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ighut
Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 4:38 am Post subject: Guitar ID: 1950 Kay Truetone Speed Demon? (pic) |
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I noticed someone IDed a Kay Speed Demon before and was hoping they might help me out. There's absolutely no markings on the thing and the guitar looks exactly like a 3 pickup Kay Speed Demon except for the fact that there's no truss rod adjustment and it has the old bakelite volume knobs (do they call them muffintops or something). Do you think that means that it's not a 1960's version, but rather something older, or did Harmony also have a similar model?
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1bassleft
Lowdown Cack-hander
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 3951
Location: "Hit The North"
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| Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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Harmony did do a three-pup, single cutaway semi, but there are noticeable differences. I reckon yours is a Kay K573, but it might have been made for sale by Silvertone or Truetone. The headstock shape is similar to the early 60s type (rather than the mid 60s odd headstock with inline tuners) but I've not seen one with no trussrod before.
We have a contributor by name of SB who can help more than most can. Have a look at his website, www.vintaxe.com |
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ighut
Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:00 am Post subject: |
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Cheers on that, you've given me more for my search string. I've had the thing for about 15 years and I'm now curious just what it actually is so I can record it on there.
For a moment I thought the neck might be a replacement; no binding on the fingerboard edge, softer wood on neck and fingerboard and lack of rod adjustment, but looks and wear fits the rest of the guitar and doesn't show any signs that it's ever been removed. |
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1bassleft
Lowdown Cack-hander
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 3951
Location: "Hit The North"
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| Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:12 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | For a moment I thought the neck might be a replacement |
That crossed my mind also. The K573 has a pretty unusual neck-bolting arrangement. If you undid yours and found no additional holes, then that'd suggest an original neck. Otherwise... (gets can'o'worms opener)  |
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ighut
Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:04 am Post subject: |
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| Well, beyond the neck, I passed it by the Vintaxe site and another unusual aspect that I didn't pay attention to was the rounded off point on the cut away vs. the usual pointed ones on most Speed Demons. So I guess I'm wondering which feed store/gas station/shoe store might have contracted out for their own brand. |
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bigdaddymkg
Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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You may no longer be interested in this; but, the guitar pictured in your entry from last year was probably built by Kay for sale by Western Auto or Penney's. I have a 1963, Western Auto "TrueTone" which looks just like yours (except for knob and switch color). I even have the Western Auto catalog from that year...picturing the guitar at $95. I paid a lot more!
Big Daddy |
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Airplayer
Joined: 12 Feb 2009
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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| bigdaddymkg wrote: | | You may no longer be interested in this; but, the guitar pictured in your entry from last year was probably built by Kay for sale by Western Auto or Penney's. I have a 1963, Western Auto "TrueTone" which looks just like yours (except for knob and switch color). I even have the Western Auto catalog from that year...picturing the guitar at $95. I paid a lot more! |
Big Daddy I have a Truetone Speed demon too. Does yours have two large notes on the pickguard and one note has a crown in the center while the other note has an arrow pointing upwards? Mine does and I don't know exactly what year it is but never paid a dime for it. It is all origional except for the 4 way switch knob and I'm not sure about the bridge because it is wooden with small wheels to raise and lower it. pretty cool guitar though. |
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bigdaddymkg
Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for your note.
Although the bridge, etc., are exactly as you describe, mine does NOT have the musical notes on the pick guard, something that I've wondered about. So, you may truly have the 1963 Truetone Jazz King picture in my catalog (with the "decorated" guard); and, I may have a slightly earlier or later model of the same guitar. I have scanned the 1963 Western Auto catalog page which shows your guitar and it is very clear. If you want to e-mail me at bigdaddymkg@tx.rr.com, I will share it with you. |
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Stringz
Joined: 14 Mar 2009
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:22 am Post subject: |
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| It has the famous Kay "tissue box" pickups, but what seems out of place is the cutaway "horn". All of the Speed Demons I have seen, including the private label models, have a pointed cutaway horn like what is found on the Gibson ES 175. Yours is more rounded. A lot of stores would make special requests to make their model different from competing stores models, so that's probably what happened. In all other respects it does appear to be a Speed Demon private label of some sort, I'm just not sure who might have specified a reshaping of the horn. |
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Flecktonz
Joined: 27 Jun 2009
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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Hello,
I was looking at your guitar and I have both a Kay and Trutone version. I'm not an expert, but the fretboards on both of mine have large dot markers and only 5. Yours has 6. FYI
Another clue may be the frets. Both of mine have brass frets.
Good luck. |
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