Hey guys, I have a chance to get a 1970 Kay SG guitar, with bigsby. Problem is he wants me to make an offer, and I'm not sure how much its worth. Based on eBay it seems Kays go from $100 to $500, so I was thinking about offering $250. Any opinions? It looks to be in great condition.
Thanks!
Boyko, you are aware that by 1970, Kays were no longer built in the USA but imported from Japan and not really a Kay?
Gretsch and FMIC have gone to great strides to make Japanese Gretsch guitars as good or better than the originals. In the case of Kay, it was merely the importer who bid the lowest. Quality was not high up on the requirement list. Be sure you really like the guitar before you buy it.
Yes, I am. I'm a big vintage Japanese guitar nut. Silvertones, Kays, Tokais, Danos, all of them get my motor running. Only problem is I'm new to this market so have no experience with pricing items.
A little more information. It is in near mint condition, but missing the tremolo arm. I can get one of these for $20 online new, but would probably ask around for a used one first. The guy is including a new gig bag.
I offered him $200, and he said for $240 I could have it. What do you think, should I go for it?
If you like the guitar, it sounds like a fair price but first I'd offer to split the difference at $220 and see what he says.
That's what I think I'll do. Do a play test first and see if it really is worth it. If it has a terrible neck like some of the older guitars then I'm going to have to pass. BUt if it plays well, its cheap and looks cool so I'll get it!
I think the seller is asking too much. Unless you are talking Canadian $$ and not US $$. Most Japanese Kays usually go for $80-200 USD on Ebay. Of course, it does depend on condition. However, if this is a K-20T model with the vibrato, it's probably worth $200-300 USD in excellent condition.
A couple of things to keep in mind. The frets are notoriously low and narrow on these models. I have the single-pickup Kay K-1 SG model, and the action on mine was so bad that I just turned it into a slide-dedicated guitar. Pay special attention to the fret condition, and make sure it doesn't buzz ANYWHERE on the neck. Mine has a zero-fret as well, which can be good or bad, depending on the condition of the zero-fret and also how straight the neck is.
The pickups on these models are usually pretty awesome sounding single coils.
