K.Country D-400 Dreadnought Acoustic 1977
K.Country D-400, made in Japan 1977 approx. There's not a whole heap of info around on these, but I've scraped a bit from here and there. K.Country guitars were made and marketed by Kasuga, who made guitars for Tokai and Yamaha among others. They were sold exclusively to the Japan domestic market. This model sold for ¥40000 new, around twice the price of the more common Martin style guitars you see from more ubiquitous makers like Morris or Tokai Cats Eyes, so it was a pretty high-end offering in it's day. The design is based on the Martin D-45, so you get the classic square shoulder dreadnought shape with a spruce/rosewood tonewood combo. The back has the D-35 style three piece construction, which I've always thought looked superb. There's some talk these are made from Brazilian rosewood, which was often called 'jacaranda' by Japanese sellers to save hassles from CITES, but I can't 100% verify that. The 'laminate' construction on these was generally two-ply, far less plies than a modern laminate, so the build method sits enjoys some of the added stability while maintaining some of the tonal purity of a solid guitar. The sound: it's huge, it's warm, it's lovely. There's a gorgeous thick, rich natural low end on tap, balanced by a juicy midrange with heaps of air and life in it rounded out with a crisp, responsive treble. It's naturally loud with great projection, but it's very sensitive and articulate under a light touch too. The naturally yellowed finish lets the woodgrain do all the talking, this a certain vintage swagger to it that new guitars never possess. The neck is a comfy rounded D shape, it's easy on the hands and never makes you work too hard. All in all: this is an absolutely superb vintage acoustic, it'll make someone very happy.
Model: K.Country D-400
Made: Japan, 1977 approx, Kasuga factory
Serial: 743
Finish: natural, gloss poly
Body: laminate spruce top, laminate rosewood back and sides, square shoulder dreadnought shape
Neck: mahogany, rosewood fretboard, 25.5" scale, 43mm nut, medium D shape
Weight: 2.095kg
Mods: nut and saddle replaced
Pickup: none
What's the yams?: basic vintage hard case
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has minor scuffs on the end and back. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor scuffs and play wear on the back only. The back has scuffs along the back edge and some clouding all over. The sides have scuffs on the back side near the rear strap pin and dimples on the bottom bout. The front has dimples behind the bridge and elbow area and some play wear on the guard and shoulders.
Overall: excellent condition (9/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is reasonably low, neck is straight, intonation is good. Wearing fresh 12/54 Moonshiners phosphor bronze strings.
Fret life: 9/10, minor wear only