1937 Kay Bass Neck Repair

Several years ago I met Owen Saunders. To say he is a character is an understatement. He is a great fiddle player and he’s played with a lot of professional bands. He was working with David Davis and the Warrior River boys when I first met him. He has since decided to get off the road and be with his wife and children more. He now lives near me on Signal Mountain, TN. The first time I met him he told me that he had an old Kay bass that needed some work. I gave him my business card and pretty much forgot about it until he contacted me the next week. He brought this bass to my shop and I agreed to try to reattach the broken neck.

The neck had been broken before and repaired. It is not uncommon for these old basses to get a broken neck. They live a pretty rough life simply because of their size. They have often been hauled on rooftops of automobiles, thrown around, sat on, and generally rode hard and put up wet.

I felt an epoxy repair would be the best type of repair.

I cleaned both surfaces and prepared the joint.

I taped the area around the repair to keep from getting the glue on everything.

The joint fit well and I let it dry for several days. Then I cleaned it up and mixed up some color to closely resemble what had been there previously.

Here is the finished product. It turned out pretty well.

Another shot of the repair.

Here is a shot of the inside of this bass. You don’t see many old Kays with a 3 digit serial number.

The old end pin needed some attention.

How many floors have been scratched by this?

I turned a little wooden piece to fit the end and put a rubber cap on it. I also updated the screw that holds it in position.

Owen liked the repair so much that he gave me one of his original paintings. If you know him you won’t be surprised in his subject matter. He loves to fish as much as anyone I know. I made the frame for this painting. Do you reckon this was the fish that swallowed Jonah? His eyes have that look.