Old Kay Kraft questions!

[LSchott85]

Hey all,

I got my dad's old Kay Kraft mandolin and know almost nothing about it. He died about ten years ago, and was a guitar player, but collected instruments to play around on. Anyway, here are some pictures. Can anyone tell me anything about this old gal? I want to clean her up and learn to play. I know she's in rough shape. I removed the pickup, since the wires were corroded anyway.

[nmiller]

These were around at the turn of the 1930s, possibly a few years earlier, and made for around a decade. Yours is a Style A; there was also a Style B with a maple back and Style C with rosewood. It's been refinished, since the A came only in sunburst. That pickup is an interesting affair that looks homemade.

[LSchott85]

What kind of wood is the style A? Very neat! Thanks for the info. I was kind of thinking the same thing about the pickup, especially since I couldn't find any others that look similar. Did it originally have the tailpiece?

[nmiller]

The back is mahogany. All styles had a spruce top. The tailpiece is probably original but missing the cover.

[LSchott85]

Anything I should/should not do when cleaning?

[MikeEdgerton]

OK, it's not turn of the century unless you count the late 20's to the 30's as turn of the century. The pickup you removed might have value, don't toss it. Most of the time we suggest a slightly damp soft cloth for cleaning the wood. Chemicals with silicone in them can do some damage. The pickguard may have been damaged and it looks like something round has been inserted under the bridge. It could possibly have some top damage. They aren't of great value but some folks like them. The neck joints are notorious for failing. This company was known as Strombger-Voisenet and then became the Kay company. This became a very standard Kay body and headstock shape for decades to come.

[MikeEdgerton]

Gruhn had this similar but more ornate model at one time. The prices you see for these are in most cases much higher than they will ever sell for. Yours is missing the tailpiece cover and the holes in the top will be an issue. If you really want to make it playable you might consider taking it to an experienced luthier to look at. I also don't know were the style A, B, and C posted above is coming from. I'd like to see that documentation so I had it for my files.

[Jeff Mando]

I also don't know were the style A, B, and C posted above is coming from. I'd like to see that documentation so I had it for my files.

Mike, guitar guys who collect Kay Kraft "blues" guitars use those designations. Might be from old catalog descriptions, not sure. At any rate, I don't know if they apply to mandolins, but most of Kay Kraft guitars you will see are mahogany with a spruce top. Once in a great while a maple one will surface, and a rosewood bodied Kay Kraft with the "zipper" binding seems to be the ultimate dream guitar for this small subset of collectors, such a guitar might actually bring $2500 or more, whereas most of the "plain" Kay Kraft guitars will top out at $500-900. The website littlebrotherblues.com has some Kay Kraft info. In my experience, Kay Kraft mandolins don't bring much money and are harder to sell than the comparable guitar.

[William Smith]

Nice score, sorry about your pops but I've always liked the looks of these old mandolins they have wide/deep bodies, I've never owned one but I like!

[nmiller]

I also don't know were the style A, B, and C posted above is coming from. I'd like to see that documentation so I had it for my files.

Vintaxe.com has a catalog showing all three styles. This page is from a 1938 catalog, by which point I think they had discontinued the B and C.

[LSchott85]

@mikeedgerton the round thing under the bridge is a penny. I'm going to take it to a luthier next time I'm out that way (it's about 45 minutes away). I'm sure my dad paid next to nothing for it, and I really just want it to look a little better and be playable, so I'm not too worried about resale value. Such awesome info. Thanks! Please add if anyone else notices anything. Is there any way to get a case for it?

[gweetarpicker]

page from the 1931 Progressive Musical Instrument Catalogue

[Graham McDonald]

And the 1930 Continental Music Co catalogue, which would have been one of the first listings.

[MikeEdgerton]

That's what I was looking for, thanks.

[MikeEdgerton]

It will probably fit into a normal F style mandolin case, it will certainly fit into some of the rectangular F style mandolin cases.

[Capt. E]

Here is a summary of the history of what became Kay Kraft and beyond. I own a Stomberg-Voisinet Tenor Guitar (though it could possibly be from the "Kay" period when the venetian form was still being made.

"The Groeshel Mandolin Company was established in Chicago in 1890. In 1921, the company was renamed to Stromberg-Voisinet. In 1923, Henry Kay Kuhrmeyer joined the company. He later became president. In 1928, with help of an investor, bought the company. The new company, "Kay Musical Instruments" was formally established in 1931 from the assets of Stromberg-Voisinet.
Stromberg-Voisinet primarily manufactured mandolins, tenor guitars, tenor banjos and 6-string guitars under its own brand as well as a large number of other brands, as Stromberg-Voisinet was an OEM supplier to many other manufacturers. Kay Musical Instruments continued this practice; however, Kay did sell many instruments under its own brand, “KayKraft.”
Stromberg-Voisinet has a special place in guitar history. Stromberg-Voisinet produced the first commercial electric guitar, the Stromberg Electro, in 1928.
Stromberg-Voisinet is particulary well-known among serious students of stringed instrument design for its unique “Venetian” body shape, which was used for its mandolins, tenor guitars and 6-string guitars.
Kay continued the Venetian body style after acquiring Stromberg-Voisinet. In fact, the Venetian shape is probably better known for its use with many instruments sold under the KayKraft brand and other popular brands such as Recording King in the 1930s through the 1950s."

I am still looking for a hard case that fits my Tenor. It lives in a baritone ukulele gig-bag at this time.