Contemplating selling my first bass

usftony · #1 03-16-2008, 07:49 PM

I’m contemplating selling my 1950’s M-1 Kay #22900 for financial reasons. The bass sounds great, is set up for orchestral performance. This bass is performance ready however, the bridge is set to my specifications so I would recommend an adjustable bridge. Have owned the bass for 14 years with absolutely no problems. The strings are brand new. It does have over 50 years of nicks mainly on the edges. It has a unique finish that always catches attention. Not sure if this is original because have not seen any like it. Now I’m simply fishing for how much my bass can go for. Please shoot me an e-mail.

Bass Barrister · #2 03-16-2008, 11:14 PM

Kay prices are all over the place. An M-1 from the early 50s in excellent shape can sell from $1500 - $3500. To get a better idea, check the Kays in our FS section, ebay's sales history page, and places like www.fretwellbass.com. There are lots of M-1s out there.

I don't think any serious orchestral player will have any real interest in this. I'm a Kay owner (1939 S-8) and love mine, but would not use it for orchestral work.

usftony · #3 03-17-2008, 09:43 AM

Thanks for the reply. My focus is orchestral playing, Any ideas on bassesI should look into that wont break my wallet? With the new strings I just installed my Kay sounds as good as my fellow players. What playing is the Kay M-1 more suited for?

pairoducs · #4 03-19-2008, 08:14 AM

In my experience the Kay bass tends to be used in bluegrass and occasionally jazz.

I have a few basses and do not play professionally any longer so I could part with at least one of them. Probably the most reasonable in price would be a Solano Klotz bass that Rumano made back in 1997. It is a full sized instrument with a BIG sound. It would be a great orchestral bass, I used it for playing with a jazz big band. I would have to research a fair selling price, but if you might be interested, please let me know.