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Double Bass is this a kay?

#21
Okay…I am really going out on a limb here…but I think this is a VERY early Kay. I have seen one other Kay with this “target” style scroll and detail on the back of the peg box. That bass had hat peg tuners as well. If this is a Kay the serial number will be some where between 100-200 and penciled inside the bass. You need to lay the bass on its back in a dark room, shine a flash light through the F hole on the E side and look for a pencil marking about ¼” to 3/8” in height. If the bass is dusty on the inside take a long handled soft brush and swish around in that area. The marks could be very faint. The bass I saw with these details was number 120’ish and was a blonde orchestra model. I strongly recommend contacting Roger Stowers at the Kay bass site for the final say. You could have a very unique and collectable bass provided it is in good condition. The very earliest Kay’s go un-recognized because they do not resemble the later models.

Best wishes and play it like a bass not a museum piece. :)
 
#25
DonnySaar said:
thanks you so much and she is going to get the snot played out of her. thats for sure :) lol
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You are welcome...

The other Kay bass that I saw, in person, which resembles your bass I saw a few years ago belongs to TalkBass member basscat85. He does not post here so you need to contact him directly for his input and a positive ID. He is the current bass player for JD Crow and the new South.

Best wish and playing the snot out of the bass sounds like a fine idea. Also the pick-up under the bridge is an [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. There should be a microphone mounted on the end of the end pin inside the bass. They were the earliest pick-ups used in the early 1950’s…very cool.
 
#26
That is definitely an early Kay 1937. I have one very similar to it. Mine is actually a K-Meyer #251. It has the circle on the back of the peghead like yours, it has the hatpeg tuners, it doesnt have the round disc under the soundpost like most Kays, it just has a board across the back. Do you wanna sell it?
 
#28
basscat85 said:
That is definitely an early Kay 1937. I have one very similar to it. Mine is actually a K-Meyer #251. It has the circle on the back of the peghead like yours, it has the hatpeg tuners
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Thanks Kyle (basscat85)…you replied to my e-mail request super fast. :)

So there you go…a Kay or a K-Meyer (made by Kay). While I did not remember the correct serial number, I knew I had seen the “target” detail before. Glad we could help…I love a challenge. :D

Happy Turkey Day!
 
#30
I wanted to resurrect this thread because I too have acquired the exact same bass as you have. Mine looks like your bass in every way. It too has no internal tag or pencil serial number (I have searched for hours looking). I spoke with two other Kay collectors and they both agree these basses are very early pre-Kay proto type basses. Later labeled as K-Meyer Bass.

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

Thanks so much for you post, with out your pictures I would not have been able to recognize this over looked gem. Don’t know about your bass but this one sounds amazing with a poorly fit homemade bridge and Super Nils.

Thanks again. TB can be so helpful when we all play nice together.
 
#31
wow! awesome! so glad you found another one, recently i took my bass to a local fiddle maker and sales man at his shop he told me there was no way it could be a kay. and then he offered me 100 bucks for it. i was like goodbye..... nice to know it is what the guy told me it was, a kay. still have yet to get new strings on it haha to expensive. and being a banjo player and payer 7 bucks for a pack off strings, seems odd to pay all most 200 bucks for strings haha thanks again molly!!
 
#32
Don’t be “hood winked”…just because no one knows its pedigree, it does not make it worth a $100. This is why I seek out these rare gems and share with the TB community. If you are persistent enough and are a keen observer you can uncover the mystery. So we know there are at least two (yours and mine) :hyper: of these basses that have the different scroll pattern (and totally original and correct for this bass). The target on the back of the peg box and the Czech hat peg tuners all are correct and original. Very cool. Thanks again and check out the classified as for a set of used strings. You can get a good deal sometimes at half price.
 
#34
MollyKay said:
I wanted to resurrect this thread because I too have acquired the exact same bass as you have. Mine looks like your bass in every way. It too has no internal tag or pencil serial number (I have searched for hours looking). I spoke with two other Kay collectors and they both agree these basses are very early pre-Kay proto type basses. Later labeled as K-Meyer Bass.

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

Thanks so much for you post, with out your pictures I would not have been able to recognize this over looked gem. Don’t know about your bass but this one sounds amazing with a poorly fit homemade bridge and Super Nils.

Thanks again. TB can be so helpful when we all play nice together.
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Nice bass Wendy! The back is a lot like a couple of '39 Kays I've had - Curly Birdseye! Very cool. ;)
 

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