The Kay-built 712 was the first
so-called 'Aristocrat' in a line of wide-bodied, well-appointed acoustic and
electric guitars that spanned more than a dozen years in the Silvertone line.
Fresh out of a 'no guitars available' condition during the peak years of World
War II, the newly-named Silvertone line of instruments grew rapidly, with the
712 one of the first out of the gate, along with the Gretsch-built (!)
714.
Introduced: 1946
Retired: 1950
The 712 set the tone for all the Aristocrats that followed; with its wide body, elaborate decorations and fanciful fingerboard inlays (the
712 itself boasting two iterations of fret markers). Where does the
'Aristocrat' nickname
come from?
Ya got me!
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