Kay reissue bass

[casapete]

Anyone got any experience of these recent Kay reissues? There's a good review of the jazz special in this months Guitar&Bass magazine.
Maybe this should be in the irrational likes thread?!!!


[attachment=141597:kay-jazz-special-electric-bass-k5970V-front-blonde.jpg]

[BigRedX]

Looks fantastic, but £1k is a lot of money for a bass that's made in China IMO.

[clauster]

£1k!

I just saw the pic and thought that it looks cool in a Danelecrto kind of way. Was expecting a price similar to them.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Wasn't Kay the woolworths type, bargain bucket price of the 60's/70's ?

[amewse]

My memory of Kay from the late seventies and early eighties was that they were terrible catalogue instruments and not something that anyone would want to remember! A case of cashing in on the rose tinted first bass spectacles perhaps (if there is such a thing as first bass spectacles, I may be thinking of something else altogether).

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Yes catalogue bass. You couldn't forget them tho'

[Acebassmusic]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#222222][quote name='amewse' timestamp='1376589068' post='2176582']
A case of cashing in on the rose tinted first bass spectacles perhaps (if there is such a thing as first bass spectacles,
[/quote][/color][/font][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][/size][/font][/color]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#222222] [/color][/font][/size][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#222222][size=1][/size][/color][/font]
[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial][/font][/color][/size]
[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#222222]Oh yes….I too had a pair of those vision enhancing spectacles! My first bass (after bodging together a home made Frankenstein) was a brand spanking new Kay “Les Paul-ish” shaped bass. I was 16 with cash burning in my pocket and I wanted a bass….any bass.[/color][/font][/size]
[color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][/size][/font][/color]

[Musky]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1376587091' post='2176554']
Wasn't Kay the woolworths type, bargain bucket price of the 60's/70's ?
[/quote]
Back in the 50's Kay was a US made brand, and that's what this one is a copy of. The originals are quite sought after by guitarists.

[cybertect]

[quote name='amewse' timestamp='1376589068' post='2176582']
My memory of Kay from the late seventies and early eighties was that they were terrible catalogue instruments and not something that anyone would want to remember!
[/quote]

IIRC possibly a notch above Satellite, and below Columbus, but neither is saying much for them.

Edited August 15, 2013 by cybertect

[blamelouis]

What about Marlin ?

[cybertect]

My experience of Marlin acoustic guitars in the 80s was that they were not great, but a fair buy for not much money. Certainly good enough to get a start with. If you wanted to spend less than £100, it would be one of those or a bust the budget by a few pounds for cheap Yamaha.

[Woodinblack]

My first guitar was a natural pine strat. It weighed a ton. It wasn't actually a bad guitar considering. Well, it was by the time I finished modifying it, but it didn't start that way.

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='amewse' timestamp='1376589068' post='2176582']
My memory of Kay from the late seventies and early eighties was that they were terrible catalogue instruments and not something that anyone would want to remember! A case of cashing in on the rose tinted first bass spectacles perhaps (if there is such a thing as first bass spectacles, I may be thinking of something else altogether).
[/quote]
The Kay pictured on the OP is not the same as the basses you are talking about. This is a copy of a U.S. made bass much sought after nowadays and not to be confused (although it looks like some are) with the 70s and 80s cheap Japanese made ones.

Edited August 15, 2013 by BetaFunk

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='cybertect' timestamp='1376593289' post='2176645']
IIRC possibly a notch above Satellite, and below Columbus, but neither is saying much for them.
[/quote]
You're confusing the cheap Japanese Kays from the late 60s and 70s which are nothing like the 50s and early 60s ones which were made in Chicago and much sought after today.

Edited August 15, 2013 by BetaFunk

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Cranes Cardiff have them and the last time I popped in about 2 months ago, they were reduced to about £750. I tried a black one with an Epi Jack Casady. It sounded ok but I didn't like the very narrow pickup on it as a thumb rest so I gave it a miss. I did prefer the sound to the epi but I prefer the Warwick Pro Star Bass I bought instead. They do look cool though, especially the headstock

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1376576561' post='2176321']
Anyone got any experience of these recent Kay reissues? There's a good review of the jazz special in this months Guitar&Bass magazine.
Maybe this should be in the irrational likes thread?!!!


[attachment=141597:kay-jazz-special-electric-bass-k5970V-front-blonde.jpg]
[/quote]
I've liked these since they were reissued. I think that the one pictured has a 31 inch scale.

[casapete]

I'm intrigued by this bass - the review says it has very close string spacing at the bridge, and sounds quite
'uprighty' which apparently was it's design brief in the 50's. Really fancy trying one out, along with it's sister model the Kay Pro Bass K162.[attachment=141630:Kay bass.png]

Edited August 16, 2013 by casapete

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1376645464' post='2177194']
I'm intrigued by this bass - the review says it has very close string spacing at the bridge, and sounds quite
'uprighty' which apparently was it's design brief in the 50's. Really fancy trying one out, along with it's sister model the Kay Pro Bass K162.[attachment=141630:Kay bass.png]
[/quote]
There are also Custom Shop reissues of these basses that are made in the U.S. I think that both these and standard ones have a 31" scale.

I've also bid on a couple of the 1950s Kay basses that these are based on (sadly without success) and i think i'm right in saying that they have an even shorter scale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQASG39Xvoc

[KevB]

I'm a bit put off by the Dairylea cheese wedge stuck in the headstock so I'll be giving this one a miss.