Re: Help Identifying an Old Kay Mandolin
It was probably built by Kay in Chicago. It looks like a Kay product but the logo isn't right. The internal sticker is the distributor that sold it. It appears that it might have had a pretty nasty headstock break, hard to tell from the picture, that could be an optical illusion. That appears to be a mandolin bridge top from another mandolin, it didn't come on this mandolin. The finish is not from the 30's. The finish is also way too shiny so something has been done to it, probably more recently. Somebody spent a whole lot of time polishing up that tailpiece. These were entry level instruments, they are on eBay in original condition and sell for very little. If you wanted to sell it and you could get $100.00 you should do a happy dance. If the outside, inside, and handle of the case were in good condition it might be worth more than the mandolin. In poor condition that's not a big factor.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
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