Kay Les Paul

[Greenman22]

my son has a old black 'KAY' Les Paul.

Can anyone tell me anything about the guitar? The LP looks like it's about 30 plus years old.

 

[mono]

It's black and Les Paul shaped?
I'm not going to lie - I know NOTHING about this subject.
But from what I have seen, more specifics yield greater explanations.
If you could post some photos the experts may be able to help out a bit more.

 

[UITA]

My first guitar was a Kay Les Paul and I still have one now. Not going to mince my words here, I find them to be junk.

 

[Pete C]

I remember them from the 70's when I was a teenager. They were the type of guitar you could buy from your mum's mail order catalogue. As far as I know they have bolt-on necks and plywood bodies. I had a JHS Les Paul copy which would have been similar to the Kay. That had a bolt-on neck and plywood body with a moulded plastic top. The pickups each had one single coil in a humbucker cover. The neck had a nice low action but that was about all.
There were some horrendous beginners' guitars in the 70s compared to what you can get nowadays. Saying that there's some good reviews on Kay les Pauls on Harmony Central.

 

[UITA]

My mam bought mine from Grattans.

 

[Pete C]

The good old days before the internet! Didn't have a clue about what I was buying then.

 

[Greenman22]

Thanks for the replies,
The LP is all black with white pipe'n. The neck is screw on and not bolt on. Says made in japan, with 6 figure code number.
l picked the guitar up for 35 quid and spent another 100 quid giving it a full make over. The old humbuckers sound great. As good as my sons 25 year old / 600 quid rare 'tokai' strat.

 

[Hairless_Ape]

The neck is screw on and not bolt on.

 

[lucidspoon]

Does that mean the neck twists on?!?

 

[stollypop]

I can tell you they are a piece of s**t. I had one, i bought it over 38 weeks with my paper round money from Kays Catolouge around 1980. The first one was un-playable so we sent it back the second one was also un-playable so again it went back. So my dad decided to order two more and when they came we made one playable guitar out of the two. Still had vey high action and was a c**t to play. The pick ups were awful and just fed back constantly. They were ply wood i think. I gave mine to my cousin who took it to America after he came to visit and i think he sold it (probably for drug money) though not many drugs would have been bought for a $10.00 piece of scrap. They're not worth burning.

 

[stollypop]

My mam bought mine from Grattans.

Grattans? wow, you were posh, we had Kays and Freemans.

 

[Mr Teeny]

I'm sure woolies sold them , just about everyone I knew when I started had a Kay LP/SG/SG bass. I don't remember them being too bad but in those days you'd play any piece of crap, I do remember they looked hell of alot cooler than my first guitar a futurama I picked up for £20. Everyone looked cool and punk whereas I looked like some poor reject form The Shadows with a bright red guitar

 

[alcxam]

snip!The old "humbuckers" sound great. As good as my sons 25 year old / 600 quid rare 'tokai' strat.

Yea, that's because they're (also) single coils under a h/b cover!

 

[UITA]

Grattans? wow, you were posh, we had Kays and Freemans.

It may well have been Kays or Freemans, my main concern was not the name of catalogue but the quality of the swimwear (summer editions) and lingerie section.......I was in my early teens!!

 

[stollypop]

It may well have been Kays or Freemans, my main concern was not the name of catalogue but the quality of the swimwear (summer editions) and lingerie section.......I was in my early teens!!

F**k you made me laugh there. Mail order catalouges usually found in teenage boys bedrooms. 'Honest Mum i was looking at the bikes and skateboards'

 

[stollypop]

My friend had one of these bought from Woolies just as crap as the Kay Les Paul

http://s1273.beta.photobucket.com/u...W-ONLY-in-20121124034254_zps175d9320.jpg.html

 

[Roofless Paul]

My first guitar like the other fella was a Kay les paul Blake no scratch plate and beautiful to look at and play i regret part exchanging it for a Jackson copy. I've owned a Gibson USA Les Paul and I honestly think the Kay was better in all departments look, playability and sound. They're every bit as heavy which suggests quality to me.
Also It's probably worth a few quid an all.

 

[Roofless Paul]

Sounds like the one I had. All reviews I've ever read are either saying there total "junk" to quote the other gentleman or that there as good as a Gibson. One thing I know is you'll know as soon as you play it.