This 1950 Kay is a marvel to me. When I looked at the guitar I was drawn to the tailpiece first as it is the same piece of hardware used on my much loved K 161 “Jimmy Reed” guitar that I am playing on the Facebook page. If you check the picture out you can see the tailpiece of that guitar has been changed to a 30’s Kay flattop model and I planned to “borrow” the acoustic tailpiece for the “Jimmy Reed” and possibly scavenge the KLUSON deluxe tuners as well.
When I returned to the shop and checked out my pawnshop parts guitar I realized how rare the old archtop was really was. The neck, well attached to the body and with a beautiful medium profile had somehow without the help of a truss rod not warped in over 60 years! Amazing. With the combination of the beautiful vintage finish, the chrome Kay headstock logo, the super low action and a great feeling neck I knew that this guitar was a keeper and that my K 161 would have to keep the flatop bridge.
The Kay acoustic features a spruce plywood top, maple back and sides and a rosewood fretboard and bridge. This guitar looks, plays and sounds great. Classic Fifties archtop with a really nice neck profile. No “baseball bat”. How rare is that? Call 415-255-0618 or email with any questions. Celebrate vintage guitars.