In 1972 Gibson produced a series of 'Guitar of the Month' brochures, each dedicated to one of their high end models, the Les Paul Recording guitar, L5-CES, ES-175D, Super 400-CES, ES-355TD-SV and Byrdland. Each brochure was a single sheet folded into four panels, with details of the instruments themselves, their features, musical purpose, and a little history behind the development of each guitar. Only the Les Paul Recording was a new model; the others were all well established in the Gibson line. Follow the link to see scans and further information on these leaflets and other Gibson guitar catalogues from the CMI and Norlin periods.

1966 Kalamazoo KB-1 bass

Gibson assembled these 30 1/2" scale Kalamazoo KB-1 basses in their electronics plant in Kalamazoo, MI - separate from the main Gibson plant. They used the same components and hardware as on the Gibson EB bass series; but with a pre-painted masonite body and a bolt-on maple neck; a very different construction to Gibson's usual output. Initially the KB bass had a Mustang-shaped body (see the 1966 Kalamazoo KB-1, left), which was soon redesigned with the classic SG shape (see the 1967 Kalamazoo KB-1, right). Have a listen to sound clips of this bass here.

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Kalamazoo KG guitar shipping data
Production totals for the Kalamazoo KG guitar line

Kalamazoo KG Guitar | Pricing and Shipping Totals | Kalamazoo KB bass | 1966 Kalamazoo Catalogue

	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	Total
KG1 Flame Red	328	1020	350	152	58	1908
KG1A Flame Red	570	975	379	117	91	2132
KG2 Flame Red	436	743	127	48	67	1421
KG2A Flame Red	659	2063	1268	395	154	4539
KG1 Glacier White	258	808	132	96		1294
KG1A Glacier White	256	1290	1104	59		2709
KG2 Glacier White	473	572	68	38		1151
KG2A Glacier White	369	1693	463	202		2727
KG1 Las Vegas Blue	165	815	116	27		1123
KG1A Las Vegas Blue	29	1093	225	46		1393
KG2 Las Vegas Blue	243	580	73	14		910
KG2A Las Vegas Blue	112	1747	737	91		2687
Total Kalamazoo KG guitar	3898	13399	5042	1285	370	23994
Total as percentage	16%	56%	21%	5%	2%

Total Kalamazoo KG production	23994
Total by colour	Flame Red: 10000 (42%) Glacier White: 7881 (33%) Las Vegas Blue: 6113 (25%)
Total by model	KG2A: 9953 (42%) KG1A: 6234 (26%) KG1: 4325 (18%) KG2: 3482 (15%)
Peak year	1966

Kalamazoo KG guitar pricing

Kalamazoo price lists, 1966 and 1967 All prices quoted are USA zone 1

	1966	1967	1968	1969
Kalamazoo KG1	$89.50	$89.50
Kalamazoo KG1a	$99.50	$99.50
Epiphone Olympic Special	$139.50	$159.50	$169.50
Epiphone Olympic	$149.50	$169.50	$182.50
Gibson Melody Maker	$149.50	$159.50	$169.50
Kalamazoo KG2	$104.50	$104.50
Kalamazoo KG2a	$114.50	$114.50
Epiphone Olympic Double	$179.50	$189.50	$204.50
Gibson Melody Maker D	$179.50	$189.50	$199.50