Hello Kent

[Thornton Davis]

Back in the late 60's after Kawai bought Teisco the results of their second generation instruments saw some very creative looking instruments especially within the Kent 700 & 800 Series guitars and basses. I've been on the hunt for one of these for quite sometime because they sound incredible. The 700 Series are solid body and the 800 Series are Semi-Acoustic (thinline).

I happened upon the above Kent Model 743 a few days ago and had to jump on it as soon as I saw it. It's impossible to say for sure but I believe that was made in either 1967 or 68 because I remember seeing them in the music stores back then and being impressed with the quality and design but having just upgraded myself from a Japanese Tele-Star T2B (Kawai) bass to a Hofner 500/1, I really didn't pay much attention to them.

This particular bass is in excellent plus condition as you can see by the photos of it. Other than the strings it's 100% original which in itself is amazing since most players remove the bridge cover or change knobs or make electronic modifications. It came with its original soft shell case which is also in great condition. Pots could use a cleaning but that's it. This won't be a player but just a memento from the late 60's that I plan to hang onto.

So say hello to Kent, a very cool looking bass that also sounds and plays great.

TD

 

[NG51]

Very cool-and in great shape! Kind of hard to tell what brand it is, though

 

[cdef]

TD, you are clearly a man of discernment. I want to be around when you get to '70s Hoyers.

 

[MobileHolmes]

That triple binding is far out

 

[NG51]

That guy has it all- dual thumb rests, rocker switches,bridge cover, binding-sweet! I think my first bass was a Kent-did they make a Hofner style one?

 

[two fingers]

AW come on! At least make one demo video for us! Many of us will never get the chance to hear one.

Seriously, cool story and cool bass.

 

[Thornton Davis]

TD, you are clearly a man of discernment. I want to be around when you get to '70s Hoyers.

Actually, I've been on the hunt for a Hoyer 5040 bass (Les Paul) for the past 5-6 years. I had the opportunity to buy one but it slipped away before I acted on it.

TD

That guy has it all- dual thumb rests, rocker switches,bridge cover, binding-sweet! I think my first bass was a Kent-did they make a Hofner style one?

Yup they did in the 800 Series. Its body was A-Symmetrical shaped Model 833.

TD

 

[Eilif]

That is really cool! What an awesome find.
I'd agree with 2fingers, at least a little demo would be cool.
If it's not too much to ask could we also see a pic of the case it came with?

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Dang... you guys are in RARE air!
I can't even find a pic of a Hoyer 5040 online.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Thornton has impeccable taste.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Very eclectic!

 

[Thornton Davis]

Dang... you guys are in RARE air!
I can't even find a pic of a Hoyer 5040 online.

Well here's a photo of one for you.

TD

That is really cool! What an awesome find.
I'd agree with 2fingers, at least a little demo would be cool.
If it's not too much to ask could we also see a pic of the case it came with?

Sure, I'll take a couple of photos of it tomorrow. It's a 60's soft shell case.

 

[AndyPanda]

Holy cow - there's more binding than wood!

 

[Oren Hudson]

TD, you have scored again my friend.

 

[edencab]

Hello Kent, how you doinnnnnn?

 

[40Hz]

I have only one thing to say. Yes!

Just "yes."

Congratulations. Play it well.

 

[electracoyote]

Minty fresh!

It definitely has retro vibe out the ying-yang.

Love the chunky thumb rest AND tug bar (even though I'd never use them, they're like enormous chrome bumpers). Were those stock?

 

[bassclef112]

Wow!!! A real Kent and in amazing shape! Congratulations Thornton. That truly is a find.

When I was a wee lad I spent many hours rubbing my face on the store window absolutely lusting for the Kent(s) on display,
in particular a Violin bass in natural finish. I was also nuts about their guitars with myriad pickups and rocker switches everywhere!!!

I am very happy for you (though crazy jealous!!!)

 

[holdfast]

Very cool bass. I have a similar 6 string guitar version from the same era.

This is a picture I found online. My guitar is exactly the same except the Bigsby style tremelo is slightly different.

I had the original roller bridge replaced because it was kind of wonky. (I still have the original bridge in a drawer.)

My Kent has a broken truss rod. I should look into replacing it. Can't be that hard can it? (Oh no, not another possible repair project! )

 

[Hahaha]

I have a vague memory of jamming with someone back in high school who had a Kent amp. I think it would be cool to have a Marlboro amp to go with your Kent bass.

For fun I just did a web search for Winston amplifiers, and lo and behold, they existed as well back in the sixties. I found a Carlton Camel amplifier too. That's a bit weird.