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OLD KRAFTSMAN MODEL: K142
SPEED DEMON - circa 1957 - KAY

Kay - Old Kraftsman - K142, 2pu, copper, 1957, solid body, neck thru, made in Chicago, IL This is a 1957 (circa) Old Kraftsman (Kay) solid body, neck-thru, electric guitar made by Kay of Chicago. It has a Metallic Copper finish and two pickups. The neck has beautiful mother-of-pearl block inlays. It's in good playing condition. The guitar is largely original except the bridge is a modern replacement and the nut is a vintage replacement. It comes with a good quality gig bag. This guitar is meant to be played so players will really appreciate it. But a collector might want to track down the original bridge to restore it completely.Description from VintageSilvertones.com

GENERAL INFO/CONDITION:
The body shows quite a bit of wear to the finish including the usual nicks and dings on a 50+ year old guitar. The back of the body has some fading in the finish on one side (see photo).

TUNERS/HEADSTOCK:
Tuners are closed Kluson-Deluxe 3x3;s. The tuners work fine but the plastic tips are definitely showing wear. If you are going to play it regularly we suggest getting a replacement set of tuners. The headstock is in good shape with pretty minimal wear.

NECK:
This is a "neck-thru" guitar. So it's all one piece of wood for both the body and neck. This Kay has a very thick neck both width and depth-wise. So if you like a baseball bat-style neck you will love this guitar. The neck is straight with 19 brass frets. The frets are in good shape with no significant wear on any of them. The action is set medium-fast. It has an adjustable truss rod (adjustment screw is on the back of the neck/body) The fretboard appears to rosewood with block, mother-of-pearl inlays. As noted the nut is a vintage replacement.Description from VintageSilvertones.com

PICKUPS:
Two pickups which are very strong and full sounding with the neck being more smooth and jazzy and the bridge pretty twangy. There's one volume and one tone control for each pickup along with a slider selector control to choose between neck, bridge or both pickups. The slider control is slightly bent.

The Dimensions are:
    Overall length: 37"
    Body width: 12"
    Body thickness: 1 7/8"Description from VintageSilvertones.com
    Scale: 25 7/8" approx.
    Width of the nut: 1 3/4" (depth 7/8")
    String height at 12th fret: 1/8"

Here's the original description from the 1957 Kay catalog:

SPEED DEMONS
Guitarmen want a thin, slender neck when they play those fast, tricky progressions. And just what the - doctor ordered are Kay's new balanced-tension "Speed Demon" guitars. Kay's ingenious balanced-tension principle employs a sturdy lever-action stell rod that is adjustable by a key wrench. The "Speed Demon" neck is slim and thin, yet perfectly counterbalances the terrific tension of the strings.
Description from VintageSilvertones.com

Warping and bowing of the neck are virtually a thing of the past. A slight turn of the key wrench keeps the "Speed Demon" neck in perfect alignment. Changes in atmosphere or string tension which affect the neck are quickly corrected by a twist of the wrist.

K142
An exciting two-unit Spanish electric that offers fine professional quality at moderate cost! Its full rich tone has tremendous carrying power. The slim, balanced tension "Speed Demon" neck stands for supreme playing ease. Large inlaid block markers; select hardwood body. Twin magnetic pickups with separate dual-type tone and volume controls. 3-way selector switch. Detachable cord. Finish is painstakingly hand-rubbed and polished.
Description from VintageSilvertones.com
K142 Sparkling Metallic Copper finish .... $132.00A
220-42 Carrying case for K142 .... $9.75A
Description from VintageSilvertones.com

Old Kraftsman/Kay model: K142 Item #: k2006 SOLD

Kay - Old Kraftsman - K142, 2pu, copper, 1957, solid body, neck thru, made in Chicago, IL
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