HELP - Unknown Kay model?

[Tiax]

Hello...

I just bought this guitar and I dont know what it is, someone said its a Kay Craftsman, but I cant find anything on it.


Anyone in here got a clue ?




Cheers Allan

[VintAxe]

Well Tiax, I would say your guitar was definitely built by Kay in the mid 1960's. However, it is not a model that was ever in the Kay guitar line. Kay produced guitars under a variety of brand names. Guitars they built for distribution through department stores included 'Old Kraftsman' for Spiegel, 'Sherwood' and 'Airline' for Montgomery Wards, and 'Silvertone' for Sears. Most of these guitars were similar to branded Kay models, however, the pick up arrangement on your guitar is quite different than any Kay model I know existed. I don't recall having ever seen those pickups and switches on a Kay built guitar before. Unfortunately, I do not have enough mid 60's Spiegel catalogs to determine whether or not your guitar was ever marketed as an Old Kraftsman.

Right now I'm thinking Kay may have built a batch of guitars to the specifications of a European distributor designed to appeal to the European market. In any case, you certainly have a unique Kay built instrument.

Hopefully, someone will stop by that knows more about this guitar than I do.

[Tiax]

[VintAxe]

[Tiax]

[VintAxe]

[Tiax]

[Tiax]

I even found a 3'rd one now sold on ebay one month ago, and that shows your right about the PU's has been changed on my frinds guitar
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... JPVIg%253D

[Spud1950]

[Tiax]

Hi again...

I now finished the guitar It was quite funny to bring it back to life.

I think this axe has been rescued from a fire, everything tremelo, switches and electronic wass attacked by soot, and corroded.
Pickguard has shirked because of the heat, and the corners flips out.

I discovered a funny thing, all 6 rocker switches are MADE IN FRANCE ?



Bridge PU was not working (measured) coil was shorted.

The backside of the neck has zebra black soot stripes



The top of the nut was black of sood.
Trusrood cover was turned over, A side black of sood. B side white and what is shoved on the photo in the add on fleabay.

I think this it is what one can expect on a 40 years old instrument, but it would have been good to know and even better if it was mentioned in the add. :-/

After a few hours of cleaning and polishing and a lot of fretwork, she begin to look like something again

And NO this is not the cloth I used for cleaning my bike, it has only been used for cleaning one sooted guitar body & neck





Frets are now curved and polished, just about as good as new



At the headstock I can spot some shadow in the lacquer from the brand logo and it's looking like ellipse with cut off ends ans it looks like the 2 last letters is ST



Now she is back to life, stay in tune and rocking away



I even been told by Nashville Fretworks that this an old CustomKraft, not the same as an Old Kraftsman, not the same as a Kay, but from a similar gene pool. Awesome guitar...

The King of Kays site has a picture of one too, but to me it seems like he ASSUMING by saying so.:

Supro? Valco? Japanese? I don't know anything about the first guitar here, but I'm assuming it's American by the way the neck is attached, the tailpiece, and that little Kay bridge.

Cheers Allan

[Tiax]