Kalamazoo

[fingersbill]

I recently purchased a Kalamazoo because of the great sound and playability. I would like to know more about them if anyone has any information please respond.

Bill

[Mike Buesseler]

Hi, Bill, welcome to the Cafe. There are plenty of experts here to give you all the information you are looking for, but they apparently aren't up this early. But, when they get to this post, they are going to need more information about your mandolin to be able to help. Pictures would be most useful. Detailed description of style (body shape, sound holes, etc) will also help. So dig up whatever you can and post it. Then, just sit back and wait.

In the meantime, you might want to look here for starters.

[Timbofood]

Kalamazoo- Original home of the Gibson company,and the Upjohn company, now home of Heritage guitars and several "Indie" buildersas well as Bell's brewery. Home of Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College. I have never been quite sure what a Kalama was but I do know they have their own ZOO!
All the silliness aside, a picture might give some of the far more learned than I a better insight into better information about your particular instrument. Generally the "Kalamazoo" Line was an "economy line" produced by Gibson,I understand that some items were also sold under the "Kel Kroyden" label. I had a mid 30's "A" style with a round hole, I wish I had never let it get away from me. Not a fantastic piece but, my first "vintage" instrument purchase.

[MikeEdgerton]

Kalamazoo was one of Gibson's second line brands. There were two basic models. The KM-11 had a flat top and a round sound hole and the KM-21 had an arched top and f holes. The main difference between Gibson main line instruments and the second line instruments is that the second line instruments did not have Truss Rods. There was also a Kalamzoo model called the Oriole that was an arched top instrument built towards the end of the first Kalamazoo run of instruments. There are some small factors that will allow some dating of the instrument. Post a picture and we'll see if we can get the date close.