Kapa Guitar Serial Numbers
This Kapa CH6 Challenger is a very clean, mid-1960 s sunburst, hollow body electric guitar. It is 100 original. The serial number is 23xxx. It features two. Kapa guitars guitars were made from the early 1960s through 1970 in Hyattsville Maryland, USA. This guitar's parts were most likely made in Japan.
1966 Kapa Continental 12-String HS Unfortunately, KAPA doesn’t seem to have been very concerned about consistency, and you’ll find Continentals with Challenger decals and vice versa, and dating is primarily a matter of guesswork. In 1968 KAPA added a Minstrel teardrop-shaped solid to the line and in 1969 some thinline hollowbodies with bodies made in Japan. However, by then sales were in decline and in 1970 Veneman shut KAPA down, selling leftover supplies and machinery to Micro-Frets and Mosrite. Veneman sold Bradley copy guitars during the 1970s. In the 1980s the shop got into the mailorder music biz. The shop still exists, but as a premier Guitar Center location. In any case, besides being a relatively rare ‘60s soldibody 12-string, this KAPA Continental carries the cachet of having been found unsold in a musty old corner of a musical Temple of Doom in Newark, NJ, next door and an obscure staircase away from a mothballed attic burlesque theater!
Michael Wright, The Different Strummer, is a collector and historian whose work is featured in Vintage Guitar Magazine. Port Royale 2 Impero E Pirati Download Itax. I remember purchasing my first (of many) electric 12-string from Fat Dog, of Subway Guitars, in Berkeley: it was a Kapa Continental, in candy-apple red. It worked well enough, and the point about the thin necks is true – they’re very thin. That probably means you’re going to need to adjust the truss rod and perform a setup if you come upon one.
As I recall, the thin stamped-metal bridge gave the guitar a sort of Danelectro-like vibe. Interesting pickups on those!
Thanks for a blast from the past. My first guitar was a Kapa Cobra purchased second hand in 1965 from The Guitar Shop in DC for $60. I replaced it with an abused 1962 Jazzmaster in 67, that I sold a year later for $90, (ouch), and purchased my first new guitar from Koob at his Bethesda, MD store, two years later, (a 68 SG Standard). Off to college in 70 where my SG and Twin Reverb were stolen from my apartment. Back to DC from college in 75 with an architecture degree, and coincidentally became the local architect for Veneman music, designing their corporate headquarters office building and warehouse in Gaithersburg, MD. Koob was a great guy to work with, warm and welcoming, and a true enthusiast!
Unbelievably, I found my original Kapa Cobra on eBay about 6 months ago, and it is again in my possession, (apparently it never really left the DC area). I was amazed to find there was as site regarding KAPA guitars because I worked at the factory in 1965 to 1967. I worked as an assembler on the finished product line putting together the various parts of the guitar from the body to the neck to the electronics.
As far as I can remember, almost all of the materials that we used were created and crafted in the factory from the raw wood to the finished bodies to the paint shop to the electronics assembly to all of the products in the neck, the frets – everything was all handmade there. I always enjoyed walking around the factory when I wasn’t too busy on the assembly line to watch the various stations making the parts for the guitars. It was a very busy factory. We never had any real down time, we were constantly working, producing the guitars as fast as we could.
I remember Mr. Veneman because he interviewed and hired me and always treated the employees like they were part of the extended family. I remember him bringing his two children to the factory and him showing them around and introducing them to the employees. Everyone who worked at the factory was quite capable of the position that Mr. Veneman had given them in the guitar-making process of producing a quality guitar. I especially remember the one and only painter who did such a spectacular job of bringing the raw wood to its finished beautiful state. I remember on occasion when my drill would slip while installing the face plate putting a dent into the beautiful paint job which I would then have to return to the painter to have him touch it up.
He never got mad at me, just gave me a great big grin and laughed. But I secretly think that he quite often thought I did it on purpose so I could come back and watch him laugh. He was happy all the time. I asked him why he was happy all the time and he said, “Man, I just love painting these guitars.” And he was good at it. I’ve always had fond memories of working at KAPA guitar, and I’m wondering if any of the other employees from the factory during that time period are still around. I’d love to hear from you.
1 2 years ago I'm gonna paint it back LPB. 2 2 years ago I think it's a 66 or 67.
It's got a crazy slim neck. Thinnest I've ever played. Also a 1. Download Kamus Bahasa Arab Untuk Hp Nokia E63 more. 75' nut. It's taking some getting use to. 3 2 years ago Previous owner striped the finish of the body. I had to put a bridge on it. It's like it has its own built in reverb with the strings behind the bridge.
4 2 years ago Tiny frets still in good shape. Really low action, so it plays fast. 5 2 years ago Cool headstock I think Tuners Upclose 6 2 years ago Typical dodgey switches. Pickups are marked Japan on the bottom and sound strong and full. I was pleasantly surprised! I've strung it up with 9's. 7 2 years ago Made in USA.
It's not heavy and has great balance. What type wood is this, poplar?
8 2 years ago Color in the cavity! 9 2 years ago This is what I'm after. 10 2 years ago Wow! Congrats 11 2 years ago Wicked neck It's growing on me 12 2 years ago I had to make a bridge post 13 2 years ago The bridge post are like nails driven into the pickguard and top! 14 2 years ago Kapas were made here in Maryland.
I think I once met the guy who bought all the left over Kapa parts. They were going for the Vox teardrop scene, since those were the hot lick in '66/67. 15 2 years ago I REALLY like that one, Paul. Jim 16 2 years ago I was born in 67 DC, was it Mosrite and Microfrets maybe?
Thanks Baba & Midiman! 17 2 years ago Thanks Jim!
I think once it's blue it will look complete. CTS pots and Carling slider switches. The middle pickup switch is intermittent. 18 2 years ago pretty cool looking!
19 2 years ago Thanks Doug! It's a weird one for sure. Master volume and three tones. Individual on/off pickup switches.
20 2 years ago Original bridge cover on the right. Got the cover but the bridge is missing. Usually it's the other way around 21 2 years ago Kapas were the house brand of Veneman Music here in the DC area. Lived down the street from me.
He named the company after himself, wife and children by using an anagram of their first names. His name is Koob, his son’s name, Albert, his daughters name, Patricia and his wife’s name Adeline. I was friends with Pat Veneman in high school.
You can read about the history. 22 2 years ago Congrats. Really cool guitar. Ironically, probably a much better playing and sounding guitar than the Vox it's a copy of. 23 2 years ago i've got a single pick up version of that, i believe.
Though the Kapa emblem long since gone. 24 2 years ago very cool vox teardrop (ala brian jones) spin offnice chunk of what looks like alder wood.the only thing you might have to worry about is it can take nosedives.the balance may be off when strapped on and yeah has that fender jazzmaster type resonating area between bridge an whammylotsa cool overtones there nice find!lpb-yes!enjoy cheers ps-heres pic of tp's '66 3 pup vox 25 2 years ago Hey, I never knew Kapa did a teardrop. Most Kapas were mostly Hofner parts, weren't they?
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