Kay KE-10

[thetermight]

Hey guys,

Any info on this guitar? I'm told it's 100% original.

Also, any idea what kind of sound I'll be able to get out of it?

thanks!

[johnnyb]

[VintAxe]

[thetermight]

[johnnyb]

thanks steve, thats basically what i wanted to say. 2 of the same guitars can have very different tones and feel. and buying on e-bay is always a gamble. i know, because due to the lack of pawn and mom and pop shops in the northeast, its my only outlet. i have been disappointed as well as pleasantly surprised by some of the guitars i have purchased. and in a way, the anticipation of "plugging it in" is part of the fun.

[Michael Ambrose]

I have some Kay-branded Tulips with the same pickup/hardware/electronics config as this... (they're in the other room, and I just got up and I'm really too lazy to go look at the brand, but I think they're ET-110's)...

DEFINITELY 70's Teisco.

I've actually never seen an ET-10 before... but interestingly enough, I used to own a pair of "Heit Deluxe" guitars with this EXACT body shape, but with the older style "Kawai" pickups (the ones mounted through the pickguard as opposed to resting on the top like these).

Tone-wise... I kind of like my single-pickup Tulips. A lot. Like I said, I have a few of them. I kind of just use them as knock-arounds, but they're great "test-beds." Here's my experience. Typically I start by running mine into a single-ended Class A tube combo (usually all I ever play), something like a reverberocket. Its VERY dry sounding, very BLAH... which can be a good thing. I then run it through a Keeley Tube Compressor and either Tube Screamer or a Fulltone OCD (just a little bit, for a little more edge), and the tone rounds out quite nicely. This rig makes it sound kind of like my Silvertone 1413L's running straight in. (Yeah, I have this weird thing for single "middle-position" pickup guitars.)

Going in straight, flat, and clean, these things sound like junk... but when I run it through the aforementioned rig, I'd have no problem taking it on stage. I don't really know if thats a reflection on the guitar or on Keeley... I'm thinking Keeley hahaha...

[Michael Ambrose]

PS... haha, I was watching this on Ebay, too!! I was really thinking about nabbing it and lining it up with my Tulips.

[cheepaxes]

I'm with Michael - this is a Kay-branded Teisco, like a tulip body but with a different body style. I don't recall having seen that shape before.

-Scott

[Riotonsunset]

Here are the ancestors of your guitar

A Truetone Red Kay Vanguard



And a Teisco Del Ray E-100

[cheepaxes]

That red Kay is American-made though, right? I've got a similar one - same body and controls, but with the "bushwacker" headstock and pickup glued under a bump in the pickgaurd.

-Scott

[VintageGuitars_89]

Definitely not American. By this point in time (mid-70s), the Kay name was a whore- it was on anything and everything it got paid for.

This body is the same "triple cut away" body that you'll see on many 2-3 pickup Teisco's and also the "Heit" Deluxe.

You made a wise buy. These sound GREAT. Cool color too. Sure, it's a non-tremolo, single pickup guitar. You can get two sounds with it - tone up, and tone down. BUT, what could possibly go wrong with it? Its simplicity gives it a luxury most of this era didn't have- gigability.

Enjoy it!

[cheepaxes]

I think my subscription to the catalogs pages here has lapsed, so I can't check for sure, but I think my Kay:

http://www.scottmcknight.com/KayF.jpg

...was from the mid-'60s, which is why I've been assuming it to be US-made. It does sound cool. I once took it to a gig with my Mexican Tele. The plan was for the Kay to be a backup and look interesting on a guitar stand. After tuning it and playing it during sound check the band leader asked me to play the Kay because it sounded better to him. It sounded better to me too that night. I ended up playing all three sets with it.

-Scott

[thetermight]

First off, thanks to everyone for all the input!

I didn't realize this thread continued on after my last post!

I've had the guitar set up and it's very playable! The tone through my Fender 2 by 12 is actually very similar to the Kay Value Leader I bought earlier.

There is a fret directly next to the nut with no space between the two and the truss rod is down on the body as opposed to the traditional headstock type...

One big difference i've found is that when I shake the body while sustaining a note or i push the neck outward it gives a very nice tremolo sound!


I think this may be the start of a guitar collection for me!

[cheepaxes]

"There is a fret directly next to the nut with no space between the two"

This is known as a zero fret. I have a few guitars with this and guitar companies considered to be pretty decent have used this design.

"and the truss rod is down on the body as opposed to the traditional headstock type..."

Also very common. I've got Fenders with truss rod adjustments on the body side instead of the headstock side.

"One big difference i've found is that when I shake the body while sustaining a note or i push the neck outward it gives a very nice tremolo sound!"

Generally considered to be a characteristic of a cheap guitar, though people have put it to good use before. IIRC Leslie West favored cheaper Gibsons because he could do this with them. You might try tightening the neck bolts to see whether it solves this "problem."

"I think this may be the start of a guitar collection for me!"

Congratulations! :)

-Scott

[Riotonsunset]