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Slightly less mysterious cool guitar: Kay Value Leader (name found)

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 5:16 am
by thisisnickpaige
My friend is trying to find the origins of his great uncles guitar, anyone seen one of these before?
It kind of looks Silvertoney but has this kind of russian feel, yet also that Japanese Teisco vibe, and a hint of Hofner... any clues?

Edit: it’s called a Kay Value Leader, thanks guys!
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Re: Mysteriously Cool Guitar

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 5:33 am
by marqueemoon
Kay Value Leader

It’s American. Those “pancake” pickups are some of my favorites ever. Very clear and open sounding.

Re: Mysteriously Cool Guitar

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 5:50 am
by Jazzmastervsjaguar
It's a Kay Value leader. These are fun little guitars. I'm a sucker for all the guitars that were made in the 60's from Chicago though.

Re: Mysteriously Cool Guitar

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 6:03 am
by thisisnickpaige
Wow, thanks guys, he'll be stoked! Anyway on dating these things?
...Wine, drinks, walk in the park, perhaps? ;)

Re: Mysteriously Cool Guitar

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 6:11 am
by Jazzmastervsjaguar
The pick ups usually have a date stamped on the bottom of them. Also the pot codes will be able to tell you.

Re: Mysteriously Cool Guitar

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:04 pm
by R_T_Hermit
I have absolutely zero help, but I just have to say that it is truly a seriously, mysteriously cool guitar. Having grown up way back in the day when kids mostly had Kay’s & Stella’s... it’s a pleasure to see an old warhorse that survived. ;D

Re: Mysteriously Cool Guitar

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 2:33 pm
by Squirrel
That thing is in seriously great shape. I've always had a bit of a thing for Value Leaders and I may eventually buy one, seeing as I can still get one from America without CITES tearing me a new bumhole.

Re: Mysteriously Cool Guitar

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:13 pm
by jthomas
Given the 3 screws securing the neck to the body, I'd be willing to bet that it was built at the Harmony factory (also in Chicago) for Kay.

Check out page 6 of this Kay catalog:

http://www.kayvintagereissue.com/pdf/1961catalog.pdf

Re: Mysteriously Cool Guitar

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:22 pm
by thisisnickpaige
jthomas wrote:
Tue Apr 23, 2019 4:13 pm
Check out page 6 of this Kay catalog:

http://www.kayvintagereissue.com/pdf/1961catalog.pdf
Wow, that was incredibly cool, thank you for sharing! My friend is stoked at all this stuff. It’s like discovering a piece of your past.

Re: Mysteriously Cool Guitar: Kay Value Leader (name found)

Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:12 pm
by mgeek
haha this thread cracked me up...Kay Value Leaders are really cool, but it's hard to think of a less mysterious sixties budget guitar... ;D

No so mysterious cool guitar: Kay Value Leader (name found)

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 3:54 am
by thisisnickpaige
mgeek wrote:
Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:12 pm
haha this thread cracked me up...Kay Value Leaders are really cool, but it's hard to think of a less mysterious sixties budget guitar... ;D
Threads name changed appropriately. ;D

Re: Slightly less mysterious cool guitar: Kay Value Leader (name found)

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:23 am
by øøøøøøø
I have one of those, exactly like that.

I use it for slide sometimes.

It's not much use in any other context... at least not with the original frets (which, on mine at least, are made of brass and are very soft... they melt if you look at them).

I'm glad to have mine.

Re: Slightly less mysterious cool guitar: Kay Value Leader (name found)

Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:35 am
by thisisnickpaige
øøøøøøø wrote:
Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:23 am
I have one of those, exactly like that.

I use it for slide sometimes.

It's not much use in any other context... at least not with the original frets (which, on mine at least, are made of brass and are very soft... they melt if you look at them).

I'm glad to have mine.
Wait, brass? Why on earth? I guess that was cheaper than steel or nickel for them. I don’t know what his has, but it sure looks cool, though.

Re: Slightly less mysterious cool guitar: Kay Value Leader (name found)

Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2019 3:04 pm
by øøøøøøø
thisisnickpaige wrote:
Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:35 am
øøøøøøø wrote:
Wed Apr 24, 2019 8:23 am
I have one of those, exactly like that.

I use it for slide sometimes.

It's not much use in any other context... at least not with the original frets (which, on mine at least, are made of brass and are very soft... they melt if you look at them).

I'm glad to have mine.
Wait, brass? Why on earth? I guess that was cheaper than steel or nickel for them. I don’t know what his has, but it sure looks cool, though.
"why on earth?" indeed!

Probably very cheap, and very easy to work with. This was Kay's very least-expensive line of electrics. But they do have a certain charm!