Kent was a New York brand, not a factory. Buegeleisen & Jacobson on Union Square put the name on Japanese-built guitars through the 1960s, and from 1967 to 1969 the hollowbodies came from Kawai, which had just absorbed Teisco and was the most experienced hollowbody builder in Japan. This full-depth archtop is the proof: Kawai sold this exact guitar in Japan under the Kawai name, same body, same binding, same pickups, same guard, and shipped it to New York with a Kent headstock. Put the two side by side and only the logo changes.

It is a proper jazz-box build in the ES-175 mold: a full-depth laminated maple body with a single sharp cutaway, wide multi-ply binding, bound f-holes, big pearloid block inlays, a tortoise pickguard, two chrome six-pole pickups on raised mounts, a chrome bridge cover, copper reflector knobs, and a genuine Bigsby vibrato. A factory Bigsby was a sunburst-only option in Kent's 1968 catalog, and this is a sunburst, so it is plausibly original to the guitar. Kent never gave this model a catalog number; collectors list it as the untracked full-depth archtop, so we are describing it rather than inventing one.

Unplugged it has real archtop volume and a dry, woody thump. Plugged in, the pickups are clear and a little hollow, perfect for rockabilly, western swing, early rock and roll and anything that wants a big-box voice with a Bigsby wobble. All original, from a one-owner collection, with one honest flaw noted below.

Specs

• Kent (Buegeleisen & Jacobson, New York) full-depth single-cutaway archtop, built by Kawai, Japan, late 1960s; no factory model number
• Laminated maple archtop body, full depth, sunburst, multi-ply bound top and back, bound f-holes
• Set neck, bound rosewood fingerboard, large pearloid block markers
• Bound headstock with inlaid script Kent and scroll (700/800 series pattern)
• Two chrome six-pole single-coil pickups on raised mounts, selector, two volume and two tone with copper reflector knobs
• Adjustable bridge with chrome cover, genuine Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, chrome hardware

Condition: Very Good for its age. All original hardware and electronics, light checking, frets with plenty of life. There is a crack in the back (laminate), stable and not affecting playability or tone; it is shown clearly in the photos and priced in. 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.