Kay Pro Bass

sniper · July 15, 2011, 05:50:53 PM

i was crusin the net yesterday trying to come up with an idea about shipping some delicate parts (which i solved later) but found this and thought it was interesting: 788$ + shipping out the door at Fritz Bros: http://www.fritzbrothersguitars.com/fritz.htm

listened to a clip and it sounded pretty good. turns out this Roger Fritz is a bass player and a luthier.

how about a slap bass on a Kay Pro? sound quality sucks ... too noisy background

anybody here ever played one?

Dave W · July 15, 2011, 10:45:22 PM

For that price you can buy a real vintage American Kay.

Same with the reissue Harmony line, and probably why their sales haven't taken off.

dadagoboi · July 16, 2011, 04:24:03 AM

Quote from: Dave W on July 15, 2011, 10:45:22 PM
For that price you can buy a real vintage American Kay.

Wish that were true for this one...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230607794247&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

ilan · July 16, 2011, 05:39:38 AM

Or these... $12,995 BIN!

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-PAIR-50S-KAY-JAZZ-SPECIAL-BASS-GUITARS-RARE-/260788215334?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cb8305e26#ht_500wt_1413

Dave W · July 16, 2011, 11:40:45 AM

That seller is dreaming. Even gBase sellers aren't that unrealistic.

jumbodbassman · July 18, 2011, 12:29:15 PM

my first bass setup was a single cut kay ( very short scale) with a humbucker looking pup into a thunderbolt amp. wish i still had them both....

Chris P. · July 18, 2011, 03:04:50 PM

I played and reviewed one some years ago when they appeared in Holland.

It's a very light bass. Hollow but no soundholes. The bridge is the same as on a Asian Höfner-copy and it feels/sounds a bit like the Höfner Club: Flatwounds, hollow, narrow neck ..
It has one pick up but also a switch. I think it's kinda the same as on a Rivoli. On the first position it's just a cool and good sounding semisolid bass for acoustic gigs, but switching to second makes it sound HUGE and FAT! Really cool, but of course not very good for modern sounds. Nice bass for blues, 50s rock 'n roll, reggae, Amy Winehouse kinda retrosounds... I liked it. Building quality is quite okay. Very nice looks and the one I reviewd had a nice teaburst, which reminded me of a Gibson The Dove.