1930s Kay Deluxe Roundhole Archtop Guitar

Overview: Matt, a friend of the shop, brought this one in for resale. I've had a lot of Kay Deluxes through the shop in the past but Matt himself got the prep work done on this one before it got here -- using the same "pin the heel with a hidden bolt" method that I use when working on these. These feature an "adjustable neck joint" gizmo that works poorly, so it really works best to lock the joint in the position you desire and then fit an adjustable bridge (as done with a normal archtop) to tweak your setup to taste (rather than using the "adjustable" joint).

Tone: These are loud gutsy, midsy, and punchy. They've got a sound that suits gypsy-jazz or trad-jazz chopping, for sure. I think of them as "zippy" guitars because the combination of having long-scale necks and then the necessity of thinner gauges (so the neck doesn't warp) gives them that gypsy-jazz handling.

Feel: It's got a heftier V-shaped neck profile with almost no radius to the board but a modern-style, 1 11/16" nut width.

Interesting features: For their time, these were pretty modern, forward-thinking designs and while the overall look of these apes a Martin archtop style (roundhole, big raised pickguard), the oddly-Kay features abound (14 fret neck with slotted headstock, thin ply used throughout the body as far as I can tell), and the cool, iced-tea-burst finish on the back and sides.

Repairs included: Ancel gave it a level/dress of the frets, bridge modification/adjustments, cleaning, and setup work. It plays bang-on and is ready to go.

• Weight: 3 lbs 13 oz
• Scale length: 25 3/4"
• Nut width: 1 11/16"
• Neck shape: medium-bigger V
• Board radius: 20"
• Body width: 14 3/4"
• Body depth: 3 3/4"
• Top wood: ply spruce (pretty sure)
• Back & sides wood: ply birch or maple (pretty sure)
• Bracing type: ladder
• Bridge: adjustable rosewood
• Fretboard: ebonized maple
• Neck wood: poplar
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 48w-11
• Truss rod: non-adjustable steel bar
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: narrow/medium

Condition notes: It's original throughout except for the bridge (modded from static to adjustable), side dots, and extra "keeper bolt" hidden at the inside of the neck block to keep the neck firmly set. There's light scratching and usewear throughout the body and neck. The heel cap has a dryness hairline crack in it. There's rubbing at the edges of the headstock. The fretboard shows some discoloration from repairwork done in the past (finish added? glue seeped?) but it's not obvious unless you're looking.

It comes with: Sorry, no case.

Consignor tag: MKLG