Three K-35s from Kevin Kopp!

[AMW]

Here we have three stellar examples of the best-selling K-35 from our man in Bozeman, the great Kevin Kopp! Thought it would be fun to share their stories...



On the left is one of the very earliest examples... serial #0710305 has a "Prototype" designation on the label, and is from Kevin's first batch of four instruments that he made after leaving the Gibson custom shop. Kevin says that Leo Kottke still has his, and the other two from this batch are owned by pickers in Bozeman. There is no logo on the peghead, and it's not unusual for people to pick it up and say "what's this, J45 knockoff?" They change their tune when they hear it, though! Super dry, thumpy, on the warm/quiet side. This one is aesthetically just about identical to the late '30s J-35 that appears on the cover of the "Gibson Fabulous Flattops" book. It has white plastic binding, a Sitka top with hints of bearclaw, and a nice full neck profile. When it hit the shop, Raymond had to have it, and it appears in his video of Scott Joplin's "The Silver Swan"





The guitar in the center was procured right here on the AGF just a couple weeks ago, and at serial #1210505, it is a close cousin to #03, also built in Kevin's first year out of Gibson. This one has a decal logo, neck and peghead binding, a bit of amber tint to the lacquer, plenty of pick marks, and is very likely the first official K-35 after the prototype phase. It has a very similar tone to #03, which is interesting considering that it is long scale and has an appreciably slimmer neck.



On the right is a beautiful modern-day K-35 that just arrived. It has Kevin's now famous hand-rubbed sunburst, which always stuns those who see it for the first time.. really does make the classic-style bursts look like spray paint! So much depth and warmth. This guitar has a torrefied Adirondack top, is one of two such guitars that Kevin built in this batch.. he was previously skeptical about the cooked wood, but the sound really speaks for itself. As much as we love the vintage Kopps, this guitar has a tone that easily crushes them. Much louder, richer, and with a great quickness of response. All of these guitars sound great on their own/out of context, but head to head, Kevin's new guitars are his biggest and boldest sounding ever!

We are honored to be among Kevin's dealers! One of our favorites, one of the best.

[dave42]

Thanks for the great picks of a great guitar!

Interesting about the middle one being long scale.

[llew]

My K-35 falls in between #2 and #3. Maybe 10 years old now. Acquired second hand back when Kevin's name wasn't as synonymous as it is now for building great guitars in the Gibson style. I don't use the term "lifetime guitar" often but the K-35 is one of the few that falls into that category. One of those great guitars I was fortunate enough to find early on...thanks Kevin!

[zmf]

How would the Kopp tone be described? I've never had the chance to play one.

I've played some very good J-45's, and I own the Santa Cruz version, the Vintage Southerner. Is it somewhere in between?

[llew]

Not sure I can do it justice with words but I once owned a J-45 standard. When I got the Kopp K-35 it sounded like the J-45 on steroids. It just did everything better. So the J-45 is long gone.

[dave42]

I've never played a standard J-45 that comes close to the sound of my K-35.
But I must add that what drew me to the K-35 as much as the tone was the feel of this guitar. It just feels so comfortable to me.