Expert: Bill Ruxton - 7/24/2006

Question
Not the guitar I saw, but definitely very similiar. The one I saw was a solid body, with an almost kind of Gibson Explorer shape. Much of what I described is on that guitar, though.
It's not too big a deal, I was just curious - the guitar seemed to have already found an owner, and was on some sort of layaway. Final price - 390. Pretty ridiculous considering the wood block had terrible intonation and the pickups definitely needed to be rewinded.
Anyway, much thanks to you, definitely gave me greater insight to the Kay guitar line.

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Followup To

Question -
There's a guitar I saw for sale at a pawn shop, really old, worn down. The headstock says Kay guitars, and I was cxureious as to what model it is.
It's got two pickups, a kind of red-brown finish, and these strange pickups that have some kind faux diamond cover on them. It seems to have a stoptail designed to have w whammy bar, but the bar is missing.
I wasn't able to find much information, except on Vintaxe.com, I found a catalog cover with the guitar on the cover. The direct image link is: http://www.vintaxe.com/catalogs/thumb_1965kay.jpg
but it's on this page: http://www.vintaxe.com/catalogs_american_kay.htm
And it's on the cover of the 1962 full catalog.
I believe that to be the shape of the guitat I saw, or similiar.
It's strange, the string bridge is a block of wood, I don't know if the original owner replaced the original, or if that's how it was designed.

Anyway, thanks for any help!

Answer -
Dear John,

I don’t have a subscription to vintaxe.ccom, so I can’t access those links.  I do have a fuzzy scan of a ‘62 Kay catalog that shows what may be your model.  There’s a similar model on eBay, made by Kay for Montgomery Ward’s Airline label at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/1950-s-Vintage-Airline-Hollow-Body-by-Kay_W0QQitemZ130008391

The Kay versions had the “Kelvinator” headstock, which had a clear plastic overlay over a black or white plastic layer with gold-colored dots and a big “K.”   The "faux diamond" (clear plastic) pickup covers are known as “Kleenex boxes,” named for the clear plastic Kleenex box covers that were popular in the 60s.  The '62 catalog shows a model with what looks like a genuine Bigsby vibrato, but I’ve seen these with cheaper vibratos apparently made by Kay.  I think this model was known as the “Jazz II,” and the headstock design and pickup covers were similar to those on Kay’s Barney Kessel models.

Although these models were never serious threats to more expensive "name brand" models, they had a sound of their own, and with a proper setup, were playable, although most came from the factory with high action.  The block of wood is certainly not the original bridge.  

The Kelvinator headstock and Kleenex box pickups have some appeal to some collectors.  Later versions of this model had a “half-Kelvinator" overlay that only covered part of the head, and these are less desirable.

The original Kay Musical Instrument Company, of Chicago, went out of business in 1968, and the name was acquired by an importer of cheaply-made Asian instruments.

Any used guitar is worth only what some buyer is willing to pay for it, and condition and originality are big factors in its value.  In excellent, all-original condition, I’ve seen these models sell for up to around $800.  Lesser condition (severe wear, non-working electronics, etc.), modifications, and non-original or missing parts all would reduce its value greatly.

Hope this helps.  Have fun,

Bill


Answer
John,

Several things:

Kay may have had more than one catalog in any given year.  Like their main and much larger competitor, Harmony, they sold lots of instruments as store and catalog brands, and were keyed to spring and fall marketing seasons.  

Kay seemed to copycat Harmony more so than the more obvious "name brand" models, and they had one very similar to the Harmony Bobcat that might be similar to what you describe.  Search for Harmony Bobcat Guitar" on Google or eBay, and you'll find pictures. Those particular Kays were, in my opinion, not at all the equal of the Harmony models they copied.

I also have seen some evidence that leads me to suspect that Kay, at times, may have bought necks and bodies from Harmony, despite the fact that they were competitors.

I know how it feels to spot an unusual specimen in a pawn shop or used instrument store.  The cheapo-wacko models always have special appeal to me, even if they're junk.  I have a special fondness for nice old Harmonys.  :)

Have Fun,

Bill