Kay mandolins

[John Craton]

Years ago, when I was yet an innocent lad, my father bought me my first mandolin, a Kay A style. That was back in the day when I didn't know a good instrument from a bad one, and I haven't played a Kay since it was sold many moons ago. Occasionally I see an old Kay mandolin on eBay and am tempted to bid on it for nostalgia's sake, but quite honestly I know nothing about their quality. I'm guessing they tended to be low-end, as I can't imagine my father getting a young beginner a really quality mando; but having not seen or played a Kay in decades, I have no real recollection of how good or bad it was. Should I just cherish my memories and save my dime, or are the Kays worth a few bucks to recapture a bit of childhood?

[siren_20]

I wouldn't touch one except as wall art. My first mandolin was a 40's or 50's Kay A-Style...painted-on bindings, crumbling tuner keys, really tiny, low brass frets...a few years on that and I had the left-hand strength essentially down and moved onto a '94 Washburn A style, after the Kay ate up a new set of Grover tuners that was installed on it. Washburn wasn't much of an improvement tone-wise, but a real easy instrument to play.
If you're looking for a player, don't touch one IMO. But if you're looking for art or just nostalgia...well, to each his own!

[Jim Garber]

On the other hand, some of the earlier Kaycraft mandolins are all right for inexpensive ones.

I still like that asymmetrical shape of those. I recall in a workshop years ago one player had a handmade one in that Kay shape. Very nice instrument. I haven't seen too many contemporary makers using that shape.

Jim

[keymandoguy]

bought my first mandolin 2 1/2 years ago. a new round hole a style Kay. has good playability for price and I think a decent sound. No they will never compete with Gibsons , Collings etc.but I have had other people who played it thought it played well and sounded decent.I use it now for a backup and travel beater.Just shows everyone has different opinions http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[natep]

I've got a 30's or 40's kay that i've played for some years (paid $125 in 1995) and although it's become incredibly difficult to play due to high action and warped neck, it's given me great callouses and i insist that it's sound is big and rich and great and unique, with bass and twang and the feel of a lively dark wooden dance hall pub near a train depot in the nine-teens. I am considering having $300+ of work put into it to make it play better. but probably wont because i just got an 30-something Gibson A-something that's pretty nice. but might because the Gibson's not perfect, yet. (surprise, my intro to MAS.) And the sound of the Kay is really really nice. I have another 30's Kay, tho, that has nice action and a straight neck, and interesting shape and wood tones, but a totally weak sound. so, ehh.

[sprucetop1]

I'd like to put in a good word for Kay mandolins. Had one for about a year. It had the asymmetric body shape and fairly deep ribs, with a sort of plastic peghead overlay. No idea of the age, but guess 30s-40s. For the cost (approx $200) it was a heck of a mandolin for the price. Nice wide fingerboard, low action,all solid woods, stayed in tune: no tone no volume, but Hey ! we're talking 200 bucks. Everyone looked at it...."what the heck is that?" I felt popular .....
I gave it away to a deserving cause, and it's played all the time........I'd like another one!
John

[davestem]

My first mandolin was a 1952 (or thereabouts) Kay. #It was hideous. #No volume, no tone, very difficult to play. #I eventually bought a Johnson MA-380, which was an epiphany--so easy to play, so much projection, so sweet and full sounding! #(Relatively speaking.)

The Kay did look kinda cool, though. #And it got me started...

[mandowannabe]

I bought a "Kay-Craft" a few years ago, sight unseen for $75.00. When I picked it up it was the most worn out mandolin I have ever seen. The guy I bought it from said he had had it for 30 years and had never played it. The fret board has ruts in it almost to the neck. Some one played the frets off this thing and must have thought it was a good one or didn't have any way to get a better. I would love to know the history behind it and its former owners. Sadly, it is just a wall ahnger now. G.B. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Darren Kern]

It's amazing what nostalgia does to the sale price of old Kay instruments. My mother-in-law gave us an old guitar years ago, pretty much because she was going to throw it away and I thought it might look cool hanging on the wall. Well it sat in the closet for almost 10 years and I drug it out a few weeks ago and tuned it up to play on it a little bit. I mentioned it to the guys at work and they said "bring it in, we want to look at it". To make a long story short, I thought it was a $20 guitar, and they are going for between $300-800 on eBay right now.