1960s Kay K6116 000-Size Guitar

At 15 1/2" on the lower bout, this guitar splits the difference between 000-size and "small jumbo." I've worked on this same model -- the K6116 -- several times in the past. Compared to the larger 17" Kay jumbos, I think these guys sound a little better as their build is lighter and they have a warmer, woodier tone. They work great fingerstyle or flatpicking but you have to enjoy an extra-long scale length, as these feature the usual Kay 25 3/4" scale.

This particular guitar was built in a small window of Kay manufacturing where the details added-up correctly. The neck is more comfortable than average (medium C) and it has a functional truss rod installed. Necks before this "small window" were larger and clubbier and often warped while necks after were larger and clubbier and less-well-made.

It's had some funky work done to it in the past -- the most glaring faults were a bad neck reset job and this odd, Martin-esque, inlaid-wings bridge -- but I spruced it up and now it plays quick and easy and ready to go.

It features a solid, ladder-braced spruce top over ply maple back and sides. The neck is poplar but the fretboard is Brazilian rosewood and the bridge is Indian rosewood. There's some nice "checker" purfling along the top edge that's always popular with folks checking these boxes out in the shop. My replacement pickguard is tortoise, too, rather than what the original would have been -- a screwed-down white one. It's the same shape, though.

Repairs included: a neck reset (with hidden bolt-reinforcement at the neckblock), fret level/dress, side dots added, new truss cover, new nut and saddle (bone), saddle-slot recut, new pins, setup.

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: ply maple

Bracing type: ladder

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: poplar

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 52w, 38w, 28w, 20w, 16, 12 custom set

Neck shape: medium C/D

Board radius: ~10-12"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium height, wider brass

Scale length: 25 3/4"

Nut width: 1 11/16"

Body width: 15 1/2"

Body depth: 4 1/8"

Weight: 4 lbs 10 oz

Condition notes: it has a replaced bridge, slightly-later Japanese tuners, a new nut and saddle, replacement pins, new pickguard, and replacement truss rod cover. One tuner shaft is bent but it still works fine. There's finish blem, scratches, and mild hazing here and there throughout. Still -- it looks nice in a friendly way. The worst bit is that someone has recut the headstock shape into a Gibson-esque profile. They never touched it up and I've left it just like that for the next player, though it'd be easy to Sharpie-in the unfinished wood to get it to blend.

It comes with: a gigbag.