1950s Kay K1-B Cutaway Jumbo Archtop Guitar

Above: acoustic clip

Above: K&K pickup clip

Update October 2023: this has been in service with my buddy Andy since it was here in April but he's moving-over to a flattop guitar for "band use" and so this is back here for resale. Since the photos were taken, it now has an endpin jack and K&K Twin Spot acoustic pickup installed. It also comes with a fancy hard case, too. Now back to the description...

This big, beautiful, blonde Kay is probably a K1-B model, though the block inlay is a nice extra on top if it is. It's a solid-top, ply-sides, 17" jumbo, cutaway guitar, though, so everything is "a bit extra" with it.

To my surprise, it's quite loud and punchy and the tone reminds me of '40s Epiphones in a woodier, less-refined, Kay sort-of way. It does the same job, though -- it's very proud of itself and carries well. It has an extra-long scale length at 25 3/4" and a generous, bigger-D neck shape with lower-height jumbo frets.

These guitars have "press-arched" tops even though they're solid. Unlike a carved-top archtop, the top is heat-pressed in a mold from a flat piece of spruce to attain the arched shape.

It came to the shop in good shape so work was light on it -- a glorified setup. Now that it's done, though, it plays spot-on and is ready to roll. I really like the aesthetics of this guitar -- retro and quirky but spare with the appointments. The curvy pickguard is a nice touch and the headstock logo is as well.

Because of the longer scale, I have it strung with 52w-11 gauges at the moment so it "feels" more like a normal guitar to the left hand. It should handle 12s just fine, though.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, side dots added, bridge compensation, pickup install, and setup work.

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: ply maple

Bracing type: tonebar

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: maple

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 52w-11

Neck shape: bigger D-shape

Board radius: 9 1/2"

Truss rod: non-adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: low but wide

Scale length: 25 3/4"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

Body width: 17 1/8"

Body depth: 3 1/2" + arching

Weight: 5 lbs 3 oz

Condition notes: it's completely original as far as I can tell. There's light scratching/usewear here and there on the body throughout and the finish has weather-checked and crackled, but overall it's in great shape for its age and it's ready to go. There are no cracks. Note that I have not updated the photos, so there's an endpin jack installed at the tailpiece for the K&K pickup and also a retro-looking strap button installed at the heel.

It comes with: a heavy-duty gigbag and K&K pickup installed.