1:53 PM
Wesman Todd Shaw
John Kingslight.
In the world of acoustic guitars and acoustic guitar building there are many rising stars who make their own instruments and who try as hard as is humanly possible to create a musical instrument of wood and steel strings that is itself a work of art that someone can then appreciate for it's fineness, and use it to create music that is yet another art form altogether. These guitars of tremendous quality often have prices that reflect the long painstaking process of converting slabs of wood into things of sheer beauty - and only persons that do not understand that process and the joy that the product brings to it's owner, and then is transferred on to the fan of his music - all from the joyful hands of the instrument's creator - can not understand why these instruments nearly always cost several thousand dollars.
So here at this time, John Kingslight has yet to produce even his fiftieth Kingslight guitar. But Mr. John Kingslight has been building guitars since 1980 - with another small guitar company - Dillon Guitars. He says his aim is to build the "perfect guitar" and with that sort of goal, the man certainly has to have some drive. There are more small guitar companies in the USA and other Western Nations now than ever before - and there are a LOT of them who have demonstrated the abilities required to make instruments every bit as good or even better (it's a matter of opinion) than the Golden Age classics by C.F. Martin and Co. and the Gibson Guitar Company.
But John Kingslight is more than just a guitar builder - he's a minister, and a school bus driver - and he does those things because he loves people, and is attentive to their needs. With less than fifty Kingslight guitars built and sold - it's not strange that I've never seen one of them - but from what I can see and hear online, it's clear that Kingslight Guitars are going to be something that become more known than they now are - and who can say whether or not they'll be the next "holy grail" or Stradivarius type instruments in the days to come?
A Kingslight Acoustic Bass Guitar!
Kingslight Guitars
With such a small, but obviously up and coming company as Kingslight guitars - there's not a specific model that I'd want to discuss; and as stated - I've never even seen one. I can, however definitely cast a worthy vote in the direction of Kingslight from having seen many photos and heard the sound of the instruments in videos. Though Mr. Kingslight has yet to produce his fiftieth instrument under the Kingslight name - he's apparently made at least one of most every type of instrument - which serves to show that what he does and can do is not just a one of type of craftsmanship - but an across the board set of skills, rather, is what he's got to display.
The photo below of a Kingslight guitar head stock shows some beautiful abalone inlay which extends either into or from - depending on how you look at it - the head stock to the fingerboard. Let me assure you that nobody bothers to learn how to do things as beautiful as that until they've mastered already the guitar building part of the journey into Lutherie.
The Beautiful Kingslight Guitar Headstock and Abalone Inlay.
Kingslight Guitars
Kingslight Guitars are based out of Washington State, near Seattle. From the official Kingslight Guitar website you can either place an order for a guitar, or see what is in stock. Please be advised that ordering an instrument such as these - simply isn't something you can do in the Fall and expect to have done by Christmas - we're talking building a work of art here, and it can take quite some time to build a perfect guitar.
In any case - I'm already excited about these guitars, and I hope to get to put my hands on one someday. If you are in the market for having a custom built guitar - then be sure to check out Kingslight guitars before you place an order somewhere else.
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