A few weeks ago, I posted about a potential cross-country road trip to pick up a bass. The bass was a 1965 Kay M-1 and it was located at a shop in Texas (I’ve been wanting something like this for a while… but I’m in Maryland).
After a plethora of (mostly) good advice here on TBDB, I did my due diligence. I got a ton of photos of the bass and as much history of the instrument as I could find. I also contacted every person that was suggested in the nearby area, to see if there was a comparable Kay closer to home. No luck.
So I began pricing the trip. That in itself was eye opening. Flight costs weren’t too terrible. But rental car prices are thru the roof! Add in gas and hotels, and the deal was off.
Thankfully, the seller was extremely accommodating. He’s an upright bassist and he sells them in his shop. So he agreed to box it up for me if I wanted to arrange a freight company. I got to work and was able to procure a freight quote for about 1/3 of my road trip travel costs.
After much consideration, I pulled the trigger and the bass arrived this past Monday. I immediately took it to Bob Kurtz (Bob’s House of Basses) who planed/shaped the neck, replaced the original bridge & added a Realist pickup.
I played it today. It sounded great! Then he played it and I wanted to quit (he’s the Principal bassist for the National Philharmonic). I asked him what he thought of the bass and he said that in all his years of playing/selling/servicing basses, he’s never seen a Kay in this great condition.
I got a decent deal on the bass. I paid for freight and a good setup. If I sold it tomorrow, I could probably break even. But I won’t. This will be a keeper.
Thanks to TB for the wise counsel. I’m very pleased with the outcome.
Here’s a few photos of the bass in Bob’s shop. He and his luthier did an excellent job.
Oh, and since I wasn’t able to experience my road trip culinary adventure, I stopped at Crumbl Cookies near his shop for some amazing sweets. Those things are no joke!
After a plethora of (mostly) good advice here on TBDB, I did my due diligence. I got a ton of photos of the bass and as much history of the instrument as I could find. I also contacted every person that was suggested in the nearby area, to see if there was a comparable Kay closer to home. No luck.
So I began pricing the trip. That in itself was eye opening. Flight costs weren’t too terrible. But rental car prices are thru the roof! Add in gas and hotels, and the deal was off.
Thankfully, the seller was extremely accommodating. He’s an upright bassist and he sells them in his shop. So he agreed to box it up for me if I wanted to arrange a freight company. I got to work and was able to procure a freight quote for about 1/3 of my road trip travel costs.
After much consideration, I pulled the trigger and the bass arrived this past Monday. I immediately took it to Bob Kurtz (Bob’s House of Basses) who planed/shaped the neck, replaced the original bridge & added a Realist pickup.
I played it today. It sounded great! Then he played it and I wanted to quit (he’s the Principal bassist for the National Philharmonic). I asked him what he thought of the bass and he said that in all his years of playing/selling/servicing basses, he’s never seen a Kay in this great condition.
I got a decent deal on the bass. I paid for freight and a good setup. If I sold it tomorrow, I could probably break even. But I won’t. This will be a keeper.
Thanks to TB for the wise counsel. I’m very pleased with the outcome.
Here’s a few photos of the bass in Bob’s shop. He and his luthier did an excellent job.
Oh, and since I wasn’t able to experience my road trip culinary adventure, I stopped at Crumbl Cookies near his shop for some amazing sweets. Those things are no joke!
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