Weiss Musical Instruments (1969-1980), The Kay Guitar Company (1980-present)
Key people
Sidney M. Katz Tony Blair
Products
Electric, lap steel and acoustic guitars, double basses, violins, cellos, banjos, amplifiers
Brands
List
Airline
Custom Kraft [1]
Kay
Kamico
Kent
Old Kraftsman
Penncrest
Silvertone
Sherwood
Truetone [2]
Parent
Valco (1967–68) [3]
Kay Musical Instrument Company (often referred to simply as Kay) is an American musical instrument manufacturer established in 1931 by namesake Henry "Kay" Kuhrmeyer and based in Chicago, Illinois. It was formed when Kuhrmeyer bought out his financial backers in the instrument manufacturer Stromberg-Voisinet. They produced guitars, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles and were known for their use of lamination in the construction of arched top instruments.[4]
The company operated independently until 1965 when they were purchased by the Seeburg Corporation, a jukebox manufacturer.[5] In 1967, the company was sold to Valco citing decreasing profits due to imported Japanese instruments.[6][7] In 1969, rights to name "Kay" was acquired by Weiss Musical Instruments (WMI) . The brand has been used by several manufacturers since then, mainly attached to Asian import guitars.[8][3]
Kay offered their first electric guitar in 1936 — five years after the Rickenbacker Frying pan, and the same year as the Gibson ES-150. However, Kuhrmeyer with Stromberg-Voisinet had announced the "Stromberg Electro" even earlier, in 1928, possibly making the short-lived model the first commercial electric guitar.[9][10][11][12] However, no copies exist, and there is speculation that the Electro was never produced. [13]
^1963 Truetone Jazz King on YouTube
^Cite error: The named reference truetone was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abKay History on Chasing Guitars website
^Adams, S. Nathaniel (August 4, 2019). ""Identifying and Dating Kay Guitars"".
^Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1965-10-02). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 55. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^The Purchaser's Guide to the Music Industries. 1968. p. 238.
^Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1967-03-11). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 84. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^The Story of Kay Guitars, Told in 10 Reverb Listings by Frank Meyers, Jul 18, 2017 por Frank Meyers
^
Michael Wright (February 2000). "1000 Years of the Guitar, Part 2". Vintage Guitar.
^
"New Sales Avenue Opened with Tone Amplifier for Stringed Instruments". The Music Trades. October 20, 1928. This tone amplifier is electrically operated either by alternating or direct currents. It consists of two major units -- an electro-magnetic pick-up and amplifying unit. The electro-magnetic pick-up is built within the instrument and is attached to its sounding board. The unit is connected with the amplifier, which produces the tone and volume required of the instrument.
^Stromberg Electro Instruments (advertisement on catalog). Chicago Musical Instrument. 1929. Operated from light socket alternating current. No batteries required.
^"Who Really Invented the Electric Guitar?". reverb.com. 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
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