Kay Hollow Body

My guitar is a Kay model K1963, which has a kind of Les Paul shape with a tune-o-matic bridge and trapeze tailpiece.

The neck bolts on with 3 bolts (like most Kay/Silvertone/Harmony guitars of its age), and is painted black with a blonde fretboard, 18 small frets, and red dots. I think it's probably one piece - there's no cover on the headstock for a truss rod adjustment.

There are 3 covered pickups (I don't if they're single or HB) that are riveted to the edge of the pick guard. There's a FOUR way switch for the THREE pickups (I ain't makin' this up), and a separate tone and vol for each P/U.

Overall, I'd give this an 8; there's no trem system, and the pickups are similar in sound (but all sound good); having Bigsby and a hotter bridge pickup would put this up at the top for its age.

The sounds range from warm & bluesy to... more warm & bluesy. But, you can't get a bad sound out of this axe. Just don't expect it to sound like a Tele!

It suits me just fine for playing where I'm not looking for a super hot pickup, or on-board electronics. I have other guitars for those sounds.

But, if I'm selling this, it means I REALLY need the money.

Well, here's where we really stray from something like a Gibson. Of course, these guitars are five hundred bucks, instead of five grand.

The action has to be set high (or it'll buzz), and the output jack is mounted in the thin tin scratch plate; I'm always really careful unplugging the cable. The paint isn't anywhere near as nice as a vintage Fender or Gibson.

But, for the price of other original vintage guitars, this is a really good value.

I haven't had this guitar a long time, but it appears to be 100% original, and would have been made 40-45 years ago. It's probably got to be fairly good to last that long.

But there's NO WAY I'd use that old a guitar to play live w/o backup.

In all honesty, I don't know that I have enough experience to give an opinion on this.

Let's see, I just bought this forty-five year old guitar a couple months back. Do you think it's under warranty?

The one thing I'd change about this guitar if I could, is that I wish the pickups were hotter; they don't really overdrive an amp easily.

If someone stole this, well... I don't think I'll publish what I'd do to the S.O.B.

This is a Kay I think from the mid 60's. I got it at a pawn shop.
It's been repaired but hasn't been played too much, the tag
was still in the case when i got it! It is hollow with a Bigsby-style,
which works very well, adjustable floating bridge (with plastic nuts!?) 2 single coil which sound very nice. a flamey sunburst and a b/w striped binding, beatiful. a 21 fret neck i think, grover tuners,
abalone inlay maybe, not plastic. plastic 'kay' inlay on headstock,
not the fancy kay inlay :( it has T and V knobs for each pickup and
a gibson style 3way switch. Body is not like a 335, it's skinnier.
i wish i knew the model but hey, Kay made a lot of instruments.

it is not the perfect guitar for me, it's for R/B or jazz rock.
i play harder sometimes and it's not good for that.
I'm playing it through a Fender amp it sounds GREAT! a full sound,
like a 60's hollow body... :)
quite a bit of variation on the tone. sounds good clean or dist.
not too much noise on the single coil settings.
This guitar limits my playing but in a good way. i love it.

remember this is like 35-40 years old..
i got it and it played OK, but i got a 30 dollar setup
and it plays excellently. i can play like george benson now!
pickups are fine how they are. warm sounding not too close to strings.
the nut was the only thing hurting the guitar, it was just height-
adjusted. the binding is a little off near the neck, the rest is
put together really well.

this will be great for live shows!
i think there's a loose part inside, might get it
checked out someday, but it's held up in practice.
i would have a backup guitar, but only because i want
a variety of tone! i don't want to drop this one because
it's hollow though!

this is a vintage instrument, so no comment

I've been playing guitars for about 10 years, i think
i know my stuff when it comes to craftmanship and sound.
i have a preference for non-fender/gibson, not that those
guitars aren't good. this is a sweet vintage guitar, not a
beginner model. i compare it to a small hollow gretsch or something.
when i get used to playing with the floating bridge this may
become my main guitar.

i was recently given this guitar as a joke gift.but its no joke.
kay hollow body
maple ply body construction with ivory type binding
2 single coil pick ups, 2 volume nobs,2 tone nobs,3 way selector
rosewood bridge and fretboard,and what appears to be a marble nut
bigsby type tremelo that i dont dare use because it goes horribly out but is at least a good solid tail stop.single cut away
the headstock has all tuners on top and is shaped like a knive blade
after some serious attention to the neck and frets(brass)it now has very good action and has been holding for over a year.
is very very red,has original case, sounds great clean or overdriven
i searched for serial # and found only the#562 in the neck cavity.i am desperate to identify this guitar just to give it a name.amazingly it has become my main axe.i saw another kay with the same headstock that the owner claimed was made in 1964(shity solid body same color)and was made in japan.this guitar has the worst tuners i have ever encountered but luckily it stays in tune very well.if anybody has any info on such an instrument i can be reached at daly_keen@hotmail

it suits my style of playing very well,wich is sort of stonesy rockabilly

i have completely set this guitar up without changing original components

i have no reason to think this guitar will be short lived.it seems to be fairly stable.

i have been playing about 25 years.i mostly play booze rock but because this guitar sound so cool clean i have been playing alot of edddie cochraine type of stuff.it is definitely what i woul call a poor mans grestch.