Kay Reissue K162V Pro

[paulo]

Looks cool but overpriced
https://reverb.com/item/6784382-kay-rei ... y-sunburst

[Matt R.]

Daaaaaaamn that’s cool

[pjmuck]

Cool indeed. The seller is Kay Vintage Reissue, so I'm guessing these won't be easy to find at other retailers. Still, about $200 more than righties I'm seeing. MIC too.

McCartney played a double cutaway b/w righty Kay, which can be seen in this Wings Top of the Pops appearance. He also used it in the Ebony and Ivory video:

Junior's Farm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEil2e_bUvg

Ebony and Ivory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmALA8miQY8

And here's a demo of the bass (reverse video so it actually looks like a lefty):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah1J3Zim5OE

[Smo]

Wow. That howlin wolf style bass is my dream bass and I never thought that there would be a lefty available. Is a lefty reissue a common thing?

[paulo]

Here's their website:
http://www.kayvintagereissue.com

[tim]

From the website. What do you know?

[pjmuck]

From the website. What do you know?

Sheryl must be a tiny woman. That bass looks gigantic in her hands. Compare that photo to other people on that site playing that bass.

[NoXX]

She’s 5’ 3” apparently, but looks ok with this one...

[Smo]

Here's their website:
http://www.kayvintagereissue.com

Yeah. But they dont list a lefty one on the website. I would like to know will this be a limited run of lefties thats all. Theres supposed to be a retailer in the uk. Maybe I shoot a message to them. This would be a cool bass indeed.

[paulo]

Here's their website:
http://www.kayvintagereissue.com

Yeah. But they dont list a lefty one on the website. I would like to know will this be a limited run of lefties thats all. Theres supposed to be a retailer in the uk. Maybe I shoot a message to them. This would be a cool bass indeed.

On Reverb it says they have 3 available. Maybe those are the only 3 left handed?!

[AzWhoFan]

Here's their website:
http://www.kayvintagereissue.com

Yeah. But they dont list a lefty one on the website. I would like to know will this be a limited run of lefties thats all. Theres supposed to be a retailer in the uk. Maybe I shoot a message to them. This would be a cool bass indeed.

On Reverb it says they have 3 available. Maybe those are the only 3 left handed?!

Yup, i'd agree with that. Looks to me like they might be shifting to a direct-sale strategy.

[tim]

Stingray.

[tim]

P.

[tim]

But mostly she loves that Guild.



Okay, done now. Happy Friday, y'all!

[Matt R.]

But mostly she loves that Guild.



Okay, done now. Happy Friday, y'all!

Oh my

[Smo]

I sent them a message via Reverb. Lets see what happens. If they dont have a retailer in EU the taxes will kill me if I buy from the US.

Luckily when the latest Danelectro longhorn reissues came Thomann was kind enough to order some.

[Smo]

This wont happen on my part. Too much expenses to taxes, shipping and cites certificate. They made six of this bass and there are only two left now. They told me also that when these are gone the waiting time for the next batch is one year. They also stated that the demand is high and this is a rare opportunity to buy this bass.

[pjmuck]

Musician's Friend is taking orders for these now. (Due to ship in mid-May). $200 more than the Reverb price 2-1/2 years ago too:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/ka ... 6000001000

I have to admit, these sound pretty fantastic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah1J3Zim5OE

[Carmine]

A few years back I had discussions with them about picking up one of those lefties for $1000, but I passed. I just didn’t want to have that much invested in it, so I ended up getting a right-handed 5970 Jazz Special. After all, I play strung righty anyway- and a righty was good enough for Sir Paul... lol!



Turned out to be a good decision, as once I got it I found my instincts were basically correct- if I’d paid $1000 for the lefty I would have felt like I overpaid given that I wouldn’t really be using it that often. I originally intended to go with "McCartney Black", until I saw this Blondie beauty. It's unusual- they ended up putting tort pickguards on the blondes, but this one had the white Formica guard.






Having owned several original vintage Kay’s, my two cents comparison is that they did a great job at reverse engineering these reissues. Very well put together, built like a tank. Workmanship, fit and finish far better than the originals- almost too good... so tightened up that they don’t really “breathe” or resonate acoustically quite the way the old originals did- but of course it’s near impossible to totally replicate the unique vibe that 50 years of aging gives a old instrument. Sound-wise they sound good, but are a one-trick-pony. If you want to add a very cool, well constructed bass that has a deep, thumpy, 60's tone to your arsenal, this will fit the bill. But if you’re looking for versatility, there are other hollowbody options out there that offer more tonal variety.