Though kay catered to the mass market, they were pioneers of making high quality plywood laminations just think of the kay double basses, and it was kuhrmeyer who offered very early, in october of 1928, probably years before gibson, electrically amplified guitars, tenor guitars, banjos and mandolins offered as stromberg electro instruments. Kay was established in 1931 in chicago, illinois, by henry kay kuhrmeyer, from the assets of the former strombergvoisinet founded as groeschel mandolin company in 1890 the company produced instruments in its plant until 1968, when it ceased operations after a brief. The number one source of guitar and amplifier pricing and information so you can find the price and value of your used guitars and amplifier. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at.
You can also consult the blue book of guitar values to see what it is worth. We believe this to be a late 50s to early 60s kay mandolin. Bluegrass mandolins is a great place to find a professional grade instrument, without paying a professional grade price. Collectors who grew up in the 1950s often want different guitars to those that grew up in the 1980s. Over 40 years later, weve grown into one of the worlds most respected sellers of new, used, and vintage fretted instruments. This mandolin has astyle with oval sound hole produces warm and deep resonance.
Kay kay kraft style a model arch top mandolinmid1930s made in chicago, sunburst lacquer with stenciling finish, laminated mahogany body. The face has a few scratches, curved face, and back. Mandolin buyers guide on riverboat music ukulele buyers guide on riverboat music harmonica buyers guide on riverboat music autoharp buyers guide on riverboat music appalachian dulcimer buyers guide on riverboat music hammered dulcimer buyers. It is important to note that there are exceptions to every rule and the following is only a general guide for. If you are new to the instrument and want to learn more, check out the resources tab at the top of the page. Does anyone have any great resource tips for publications i can purchase on blue book values for mandolins and acoustic guitars. Whether youre a beginner who is looking for their first instrument, or an old pro that is looking to upgrade to a seriously special instrument, kentucky has just the. These price ranges utilize a combination of expert research, external market data, and realtime reverb transactions to estimate the current value of items in used but original condition. Underneath i think it says quality musical instruments. Affordable and search from millions of royalty free images, photos and vectors. If youre not comfortable taking the mandolin, take at least five. Musical examples are from the book bluegrass mandolin. Kay guitars or gruhns guide to vintage guitars, and search for your mandolin based on the serial or model number, or its similarity to other kay mandolins. Please help identify this awesome vintage kay archtop axe.
The fhole top is decorated with an elaborate gold stencil. Kay did not serialize these mandolins so there is no way to know for sure what year this piece was made. Then orville gibson started making his elaborate, florentine mandolins in kalamazoo, michigan in the 1890s, and from then on, a mandolin could be just about any shape a builder wanted it to be. Every banjo is worth more in many ways than what it will probably sell for if you put it on the market. Mandolessons provides hundreds of free online mandolin lessons to people all over the world. Back in the 1950s, however, gretsch had a notable line of mandolins and other acoustic instruments that they have recently resurrected. For instance, gibson f5 mandolins made under the management of lloyd loar in the 1920s can command hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Kay mandolin mand10 deep arch top body teardrop shaped a. If youre a mandolinist, odds are youve heard the name kentucky. Kay instruments especially some of the bass fiddles and old guitars are definitely collectible. It may help you remember a cherished family member long gone. This title introduces all the essential techniques needed for successful bluegrass mandolin playing. The gwma2 mandolin has long lasting strings with 20 frets on the bound fingerboard. The rhythm section covers all the important chords and details the rhythm chop. I wrote once before i got the item to say that i was very pleased with their customer service. How to determine the value of a vintage mandolin our pastimes. Although many fans of electricguitar god jimmy page only know the mandolin as the highpitched, plucky sounding background instrument in led zeppelins the battle of evermore, the mandolin was largely responsible for the spread of the guitar in the late 19th and early. We love playing them, we love talking about them, and we love helping mandolin players sound their absolute best, with a reliable, well made, new or used mandolin. From here, you can make additions or subtractions to the value based on damages, imperfections, and aftermarket additions to the instrument. Frets are in good condition, fretboard has one ding third fret from the top. On the inside there is a sticker that says continental tested and approved.
Avi avital plays vivaldi mandolin concerto in c major. The late lewis price of sumpter, sc was wellregarded as a mandolin builder and this instrument shows why. A discussion place for friends and fans of kentucky mandolins. I have the blue book for electric guitars and the blue book for acoustic guitars but they do not list mandolins. The mandolin has a solid adirondack spruce top and a onepiece back of highly figured maple. Vintage guitar collecting, like anything else is subject to fashion. Kay teardrop mandolins have been a standard in the music industry for over 25 years. Mandolin is 2 12 inches thick with double bindingtop and back i dont see any damage anywhere seems ready to play has an adjustoable bridge and probably could lower the action a bit. Bluebird records is a record label best known for its lowcost releases, primarily of blues and jazz in the 1930s and 1940s.
The f2 was the next to the top of the line mandolin for gibson. Use this site for a pricing guide and source of information on all guitars. Another great choice in mandolins is the mandolin by guitar works, inc. Kay has been making banjos and mandolins since 1890. This is one of the best oval hole mandolins ever made by gibson a loar era truss rod f2. Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of kay mandolins at guitar center. The body seems to be all dark wood with a black pickguard.
There is no truss rod in the neck of this instrument. Find the current blue book value and worth of your new and used guitars, both acoustic, electric and amplifier. Kay was established in 1931 in chicago, illinois, by henry kay kuhrmeyer, from the assets of the former strombergvoisinet founded as groeschel mandolin company in 1890 the company produced instruments in its plant until 1968, when it ceased. Founded in 1972, elderly instruments started as a small store with a handful of instruments. The official vintage guitar price guide vintage guitar. Antonio vivaldi concerto for 2 mandolins and orchestra rv532 by het consort duration. How to determine the value of a vintage mandolin our. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself. These price ranges utilize a combination of expert research, external market data, and realtime reverb transactions to estimate the current value of items in. Founded all the way back in 1883 by a 27yearold german immigrant, gretsch is known today for its quality range of midlevel electric guitars and drums. This volume is packed with useful reference material. The following websites act as a guitar blue book online. When appraising your guitar, the first place to begin is the average market value of the guitar.
A deeper padded bag to fit these models is available order gbm165. Bluegrass mandolin creating and using doublestops pete martin. Not only is kentucky the home of bluegrass music, its also one of the premier names in the mandolin world today. Visit a guitar appraiser and take your kay mandolin with you. Make offer 1950s vintage kay mandolin with kluson tuners in used condition model 460 p4. This is a discontinued model of an astyle mandolin with a deluxe honey tobacco sunburst solid spruce top. Setting up fretted instruments what is a tenor guitar. Feb 20, 2019 another great choice in mandolins is the mandolin by guitar works, inc. Another great resource is vintage guitar magazines price guide, which is regularly updated and available at amazon. Kay n1 hollowbody electric manodlin this is not a gibson. I have been trying top keep you up to date with the harmony guitars assortment of guitars. Original compositions in jazz style as played and recorded by mandolinist composer david grisman featuring. Bluebird became known for what came to be known as the bluebird sound, which influenced rhythm and blues and early rock and roll. How to check the age of a kay mandolin our pastimes.
Arched top and backsand the traditional teardrop shape offer an extra deep body for better tone and projection. Purchase a guitar appraisal book, such as 50s cool. The look of the case seems to date it sometime in the 50s. Sep 04, 2014 a method for bluegrass mandolin players to find and use double stops in their solos. At the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of cheaper vintage mandolins from the likes of harmony and kay from the 50s and 60s.
Welcome to the reverb price guide, the ultimate resource for music gear pricing and information. With the new 5th edition of the blue book of guitars there is finally a coherent documentation of the different models. Click on the manufacturers name for a list and see if there is information about the value of your vintage mandolin. A style mandolins were symmetrical and shaped like a teardrop. From the popular and distinctive 1930s kaykraft line comes this nicely made and fairly flashyvenetian mandolin. The lead section covers turnarounds, position playing, monroestyle, harmonized sixths and important soloing scales. F style mandolins have a carved nautilus shaped curl on the upper lefthand bout. Fabulous vintage epiphone bg440 mandolin 8 string gibs fabulous vintage epiphone bg440 mandoli antique french bronze jester clown mandolin crescent mo antique french bronze jester clown mando vintage gibson h2 mandola 1914 gibson mandolin family vintage gibson h2 mandola 1914 gibson m gibson f4 mandolin with original.