The Kay-built 674
and 676 guitars were the longest-available
'Aristocrats,' the very first Silvertone cutaways, and the first with the wavy, pointy pickguard. 'Trident' style
fret markers gave way to big block style markers, and the body end of the fretboard went from fancy to flat, and the bridge changed from a curled at the
ends job to a more conventional affair. All those features mixed and matched
over the life of the guitars, with the 'S' logo style pickguard creeping in just
before the switch over to the
678/680 family.
Introduced: 1952
Retired: 1957
Aristocrat?!? Huh?
The 674/676 guitars were available for nearly five
years, starting out the run with a proclamation of 'NEW!' The new was the first
appearance of a cutaway archtop, an exciting new stylistic and musical
development, matched over in the electrics by the
1354/56.
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