Kay P-3

Not sure of the exact date, but judging from the "kleenex box" pickups, it's an early 60's Kay. I've been trying to figure out what exactly this model is called and guess it's a P-3 because of identical guitars that have the same stamp inside the f-hole. this one's a beautiful blonde, full hollowbody archtop (2 f-holes) with bound body and neck, double florentine cutaways, 3 way toggle switch for the double "kleenex box" pick ups. These pick ups are basically the same ones that were on the Barney Kessel Kelvinators. This headstock features the half-kelvinator name plate. Very chunky (typical of Kays) rosewood neck with pearl dot inlays. rosewood, non-adjustable bridge, and japanese made tremolo tailpiece. volume and tone knobs for each pick up. It has all the features you need except fret markers on the side of the neck and no strap button on the neck joint. This must have been designed to be a lap guitar because it appears to have been made for as a sitdown player.

This is a jazz/blues tone monster. I am thoroughly impressed with the output of these pickups especially in the low end. They really sound like p90s on steriods. I've owned more guitars that I can remember, but this one has a low end <boom> I haven't heard in any guitar. gretsch and gibson, take a seat. I played it through a silvertone twin twelve, and fender blues deville and it's just plain amazing. it's surprisingly quiet. the limitation of the tone however is that it's not very bright even in the bridge pu setting, but that's pretty much indicative of a hollowbody archtop. if you want bright, get a solid body with single coils. but for what this is made for, it does the job nicely and has a tone of its own. I have no justifiable complaints in this department.

This is where the guitar takes a hit in a big way. the materials are not bad, but the craftsmanship straight out sucks. you can tell the pu poles are not even lined up properly. the action was not great (at least until I got it set up) and the plastic nut was poorly cut. If you ever get one of these, you MUST get it setup professionally to really make it play well. The finish is actually very resillient. Still has a great shine and the blonde grain is nice. The binding is sturdy and the neck is straight after all these years, but I guess with a "baseball bat" neck, it's not too hard to keep it straight. The tuning pegs are surprisingly still good. the brass frets have held up well over the years too.

This is will definitely withstand live playing. I haven't had any problems with it yet and it's simple enough that not much can go wrong.

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I've been playing for >10 years. I'm really attracted to vintage/ exotic guitars and absolutely love them. I would definitely buy one again if it were lost or stolen. It's a real gem that will really round out your low end if that's what you're looking for. Its shape and vibe are irreplacable. it's beautifully designed, plays well, and sounds outstanding, so what more could you ask for?