Electric guitars?!?
That was probably the reaction from a lot of people early in the life of the
new instrument. The first electrified six-strings appeared in the Sears catalog
before WWII, from National/Valco, and then Kay picked up the gig with this
guitar after the dust had settled in late 1946.
Click for catalog listing
This Kay-built electric was one of the very first
handful of electrified instruments that Sears sold. Partnered with an amplifier,
and sold under the part number 1323 (the amp was not offered separately in the
catalog, but was
apparently numbered as the 1306). A simple affair, just an archtop with a primitive pickup, with its
V/T controls
mounted on the upper bass-side bout, this elementary electric would quickly bow to
the more sophisticated designs soon coming from Harmony, Danelectro, and Kay.
Introduced/Retired:
Fall/Winter 1946
