1944 Kay M-1, vintage sunburst, number 11809 and in excellent condition. This bass is 100% gig ready; it needs nothing to improve the sound or its playability. I am letting this bass go to help fund the purchase of vintage Epiphone bass. My Husband and I rescue, repair and restore vintage American made plywood basses as a hobby. We are not professionals.
I will give the best, most accurate description of the bass that I can. For anyone who is far away from southern PA and can not audition the bass in person we have a flight case and can ship anywhere in the USA provided you are willing to pay the freight cost and a refundable deposit on the flight case. I can accept a USPS money order, Pay Pal or cash in person.
Here is the description starting with the original condition, the repairs and then the upgrades:
Original condition: Starting at the scroll, it was missing one volute on the E side that we have replaced and expertly finished to match the vintage sunburst color. The scroll has the Kay script insignia at the base of the scroll head. It has the original Kluson brass tuners and they are in excellent working condition (no missing parts, all original screws). The neck is in perfect, unbroken condition and has retained 100% of the original finish…the neck shows no wear on the back or signs of being played. The fingerboard is the original Rosewood and the nut is ebony. The body of the bass is the original vintage sunburst with the typical double black Kay pin stripe. The bass has NOT been refinished. It does have a few blemishes but nothing worth pointing out. The bass has retained the original ebonized Kay tail piece and 75% of the original Kay script decal is still in place…this is rare to find a Kay bass this old (64 years old) and still has a good portion of the original Kay decal in place. The internal paper Kay label is in excellent condition and can been seen through the E side F hole. The sound post and bass bar are all original and in good working order.
Repairs: The missing volute on the E side was replaced and color matched to the bass with artist colors and oil varnish. The neck has been reset because it was loose when we purchased it. We used fresh hide glue for the neck reset and the neck is now in correct playing alignment. The neck reset repair will make this Kay bass solid for years to come. The Rosewood fingerboard has been dressed, scooped and lightly oiled. There are no signs of string wear on the fingerboard and there is plenty of “meat” left for future re-dressings. All the open seams have been repaired with hide glued and the nicks have been touched up…there were very few wear marks on this bass.
Upgrades: The bass has been given a new USLA German, high quality, ebony cork lined adjustable end pin with the extra large removable tip. A Clef Hi-Tech tail gut to replace the original Kay tail wire. A new maple bridge hand carved and fit from a French wood bridge blank. New Thomastik Spirocore Weich (light) strings. The nut was cleaned up, grooved and adjusted for a comfortable playing action. The sound post has been reset for maximum tone and volume.
The overall health of this bass is A+; it needs no additional repairs or set up to be enjoyed. It is 100% gig ready. It is comfortable to play, beautiful to look at and has a big growl. We are asking $4,250 to serious buyers.
Here is a slide show in photobucket...I am not happy with the order of the photos...but you will get the big picture.
http://s318.photobucket.com/albums/m...view=slideshow
