Check out this hunk of ply

[PaulKing]

I suppose this is mainly at Molly, but also anyone else who likes an old bit of plywood too.

Gorgeous Chubby Jackson Kay picked up for $2k!!

[Steve Swan]

That one is about as clean as my grandma's kitchen floor was (really clean). I'm more used to seeing abused Kays with the edges worn and torn off and broken necks repaired with bolts and screws. What a cutie!

[MollyKay]

Nice score! The edges look so clean and a 1939…she is a real beauty for her age.

I question how the Kay metal script got stuck on the tail piece. That is not historically correct for that time period. Many of the early Kay basses had no decal or they wore off years ago. The early gold script letter with three vertical bar decals are now being reproduced (Jake has these in stock) as shown over at Rock-a-Billy bass. A year or so ago there was a set of 1940 Kay tuners and tail piece for a Kay five string on eBay…so pieces are out there. I have seen several five strings converted to four strings so the tail piece and tuners are cast aside.

The metal Kay script is being reproduced (you can find them on eBay from Gollihur and Fretwell for $30) and added to Kay basses…even when the metal script is not historically correct. The metal Kay script appeared on a Kay after 1952 or so. Jerry Fretwell adds the reproduction metal Kay script to his basses because folks want a “status symbol” on their bass. Fretwell has a beautiful 1939 O-100 that he added the reproduction post 1952 metal Kay script. I disagree with this…a bass should not have “add ons” unless it is correct for that year and model. Just my opinion.

[PaulKing]

Originally Posted by MollyKay

Nice score! The edges look so clean and a 1939…she is a real beauty for her age.

I question how the Kay metal script got stuck on the tail piece. That is not historically correct for that time period. Many of the early Kay basses had no decal or they wore off years ago. The early gold script letter with three vertical bar decals are now being reproduced (Jake has these in stock) as shown over at Rock-a-Billy bass. A year or so ago there was a set of 1940 Kay tuners and tail piece for a Kay five string on eBay…so pieces are out there. I have seen several five strings converted to four strings so the tail piece and tuners are cast aside.

The metal Kay script is being reproduced (you can find them on eBay from Gollihur and Fretwell for $30) and added to Kay basses…even when the metal script is not historically correct. The metal Kay script appeared on a Kay after 1952 or so. Jerry Fretwell adds the reproduction metal Kay script to his basses because folks want a “status symbol” on their bass. Fretwell has a beautiful 1939 O-100 that he added the reproduction post 1952 metal Kay script. I disagree with this…a bass should not have “add ons” unless it is correct for that year and model. Just my opinion.

Cheers for that Molly. Yep. I thought the emblem was wrong. I knew someone did the decals in the US, Jake, that's it.. i'll pass on the link. I got mine from a chap in Holland, and it even matched the fragment of the original decal that was left... in size at least, the colour was a bit off.

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by PaulKing

Cheers for that Molly. Yep. I thought the emblem was wrong. I knew someone did the decals in the US, Jake, that's it.. i'll pass on the link. I got mine from a chap in Holland, and it even matched the fragment of the original decal that was left... in size at least, the colour was a bit off.

Replicating the colour was an interesting challenge. I have seen two colours on that generation of decals - a solid yellow ochre and the metallic gold created by using bronze powder.

Nobody is using bronze powder any more (except those of us touching up Kay TV models and gold top Les Pauls) so I went with the modern equivalent. I'm very happy with how the decals turned out. They are exact copies of the one on my '39 tailpiece and look terrific!