From: MarkS
Date: 25 Feb 12 - 06:50 PM

After Gibson bought out Epiphone,, they moved the brand to factory in Kalamazoo. The old Gibson built Cortez and Texan are sill sought after today. Now selling for LOTS more that the original asking price.

Subject: RE: On his 'kalamazoo'?
From: John P
Date: 25 Feb 12 - 04:16 PM

Probably a reference to a Kalamazoo guitar, a low-price line made by Gibson. Robert Johnson played one. Isn't it "twangs out the rhythm"?

Subject: On his 'kalamazoo'?
From: meself
Date: 25 Feb 12 - 03:56 PM

Just heard Down on the Corner - 'Poor Boy thumps the rhythm out on his kalamazoo' .... Is there any such thing, and if so, what is it?