Late 50's Early 60's Kay Triple "Kessel" Style HEL

[Pastortom1]

After searching for nearly a year now, I have yet to discover any concrete information on this particular guitar. It's known as a "Barney Kessel" since it's fashioned after the Gibson double cutaway....But it's NOT the Barney Kessel official model made by Kay. That is a single cutaway and has a signature pick guard. But, nonetheless, it's almost always referred to as the Kessel model in sale ads.

I've seen them by Airline (usually a natural maple color), Truetone (the same), and the Old Kraftsman (which this is) in transparent flamed maple red. I have found no marking to designate a model number anywhere on the guitar. I've fitted it with a custom Warmoth neck and hand-cut pearl accents, and adjusted it to some incredible fingering tolerances. In my opinion, it's a better guitar than any of the major brands I've owned and has amazing tonal qualities from the 3 Gibson P-35's (Kleenex-Box) it came equipped with. The vibrato is clearly made by Bigsby for Kay and works great with my updated tune'o'matic rosewood base roller bridge I fabbed for this body curve.

If ANY of you'se guys have info. on a model name or number for this guitar, PLEASE help me out here.

[Spud1950]

First off,your guitar is not late 50s,early 60s.Checking the Kay catalogs in the VintAxe collection shows that the first model to use that body style shows up in the 1965 catalog (page 5),model K592.It is just like yours,but has two "speed bump pickups". In the 1966(page7) and 1967/1968 catalogs there are two other models with that body style.The model K685 has the exact same body, same pickup selector switch and location, but different style pickups(not speed bump or Kleenex), and vibrato tail piece. The model K625 has the same body, same Kleenex style pickups and vibrato tail piece, but a different style pickup selector switch and location. These are also both two pickup guitars. There is no three pickup Kay version of either one. That body style is absent from any models in the 1969 catalog and onward. To me, your version was obviously made by Kay to be sold through other vendors and not part of their official Kay line. Old Kraftsman was the brand name used by the Spiegel mail order company on the guitars they sold through their catalog. Airline was the brand name used by Montgomery Wards. Trutone was the brand name used by Western Auto stores. Any model number would probably be specific to whichever vendor it was sold through as each individual vendor would most likely have assigned its own different model number to it. So, the best I can find is that it is a mid to late 1960s, Kay made, re branded model,not part of the official Kay line. It is a very cool guitar. Warmoth neck,very classy!

[Pastortom1]

All of these things we have already learned as well, and have been searching various Spiegel Catalogs for the specific guitar, yet unfound. The body style put out by Kay that matches this one may very well have been issued at a later date than the other brandings, though we have no clear evidence as yet.

The P-35's were used late 50's and early 60's as well. So, we have a mystery on this one.

We know it's a Kay, branded "Old Kraftsman" for Speigel, but that's all. We have yet to come up with a year of issue, and/or a possible model whether by Kay or Kraftsman.

This guitar MUST be out there somewhere in printed page (unless of course it was an elusive "uncatalogued" model).......Since I have seen this exact model under 3 brandings thus far, I believe it almost has to be catalogued somewhere at some point.

This is a problem as well, since there are "Spring and Summer", "Fall and Winter", "Christmas", AND special sale catalogs for Spiegel in the various years of issue........They're not easy to snag either. We have various 62 through 64 issues and the guitar is absent so far.

If ANYONE has access to late 50's and early-mid 60's Spiegel Catalogs, and you can FIND the listing for this guitar, we will purchase the catalog, or quality scans of the page, whatever you choose.......

HELP us find this guitar if you can. I appreciate any info........ Doc

[VintAxe]

Hi Pastortom1.

From what I have seen so far I tend to agree with spud on the date of this guitar. When you say you have seen the guitar branded Airline and Truetone do you mean that you have seen this body style in Ward's and Western Auto catalogs from the late 50's-early 60's?

Here is a picture of a guitar that appears to be a 2 pup version of yours from a 1966 Ward catalog. This picture is fuzzy and your picture is fuzzy but it appears that this Airline has the P-35s in it. Am I wrong about that?

[Pastortom1]

That's the same guitar.......Airline also featured it with 3 pick-ups in the blonde color.

Many of these guitars have sold on Ebay over the last 3 or so years under the various brands I mentioned. The Airlines are the most common, as is the blonde color. The red flame, in my experience so far, was unique to the "Old Kraftsman" label at Spiegel.

I'm curious to know if Wards actually "named" the guitar you posted, or tagged it with a Model #......probably would be unique to them, but I'd like to gather all information on the model I can from any sources.

I have a large collection of Bennett Blue Books, and it's interesting to see how the Teisco brand was represented in different ways by names and numbers...... I've had an extensive collection that I've sold most of on Ebay, including my Spectrum V and various Silvertones. BUT, this Kay has me fascinated......the tone and response is just amazing.

I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a nice blonde Airline to go with my red Kraftsman.

I hope the information keeps coming on this thread....This is GREAT stuff, they're great guitars, and it's a great learning experience.

[Spud1950]

You might be interested in this.I recently came across these pictures of the inside of a Gibson made P-35 Kleenex pickup. Obviously a P-90 variant.

[Pastortom1]

Yeah, these pics are good stuff.......I haven't torn one down that far yet, but there's always a first time......They're the Gran-Daddys of great Gibson single coil tone. Thanks for that post!

[Pastortom1]