1960s Kay Electrified Archtop Mandolin

This is an acoustic 1960s Kay mandolin that someone modified into an electric mandolin back in the day with the addition of a '60s-era Japanese "monkey on a stick" electric mandolin pickup and wiring harness. The job was not terrific (it was screwed-down to the top in an odd position) and the setup-side work was just terrible. Fortunately, post-repairs, this is now quite a sweet little player and it has a clean, clear, retro-sounding voice.

Aside from the setup/adjustment side of the work, the pickup placement got moved towards the neck and a ground wire was added so the circuit doesn't ground-hum anymore when it's plugged in. The pickup height is adjustable via two hidden screws under the pickup's coverplate. It's not perfectly balanced string-to-string in volume, but I did get it a little closer than it was "stock" by adding a washer to the cover of the pickup to dampen the A-string's output a little bit.

For someone wanting to get into swing or rock-style electric mandolin at a low entry fee, this is a pretty nice contender. A lot of the newer, solid-body electric mandolins out there are just not as fun to play as they're too "modern Fendery" in build style to really sound authentic. This does that '50s/'60s thing, however, to a T.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, pickup repositioning, ground wire added to the tailpiece, bridge modification/compensation, cleaning, and setup work.

Weight: 2 lbs 7 oz

Scale length: 14"

Nut width: 1 1/8"

Neck shape: medium D/V

Board radius: flat

Body width: 10 3/8"

Body depth: 2 3/8"

Body wood: ply spruce top, ply mahogany back/sides

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: mahogany

Pickups: 1x Japanese "monkey on a stick" single coil

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 36w-10 nickel-wound

Truss rod: non-adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-wider

Condition notes: it's modded -- someone added a 1960s-era Japanese electric guitar pickup to the top and fit said pickup's controls to the body. Rhinestones were added at the headstock (some are missing), there are extra holes drilled in the top (filled) that were apparently for lefty-ing the missing original pickguard, and it has mild wear and tear throughout the finish via weather-checking (the fine-line stuff) and general use/mild scratches. Aside from the pickup and harness and a strap button at the heel, the rest is original to the instrument.

It comes with: I do believe it has a chip case but it's not very good.

Consignor tag: DCH