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Thread: Rescued and reborn

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    Capt. E Capt. E's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    Kay has often been underrated. Sure, they made some cheap instruments, but also some pretty nice ones. You got a pretty nice one there. Good solid spruce top, could likely solid back and sides. Probably plays sweet. I have a venetian style tenor probably made in the late 20's by what was then Stromberg-Voisinet (later became KayKraft). I have compared it to several other tenors, Martins etc, and it holds its own. The 60's saw a bit of a revival in tenor guitars with the Folk Revival.
    Jammin' south of the river
    '20 Gibson A-2
    Stromberg-Voisinet Tenor Guitar
    Penny Whistle
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    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    It's perfect for what I wanted it for which is to be able to go to jams whether electric or not and not worry too much about a ding here and there. It already has plenty.

  5. #4

    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    Capt E -- it's ply back/sides. I've had the chance to peek under bindings at and endblocks, etc. on dozens of Kays of this style and similar and they've all been ply b/s. Tops are solid, though!

  6. #5

    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    Nice Tenor!

  7. #6

    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    I got her back yesterday and what a transformation! New frets, new tuners, lipstick pickup, new nut, and a few other details, and she plays like a dream. The acoustic tone is ok, but nothing compared to my 20's Stella. Is suspect it hasn't been played for years and should open up a bit. The electric tone is EXACTLY what I was hoping for. As Jake said in his blog, "It has a nice balance of warmth and bite and a woody lingering sustain." Perfect.

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    Quote Originally Posted by Jake Wildwood View Post
    Capt E -- it's ply back/sides. I've had the chance to peek under bindings at and endblocks, etc. on dozens of Kays of this style and similar and they've all been ply b/s. Tops are solid, though!
    Kay actually sold the laminated sides and backs as a feature as far back as the 30's.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    Nice project. Great to see it ready to go.

    Scott

  11. #9

    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    Kay actually sold the laminated sides and backs as a feature as far back as the 30's.
    I'm no luthier but have been told by many that the sides of an acoustic are best made from laminates as they act like the shell of a drum. The back falls into 2 camps - either reactive or reflective - and it seems generate very heated debates whenever the topic is brought up, so I'll drop it now .
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    Capt. E Capt. E's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    Kay actually sold the laminated sides and backs as a feature as far back as the 30's.
    I have a Stromberg-Voisinet instrument from the late 20's well before the formation of Kay in 1931 from the assets of Stromberg-Voisinet. I suppose it COULD be plywood, but the grain inside matches the grain outside. I have read elsewhere that the earlier S-V instruments were solid. Regardless, it sounds and plays very nicely.
    Here is a picture of the back (the white mark is just dust. It cleaned off easily).
    Jammin' south of the river
    '20 Gibson A-2
    Stromberg-Voisinet Tenor Guitar
    Penny Whistle
    My albums: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/album.php?u=7616

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    Default Re: Rescued and reborn

    According to google, plywood (laminated wood) was introduced into the United States in 1865 and in 1928 the first standard-sized plywood sheets were introduced as a general building material. The appeal of plywood was that it is stronger than a similar solid and they could mix wood types for various effects. MDF (particle board) is really another form of ply only using wood chips instead of sheets.

    I wasn't around then but most "new" tech generally comes in at a higher price-point so I would posit building instruments from solid woods during the period Capt. E's Stromberg-Voisinet was made would have been far cheaper.

    Like all things the cost of manufacture dropped over time and at some point the price-performance curve shifted in favor of ply being a more cost-effective building material. Today ply is generally used on lower-end instruments because of costs although I have a plywood classical guitar that sounds great and have played all solids that sound horrible, so it really depends on the build IMO.

    Would be interesting to see an article on the history of plywood use in stringed instruments. More than likely it was during the war period when materials were scarce that usage took off, but that is only a guess.
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