I've posted some of this story here before, so I won't bore you all by repeating all of it.
My first "real" guitar was a Kawai KS-12-XL which I bought c1979 from Tim Gentle Music (in Southend). At the time, Tim was selling 2 different models, the KS-12 and the KS-11. I'd always wondered what the KS-11 was like ...
Kawai guitars are, IMHO, beautifully made with excellent materials and they sound great. I took one along to Dr Robert (Gladwell) a few weeks back, and he was suitably impressed too. This range was their last attempt at cracking the guitar market, after which they pretty much concentrated on their pianos/keyboards. These guitars are comparable to the best Yamaha SGs of the same era, but because the Kawais never got the popular exposure, they never sold in comparable volumes, and so are pretty much unknown today.
But I loved my KS-12-XL, and started a search to find a KS-11-XL, managing to track one down a couple of years ago. It wasn't the actual model (finish) that I really wanted, but I bought it anyway because I never thought I'd find another. Maybe a month ago, I found an anonymous message on my blog - there was a KS-11-XL, in the finish that I wanted, for sale in a music shop in Carlisle. I bought it (see avatar pic!). And then a couple of weeks ago, another KS-12-XL appeared on eBay. Naturally, I bought it!
I now have both KS-12-XL and KS-11-XL models in both of the finish options ... (and a KS-10-Junior too) ... so I guess my Kawai quest is complete!
My original KS-12-XL, natural finish:
Found a couple of years ago, a KS-11-XL in sunburst:
Bought last month, a KS-11-XL in natural:
And the latest - final? - addition to the collection, a KS-12-XL in black:
I started off the year with a genuine intention to thin out my guitar collection. I've not been successful.
