1950s Silvertone Aristocrat 1356 Vintage Archtop Electric Guitar

1950s Silvertone Aristocrat 1356 Vintage Archtop Electric Guitar, Kay USA-Made.$1400.00 firm Up for sale, a 1950's Silvertone Model 1356 Aristocrat in exceptional condition and in perfect working order. 100% original aside from a new set of aged Kluson tuners, this guitar was manufactured in the USA by the Kay company for the Sears catalog and their Silvertone line of guitars. The 1356 model is the very first version of what would become a small collection of Kay instruments under the "Aristocrat" banner. Structurally very similar to Kay's high end Upbeat model, this Aristocrat features a single "pancake" pickup, surface-mounted in the neck position. Acoustically, it’s the biggest sounding Kay Aristocrat we’ve ever encountered, with a tone that is bold, muscly, and delivers ample warmth while still having good top end cut. The neck has an absolutely massive U shaped profile with particularly generous shoulders and tons of depth. It's a key element in this guitar's resonance and power, and this chunky neck is still very easy to chord. The Brazilian rosewood fretboard features Kay's "trident" inlay, with parallelograms of pearl bisected by a small triangle of abalone. It's a particularly complex inlay pattern and an upscale cosmetic feature of one of Kay's premier archtops of the early '50s. The original medium jumbo frets are intact with lots of meat and perfectly rounded crowns, exhibiting virtually no wear and playing cleanly in every register. The scale length is a full 25 5/8", and the carved bone nut measures 1 5/8" in width, both features sure to satisfy serious Jazz players.

The headstock is easily one of the best features of this instrument with an overlay that looks like a medieval crest, with gold "Silvertone" script etched at the top. This is no mere veneer and there is depth to the design, which is immaculate and features vibrant colors, echoed by the same crest on the original pickguard. A set of reissue aged nickel Kluson single line strip tuners are installed on the headstock, matching the footprint of the original tuners perfectly, and holding pitch as they should. More upon request, especially for "Vintage Greg". Professionally setup by seller I purchsed from Mike and Mikes Seattle in Nov. 2021.

Read on if you are interested: I’m thinning out my collection of mid to (low) high end vintage electric guitars and I will be posting a couple at a time over the next while. Nothing from the Wholly Grail list in the over 10K category. For now, I won’t be shipping ( you can ask) and limited intelligent questions will be answered to the best of my ability. I have novice skill as a musician ( I suck) and my instrument knowledge is basic, but that didn’t stop me from collecting some excellent guitars. I consider them art as much as an instrument Best to do a bit of homework on the instrument, but almost all were bought from reputable retail stores and were checked and set up professionally within the last 2 years, mainly bought in the U.S.A ( Mike and Mikes Guitar Bar in Seattle, Wa. U.S.A.) and some from Quebec ( Direct music online). . Upon request I will provide an in depth description that was posted in the original sale that will educate and amaze you. A couple I bought locally. They have been stored in a humidified environment in the drier months, mostly displayed, played lightly, and never out of my alarmed/guard dog home. All have cases. My prices reflect my investment and are quite firm. Importing from the U.S.A. is expensive with our lame dollar, shipping, taxes and duty and broker fees. No tours, jams, groups, cheap skates, grinders, show offs, Clowns or trades. A test ride is acceptable upon appointment, but don’t waste my time and humiliate me with your skills. A decent amp will be available to plug into. More and better pictures can be emailed. If you have something you are looking for, ask, as I may have one. Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Kay, Silvertone, Gretsch, Duesenberg, Danelectro ( amp in case 1960’s), Kauer ( Thunderbird), Harmony. The best way to contact me is through KIJIJI that goes to my email nsuser@shaw.ca or email me direct. My name is Bob. I have joined the new age and use a cell phone on occasion and if I see a use for it in a meeting or a prospective deal, I will share my number for a text or phone call. I prefer my privacy and don’t carry my cell phone all the time. My land line is available by chance and leave a message if I don’t pick up. Bottom line is I’m not desperate to sell these, just thinning the herd as although displayed, I can’t enjoy them all so I’d rather they be seen and used by someone else. Part of the fun was the search and the deal.