1930s Kay Kraft-style 2-Point Archtop Mandolin




A customer sent this nice old Kay Kraft-style mandolin in for possible consignment/possible keeping. I imagine it's the former, though, as he's stockpiling a deluxe inventory in my storage racks of all sorts of instrument gems and I know he can't keep them all...!

While Kay products often hold-up really well in the body (as this all-ply, rugged little sucker can attest), their neck joints are god-awful and this one suffered a bad neck reset job in the past because of that. It was quite a chore to pull the neck out and get it reset properly, but now that it is and other setup-side work has been done, it plays great and has a nice, choppy, woody sound.

It also, ya know -- looks amazing. Who doesn't like that quirky, classy body shape and the gold-foiled decals all over the lower bout?

Repairs included: a neck reset, fret level/dress, side dots install, refit of replacement tuner buttons, cleaning, compensation of the saddle/bridge topper, restring, tuner lube, and setup.

Setup notes: action is perfect at 1/16" at the 12th fret, strung with 32w, 20w, 14, 10 gauges. There's adjustment room up/down at the adjustable bridge and the neck is straight and has good life left in the frets.

Scale length: 14"
Nut width: 1 1/8"
String spacing at nut: 1"
String spacing at bridge: 1 3/4"
Body length: 12 7/8"
Top width: 10"
Side depth: 2 1/2" + arching
Top wood: ply spruce
Back/sides wood: ply mahogany
Bracing type: tonebar
Fretboard: rosewood
Bridge: rosewood, adjustable
Neck feel: medium C-shape, flat board

Condition notes: overall it's in good shape but it does show minor wear/use throughout with light scratches here and there. The bottom of the heel has lost its heel cap and shows a bit of mucking-about from the previous reset (including a 1/4" repaired hairline crack to the bottom of it that's beyond the dovetail itself), but it's solid and good to go. Everything on the instrument is original save a replacement nut and replacement tuner buttons, though the pickguard has lost some of its decoration over time.















Email Post

Comments

Nick R said…
The Kluson tuners and the rosewood bridge suggest about 1939 or 1940. These often came with a Bakelite bridge up to about 1938. I don't think Jake likes the Bakelite bridge- certainly, not on guitars! I suppose having a sloppy dovetail that was then filled with glue was quicker than a tight dovetail that might involve some fettling to get the neck in well and lined up etc! Time was money- and it still is, which is why these jobs are all done by CNC machines, these days!
September 1, 2020 at 7:28 AM
Bob said…
Jake & friends-of-Jake... A bit late for a comment here.... But look at the close-up photos of the headstock and notice how the angle of the tuning machines positions the strings so that they scuff along each other... Retune one and maybe its windings have just enough friction to put the one above or below slightly out of tune. :-(

Suggestions? More careful positioning when putting on new strings? String lubricant? Flatwounds? Thomastik-Infeld Precision Mandolin Strings at $55?

March 22, 2023 at 10:38 PM
Post a Comment