Kent was a New York brand, not a factory. Buegeleisen & Jacobson on Union Square put the name on Japanese imports through the 1960s, and the best of them by a wide margin are the late-60s 700 series solidbodies like this one. They were drawn by a young designer named Yasuo Momose, who had just left FujiGen for a small Matsumoto shop called Hayashi Mokko and was handed a clean sheet. Momose went on to become one of the most respected luthiers in Japan. This is the guitar he designed at 22.

The 740 is the two-pickup model, and it is the one players want: with the stock wiring the two-pickup layout keeps the most output and the clearest voice. Kent-stamped single coils, a rocker switch for each pickup, individual volume and tone, and the Kent vibrato with its built-in string mute and the stamped bridge cover still in place. The body is flame maple front and back with the striped "rally" binding around the sides, a bound neck with pearloid block markers, and the inlaid script headstock with the scroll. Kent is inlaid in the upper horn.

This one came out of a one-owner collection and it shows: the sunburst is deep and unfaded, the flame is strong on both sides, the vibrato arm and bridge cover are present (they are usually gone), the pickguard is uncracked, and the pickups still carry their small Kent lettering. Bright, snappy, a little hollow-sounding for a solidbody, and a lot of guitar to look at.

Specs

• Kent model 740, Buegeleisen & Jacobson catalog 1967 to 1969, made in Japan (Hayashi Mokko, Matsumoto, attributed; design by Yasuo Momose)
• Solid body, flame maple top and back, yellow sunburst, striped side binding, bound top
• Bolt-on three-piece maple and mahogany neck, bound rosewood fingerboard, pearloid block markers, 22 frets
• Inlaid script Kent headstock with scroll, bound; Kent inlay on the upper horn; round Kent foil sticker on the back of the headstock
• Two original Kent single-coil pickups with rocker on/off switches, volume and tone for each
• Original Kent vibrato with string mute and stamped bridge cover, chrome hardware

Condition: Excellent. All original, no cracks or repairs, light play wear only, frets with plenty of life. Set up in our shop.

Includes: gig bag

Where it came from: one-owner collection, bought whole by Brothers Guitar Shop in November 2026. The previous owner kept his guitars clean, had them set up and stored them properly, and it shows. Every piece goes across our bench for a check and setup before it goes on the wall at 316 E 84th St, NYC.