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For a long time I've been coveting one of these. I had a chance to buy one about 20 years ago for around $1800. The price seemed high according to a friend of mine who is in the know and I always regretted letting it go.
The kessel has a big, open, airy sound like a 175 with slightly more articulation due to the 25.5" scale and (at least on the maple neck version) a brighter attack.
A couple weeks ago, a '63 popped up at chicago music exchange. It was about 1/2 the going rate for these (which is normally between $5k an $6k). This one had been gutted for parts and featured burstbucker 2 pickups, L5 tailpiece, replacement bridge and tuneamatic, replacement tuners, pickguard and was recently refretted. Guitar is heavily checked but the neck joint was solid and there were no cracks or repairs. I negotiated with them for a couple weeks and they agreed to give me a 3 day trial with no restocking fee and I bought it.
I received it yesterday. There was a little scare as the shock-detection indicated a heavy shock and appeared to have been tampered with but CME said that was normal for a UPS shipment and advised that it would probably be ok, LOL.
They packed it extremely well and indeed it was fine. CME not only puts extra padding in the case but they protect the fingerboard and underneath the tailpiece which is a nice touch. Plus, they went the extra distance, doing a setup with my string of choice (Thomastik JS112) and adjusting the action and intonation and made sure the guitar was clean. Such a simple set of tasks but one in which many dealers and sellers ignore.
At any rate, the guitar itself has the 175 style inlays, mahogany neck and weighs a little over 7lbs. It's a lighter build than the Tal Farlow I recently owned and compared to the Tal, it's a little darker sounding and has an early '60s archtop vibe. It reminds me of a cross between Howard Roberts and Joe Pass Joy Spring which is very cool. When I switch over to my '89 175, the 175 sounds way more electric and is a heavier build. So is my '90s Gibson Wes. This guitar really has *IT*.
By comparison, and as an aside...I recently was able to try a '57 175 for a day and the '57 175 was yet another level lighter of a build and copped a more '50s vibe ala Jim Hall or Jimmy Raney although I'm pretty sure those guys were using P90 equipped guitars. However, the thickness of the top of the '57 and it's build and whatever other mojo is involved in a nearly 60 year old guitar had it's own thing going. That guitar sounded beautiful but didn't fit my style as much as the kessel. It also needed a refret and there were some other things wrong with it that I didn't want to mess with.
But back to the Kessel, I would say that it's not quite as cool sounding as the one that nationwideguitars is selling probably due to the original pickups but that guitar is $5.5k and I wasn't comfortable spending that kind of dough on a Kessel. But it is very cool sounding on it's own and has the '60s jazz vibe that is missing from my other axes.
I think - and I'm guilty as well as the next guy - that we all want to have these beautiful guitars with quilts and flame and gorgeous finishes but oftentimes they sound like new guitars. Even with the new pickups and hardware, this one does not. And it compliments my my playing style and with the planing/refretting plays ridiculously well. The action is super low just like my 175 and L5.
Very sweet indeed.
Clips coming soon.
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07-23-2015 09:20 AM
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Always had a crush on those. Congrats - and enjoy!
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Great write-up and pictures. Looking forward to the clips!
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I actually like the faux L-5 t.p., looks cooler than the orig cheesy BK tp's
nothing like old wood...
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Wonderful guitar, congratulations!
How about the sound in your Mambo wedge new amp?
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Very cool guitar, is the top made of spruce and neck mahogany ?
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Sounds wonderful through the mambo. I happen to like everything better through the kemper but i'm super happy with all my guitars through the mambo as well.
Originally Posted by Jack
spruce top and mahogany neck. Originally Posted by vinlander
Last edited by jzucker; 07-23-2015 at 12:30 PM.
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Alright -- one of the super-cool early ones with spruce-top plywood!
A guy I played a lot with used a '62 BK as his Number One for years. He sounded great and it sounded like him!
PAF pickups were highly variable and so much of the mojo is about how they sound through a dimed Marshall stack. Jack, unless you're planning on diming a Marshall stack at your next gig, you're ready to do well with the BurstBucker 2s. Consider this: Commit to the pickups that are on the guitar for a year. If after a year you still "need" a change, nobody can stop you.
Have fun. Can't wait to hear it!
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Thank your for taking the time out of your busy schedule. This will be appreciated probably for years to come, and congratulations.
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Congrats .... hope this works out for you
It looks great
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Originally Posted by jzucker
I think - and I'm guilty as well as the next guy - that we all want to have these beautiful guitars with quilts and flame and gorgeous finishes but oftentimes they sound like new guitars. Even with the new pickups and hardware, this one does not. And it compliments my my playing style and with the planing/refretting plays ridiculously well. The action is super low just like my 175 and L5.
Very sweet indeed.
The sound man....it's all about the sound.
A guitar that looks great, but that doesn't cut it sound wise, is like a beautiful woman who opens her mouth and turns out to be an airhead...not the basis for a long term relationship.
You made the right decision. (And I, for one, think this guitar looks just fine).
Clips coming soon.
Do you know any of the cuts off of the "Kessel Plays Standards" album?....I know Barney probably played the old 150 ( or was it a 350 model), but it might be interesting to hear what he might have sounded like...if you know one of these tunes already.
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I think that's excellent advice. I'll probably put a wooden bridge on it since that's easy. Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
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Jack that is so cool.
I've seen you write about getting one of those one day and I am glad it worked out for you.
You should write a book one day about your experiences. I don't think anyone would actually believe that any one man could own as many seriously exotic guitars as you have. And it is so cool that you share your experiences with us so freely. I don't think anyone has ever done that before.
Thanks and I hope this one attaches itself to you..
Joe D.
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My '63 BKC was an outstanding guitar, one of the few vintage guitars I wish I had kept.
I much prefer the earlier Kessels with the longer neck heel--the later ones with the short heels had skinny necks and never seemed stable to me.
Danny W.
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Thanks, the ones that got away still haunt me. '48 Super 400, '64 L5, '75 L5, '75 Johnny Smith, '78 GB10 with coffin case, X-700 , '96 L5. I paid about $1500 for the '64 L5 back around 1978, $2000 for the '48 super 400, $1850 for the '75 L5, $2200 for the johnny smith, I traded about 20 lessons for the GB10. Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
Argh...
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I never really paid attention to the short vs long neck heel. I'll have to look up some pix. Originally Posted by Danny W.
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There are two of these sitting in the proto-type rack in Heritage's lunch/conference room. Marv and Jim thought about reincarnating the model [under the Hertiage brand] so they made two proto-types. One is a thin line, the other full depth. They weren't strung so I wasn't able to play them. But, they sure looked nice. They said they scrapped the idea because when Gibson was selling them they weren't really selling that well.
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That spruce top looks awesome.
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i wish heritage would make a real plywood guitar the way gibson makes them without the block under the bridge. Originally Posted by Patrick2
As an aside, I bought another Heritage eagle (1 pickup this time) and it's an amazing instrument. Has a real '60s L5 type of tone. Think, early Pat Martino. By comparison, my Wes is much more of an electric guitar. Sounds great is a more modern sounding instrument.
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Ah man, I love the Kessel model. Something about the wacky look that is so endearing. Do you find it at all easier to play due to the double cutaway or is that really all just aesthetics compared to a singl cutaway?
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Sweet looking guitar -- I love the finish and a sort of smoky vibe emanates from the pictures.
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yes, it has better accessibility than my 175 which was better than anything else I had. the only thing i've played with better upper fret access is the Ibanez PM-120/100 but those don't sound anywhere near as good as a gibson IMO. Originally Posted by rio
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1 word - KEEPER!
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Very under-rated guitars. I've had my '66 for ~2 years now.
Super comfortable neck. Pretty beefy. Intonates perfectly. Stock patent #s. The bridge PU is a screamer.
Depending on how much moisture in the air it has absorbed, I get sounds between Johnny Smith wet chime to Blake Mills more mid heavy, rock-ish.
The Kessel market is very strange. The parts are incredibly expensive, but I'm not sure who's buying them since the guitars are so rare. The tailpiece badge regularly sells for ~$200. $85 for the pickguard bracket?! $50 for strap buttons?!
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