Let’s collect Ken Rose related stories and media here. Ken Rose guitars surprised no-brand skeptics and left others in disbelief.
A Unique Phenomenon
MEV 81245 München
MEV Musik und Elektronik Vertrieb GmbH seems to have been the home of Ken Rose guitars. Note the sticker at the back of the necks.
Restoring the Glory
A possible story of Ken Rose guitars is that someone got them as a present, but did not have a good teacher to set up the guitar to make learning to play it pleasure, and not pain. Thus, soon Ken Rose guitars could have found their way into the cellars, rusting away for years. If you get one, bring it back to life, straighten the neck, level and polish the frets, put new strings on, intonate, plug in, and enjoy.
Origin Theories: Tennis Rackets
There are various theories about the origin of Ken Rose guitars. Here’s one:
Ken Rosewall is a famous Australian tennis player who hit his straps in the 60’s.
He had a line of signature tennis racquets.
Maybe now his court days are behind him he’s putting his name to Asian made guitars.
Shango66
Whoever Ken Rose is …
To kick off the Ken Rose appreciation series, here’s a quote from Harmony Central:
This one proves it. Whoever Ken Rose is, than you sir for a fine quality strat copy that will see me through.
Matt T.
The History
Check out the original website in https://web.archive.org/web/2003*/kenrose.de, guitar catalog