ead Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Can anybody tell me about this bass please that I happened across on evilbay when I was nosing around for no good reason yesterday? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20th-CENTURY-VINTAGE-KAY-BASS-GUITAR-KB24-SUPERB-CONDITION-/220876621041?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item336d45c4f1"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20th-CENTURY-VINTAGE-KAY-BASS-GUITAR-KB24-SUPERB-CONDITION-/220876621041?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=i[/url][url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20th-CENTURY-VINTAGE-KAY-BASS-GUITAR-KB24-SUPERB-CONDITION-/220876621041?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item336d45c4f1"]tem336d45c4f1[/url] Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 (edited) Weren't Kay the ones you could buy from Woolies for something like £15 way back when. (I briefly had a Kay guitar in the 80's) Although if I recall their bodies were solid... this one appears to be ply. Maybe it's just an original neck.... shame that he didn't realise until too late that you're not supposed to drill all the way through when you are drilling for the tuners. (not sure I'd trust a fret dress off someone capable of doing that ) Edited December 17, 2011 by Ou7shined Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 Yeah, it looked like one of those too-good-to-be-true items you see on evilbay. I'd never heard of them so was just curious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Alsatian Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Bloody hell! That's my first bass (well, same model), bought for £30 from an ad in the local paper in 1989! That one's in good condition, and has probably been set up to be playable - it's a plywood body (you can tell by the solid black colour on the contours) and mine weighed a tonne! I would never pay £300 for one now, even with its upgrades - I'd buy a Classic Vibe or a second hand Mexican Fender for that price. At the time of owning mine (and I knew nothing about setting up a bass back then), discounting the fact I could fit my fingers under the strings at the dusty end of the neck, the body had been routed to buggery and the electronics were crackly, it just didn't sound very good (murky). The Marlin Slammer P-copy (another cheap catalogue bass) that I bought off a friend for £60 to replace it was much-better playing and sounding and that wasn't what you'd call a great instrument by today's standards. That said, with the upgrades made, it might well sound nice, but it's by no measure a collectable instrument. I'd steer clear myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Kay Guitars today: [url="http://www.kayvintagereissue.com/index.html"]http://www.kayvintagereissue.com/index.html[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 The UK importers of these back in the 80's (British Music Strings Ltd IIRC) weren't fussy about who they sold instruments to. This could have come from a music shop or, as has already been pointed out, Woolworths. This particular model retailed for just under £90 and originally had a white scratchplate. Although the early days of Kay saw some pretty reasonable instruments coming out of the US, by the time the 80's arrived the original company had all but gone and the brand name was being used by an eastern manufacturer. The £90 bass was their 'top of the range' model - basic models started at about £40 and you could even buy an acoustic guitar for less than £20. They weren't particularly nice instruments back then and I'd be astounded if age had improved them any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mentalextra Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I bought one off ebay ages ago, jazz version. Cost me about £30. Once i changed the bridge, pups and control plate it sounded ok! Still only worth £30 though! Weighs a tonne! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 MB1. The return of the not so handsome Woolies Special The First Bass i ever had... ,i did bury it quite deeply!... "We didnt burn him!" .... obviously i didnt dig deep enough! "Heres a Kay!...Gone Tomorrow! Be Afraid Be Very Afraid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 My first bass too! Mine was new, weighed an tun. I remember it being pretty good (not £300+ good) I tried one recently and though the neck was a bit bulky compared to modern P copies. If I wanted a cheap p bass I'd get a westfield (I've heard of them for £65 new) The Kay is a cheap bass with some upgrades and a high price tag. "Vintage wood?" - an old cheap bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I had one of them. Same model but with a white plate rather than the black. It must've weighed around 15lbs and had a really fat neck with chronic neck dive. It cost about £30 in '80 or '81 and was a crock of sh*t. I can't imagine paying £295 for one these days...seller is in cloud cuckooland. Only place for a bass like that was the bonfire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mentalextra Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 [quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1324156170' post='1471422'] I had one of them. Same model but with a white plate rather than the black. It must've weighed around 15lbs and had a really fat neck with chronic neck dive. It cost about £30 in '80 or '81 and was a crock of sh*t. I can't imagine paying £295 for one these days...seller is in cloud cuckooland. [color=#ff0000]Only place for a bass like that was the bonfire[/color]. [/quote] Take the pups and bridge off first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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