Instrument Categories: Bass, Electric, Guitars, SOLD, Thinline
The Kay K5920 Speed Demon hollowbody electric bass was one of the Kay company’s many instruments aimed at beginner to semi-pro players. In the late 1950’s when these basses appeared, advertising campaigns were still focused on convincing upright bass players to switch to electric.
The Kay Speed Demon name referred to the neck, and in particular to the adjustable truss rod that made getting around on these models so much faster than previous instruments, particularly basses. The Kay K5920 features a fully hollow body with a single florentine (pointed) cutaway, made of laminate wood and with an arched top and back. The neck is poplar or maple with a rosewood fingerboard and the tuners on one side of the headstock. The headstock features a Kay badge perhaps borrowed from the Kay ‘Kelvinator’ models. For electronics, a single ‘speed bump’ pickup is located in the middle position. The bridge is rosewood, providing a nicely acoustic, low-sustain, ‘thumping’ tone.
These instruments were built into the 1960s, by which time electric basses had almost completely displaced standup models, and rapidly increasing stage volumes made acoustic basses impractical. This example is in decent playing condition; the tuners and nut have been replaced and the pickguard is long gone.
- Model: K5920 Speed Demon
- Year: 1957
- Finish Sunburst
- Class: Vintage
- Serial Number: N/A, built around 1957 in Chicago, Illinois
- Country of Origin: USA
- Condition: Good
- Date Posted: 19/04/2017
- This instrument has been sold
- Consignment Item
- Including original Soft case
- Instrument Weight: 6.16lbs 2.8kg
- Scale Length: 30.83in 783mm
- Nut Width: 1.5in 38.17mm
