1960s Kay K5915 Semihollow Electric Bass Guitar

Local pal Rick has owned this bass since he's been a-bassing as a teenager, as I recall. It's clearly not had many bright days in the sun, however, as it came in with the usual Kay woes -- lots of dirt and grime, a dilapidated pickguard, and a neck badly needing some warp taken out of it via a board plane, refret, and truss-rod jimmying.

These basses are iconic as they were relatively cheap when built and so widely-employed by all sorts of rootsy bands "back in the day." Their short 31" scale length, speedbump pickup, and hollow (more like semihollow, though, really) build means they have a straightforward, tubby, fundamental, and pseudo-upright-ish tone to them. Mixed with a somewhat-narrow, medium-depth/steep-radius-board neck, and you've got an instrument that's just not at all like basses produced by most other makers.

This particular, truss-rodded model was made from the early '60s through about '65, but its basic design is borrowed from a Kay bass style made throughout the '50s. I like how this one has the classic "cheesy Kay" sunburst and the extra-cool checker binding on the top and back edges.

Work included: a fretboard plane, refret with jumbo stock, side dots install, new truss nut (and extender ferrule) install, shielding and extra grounding for the wiring harness, lots of cleaning, and a good setup. It has LaBella flatwound strings in gauges 95w-39w --- the Hofner "Beatle Bass" set with its thinner tuner-side wrap for easy installation on guitar-style tuners. After work the neck is bang-straight and it plays with superb 3/32" EA to 1/16" DG action at the 12th fret.

As is usual for an old Kay, the pickguard is damaged in several places.

The guitar-size tuners aren't original, but their guitar sizing is and they are, at least, older.

Aside from the tuners, the only other non-original parts are two vintage-style strap buttons at the heel and here at the endpin.