1951 Kay H10 Upright Double Bass 1/4 Size with pickup and soft padded case

For sale is a very rare and vintage Kay H-10 1/4 size upright bass with soft padded gig bag and electronic copper pickup. There were fewer than 1,000 H10's built altogether and by now there are likely to be only a few of them left in the world. This instrument is a dream because it’s so easy to move around, you can carry it with the shoulder strap and still have a hand free to open doors.

This Kay is a real diamond in the rough, but being 70 years old it has certainly seen its share of action and has thus been pretty well nicked and marked with a repair on the right shoulder, some body damage on the left shoulder, a bolted neck repair, and a missing scroll on the head (see photos). Nonetheless, the integrity of the bass is still solid and it produces a lovely, warm sound.

The serial number is: #25315. In 1951 Kay’s run of basses began with the serial number of 25000, thus putting the year of this instrument at 1951. The bass was set up with new strings at David Gage String Instruments in NYC a few years ago and an unlabelled David Gage looking pickup was added.

Feel free to message me with any questions. Local pickup only in NYC only, or I can deliver it to you for a small fee if you live in the area.