View Full Version : 1930s KayKraft arched mandolin & soundclip
Jake Wildwood
Jan-21-2014, 5:17pm
Finished this one for a customer (finally) this afternoon!
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1RuvLBr7COo/Ut7W6yasFpI/AAAAAAAArXw/MKfNRxGrgiE/s1600/kkm-1.jpg
Great sound -- really gutsy and pretty loud.
Here's the link to the full post & soundclip. (http://antebelluminstruments.blogspot.com/2014/01/c1935-kay-made-kaykraft-archtop-mandolin.html)
MANDOLINMYSTER
Jan-21-2014, 6:11pm
Hey Jake, That's a nice looking Kay Kraft...Great picture. I love budget mandolins!
billhay4
Jan-21-2014, 6:37pm
Nice, Jake.
Bill
nickster60
Jan-21-2014, 9:26pm
Sounded great with gypsy jazz at the beginning.
MosquitoXEL
Jan-21-2014, 11:30pm
Very nice!
That is a real beauty.... Am looking for one myself in any condition... The classic shape is worth it for me, even if it doesn't sound so great... People seem to over value them on ebay... but I guess some sell at those inflated prices.
Jon Hall
Jan-22-2014, 9:48am
Congratulations on a good job! It sounds good and sounds like it plays well. I think all of the old KayKraft instruments that I have seen needed a neck reset.
EdHanrahan
Jan-22-2014, 10:16am
NICE! And surprisingly good sound.
A repair guy near my wife's family in Florida has had one of these on the shelf for 8 or 10 years now, waiting for its owner to "approve" the repairs. He says it needs new tuners that don't match "standard" spacing, but I'm suspicious on both counts. (He didn't recognize it as a Kay). I keep offering to buy it for his bother & storage but can't get him to even call the listed owner, who could be long gone by now!
Jake Wildwood
Jan-23-2014, 12:33am
Danke everyone--
Bart: Yes, the prices have gone way up on these guys. It's funny because many of them are laminate instruments, too. They do sound good once fixed up but most are in a pretty sour state until they're serviced.
Jon: I think almost all of the Chicago "big three" instruments I've worked on have needed neck resets. It has to do with the fact that all of those makers left a gap between 1/16" and 1/8" in the dovetail joint. If they'd made them tight in the first place then the glue would have held a lot better. On this guy the owner sent me this instrument with a 2nd neck of the same period so I just popped the new one in place with an appropriate shim-up of the joint. Easier than usual...
Ed: They're typical 30s Klusons -- maybe they didn't match cheap Asian tuner standard spacing... :) -- I have to admit there are instruments that wait around until I feel up to diving into their various messes, but 8-10 years is stretching it!!!