Kay K-20B

I've got one of these basses. I bought it second hand in 1980 I'm guessing it was made some time in the 1970s (although some sources say they were made from 1965 so it may be earlier). I gigged with it as my main bass until the early '90s.

I replaced the bridge in the mid '80s and tried to adjust the bolt- on neck but it still suffers from a very high action and intonation gets pretty bad above the 7th fret. The serial number is on a foil sticker on the back.

The body and neck are both made of plywood and it has a sunburst finish. The build quality isn't fantastic if you want vibrato just hold the headstock and body and flex the bass.

In the early '80s a friend had the Kay Gibson EB0 copy which was basically a different shaped version of this bass and (as far as I remember) it sounded surprisingly good when he played it through a Marshall 4x12 cabinet on gigs. When I did a demo with a band a year or two later my fellow band members insisted I use the Westone bass at the studio rather than my k20b. Despite its considerable faults, I still think I would have got a fatter, warmer sound with the Kay.

I wouldn't use it on a gig. If you wanted to you'd have to be prepared to put up with a lot of limitations.

These days I teach and play bass professionally and fortunately have far better basses so I cant see myself ever using it on a gig but I used it a lot when I star


If I came across another one that didn't cost too much I'd probably buy it. Even though it spends most of its days in the broom cupboard I'm still fond of it and I learnt a lot on the gigs I used it for.

Like the earlier review, this is a short scale bass with a body very much like a Rickenbacker 4001. Mine is a bright red to yellow sunburst. Two chrome pickups, each with V and T, and a 3 way toggle. I don't know where it was made, but I assume Japan. There are no marks on any pieces with a place of origin, or a serial number. The body is multiply, and the neck is too -- actually not too heavy and it feels solid. Bolt on neck, cheap but solid tuners, and the cheapest bridge I've ever seen -- it's a bent piece of steel, with an attempt at compensation. Adjustment for tuning is by two bolts, with nuts, and the height adjustment is by two little headless bolts. Not fun to adjust, and not too easy to get correct intonation on all strings.

Sound is dark -- pickups seem a little weak, but noticeably quieter on the D and G strings. Like most imports from the time, adjusting the Tone gets almost no change in sound. I have my pickups up as close to the string as I can get them. Have to say no noise from the pickups, and no ground problems either.
I was surprised Oddly, this thing sounds pretty decent. The short scale makes it fast and easy to play, and the thing thumps with the best of them -- it won't sustain as long as my old Fender Jazz, made about the same time, but it works well for things like Brit Invasion and garage rock.

Finish has held up well for 30+ years. Guitar was cheap when new, still looks it -- but somehow at least 1 step higher than the glossy new Chinese and Singapore products. Action is now set where I like it, and neck stays straight and true.

There's hardly anything to mess up on these. I'm pretty sure you could run over it a few times and just re-tune it, you'd be fine.

Fat chance!

If I stumbled upon one, I'd get another. They're fun, and not too common.

Short scale, zero fret, bolt on neck.
The neck and the body are made from 12-ply sandwiched layers of some nicely grained maple.
The shape is this of a Rickenbacker 4001, the color is blue. Two pick up's, two tone and two volume controls and a 3 way switch (Neck PU / Both PU's serial / Bridge PU). For a cheap bass the machines are good, smooth, light, accurate and stable. Bridge/tailpiece is the real surprise, adjustable for overall height and intonation in a pice. It was made in the late 60th early 70th in Taiwan. The Serial Number ist 100530.

I like this little bass. There is a variety of different sounds, you can produce. It fitts perfect for rock-covers of the 60th/70th. I play it throug a Fender M80 bass amp (from the 90th) with behringer BDI-20 (wich simulates a vale-preamplifier). It is a good suplement to my OLP Stingray 5.

I bought that bass used. I adjusted the bridge and pickups a little bit.
The lacquer on the neck is a little bit to thick. But the neck is straight, the frets are well and it is easy to play.

The Reliability/Durability is perfect. This bass is older then 30 years! The finish shows some little dings and dongs and you can see that it was played for years. But for such an old bass it's in very good condition. I use it for gigs and practice.

I restarted playing bass two years ago. I own a 'OLP Stingray 5', a 4-string J&D Jazzbass and this little Kay k-20B bass (and a self constructed short scale bass my 'TUNNIX I' 32years old). If my KAY were stolen, i would try to get anoter one. I love it's size and it's sound and playing it. I choosed it 'cause of it's shape and because it's a short scale (i always wanted to have one).