Kel Kroydon KK-10 tenor #9851
With the onset of the Great Depression at the beginning of the 1930s, sales of items such as musical instruments plummeted and Gibson's survival was threatened. In an attempt to stay afloat, the company began producing a variety of wooden toys under the rather odd brand name of Kel Kroydon. When the musical instrument market began to recover, Gibson applied the name to a line of lower-priced banjos, mandolins, and guitars. The two Kel Kroydon banjo models were the KK-10 and the KK-11, which later appeared in the Gibson-brand line as style 11. Kel Kroydon banjos featured pearloid on the peghead, fingerboard, and resonator back, while the rim, resonator sides, and neck were maple typically painted black on the KK-10 and blue on the KK-11. Stenciled designs take the place of fingerboard inlay. Kel Kroydon banjos had no Mastertone tone ring, but only a small-diameter brass hoop sitting on top of the rim; the thick maple rim and one-piece flange, however, were the same as those used on the more expensive Mastertone models of the period. Kel Kroydon banjos did not feature the adjustable truss rod common to all Gibson-brand banjos; interestingly, a rod is present in the neck of these banjos but no cavity was routed out to provide access at the peghead.
This example is in pristine original condition. In keeping with standard specifications for the model, the tuners are the Grover two-tab type and the tailpiece is a Grover "first model" with slide-off cover. Infrared photography shows the lot number 9851 penciled on the neck heel.
The Kel Kroydon brand name has recently been revived by the American Made Banjo Company which is producing a line of banjos inspired by the prewar originals.
Photos courtesy of an anonymous collector.
