skej21 Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 I have a friend who asked me to look into a bass he was given, and i thought that I'd probably find out more by asking here than digging myself. Anyone know anything about Kay bass guitars? Model is sunburst Kay K-2B. Pretty much all I know as he only showed me a picture and a model number. Could get the serial if needs be. Any/all information and (inevitable) expertise would be greatly appreciated. Tar in advance folks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 (edited) I have a KJB-1B (actually a KJ[B]P[/b]-1B. Sorry about the confusion) bass by kay Not bad basses. They made electric basses around the 1960's (i think they were made by teisco) and were primarily an upright bass manufacturer. Edited October 15, 2012 by tommorichards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skej21 Posted April 26, 2011 Author Share Posted April 26, 2011 [quote name='tommorichards' post='1211883' date='Apr 26 2011, 06:28 PM']I have a KJB-1B bass by kay Not bad basses. They made electric basses around the 1960's (i think they were made by teisco) and were primarily an upright bass manufacturer.[/quote] Nice! I should have also said, the K-2B model my friend appears to have a body shape similar to an SG. Reckon it's worth much, or just a good back-up bass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Kay were a low end guitar manufacturer - their instruments adorned many beginners bedrooms in the mid 80's. Most, if not all, of their guitars were manufactured in laminate (plywood) and their only claim to fame is that they were the first guitar manufacturer to adopt this material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 A guy I knew had a Kay Strat-alike in the 80's; the pups were so microphonic you could shout into them & it came over the amp. I saw a s/h one of those sunburst Kay basses in around '79/80 for £65, after trying it I passed & bought an actual (10th hand) EB3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I paid £40 for mine. They're not collectibles (yet ) but if you can get a sound you like, its pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Its not worth much,and it's not a good back up bass,novelty value ? landfill ? Kay did make some decent gear but IMO anything with the coat hanger wire string retainer is not worth the bother.All my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slobluesine Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 (edited) [quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1212306' date='Apr 27 2011, 08:32 AM']Its not worth much,and it's not a good back up bass,novelty value ? landfill ? Kay did make some decent gear but IMO anything with the coat hanger wire string retainer is not worth the bother.All my opinion.[/quote] hmmmnn..... [url="http://www.gbase.com/gear/kay-k162-electric-bass-1954-sunburst"]http://www.gbase.com/gear/kay-k162-electri...s-1954-sunburst[/url] stick it on Ebay and i think you'll be surprised very popular guitars in the US now, along with Harmony's and Silvertone's, they've re-issued the K162. [url="http://www.kaybassguitar.com/kay-pro-bass-vintage-reissue-sale.htm"]http://www.kaybassguitar.com/kay-pro-bass-...eissue-sale.htm[/url] Edited April 27, 2011 by slobluesine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 "Kay did make some decent gear but IMO anything with the coat hanger wire string retainer is not worth the bother.All my opinion." These are not the same quality,by any stretch of the imagination as the early Kay models,which are collectable like the ones you posted links to,which are much better quality than any of the late sixties to seventies plywood models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slobluesine Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 (edited) the old K162's are dogs to play apparently, it's not the quality of them that fetched those prices it's cos anything with that K logo is just cool at the moment how much you after skej21? Edited April 27, 2011 by slobluesine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ras52 Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Ooh, nostalgia! My first ever guitar was a Kay classical, cost £18 new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='ras52' post='1212431' date='Apr 27 2011, 11:14 AM']Ooh, nostalgia! My first ever guitar was a Kay classical, cost £18 new.[/quote] Me too. The Kay electrics that used to hang in every Woolworths are a bit iffy compared to the frankly droolsome items from the early 60's. That said, you see them on the bay going for stupid money. Time to get that Jedson out of the shed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1212392' date='Apr 27 2011, 10:37 AM']"Kay did make some decent gear but IMO anything with the coat hanger wire string retainer is not worth the bother.All my opinion." These are not the same quality,by any stretch of the imagination as the early Kay models,which are collectable like the ones you posted links to,which are much better quality than any of the late sixties to seventies plywood models.[/quote] Quite so. Kay was originally an American manufacturer, after US production ended, the brand was sold & ended up slapped on any number of execrable plywood cheapos, mostly made in Taiwan. There were some OK-ish Precision, Strat & Les Paul copies in the mid-70s, also from Taiwan, and in the late 70s/early 80s production went to Cort in Korea. Some of the Cort Kays are pretty good - particularly the through-neck basses & guitars, which can be close to MIJ qiality if you get a good one. Unfortunately if it's SG-shaped & made in Taiwan, it's likely to be a bit rubbish & more of a novelty these days than any kind of serious musical instrument. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I had one of the Cort built through-neck basses a few years ago,it was a lovely thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skej21 Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 [quote name='slobluesine' post='1212411' date='Apr 27 2011, 10:51 AM']the old K162's are dogs to play apparently, it's not the quality of them that fetched those prices it's cos anything with that K logo is just cool at the moment how much you after skej21?[/quote] Not after anything. It belongs to a mate and I'm just doing a bit of research. He was just making sure he wasnt holding an uninsured expensive instrument lol. Sounds good to me though. Had a play and it plays alright. I wouldn't buy it, that's for sure lol. Thanks for all the replies guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I learned to play on a Kay bass. An EB-O copy, with action of about 1/2 an inch, seriously. But, learning on that was worth while, cos when I got hold of a bass with proper set-up/action, well from there on, the world was my lobster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 (edited) Had a 1970s Kay bass. Unique non resonating anti dead spot neck construction (plywood) with lightweight comfort body (very thin plywood - I used to look in wonder at the thickness of real guitars like telecasters). Special custom bridge with individual string width adjustment ( screw thread with slotted wheels), super high output full frequency range pickups (lots of handling noise, micro-phonic and feedback at a the slightest provocation). Special low insertion loss tone and volume controls (they did B**** all). Super fast scale length (was it even 30"? string tension was not an issue, there was none). On the plus side, it was well finished with a reasonable sunburst, and very hard paint. The plywood neck was actually quite nice to look a (I could imagine this as a boutique multi laminate feature) and was pretty stable. £25 (I think) at woolworths in Hereford circa 1974. A columbus jazz type came next (better, but not much better) then the Gibbo EB2 - a real bass. Downhill from then on. 1970s Kay basses - if someone gave me one I might think about forking out for new strings, then again I do like to use my money wisely Edited April 27, 2011 by 3below Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 [quote name='skej21' post='1212772' date='Apr 27 2011, 04:07 PM']Not after anything. It belongs to a mate and I'm just doing a bit of research. He was just making sure he wasnt holding an uninsured expensive instrument lol. Sounds good to me though. Had a play and it plays alright. I wouldn't buy it, that's for sure lol. Thanks for all the replies guys![/quote] Fixed one of these up for a mate recently, it played surprisingly well after I'd filled the gouges on the back of the neck with araldite, and set it up. Almost wanted to steal it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 The one thing i do like on mine is that the neck is quite comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mugz.wood Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 im looking for a Kay K-1b to buy its weird how u find the thread ur looking for just after u make ur own [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=138670"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=138670[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domjohnson Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 [quote name='tommorichards' post='1211883' date='Apr 26 2011, 05:28 PM']I have a KJB-1B bass by kay Not bad basses. They made electric basses around the 1960's (i think they were made by teisco) and were primarily an upright bass manufacturer.[/quote] I have the same bass! Do you know what year this model was made? I think it's '69, but not entirely sure...Didn't Teisco stop manufacturing stuff in 1969, thus meaning it can't be made later than '69? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fender73 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) I remember seeing a Kay P-Bass copy in a music shop when i was about 10 - was the best thing i'd ever seen. Good Times Edited July 1, 2011 by fender73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 [quote name='domjohnson' post='1288183' date='Jun 30 2011, 08:43 PM']I have the same bass! Do you know what year this model was made? I think it's '69, but not entirely sure...Didn't Teisco stop manufacturing stuff in 1969, thus meaning it can't be made later than '69?[/quote] They may not be as old as you think. I was selling these in a music shop back in the mid 80's - rrp was £39.99 IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Ha! My very first bass was a Kay SG copy - VERY cheap & cheerful in transparent red plywood. I wonder whatever happened to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domjohnson Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 [quote name='icastle' post='1288243' date='Jun 30 2011, 09:28 PM']They may not be as old as you think. I was selling these in a music shop back in the mid 80's - rrp was £39.99 IIRC.[/quote] The same model? Interesting (but not so cool lol) The guy I bought it from said it was from the 60s, but this was a car boot dealer (as in, not just someone getting rid of stuff just to get rid of it, it was someone selling for profit) so I wouldn't trust what he said 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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