Product: Kay P32
Price Paid: #49.99 sterling used
Submitted
01/19/2000
at
07:39am
by
Mick Cooke
Features
:
6
60's to 70's Precision lookalike, mahogany body, not sure of kneck (13 pounds total) weight. Single pick-up, with chrome pick-up and bridge covers, it's still got the thumb rest on the scratch plate. The kneck is very thick, an inch at the first fret. Standard tuners and electrics, one volume and tone control, very basic. Standard bridge with intonation screws in string pairs, not individual adjustment. It's now got a decent set of fender strings (110's)and had a quickie set-up, improved it no end.
Sound
:
5
Very heavy instrument indeed, but it has got a very good sustain due to it's weight. Tone has not got a lot of range, but the amp that I use makes up for it's loss. Goes from murky deep bass to a good copy of John Entwhistle 'Clank'..
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
2
When I bought this beast secondhand, it was dirty, had loose screws on the scratch plate and controls, the pick-up rattled and the jack socket was shot, tuners were stiff and would jam at random some of the frets were lifting as well. A real good clean and general service, new strings and a basic set-up from 'THE BOOK' and it now sounds completely different. Also resoldered all the internals.
Reliability/Durability
:
7
I've dropped this bass against furniture, and damaged the furniture not the bass, I only need to check the tuning about every couple of weeks or so, hold it well. Very reliable guitar indeed, not the best to look at, but who cares, it plays well and sounds pretty good.
Customer Support
:
4
KAY as a company have gone way of the DODO, but most P'Bass copy bits will fit, or can be made to fit. Most technicians I know will repair it because it's so basic to work on, you can't get any more basic.
Overall Rating
:
7
I have been playing when I first left school (1964) have had a Watkins Rapier Bass (awfull bloody thing), Vox Symphonic Bass (copy of original P bass with telecaster head) great bass, untill some nasty piece of work stole it. I also have a KAY S32, which is the strat copy, not a bad guitar either, needs a lot of tuning each time I pick it up, the tuners are real rubbish, lots of hum from the pick-ups, this thing really needs sorting, but a good player. I would be very upset if I lost this bass, I suit this guitar (or the other way around) as I have not seen or heard of any others in circulation. As I said before, it's bloody heavy to keep playing for any length of time, but it's a sound/weight trade-off, and sound wins every time. I will probably need a truss soon.
