What my Kay really is worth

[Brandon Tuomiko]

So all you who think my kay C1 was worth **$2900** really do not know why I keep telling you to stop. Its not.

I took it to a Luthier. had them reglue it. They said it was the biggest pile wast of money they have ever worked on!!! No joke. And I agree. Its so badly damaged that its not worth fixing! I spent $300 fixing and they said that it was not worth it and that I should just sell the bass to someone who was a young student or something.

They said they will give me a discount for the fix because the bass is not worth enough to put that kind of money into.

So I told them- in a Month or 2, I would buy one of their carved basses. So They made me pay $175 for the repairs.

HA!

[kurt ratering]

they should have told you this BEFORE doing the work.

[Brandon Tuomiko]

No. I am buying a bass anyways in a few months. And the kay was not useable. So I had to have it fixed no matter what.

So they know I am buying their bass, and they said they will give me a discount because of it.

[Febs]

Originally Posted by Brandon Tuomiko

So they know I am buying their bass, and they said they will give me a discount because of it.

Has it occurred to you that this might affect their evaluation of your existing bass?

[Brandon Tuomiko]

Wait, what do you mean?

[Febs]

Someone raised this same point in your prior thread. The person who is giving you a recommendation regarding whether it is worthwhile to repair your bass is the same person who would benefit financially from selling you a new bass. That person's evaluation of your existing bass may not be completely objective.

[Brandon Tuomiko]

I've had it repaired by 2 different people in the past few months. And they also agree that it is a HIGHLY impractical instrument for a High school- going on college bass player.

All I have to say is- Its laminated. It cant produce the same sound a carved can. Its a very beautiful sound, but not the same.
Anyways, my friend, a professional bass player, and in the omaha symphony, said that the bass is not worth a lot, he used to have one.
He has played the basses at the store, and they are worth the $4000+ that they are being sold for..


HEY! If I can talk my mom into it- I can buy a Carl Wunther flat back for $5,800

[Brandon Tuomiko]

sorry $4800 for a Carl WULTUR

[Mojo-Man]

Originally Posted by Febs

Someone raised this same point in your prior thread. The person who is giving you a recommendation regarding whether it is worthwhile to repair your bass is the same person who would benefit financially from selling you a new bass. That person's evaluation of your existing bass may not be completely objective.

Big plus one.

Owning an old Kay style bass means constant repairs.

I have a 1954 Kay C-1.
It has been repaired 3 times due to climate.
I live on the ocean. (moister, humidity)

When Bass is set up, and working it sounds great.

A new bass maybe more stable.
But, with unknown tone?

[Brandon Tuomiko]

Yea I would get it set up. But thats $500.

The kay has had repairs done 2x in the past 1 1/2 months.

[Bass Barrister]

It's Calin Wultur, Brandon. Generally, nice basses. Here's a Busetto model for sale here in Chicago:

http://www.a440violinshop.com/produc...atId=44&id=220

Hope it works out for you.

[wineaux]

Brandon,

I'm getting two conflicting messages in your post. One is that your Kay is the "biggest ... waste of money they have ever worked on." Then, a few posts later, you say the Kay has "a very beautiful sound."

Which is it?

Will a carved bass sound better than a Kay? If it's a decent bass, it SHOULD. But I join others in being a bit skeptical that the folks who are going to profit from selling you a new bass are the ones bad-mouthing your Kay. They not only get to see you a new bass, they get to offer you a lower price in trade because they've convinced you it's a junker.

I'm not saying Kays are better than carved basses (although I think SOME Kays are better than SOME carved basses). I'm just saying there seem to be other things going on in this two cases.

[Brandon Tuomiko]

The kay does in fact have a nice sound. but its not comparable to a carved.

The highschool climate sucks. So that is a problem. My friend has an $2800 bass that is cracked because of it.

Well there is nothing I can do about it. I can put it in the Conductors office and that is much better than the band room.

[olivieraleman]

If I may. As a young bluegrass bass player, 40 years ago, seems all I heard and played were Kays. They were common and plentiful. I have owned only 2 so my contact is limited. One had been restored and was in good structural shape but sounded so-so. The other I got for 500.00 and put another 500.00 into it. It played better but sounded no better. This is a nostalgia thing, with these prices. I recently saw a Kay that sounded like a cardboard box going for 3200.00 in a music store in Pittsburgh. The owner assured me it would go fast at that price. For that money you can get something new without issues. Tell me honestly, how many bass players making a living with their bass play a Kay? And I mean their entire living?

[wineaux]

Olivieraleman,
The OP's question wasn't about making living on his Kay bass. If it was I would have had a different answer. I was just pointing out the discrepanices in the post, since it seemed odd that a bass that was not worth fixing had good tone.

Brandon may or may not go on to play professionally (but I hope he does so I can say I knew him when!). If he does, he probably won't be playing this Kay. But I'm guessing he probably won't be playing this carved bass he's about to buy either.

Are some Kays overpriced? Absolutely.

Are some Kays worth the money? Certainly.

My '42 has been worked on by Ken Smith and by the luthier for the National Symphony Orchestra. I'm not ashamed to put it up against any plywood bass, old or new. But I have it set up for a specific purpose -- bluegrass. If I'm playing jazz, I'm reaching for another bass.

[Tejano Bass]

olivieraleman asked:

Tell me honestly, how many bass players making a living with their bass play a Kay? And I mean their entire living?

While I cannot provide you with a documented exact figure based on specific scientific research data; I can report, however, with a high degree of confidence, based solely on my own personal observation, that particularly within the Bluegrass genre there are more Kays being played professionally than by any other single manufacturer & they still maintain a prominent presence on Rockabilly & Jazz circuits as well.

[olivieraleman]

In response to previous posters, Brandon was questioning the realistic price of his Kay and my point is that they are overpriced. When all we had were Kays it was one thing, but now there are good basses being made by several builders in the same price range as Kays. I say it again, its nostalgia. As far as what working bassists are using, i have been taken to task that the needs of a bluegrass player are not as demanding as a jazz or classical player. And I toured in the 70 s with Charlie Moore and the Dixie Partners and played on THE WWVA Jamboree. I cannot think of a single working jazz or classical player on Talkbass who says they make a living with a Kay. They are overpriced and new bassists need to be aware their money is better spent elsewhere.

[Tejano Bass]

. . . and I was only responding to your specific question as high-lighted above.

I cannot think of a single working jazz or classical player on Talkbass

. . . neither can I . . . but . . . now, that's an entirely different set of parameters with a much more narrow focus than in your originally posted question - is it not?

. . . nor would I argue the nostalgic impact on pricing; however, imho, it's real $ worth is all in the ear of the beholder & whatever he/she is willing to pay . . . let the "cardboard box" buyer beware - regardless of the label on the inside of the box

[olivieraleman]

Granted, tone is in the ear of the listener, and any product is worth whatever one can get for it. But if someone handed me 2900.00 and told me to buy a bass, it would not be a Kay. It would be a new bass with a warrenty and a carved scroll!

[Brandon Tuomiko]

the one think I hat about the way a kay looks- the glue on scroll.