N(WTFHIBTF)BD Kay KJP-1B

[Jabba_the_gut]

Very, very nice! 

[Stub Mandrel]

11 hours ago, Maude said:

It's got brand new rounds on and the tone doesn't work so it's bright but it sounds great, still has that short scale thumpy fundamental. It has that Danelectro kind of sound. Once the strings wear in and I fit a new tone pot I think it'll be great fun. 

I think the key improvement for any Kay is a decent bridge so you can sort intonation and action. I fitted a tune-o-matic to mine. The big downside is how light it is, only having a piece of relatively thin ply for a body!

Yours really benefits visually from having a decent chunk of body!

Edited April 15, 2020 by Stub Mandrel

[stewblack]

Absolutely extraordinary work. Thanks for sharing this project with us. 

Reminds me of the children's story of the ugly duckling. 

You should change your name from Maude to The Alchemist. 

[Woodinblack]

I agree. The completed item actually is the first kay I have seen that I don't want to destroy with fire.

[Maude]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

I agree. The completed item actually is the first kay I have seen that I don't want to destroy with fire.

Back off you! 

[Maude]

11 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Yours really benefits visually from having a decent chunk of body!

That's an optical illusion I'm afraid. I think the two tone and stripe on the side make it look thicker than it really is. I've just measured it and it's 27mm thick, and 2mm of that is probably paint (1mm either side). 

It's never going to be a good bass but it's a fun bass. It sounds really good with a pick palm muted.

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Maude said:

That's an optical illusion I'm afraid. I think the two tone and stripe on the side make it look thicker than it really is. I've just measured it and it's 27mm thick, and 2mm of that is probably paint (1mm either side). 

It's never going to be a good bass but it's a fun bass. It sounds really good with a pick palm muted.

I think my 'SG' is 25mmm ply.

[Maude]

Thanks to @AndyTravis, who saw one on ebay and was kind enough to message and let me know, I've now got a Bronco bridge on the way which should fix the string alignment without having to bodge the threaded saddle bridge. Cheers Andy. 👍

[Ricky 4000]

Lovely paintwork @Maude 👍

[Maude]

On 26/04/2020 at 23:40, Ricky 4000 said:

Lovely paintwork @Maude 👍

Thank you @Ricky 4000. 

Some instruments just deserve a nice paint job. 😄

[Maude]

The Bronco bridge arrived this morning, so I've just fitted it and given the Kay a proper set up as the strings sit differently now. I removed the neck shim as it was half a shim so tilted the neck back and I was getting buzzing up the high end, also wanted to start from scratch with the set up. Filing the nut down has massively improved playability and even the intonation is pretty much there considering it's a two saddle bridge, G & D all but bang on but it's a balancing act with A & E, I've done it so the A is right but the E is a touch flat, I'll be less likely to be on the E string up higher. The action is a touch higher than I'd normally like but the G saddle adjuster is right down now so I'll let it settle overnight and if I think it needs it I'll put a full shim in the neck cavity to lift the neck without changing the angle. 

Thanks again to @Jabba_the_gut for suggesting the Bronco and @AndyTravisfor drawing my attention to the one on ebay.

While I was working on it the sun was coming through the window onto and the copper pearl was looking really glittery, so a photo needed to be taken 😁, but my phone camera went mental deciding on whether to focus on the grain or the window reflection. 

Here's the bridge in place and a truer representation of the colour when not in the sun. 

[AndyTravis]

Looks great - that paint job is brilliant too.

[Jabba_the_gut]

Looks lovely!