Kay Bass: A Few Questions

[lvsofgrass]

I posted this in the bluegrass section as well, but thought I might get more responses here.

I am a newbie here and to the upright bass. I did play it a little in middle school. My primary instrument, though, is guitar. I have played it for thirty years, although it does not show . . .

I am thinking of buying a 1962 Kay S-9 bass from the second owner. There are no structural issues. She said it might need new strings, having not been played in seven years.

1) What would be this bass's value?
2) How hard is it to change strings? Is it something I could do? I change guitar, mandolin, dobro, and banjo strings.
3) Can you recommend any brand/model string for this bass. It will be used for bluegrass/folk type music.

I would appreciate any and all feedback.

[klocwerk]

Average Kay's usually go in the neighborhood of $1500, I'd offer $1k.

Strings are easy to change, pay attention to how they're on, change them one at a time, and you should be fine.

I have Pirastro Obligatos on my Kay playing vaguely bluegrassy style bass and I love 'em, but strings are their whole own ball of wax. Hit the Strings forum for more info than you'd ever care to know.

[Jet Nero]

Do yourself a favor: leave a deposit with the owner and take it to a luthier for an examination before you commit. There are just too many variables...

[mapleleaf4evr]

I agree with Jet. Take it to a pro for examination. I have a 1952 Kay M1, and I think Kays are outstanding. However, after I bought mine it required two lengthy trips to the luthier.

Things to check - what shape is the bridge in? The neck joints on Kays are notorious, make sure yours isn't cracked. Are the seams opening up? In my case, the instrument was well used (not abused though) and the fingerboard needed to be planed, and the nut adjusted. As far as strings are concerned, I prefer Thomastik Spirocores or D'Addario Helicores. I'd be careful changing the strings, get somebody who knows what they're doing to show you how. With a double bass, you don't want to do anything to cause the soundpost to move. Which leads me to another point, a luthier can make sure the soundpost is in the right position, and can check to see what kind of shape the bass bar is in. If either of these aren't right, your bass won't sound the way it should.

Kays generally hold their value, so you shouldn't lose any money on it.

[lvsofgrass]

Thanks for the replies.

The neck has had one repair; it has been stable for twenty five years. There is a little wear around the edges. I went ahead and bought it; from what I could tell the price seemed fair: $800.00. I figure even if I have to have it set up, I should still come out okay.

If I took it to be restrung, what would be considered a fair price for the re-stringing -- the labor, if I bought the strings?

Thanks,
Steve

[BassieMike]

You can probably expect to pay 60-100 usd plus strings depending on the labor rate of the shop you take it to. Usually it will take an hour or so to complete the job.

-mike

[Gambaholic]

Originally Posted by lvsofgrass

Thanks for the replies.

The neck has had one repair; it has been stable for twenty five years. There is a little wear around the edges. I went ahead and bought it; from what I could tell the price seemed fair: $800.00. I figure even if I have to have it set up, I should still come out okay.

If I took it to be restrung, what would be considered a fair price for the re-stringing -- the labor, if I bought the strings?

Thanks,
Steve

If that bass is in even moderatly good condition that is very good price. I would take it to a local luthier to have checked out just for piece of mind. They know the little, not so obvious things to look for. For instance, take your knuckle and wrap lightly all around the edges of the top and back. It should sound the same all the way around. If not, you may have some seperation of the top or even of the plys themselves which was the case with mine. A quick and cheap fix that avoided a more costly one later. Do the restring yourself. Its easy. Just replace them one at a time and pay attention to the angle of the bridge when winding to pitch. Sometimes it can start to lean toward the fingerboard. Good luck and enjoy!