Kay Kraft Venetian Style Guitar - '30s.
KayKraft guitars were designed by Joseph Zori and built by the Stromberg-Voisinet Company during the mid twenties. They usually were distributed and sold by Montgomery Ward and Sears department stores.
Based after the arch top jazz guitars being built around the same time period, these were uniquely shaped to resemble a Venetian mandolin, a design that dates back at least to 19th-century Italy. Initially they were flat tops, but because of the popularity of arch top guitars this design was changed around 1929.
Zori came up with the bolt-neck design. Steel bolt from the neck heel into the cavity of the body, secured with a wing nut. The heel had a convex profile. Between the heel and the upper bout another piece of wood with a concave profile was inserted. When one loosened the strings, then the wing nut, the neck could be slid along those two pieces of wood, thereby adjusting the action of the strings in relation to the the fretboard.
This guitar has a spruce top with mahogany back and sides. Originally it came with a pick guard and it appears there’s been some work on the bridge. There is also a clear pick guard affixed to the top, put on by some unknown player before I bought it.
During the 20's and 30's these guitars were used by musicians who played a variety of styles including old time 'hillbilly' music to 'country blues.'
Based after the arch top jazz guitars being built around the same time period, these were uniquely shaped to resemble a Venetian mandolin, a design that dates back at least to 19th-century Italy. Initially they were flat tops, but because of the popularity of arch top guitars this design was changed around 1929.
Zori came up with the bolt-neck design. Steel bolt from the neck heel into the cavity of the body, secured with a wing nut. The heel had a convex profile. Between the heel and the upper bout another piece of wood with a concave profile was inserted. When one loosened the strings, then the wing nut, the neck could be slid along those two pieces of wood, thereby adjusting the action of the strings in relation to the the fretboard.
This guitar has a spruce top with mahogany back and sides. Originally it came with a pick guard and it appears there’s been some work on the bridge. There is also a clear pick guard affixed to the top, put on by some unknown player before I bought it.
During the 20's and 30's these guitars were used by musicians who played a variety of styles including old time 'hillbilly' music to 'country blues.'
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Here you can see the convex and concave angles of where the neck meets the body. When the wing nut (inside the body) and strings are loosened, the neck and be tilted along the shim in order to adjust the action. This was an brilliant design back then.
A very cool 'mother of toilet seat' headstock.
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As you can see, here are the instructions for executing this procedure.
Unfortunately when the guitars tuners were replaced the holes weren't filled in. No matter... some great Grover tuners were installed which are a huge improvement from the originals.
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I think I'll call this little improvised ditty 'Lacy's Bounce.' It's inspired by a song that was recorded by the Rev. Rube Lacy. He only recorded two songs back in 1928, one of which was 'Ham Hound Crave,' from which this was inspired. This is being played on my Kay Kraft Stromberg guitar from the 30's.