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New Kay Reissue model at NAMM


wedgehed II

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I played one of the Thin Twins last month. I absolutely loved it. They really did it right. Fit & finish, playability, sound, it's all there.

 

I totally agree - bought one last week and it's spot on. One of the best reissue I've ever played, it is NOT a so-so copy with generic pickups, it's perfect in every detail (one improvment: the tune-o-matic bridge - can blame them for that) and the tone is unique. Even the hardcase is stunning!

 

KayK-16106.jpg

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??

 

Why

 

??

 

All I have from memories of Kay guitars is an old guitar with a badly warped neck.

Why would anyone even fool with reissues?

 

Watch me find one and go "damn!" and start drooling and have auto-GAS.

who knows.....can't say it's never happened but in this case I think it's highly unlikely.

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??


Why


??


All I have from memories of Kay guitars is an old guitar with a badly warped neck.

Why would anyone even fool with reissues?


Watch me find one and go "damn!" and start drooling and have auto-GAS.

who knows.....can't say it's never happened but in this case I think it's highly unlikely.

 

As been said - there was a lot of cheap Kay guitars (mostly from the sixties) but also some high end models (early fifties mainly) like this Thin Twin (used by Jimmy Reed - it's often referenced as the "Jimmy Reed model" - Howlin'wolf or more recently T-bone Burnett with Plant/Krauss). It has a sound of its own (thx to the 26" string lenght, the pickups, the parallel bracing) that I never heard from any other guitar. Of course it's not suited for modern rock but for vintage blues ("vintage" like 40'/50', not SRV ;) ), jazz or even garage rock, it's a damn good guitar. And it plays like butter.

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??


Why


??


All I have from memories of Kay guitars is an old guitar with a badly warped neck.

Why would anyone even fool with reissues?


Watch me find one and go "damn!" and start drooling and have auto-GAS.

who knows.....can't say it's never happened but in this case I think it's highly unlikely.

 

 

I'd say it's because with many Asian factories geared up to produce guitars to spec., it's very easy to start up new guitar brands. But, it's difficult to establish the brand. Unless you want to sell at rock bottom prices on the internet, whereby price becomes the main reason for buying. So, what do people do? By adopting a known, if defunct, brand, and recreating previous models, then the companies don't have to start from scratch. We've seen Danelectro, Hagstrom, other brands do this. In the case of Hagstrom, I think the original Mr Hagstrom is still involved.

 

Alternatives are having a well known artist involved, e.g. the Flea basses.

 

If those guitars were identical in quality, but weren't branded as Kay reissues, would they be newsworthy?

 

I guess that the people behind this venture think that some publicity, and a known name, are better than trying to start some brand completely from scratch.

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If those guitars were identical in quality, but weren't branded as Kay reissues, would they be newsworthy?


 

 

I'd even say that WITHOUT the Kay name on the headstock, the Thin Twin would be more attractive maybe - because most guitarplayers under 40 doesn't know Kay anyway, and the ones who know the brand think about the cheap models first.

 

So, with the same quality (I already said it: it's a great playing and sounding guitar), with that look and the huge tonal personnality, yes it would be very newsworthy.

 

Btw, the Kay reissue are made under supervision by US luthier Roger Fritz http://www.fritzbrothersguitars.com/fritz.htm and I don't think he would put his name on an average commercial fake reissue.

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