1950s Silvertone (Kay) Jumbo Guitar

Overview: A friend of mine who lives in Pennsylvania has been working on guitars now and then. This is one he reset the neck on and fit a new bridge to. He brought it along with him on his last visit and we finished the work on it here and now it's playing nice, too. While branded Silvertone (the Sears mark at the time), it was made by Kay and probably in the mid-'50s, though they built ones like this right into the '60s.

Interesting features: As per the usual for these models, this one has ladder bracing and a giant, 17" solid spruce top. The back and sides are ply maple, though. It's got the long, 25 3/4" scale that's also typical for these and, as such, we've strung it with 50w-11 strings to lower the tension on the neck (which is unreinforced poplar) at such a long scale. Folks who like to string heavier but detune (say, 56w-13 and tuned to C or C# standard) will like that long scale a lot as it will give the strings a bit more sustain than on a more-normal instrument.

Repairs included: It's had a neck reset, level/dress of the frets, new bridge and saddle fit, cleaning, and setup work. It plays spot-on but the neck does add a hair of relief tuned to pitch. There's a ton of adjustment room at the saddle for future changes if necessary.

• Weight: 4 lbs 6 oz
• Scale length: 25 3/4"
• Nut width: 1 11/16"
• Neck shape: big C
• Board radius: 10"
• Depth at first fret: 1 1/64"
• Depth at seventh fret: 1 1/8"
• Body width: 17 1/4"
• Body depth: 4 1/8"
• Top wood: solid spruce
• Back & sides wood: ply mahogany
• Bracing type: ladder
• Bridge: ebony replacement
• Fretboard: rosewood
• Neck wood: poplar 
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 52w-11
• Truss rod: non-adjustable
• Neck relief: hair of relief
• Fret style: wide/lower

Condition notes: There are a ton of scratches throughout (and especially on the top) and finish rub/loss here and there. The finish has a little "ghosting" to it in spots, too, from humidity stuff. Overall, though, it has a nice "lived and loved" look that's endearing. The bridge, saddle, and pins are unoriginal. The finish is weather-checked throughout as well.

It comes with: Sorry, no case.

Consignor tag: MTKL