Kay K-500 Very Good, Soft, $145.00
The seeds of Kay guitars were planted in the 1890s, sprouting from the Groeschel Company of Chicago, which specialized in “potato bug” mandolins. While historically most Kay guitars were produced for the mass market, author Jay Scott says “...the top of each line...(especially the acoustic and electric jazz guitars and flattop acoustics) were meritorious pieces of postwar musical art.”
This guitar was not one of these, and probably was made in the early 1970s. When the company was sold to the Seeburg jukebox company in 1965, they shifted production to Japan, and as with many other companies, other countries as well.
For the money, this Kay K-500 is a great dreadnought guitar; it really exudes 1970s vibes, and it actually plays well, with the action set up at an easy-playing 3/32” at the 12th fret low E. I’m sure the woods are all laminates, but the good news is that there are no cracks and the finish is excellent. The frets are in good shape, and the beautiful pearloid “butter bean” tuners are perfect.
Play it for fun, decorate with it for atmosphere, or use it as your beach guitar—it’s all good. Included is a free basic gig bag, and of course it will be carefully de-tuned and packaged.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $45 for shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashiers and personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in my description of this guitar; its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before bidding.
Thanks.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.