Among the guitars I saw very rarely, but always found myself loving, have been various flat top variations of Gibson’s Iconic L-5 arch top. I vividly recall the first couple J-185’s I encountered in the ’50’s. Fingerstyle blues with bare fingers, a perfectly balanced voice and a unique midrange I had heard nowhere else. Very shortly after that the Everly Brothers exploded on the pop music scene with their signature model Gibsons. These guitars were J-185’s in tuxedos. The voice was essentially the same. And there was still THAT SHAPE!
We’ve used a wide range of tone woods, body depth, scale lengths, and instrument proportions over the years. Our Model K development of this shape has remained the favorite of all our offerings in what we still refer to as a “Full-Size” guitar, ie. nominally 16” across the lower bout. With a default scale length of 25.25″ it is versatile and well balanced, with superb intonation.
Will Ackerman used his first Model K to record his Grammy winning Returning CD. The K is second in popularity over our lifespan only to the H-12, a strong testament to it’s versatility for many widely varied musical possibilities.
When our friend and neighbor “Buffalo” Bob Smith of Richmond, NH died in 1985, his Model K was passed to a young guitarist named David Surette. David became something of an arch ambassador for Froggy Bottom. He was a dear friend, an absolutely incredible player, and someone whose musical genius continues to bring guitarists to our door.