KAWAI GUITARS
Performer

contact:  info@kawaiguitars.com

Kawai KS 11 XL

Kawai F-V

Kawai Performer

I’d completely overlooked this range until now.

I recently saw one on German eBay, and with a small accidental click on the “buy it now” button, it became my new Kawai performer.

Here are the standard catalogue pictures;

This range came in both bass and (proper) guitar variants, the basses being numbered KB-10, and the guitars KE-10.

The bodies were either solid ash (on the left) or mahogany and had a one-piece bolt-on hard rock maple neck with 22 frets.

The pickups were unbranded, so they were probably generic Japanese-made humbuckers of no special quality!

The controls were very simple compared to the switching options on other Kawai guitars.  A 3-position pickup selector and a tone and volume control for each of the pickups.

At the time the catalogue was printed, the only finishes available were as shown.  However, as you’ll see from the photos below, the Performer was certainly available in other finishes at some point in its life.

Performer

This is the latest (as of today) addition to my Kawai collection.

For a 30-odd year-old guitar, it’s in pretty amazing condition with hardly a ding or a dent or a scratch to be found.  I’m pretty sure that it’s all original.  There’s no sign of any re-fretting having been done, and the frets have little wear, which all points to it having been only very lightly used.

It’s very easy to play, with a straight neck and low action, although I’d probably only describe the pickups as “adequate”.  Still, I shall keep it as it is, in it’s original condition.

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This is a personal hobby site and has no connection with the Kawai company