So, are Kent Guitars good? How do Kent Guitars sound? Are Kent Guitars solidly built and durable? Where are Kent Guitars made? If you have not heard anything about Kent Guitars, then it is understandable as they are not popular with the new generations nowadays. As an old guitar brand, we felt that we had to find some information on how great these guitars were in their heydays.
So, what is Kent Guitars? Kent was a popular electric guitar brand from the 1960s until the 1970s. The brand was established in 1960 by Buegeleisen and Jacobson, a known musical instrument distributor that is based in New York City. Its earliest electric guitars were made by Hagstrom, a renowned musical instrument manufacturer that is based in Sweden.
The guitars were branded as Kent in the United States, but they are branded as Futurama in the United Kingdom. In 1963, the Guyatone and Teisco guitars were rebadged as Kent guitars. Its other manufacturers include Kawai, FujiGen, and Matsumoku. Southland Musical Merchandise Corporation was able to acquire the Kent brand in the early 1970s and decided to move its manufacturing to South Korea.
The Kent guitar series includes their 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 series. There were also Kent guitar amplifiers and guitar pedals manufactured and were also marketed by Buegeleisen and Jacobson. The famous musicians that have used Kent guitars in their recording and live performances were David Bowie and Bob Dylan.
Examples of Kent Guitars
The Kent 481 is an electric guitar with a Strat-like body but broader. Its neck has no truss rod, and its fingerboard is made of rosewood. It is equipped with two gold foil pickups, which is very rare nowadays. It has individual on and off buttons and has two volume and tone knobs.
The Kent 530 Las Vegas has a Strat-style design and a solid body with a sunburst finish. It also has an aluminum pickguard. It has a rosewood fingerboard with 20 frets and a one-piece guitar neck. It comes with two single-coil pickups with on and off switches for each of them. Additionally, it has a plastic floating bridge and a vibrato unit. It has an estimated weight of 5 pounds.
The Kent 531 Lido electric guitar has a solid body with a slightly offset dual cutaway design. It has a maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard with white buttons and Pearloid inlays on it and comes with 20 frets. It is equipped with two single-coil pickups that have their own selector switches, one volume knob, and one tone knob. It weighs almost 7 pounds.
The Kent 532 Copa has a similar body to the 530 and 531 as it has a solid body with a dual cutaway design, but it comes with a bolt-on Mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard. It has three single-coil pickups and a 4-way selector switch. It also has two volume knobs and two tone knobs. It has an estimated weight of 7 pounds.
The Kent 533 Videocaster has a slab-style double-cutaway design with a belly contour on its back. It comes with a bolt-on maple neck and a rosewood fretboard and has a scale length of 25 inches. It has four single-coil pickups that are grouped in pairs, with slider switches for each pickup. Additionally, it comes with a plastic Bigsby.
The Kent 540 Polaris 1 has a solid mahogany body with a double cutaway design and rounded edges. Its neck comes with a double steel truss rod reinforcement. It has a rosewood fingerboard with seven pearl position dots and a flat-finish white pickguard. It is equipped with only one single-coil pickup, which is super sensitive, and volume and tone control.
The Kent 640 Polaris 1 electric guitar has a solid body and a double-cutaway design. It comes with a bolt-on neck and a rosewood fingerboard with 20 frets. It also has a pickguard and a plastic adjustable bridge. It is equipped with one Teisco Ry Cooder-style single-coil pickup, a volume knob, and a tone knob.
The Kent 740 is an electric guitar with a solid body and a double-cutaway design. It has a maple neck with a medium-C profile, which is slimmer compared to other guitar necks, and a rosewood fretboard. It is equipped with two single-coil pickups, with individual on and off switches. Additionally, its bridge and vibrato unit resembles those that you see on Fender guitars.
The Kent 742 is almost identical to the 740, but its difference is that it comes with four single-coil pick-ups that are paired into two groups and have four individual on and off switches. It has four volume knobs and four tone knobs too. It also has a solid triple-bound body with a tortoiseshell pickguard. Additionally, it still has a maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard.
The Kent 820 has a thin semi-hollow electric guitar body that is similar to a late 1950s Gibson guitar. It comes with a maple neck with mother-of-pearl inlays and a rosewood fingerboard. It has a “zero fret” feature that enables the guitar to enhance playability and sound. It is equipped with two-single coil pickups with a separated lead/rhythm switch. Additionally, it also comes with two volume knobs and two tone knobs, and a Bigsby-like bar.
The Kent 833 is a bass guitar with a body that looks like the bass guitar of Paul McCartney, the legendary Beatles bass player. It comes with a 3-piece Maple and Mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard with abalone block markers. It is equipped with two single-coil pickups with a 3-way switch. Additionally, it has individual volume and tone controls.
The Kent 834 is an electric guitar with a violin-shaped body. It has a bolt-on maple neck and rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid mother-of-pearl inlays. It also has a Bigsby-style vibrato that still keeps the guitar in tune. It is equipped with two single-coil pickups and two volume and tone knobs. Additionally, it comes with a three-way selector that serves as a rhythm/lead switch.
So, are Kent guitars good? Yes, they are good guitars for their value. Kent guitars were manufactured and introduced in the market as entry-level guitars perfect for those who wish to be rockstars someday. In its heydays, their guitars are one of the go-to brands for those looking for cheap electric guitars.
