VINTAGE 1960's OLD KRAFTSMAN KAY SPEED DEMON ELECTRIC GUITAR K-573 USA

PRO SERVICE AND SET UP! PLAYERS DREAM!!

If you can look past the few cosmetics issues of this one you will find a really great guitar.  Most Kay made catalog guitars were well built but not set up properly. Most owners didn't have the skills or take the time to make them play well. I recently retired and have taken on the challenge. I spent a mess of time getting this guitar playing correctly. Yes, it is possible to bring these old beasts up to today's standards.

This is a VINTAGE 1960's OLD KRAFTSMAN SPEED DEMON ELECTRIC GUITAR. Model K-573. It was made in the USA by KAY. They were branded OLD KRAFTSMAN and distributed through the Spiegel Catalog Co. The original Speed Bump pickups have a date code '060765' so I assume the guitar and PU's were made in 1965. This guitar is complete and mostly original. I have added a new pickguard and replaced the center pickup (with a speed bump from the late 50's). Everything works as it should. PLAYS GREAT! SOUNDS AWESOME!!

It is a cool, solid instrument. It has wear including bumps, dings, scuffs and scratches. It has issues with the body finish that I am having a hard time showing. The guitar was on a stand or stored next to something that ate into the lacquer. I have seen this often on old guitars that were in contact to rubber... coil cords, stands, case linings, etc. Minor neck/fingerboard reglue at the first fret. The 'G' tuner is bent slightly but works. There is rust on the metal parts. Let's call it undisturbed patina. 

Now for the good stuff... It is a SOLID PLAYER! The neck is big but is very comfortable... 1 11/16 inch wide at the first fret, full in your palm, starts with a soft 'V' contour and flattens out towards the body. SOUNDS GREAT NOW and it would handle heavier, meaty strings for maximum vintage tone.  Four-way rotary switch for pickups... neck, middle, bridge, all. Features double line Kluson tuners, bound rosewood fingerboard and adjustable rosewood bridge. The neck is straight, the truss rod works, action is low. EVERYTHING WORKS... tuners, controls, bridge adjusters, truss rod, etc.

One pickup was dead when I got this guitar. In the course of trouble shooting the electronics, I completely removed all the components... pots, pickups, 4-way switch, ground wire, jack, etc. So, this instrument has been COMPLETELY disassembled, inspected and serviced. I have cleaned and polished the body and neck, cleaned and conditioned the fingerboard, dressed/leveled/polished the frets, cleaned the controls (no scratchy pots), oiled the tuners, adjusted the neck and intonation, set up with Dean Markley 10-46 gauge strings. You may want to tweak it for your style of play and comfort, but by all standards AND UNLIKE MOST KAY GUITARS IN THIS UNIVERSE... READY TO PLAY!

The following is common sense stuff, but needs mentioned:
-If you have a concern with any item purchased, CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY by phone or email. I always offer a full refund of the purchase amount (less shipping). You should not have to live with something you are unhappy with for any reason. If you alter, modify, change or "repair" the item in anyway without my consent, you are accepting the item "as is", at the price paid.
-If you receive an item that has been damaged in shipping, CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY and save all the packaging. We will work through the claim together until things are right.
-I can ship almost anywhere, but free shipping or a fixed shipping price is for the contiguous 48 states ONLY. If you have a foreign address, use an APO, live in Alaska, Puerto Rico, etc., message me for a shipping price BEFORE you buy.  Due to the cost and risk of shipping I do not accept returns from outside the US. Once the package is delivered to the carrier, the foreign buyer is responsible for the item, including but not limited to taxes, fees, customs issues, delays, damage, lose, duty, etc.

I have sold thousands of guitars over the last 25 years. This one is from my personal collection. It is part of my estate.