Just got this from my Grandpa.

[tspec2]

It's a K40 model Kay. My Grandpa told me in 1955 he was looking for a guitar to buy my mom for Christmas. My family lived in Chicago at the time, and Grandpa's neighbor happened to be the brother of an executive for the Kay company. The executive (whose name Grandpa can't remember anymore) had my Grandpa pick a guitar he liked out of the Kay catalog. Lo and behold, a short time later, the man brought this guitar to my Grandpa. Grandma and Grandpa didn't have a ton of money, so Grandpa was looking for something fairly inexpensive. This guitar happened to be a "factory defect", so Grandpa was able to purchase it for the whopping sum of $27.50. It plays pretty well as it is, but it wouldn't matter to me if it wouldn't play at all, considering the family history.

I do have a few questions. One, how does the strap attach? I know there's a strap hook on the bottom of the guitar, but Grandpa has the other end of the strap tied just above the nut. Two, what's the hole on the bottom of the neck? There's a threaded rod in there, you should be able to see it in the picture. There's nothing on the threaded rod. Is that a stop where another strap hook would have gone, or is that a spot where some sort of nut should be, to adjust the neck? Three, although I know it's not worth much, what would a good insurance value be on this guitar? If anything were to ever happen to this guitar (God forbid), I'd like to be able to at least have it in my insurance policy.

Thanks for any replies, I hope you all enjoy the pictures.


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[MATT]

Hey man, nice guitar. It appears that the strap in attatched in the right place, however some guitars do have a second strap button near the base of the neck although I can not confirm that for your model. Not sure about the whole near the base of the neck or value.

Have fun with it, looks really cool.

-matt

[Spud1950]

Great looking Kay K40. It appears to be in excellent condition. Here's another one,same thing at the neck heel.I don't what the deal is with that threaded rod is. I've never seen that on any other guitar. I can't see how it would have anything to do with the neck adjustment.My guess is that it has something to with how the neck attaches to the body, or maybe it is for attaching another strap button.



Can't find values for that model,but I can make an educated guess. The more typical Harmony and Kay archtops that I see on eBay in the same condition sell for around $300,plus or minus a bit,but yours seems to definately be an upgraded model from what I usually see.I think the fancy headstock,the fancy neck inlays,the nicer binding and the nicer quality of the wood puts your guitar up around the $500 range,maybe a bit more. For insurance purposes, I'd feel comfortable putting it at $600.

[oddman397]

wow!! this guitar is really great! i like it!