Kay Kraft question

[Gregg Henry]

Intrigued with the body design / shape of the 30s Kay Kraft and looking around, I have come across a few remarks about these instruments that tend to make me want to look away. Namely that the neck / body joints are of a bad design and build and even that their "adjustable" feature is no help or worse.

Jake says - "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."

Kerry goes a bit further and says - "In my studies of these Kay Kraft mandos, I have come to the conclusion, that this exact 1939 model of mandolin was likely the first disposable instruments made in America. They look fancy , but even before they left the factory, were little more than toys already in the process of turning into wall ornaments. They were already falling apart by the time they reached the stores. If yours.. has been strung up for any length of time in it's 80 year history, the neck to body joint has long since failed. In the dovetail pocket, there is almost a full quarter inch on gap between the neck and the body. All of these I have seen have been the exact same."

So, is there an opposing point of view on this? Are they really worthy only of viewing from afar?

Thanks.

[Eddie Sheehy]

They look good... but that's about it...

[Jim Garber]

Jake and Kerry have seen quite a few of these. Kerry sort of has an obsession with them. I would trust both of their opinions. These were budget instruments. They do have their charm... just be aware of their pitfalls.

[brent1308]

I've heard nothing but bad things about them. But Monday night, I saw Michael Daves (better known as the guitar half of Thile-Daves) play one with Bryan Sutton in Get Up John-style tuning. It sounded pretty good and loud. Anectdotal for sure, but maybe there's a little more to them than looks.


Edit: Just found a video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqI8bjgVwX0

[allenhopkins]

Can you get one cheap? And perhaps pay to get it re-worked?

Analogous (maybe) personal anecdote: bought a Regal Octofone with a repaired headstock for ± $200. For those who know about them, very lightly built economy instrument. Neck began to warp, so paid to have a carbon fiber bar installed below the fretboard. Repair guy said, "Hey, since we've got the fretboard off, why not put an ebony one on?" -- replacing the "ebonized" pearwood or whatever. More than doubled the cost of the Octofone, but I ended up with a neat, playable vintage octave mandolin for a bit less than $500.

Design flaws in the Kay Kraft are fixable, at a price. Because of the design flaws, these mandolins aren't all that expensive. You like their looks and perhaps their sound, I'd take the plunge and get one fixed up to your liking.