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Main Boards => Trad History/Collecting => Topic started by: Shane Reed on August 09, 2013, 09:16:00 PM

Title: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: Shane Reed on August 09, 2013, 09:16:00 PM
I received this bow today and thought I would share. It's a nice Kodiak De Luxe "Crystal lite"
44#'s 60" AMO. Serial is 1A119. I have heard the downfalls of this bow, but would like to know anything that your willing to share about this model exp..Woods, production numbers. I like Bear history. The bow is in collector shape, and I am grateful because I couldn't see very much when I bought it. Only a couple light stress lines that you really have to look to see. Original rest and strike plate from what I can tell. Ohhh, and someone wrote there name on the upper strike plate. This is what I believe it says "J.R. Brogna" maybe someone here knows the person.

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3314.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3314.jpg.html)

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3313.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3313.jpg.html)

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3310.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3310.jpg.html)

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3309.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3309.jpg.html)

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3308.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3308.jpg.html)
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: Shane Reed on August 09, 2013, 09:18:00 PM
 (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3307.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3307.jpg.html)

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3315.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3315.jpg.html)

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3317.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3317.jpg.html)

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3320.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3320.jpg.html)

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3321.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3321.jpg.html)
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: johnnyrazorhead on August 09, 2013, 10:46:00 PM
Beautiful bow Shane,one of Bear's prettiest in my opinion.Don't know the name.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: Shane Reed on August 10, 2013, 12:00:00 AM
Thank you John. It's one of the most beautiful bows i have ever seen. I took my chances as when i pulled the trigger there were not many detailed pics. I knew if I didn't move fast that somebody else would. So long story short i cli ked no questions asked. When bow arrived today I knew I made the right decision.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: Shane Reed on August 10, 2013, 12:01:00 AM
For you lefties there is one up for bid now
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: damascusdave on August 10, 2013, 04:55:00 PM
Take a close look at the pics of the leftie...looks like that one has already got a delaminated spot on a limb...do not think the seller is trying to be dishonest...just does not know what he is looking at

DDave
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: Shane Reed on August 10, 2013, 05:43:00 PM
Alaska,
  I realy had to look back at the pictures from the listing to see what you were talking about. Now my camera even blew this up a little. It's actually a very small ding that measures 3/16 of an inch and is not deep at all. I could take it out with a couple strokes of fine grit sand paper but am going to just leave it alone. The pic on **** made it look blown up like 300% look at the size of the finger to compare in listing. it's not a major blem at all! Very sweet bow. You should have snagged it, but I am glad you didn't. ;o)

  (http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad215/mrgq4126/106_3326.jpg) (http://s937.photobucket.com/user/mrgq4126/media/106_3326.jpg.html)
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: warpedarrow on August 10, 2013, 06:03:00 PM
That is a nice looking bow.  Is that the one from California?
I thought about it for a bit but decided that I NEED a dogleg in my rack much worse than I need another Deluxe.  Seems to me that I bought a coinless Deluxe from the same guy that was selling this one.  len something or other wasn't it?

I have three of the crystal glass bows and don't shoot them.  When I consider all of the Deluxes that came unglued 53 years ago along with how much money I have invested in them, I just can't see taking the chance.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: Shane Reed on August 10, 2013, 06:07:00 PM
This one came from a seller in FL. Len300 has the lefty that is up for sale now.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: alaskabowhunter on August 10, 2013, 08:39:00 PM
My 3 Deluxe are all original. The finish on my 56 incher looks about the same as yours, the 60 incher and 64 incher are mint... especially the 60" 50#. Bought it from Rob Tiberio and got my 56" Deluxe from his twin brother Rich...
  (http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d197/biggriz61/minnesota074-1.jpg) (http://s35.photobucket.com/user/biggriz61/media/minnesota074-1.jpg.html)
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: alaskabowhunter on August 10, 2013, 08:41:00 PM
please note the black lettering on the 56" model... beautiful bows, I'm sure your gonna like yours.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: alaskabowhunter on August 10, 2013, 08:44:00 PM
This is the 1960 Kodiak Special Deluxe that I shoot. 62", 45# refinished by bowdoc ... love it.
  (http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d197/biggriz61/62KodSpecDlx011.jpg) (http://s35.photobucket.com/user/biggriz61/media/62KodSpecDlx011.jpg.html)
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: Shane Reed on August 10, 2013, 10:44:00 PM
I see the black lettering on the 56" and mine has that as well. Wonder why the different colors. I really would like a 56" to shoot some day. Have a 56" 59 Kodiak, but would be very nice to have a de luxe.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: alaskabowhunter on August 11, 2013, 05:27:00 AM
two options on the black vs gold lettering. Either they ran out of the gold they were using and switched to black until it was back in stock. Or they decided to go black because it was cheaper and maybe easier to find and then switched back to gold. I'm sure they soon discovered the black didn't show up well on darker colored woods like the rosewoods used in the 1960 Kodiaks. I have a very early 1959 Kodiak with a dark rosewood site window, no coin, 1958 serial number, it was written in black and then again written in gold right over the black. Of course not everyone looks over their bows with a 20x magnifier like I do.... that's how you discover a bow's secrets....
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: warpedarrow on August 11, 2013, 07:18:00 AM
Lookimg at the pictures reminded me of a question that came up the other day when I was ordering decals from Al.  Were the sixtys' decal originally white or were they this light yellow that we see today?  Same question for the fifty nines.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: jackdaw on August 31, 2013, 12:34:00 PM
Shane...found one of these a year ago in ROUGH shape.....Mike Shaw did a bang-up job of bringing it back to life....rare stuff....John
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: Shane Reed on August 31, 2013, 12:37:00 PM
That's real awesome John! Mine is in great shape, and not needing repair. Good to know for future bows.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: ArrowPlane on August 31, 2013, 01:42:00 PM
Beautiful bow!

Do you think the medallion is original? They switched to aluminum for the 60's, unless they were still using up the copper ones early in the year. I ask because I just got a 1960 KS (not deluxe) that also has a copper medallion. Looks like it might have been a replacement though since there was a lot of finish over the top and on that area of the riser.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: Shane Reed on August 31, 2013, 01:48:00 PM
The copper coin was correct for the Kodiak De Luxe. I have seen a couple 1960 Kodiaks where the left over coin was used.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: damascusdave on August 31, 2013, 05:42:00 PM
I have two sixty Kodiaks with copper coins and two with aluminum...I think both were available and some bowyers used one and some used the other...manufacturing things back in 1960 was different than it is today...Wade Philips once posted a picture in this section of about 10 1960 Kodiaks showing some very major differences in limb configuration, tips and grip size...I am betting you will not see anywhere near that much in the current "1959 replica" Kodiak

DDave
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: alaskabowhunter on August 31, 2013, 10:53:00 PM
There is no such thing as a "correct coin" for 1960 Kodiak, Kodiak Deluxe, or Kodiak Special Deluxe. Some got copper coins, some got aluminum. Mostly likely they were using up the copper coins and installing the aluminum at the same time. There is no rhyme or reason to the coins as they overlap. I have over 20 versions of these 1960 Kodiaks, the serial numbers don't jive like the 1959 Kodiaks and the coins are intermixed.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: TonyW on August 31, 2013, 11:18:00 PM
Wade Phillip's words to the wise:
"First rule in determining the actual date that any Bear Bow was made is look at the profile of the bow, that is the form it was built on. 59s and 60s have noticeably different profiles. The riser wood is the second feature that I use to differentiate years. Glass color would be third but in the case of the 59 & 60 it is the same. Simply put you can not change these three features of a bow after it is built.

Riser and tip overlays can be replaced by anyone skilled in building bows.

There have been lots of repairs made by many different bowmen over the years.

Just trying to caution you that tip overlay colors are a quick, easy way to tell a 59 from a 60, but it is not fool proof. And the real problem in using tip overlays is now some un-knowledgeable people will take that out of context and declare any Kodiak with black and white overlays as a 1959.

That is pretty much what happened in the case of all the "coin daters". They have taken Al Reader's words out of context and declared all 59s have copper coins and all 60s have aluminum coins.

Coins can be replaced easier than overlays, but both can changed by someone who knows what they are doing."
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: ArrowPlane on September 01, 2013, 11:16:00 PM
Beautiful bow!

Do you think the medallion is original? They switched to aluminum for the 60's, unless they were still using up the copper ones early in the year. I ask because I just got a 1960 KS (not deluxe) that also has a copper medallion. Looks like it might have been a replacement though since there was a lot of finish over the top and on that area of the riser.
Title: Re: A Beautiful Kodiak De Luxe
Post by: warpedarrow on September 02, 2013, 08:57:00 AM
Of the nine 1959 and 1960 kodiaks, kodiak specials, and the deluxes on my rack all but one have copper medallions.  The odd ball being a kodiak deluxe that never was prepped for a medallion.
I am thinking that the silver medallions were not used much at all that year.  It would be interesting to see what serial numbers had the silver coins.