I do a LOT of old Kay neck rebuilds /grafts/ replacements / whatever it takes to get the old broken things running every year; so many that I've been considering having a reproduction model available as a commercial product available to the public. You can see where I've got a wanted ad currently posted looking for a couple of necks for some original "neckless" bodies that I have in the shop; almost every shop I know that works on basses has a couple of parts bodies laying around with severely damaged or missing necks.
In general, I don't like Kay necks. The main body of the neck starts out pretty thin. Depending upon how many times the fingerboard has been leveled or what thickness it originally started out with (some were approx. 1.25-1.5", others 1.0"), by now they tend to wind up so thin that I rarely use an original spec one- I get pretty bad left hand issues in about 15 minutes. If I take the same neck and add an approx. 1/4" shim under the fingerboard to thicken it up, all left hand issues go away and I can play 4-5 hours with nothing. Some of it may be technique, some due to several broken bones and tendon issues, but mostly they are just too thin.
I also find a lot of fault in the dovetail design. It is basically the same size they used in the Kay guitars just expanded a little bit to fit a bass size- pretty whimpy and a source of chronic failure.
You can buy fairly close to original spec replacements from Englehardt for approx.$175, but my experience has been that you are just recreating all of the same issues with a new piece of maple, and you still have a fair bit of work to get them to fit well.
Do you think there is a viable market for a cnc produced Kay neck that offers the following:
-original spec scroll with minimal sanding / finish prep needed
-thicker main body of the neck and a little more mass in the volute /pegbox junction
- pre-cut carbon fiber channels so you can just drop them in
- a much larger dovetail that will still fit within the parameters of the original neckblock so that no outside visible modification is necessary but is much more solid and is large enough to offer the potential of a bolt on / removable system
-a market price of approx $500- It costs a lot of $$$ to have this done well in a format that is easy to use, saves a lot of repair bill time, and is made in the US. The majority of neck repair costs is bench time, not materials.
- it would also be nice to have a choice of materials- several grades of maple, mahogany, walnut, and other species. Perhaps even a spruce core with a vacuum molded carbon fiber exoskeleton....
I've said it many times, but working on old Kays is a lot like working on old Volkswagons. I've owned many of both. They made a lot of them and most of them need regular work and parts to maintain. I also feel like there is a lot of potential for a high quality aftermarket parts source like you find with the "bugworks" community.
j.
In general, I don't like Kay necks. The main body of the neck starts out pretty thin. Depending upon how many times the fingerboard has been leveled or what thickness it originally started out with (some were approx. 1.25-1.5", others 1.0"), by now they tend to wind up so thin that I rarely use an original spec one- I get pretty bad left hand issues in about 15 minutes. If I take the same neck and add an approx. 1/4" shim under the fingerboard to thicken it up, all left hand issues go away and I can play 4-5 hours with nothing. Some of it may be technique, some due to several broken bones and tendon issues, but mostly they are just too thin.
I also find a lot of fault in the dovetail design. It is basically the same size they used in the Kay guitars just expanded a little bit to fit a bass size- pretty whimpy and a source of chronic failure.
You can buy fairly close to original spec replacements from Englehardt for approx.$175, but my experience has been that you are just recreating all of the same issues with a new piece of maple, and you still have a fair bit of work to get them to fit well.
Do you think there is a viable market for a cnc produced Kay neck that offers the following:
-original spec scroll with minimal sanding / finish prep needed
-thicker main body of the neck and a little more mass in the volute /pegbox junction
- pre-cut carbon fiber channels so you can just drop them in
- a much larger dovetail that will still fit within the parameters of the original neckblock so that no outside visible modification is necessary but is much more solid and is large enough to offer the potential of a bolt on / removable system
-a market price of approx $500- It costs a lot of $$$ to have this done well in a format that is easy to use, saves a lot of repair bill time, and is made in the US. The majority of neck repair costs is bench time, not materials.
- it would also be nice to have a choice of materials- several grades of maple, mahogany, walnut, and other species. Perhaps even a spruce core with a vacuum molded carbon fiber exoskeleton....
I've said it many times, but working on old Kays is a lot like working on old Volkswagons. I've owned many of both. They made a lot of them and most of them need regular work and parts to maintain. I also feel like there is a lot of potential for a high quality aftermarket parts source like you find with the "bugworks" community.
j.
