Old Kay archtops are often beat to heck... but this one is quite clean and quite the dandy! 1 11/16" nut width, long 25 3/4" scale, 15 1/4" lower bout, U-shaped baseball-bat neck, and bling all over... it all adds up to a slick piece of kit that will serve as big-band backer, jazz comp device, or proud blues slinger. With some nudging I'll bet it'd serve for old-time and folk players looking or some projection, too.
The top is solid spruce (pressed, not carved) while the back and sides are laminate flamed maple. The neck is either maple or poplar and has faux-flame painted on its back. The whole thing is finished in a cherry sunburst finish in thin nitro (with the usual weathercheking). There are some use marks throughout but overall the instrument is exceptionally clean and plays spot-on after some fresh light rehab work. It's also entirely original except for the new tuner buttons (the old ones were crumbled).
As stated, the guitar plays spot-on and has had an accurate setup. String height is 3/32" bass and 1/16" treble at the 12th fret, strung with 12s. The neck deflects only slightly (hair over 1/64" overall) under tension. Unlike many old pressed-top Kays, the sound of this guitar features a lot more creamy, tight bass rather than spidery highs and a thinner bottom end. This means it can do a lot more than spanky chordal comping... though chop chords followed by fiery leads are certainly where it's at on this fella.
I repair and restore vintage and antique instruments professionally as
my 24/7 day job and I assure you that you will receive what you see.
Please contact me for any additional information and also be aware that
any instrument posted here also has a blog post presence on the web with
much more detailed info that I can link you to.
