70-80s Kay Cort ?

[Reggaebass]

I just thought I’d share this little project with you, I bought  what Im pretty sure is a late 70s or early 80s Kay cort (please correct me if I’m wrong here 🙂).  It was in a pretty grimy condition in an old case, but after a closer look I’d say all original , it didn’t work very well, the jack socket had a few spiders in it 😁 , and there was a broken wire on the pickup selector switch, so I set to work cleaning it up , more pics to follow 🙂

[PaulThePlug]

Nice find...

...and the after pics?

Are you removing the flags and headstock adornments?

What does the back look like, thru neck?

Edited December 3, 2020 by PaulThePlug

[Reggaebass]

I removed the strings and the nut fell off as it wasn’t fixed, and I could get to the fretboard to clean it , i was pleasantly surprised to see the fret markers were brass, I also removed the stickers from the headstock and the body 

[Reggaebass]

3 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

Nice find...

...and the after pics?

Are you removing the flags and headstock adornments?

What does the back look like, thru neck?

Thanks Paul, yeah I took the flags off and here’s the back 

[Reggaebass]

The nut polished up really good and the fretboard cleaned up well too , it’s had 2 coats of lemon oil 

[PaulThePlug]

Brass markers n nut different and have come up nice. gonna fashion a matching brass truss nut cover?

Nice thru neck n wood.

bet its got a bit of weight n substance to it.

Edited December 3, 2020 by PaulThePlug

[TheGreek]

See these a lot on eBay/Gumtree/ Preloved - never sure how good they are. Be interested to hear what you think of it...

[Reggaebass]

I haven’t weighed it but it’s definitely heavier than anything else I have 🙂, I’ve still got more work to do ,but to get it working i  re soldered a wire and I put a set of flats on and it works great 

[Reggaebass]

[Guest]

Thats a relief. I was worried those union flag stickers were hiding damage, possible tug bar mounting holes. Nice work.

[Reggaebass]

4 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

Thats a relief. I was worried those union flag stickers were hiding damage, possible tug bar mounting holes. Nice work.

Thanks bassfinger, I didn’t think of that, fortunately there wasn’t any damage, I think it had just been stored away for a long while, I’m guessing many years , it smelt like my 93 year old aunt Hilda’s fur coat 😁

[PaulThePlug]

Aunt Hilda's Fur Coat... Isn't that by YES?

[Reggaebass]

The only thing missing is the truss rod cover, does anyone know where I could get one ?

[silverfoxnik]

Great job @Reggaebass

I had one of those basses years ago and I really liked it a lot.. Very comfortable to play and had a good sound too. 

Hope you're enjoying it 😊

[PaulThePlug]

53 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

The only thing missing is the truss rod cover, does anyone know where I could get one ?

Have a measure up for a bit of brass from the bay...

or https://www.metaloffcuts.co.uk/product/natural-brass-sheet/  listing suitable size off cuts 100m x 100m  1.5, 2mm thick...

Edited December 3, 2020 by PaulThePlug

[Reggaebass]

5 minutes ago, silverfoxnik said:

Great job @Reggaebass

I had one of those basses years ago and I really liked it a lot.. Very comfortable to play and had a good sound too. 

Hope you're enjoying it 😊

Thanks nik 👍, I bought it for a bit of fun really but it plays so nice, the pickups are quite powerful and I like the tone from the P .

[Reggaebass]

2 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

Have a measure up for a bit of brass from the bay...

Good idea Paul, I could shape it at work 👍

[silverfoxnik]

I think the one I had cost me eighty quid on Fleabay.. It was a great sounding bass for the money! 

File under 'Cool basses I should never have sold!' 🙄🤦😁

Edited December 3, 2020 by silverfoxnik

[Reggaebass]

3 minutes ago, silverfoxnik said:

I think the one I had cost me eighty quid on Fleabay.. It was a great sounding bass for the money! 

File under 'Cool basses I should never have sold! 🙄🤦😁

My one didn’t cost much more than you paid, and only needed a good clean and a few minor repairs, I enjoyed doing it 🙂

[Dov65]

That was my first bass Tony, bought 81-82 from Kays catalogue & paid up every fortnight...good to see one again 👍

[Paul S]

Lovely!  Was that the Gumtree one?  Buffed up nicely, in any case  

[Reggaebass]

5 hours ago, Dov65 said:

That was my first bass Tony, bought 81-82 from Kays catalogue & paid up every fortnight...good to see one again 👍

Thanks for that dave, it’s helped me date it, that must have been a really nice first bass, they play so good, this was my first bass , I paid about £30 for it in 1977, it now hangs on my summerhouse wall 🙂

[Reggaebass]

1 minute ago, Paul S said:

Lovely!  Was that the Gumtree one?  Buffed up nicely, in any case  

Yeah that’s it Paul, I had to pay more than she had it advertised for, she said it had a lot of offers, it cleaned up well 

[Dov65]

30 quid Tony bet that was around half a weekly wage back then.

[Reggaebass]

A little update, I tried everywhere to get the truss rod cover with no luck, so as someone suggested I bought a 100mm square piece of brass for £5 and cut one out to shape  just to cover the hole, I’ve just got to get some small brass screws next time I’m at the workshop