1940s Kay Fancy Jumbo Guitar

This is a local customer's old Kay jumbo that Tim did a great job fixing-up. It's a strange one because most of these Kay jumbos are instruments built in the '50s but this is clearly a '40s beast -- probably either wartime or just postwar considering the features and trim. I love the "lobster claw" brown pickguard and the block inlay in the board that almost echoes the deco look of many lap steel fretboard markers. It also has cream/brown binding and purfling and binding down the side of the neck.

The top is solid spruce and ladder-braced while the back and sides are ply, flamed maple. The neck is maple and it has a rosewood fretboard. It's all-original except for the tuner buttons, bridge, saddle, and bridge pins. It's a full 17" lower bout jumbo and has a punchy, rumbling voice. As usual for a big Kay, it has the extra-long 25 3/4"+ scale length as well.

Tim and I tag-teamed the neck reset and then he fit a new replacement (Martin-made) bridge, saddle, and pins, cleated some sort-of-repaired old cracks on the top, leveled and dressed the frets, and set it all up. It's playing bang-on, now, and has plenty of saddle height for many years of adjustment down the line.