Did Kay come out of FujiGen after US ...

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Author Message   Chipsotoole Username: Chipsotoole Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2007 - 12:12 am:    I have an interesting neck-through flying V by Kay (also identical to a Cortez I sawonce)...Brass nut/ Brass moon inlays/ Active "hot" pickup switch. I believe it was made alongside the ugly and unloved Kay "Hatchet" in Japan around 80-81....Anyone know if Fuji Gen were involved? Or Matsumoko perhaps?   Bassassin Username: Bassassin Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Thursday, October 04, 2007 - 5:51 pm:    Hi - I'm guessing from your description that your guitar is one of a range made in by Cort in Korea, in the early 80s. I think these were made after the rather shoddy Korean LP copies that were sold as Kay - and were perhaps an attempt to push the brand more upmarket. They are very Matsumoku-esque in their construction, with brass hardware & through-neck build, and turn up with a variety of other brand names - Cort, D'Agostino, Austin, Targa are a few, and a lot of them appear unbranded on the UK market. There were a variety of different designs, the V and the Hatchet are probably the most common, there was also a symmetrical double cut design, which was available as a bass as well. They all share the same construction & type of hardware, plus they all feature triple brass dot inlays, large brass trc (which carries the brand name, if there is one) and most have a headstock like a more rounded Flying V shape. After production of Kay guitars ceased in the US, it seems the brand owner sourced instruments from pretty much everywhere & anywhere. I have a Korean-made Kay acoustic which dates from 1971, I recently saw another acoustic from about the same era judging from its appearance & condition, which was made in East Germany, and their electrics seem to all come from either Korea or Taiwan. I'm not convinced any of them were Japanese, though. Jon.   Chipsotoole Username: Chipsotoole Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Saturday, October 06, 2007 - 11:53 pm:    Hey Jon, Thanks for the info, it's a great help....I dragged the guitar back out to Thailand after my last visit home to Scotland, but it just didn't sound right in the band , and the headstock keeps wanting to dive down to the floor (bad balance), and despite playing oldschool UK punk, I'm 41 and it is a bit on the "sad poser" side ..So I ended up buying a fab '80 AR100 Artist cheap off a departing Amercian which is the dogs b*****cks!!!.....Now I'm trying to decide if I should sell the Vee on...It's kinda purty and the only neck through I have......Whatdyathink the value would be?   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Sunday, October 07, 2007 - 9:03 am:    Here's an interesting Q&A, especially the A (because Michael Wright wrote it): an article about Jack Westheimer: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_Cortez_guitar Now try Ctrl-F followed by "Kay" and see what happened with that brand. Ginger   Bassassin Username: Bassassin Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Sunday, October 07, 2007 - 12:54 pm:    Thanks for that Ginger - saved it for a thorough read through later on. Chips - I'd keep it, just because I think it's cool as feck - and I'd gig it (if I was a guitarist) & never mind what people thought - I've got a couple of years on you, and you should see some of the things I go onstage with! Anyway - value. I've seen these fetch anywhere between £100 and £200 on Ebay in the UK - but obviously there's no guarantees. Jon.   Bassassin Username: Bassassin Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2007 - 3:14 pm:    Just updating this because I just picked up one of the through-neck/double cut basses I mentioned in my earlier post. It was an "invisible" Ebay auction - oddly listed, the person had plainly never sold a guitar on the bay before, I was the only bidder & got it for a steal! It's currently in bits, getting a good clean up, but when it's re-built, I'll post some pics. J.

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