Kiso Suzuki Electric Guitars: KS 335 headstock

Some history of Kiso Suzuki ...

Kiso Suzuki is the name of a now-defunct guitar company from the Kisofukushima region of Japan. This region is well known for it's mountains and trees, and the lure of the region with it's valuable lumber brought craftsman to the area - one such interest was, of course, guitar-making.Kiso Suzuki and Nagoya Suzuki were one company before the war - a 3-factory company started by Masakichi Suzuki that produced the well-known "Suzuki Violin" violins. But after the war the company was split up into the Suzuki Violin Company (now Kiso Suzuki Violin Company) and Suzuki Violin Manufacturing Company (now Nagoya Suzuki Violin Company). And there the relationship ended.

Kiso Suzuki apparently then became a manufacturer of guitars in 1951 and worked with other distributors and trading companies to manufacture guitars for not only the Japanese market but also for the overseas market. Some notable companies/names under which Kiso Suzuki distributed guitars: Iwama Trading; CSL Gypsy; Tomson; Kansas; Takeharu; Halifax; and possibly many more. They also made some mandolins, cellos, and violins.

One of the divisions/brands was Takeharu, which was a collaboration between Kiso Suzuki and a famous composer, Yamamoto Takeharu...(see www.takeharuguitars.blogspot.com).

Kiso Suzuki Electric Guitars

Friday, March 30, 2012

KS 335 headstock

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