ID/Date old Kay acoustic?

[devnulljp]

Just picked up an old acoustic of CL that I think is a Kay Jumbo, but it's missing the headstock plaque -- although the indentations are still there -- so I can't be sure.
The number stamped on the inside looks like L5630
There's also another number inked further up on the inside: N-2

Anyone know anything about these?ID? Date?

The serial number is unusual -- others I've seen are in the format LXXXX-YYYY

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I've found a few close matches online. So it seems to be a Kay N-2 Jumbo. I'm kinda leaning toward the headstock plaque having been one of these:

I found this listed as 60s Kay Jumbo

And this listed as 60s Kay N-2 Jumbo


Any ideas? Does that L5630 mean 1963 or am I stretching it a bit?

[Spud1950]

I found this bit of info.

"The USA Kay didn't use serial numbers in the usual sense. The letters and numbers found in American-made Kay instruments appear to be production codes of some sort. USA Kays often have a series of numbers preceded by the letters P or L. Sometimes there is a letter N followed by one or two numbers, and sometimes a K followed by a short series of numbers. Asian-made Kays frequently have a letter K followed by several numbers, but not necessarily the P, L, or N numberings."

Can't find any info at all on how these letters and numbers relate to specific production dates or models. You would think "N-2" might be the model number,but when I Google "Kay N-2", various f hole arch top models also come up.

[devnulljp]

Thanks for the info.
I've seen a few different models billed as Kay N-2 -- an archtop (which actually looks pretty nice), the jumbo, and a mandolin.
read somewhere that Harmony had a code for seasons/quarters -- F = fall -- so a guitar marked F-2 was made in the fall. Wonder if this is the same deal, but I can't think what N could stand for...

[devnulljp]

Now the tuners on this thing need to go and I have a set of Grovers lying around doing nothing... I wonder if it will survive reaming those peg holes to 24/64" ? Or should I just go buy some Klusons?
What do you think?