1955 Kay K152-B – SLT Vintage

100% factory stock (minus top pickguard screw) and manufactured for only two years, this archtop represents one of Kay’s professional mid-50s semi-hollow electric guitars. She’s a rare warhorse with proven battle scars but still a sweetie like the Honey Blonde she is.

The Chronologue

Year	1955	Color	Radiant Honey Blonde
Birthplace	Chicago, Illinois	Factory Options	N/A
Manufacturer	Kay Musical Instrument Company	Case Mfd.	Unknown
Model	K152-B	Case Exterior	Unknown
Serial #	K152 6205 P4	Case Interior	Unknown
Serial # Location	Ink Stamp Body Cavity	Case Extras	No
Original Price	$147.50	Condition	Good

Notes	100% Factory Stock. Overall playability is good. Aftermarket HSC.
	Action is 1/16″ 1st fret graduating to 1/4″ 12th fret.
	Glue residue around neck pocket indicates previoius maintenance.
	Electronic circuit is quiet and clean. Pots cleaned.

Specifications

Overall
Type	Electric Semi-Hollow Archtop	Body Length	20 3/4″
Weight	5 lb 14 oz	Body Depth	3 7/16″
Scale	25.5″	Upper Bout Width	12.3/8″
# Of Strings	6	Waist Bout Width	10 1/8″
Total Length	41 7/8″	Lower Bout Width	17 1/8″

Construction

Body
Body Type	Fully Arched, Single Cutaway, F-holes, Single Pickup	Body Binding	Celluloid, Top 4-Ply W/B, Back 1-Ply W
Top	Spruce Laminate	f-hole Binding	N/A
Back	Curly Maple Laminate	Bracing	2 Tone Rails Lengthwise to Top
Sides	Curly Maple Laminate	Finish	Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck
Neck Detail	Maple & Ebony Bonded “Speed Demon”	Side Marker	N/A
Neck Profile	C Vintage Chunky	Nut	Bone
Neck Depth	1st Fret 1.010, 10th Fret 1.178	Nut Width	1 3/4″
Neck Attachment	Set	12th Fret Width	2 1/8″
Neck Heel Cap	White Celluloid w/ Metal Truss Access Insert	Truss	Steel Rod “Kanti-Lever”
Fingerboard	Rosewood	Truss Adjustment	Neck Heel, Key Wrench Nut Adj.
Fingerboard Radius	9.5″	Truss Adj. Cover	N/A
Fingerboard Binding	White Celluloid Fully Bound	Peghead Profile	Kay “Triple Hump” 3-Piece Paddle
Frets	.106″ Nickle Silver	Peghead Veneer	Rosewood
Fret Count	19	Peghead Binding	N/A
Position Marker	6 Large Block Pearlette Inlay. 3,5,7,9,12,15	Peghead Logo	“Kay” Script Pearlette Inlay
Hardware
Tuners	Kluson Deluxe Single Line	Pickguard	White Celluloid
Tuners Type	3 OAP, Closed Back, 4-screw to Peghead	Pickguard Mount	Top and WB Side Bracket
Machine Heads	White Plastic Oval	Knobs	Romar, White Knurled Cupcake
Tuner Bushings	Brass Round	Knob Details	V&T Gold Stamped, Set Screw
Tailpiece	Kluson Long CM Trapeze	Switch Cap	N/A
Tailpiece Mount	Hinged, 3 Screws to Bottom Side	Control Plate	N/A
Bridge Type	Floating, Compensated	Pickup Bezel	N/A
Bridge Detail	2 Pc, Brass Thumbscrew Height Adj.	Pickup Location	Neck Position
Bridge Material	Rosewood	Pickup Mount	2 Spring Loaded Screws to Pup Wings, Height Adj.
Bridge Cap	N/A	Strap Button	Plastic End Pin
Tremolo Arm	N/A

Electronics
Pickup	Kay Mfd. “Hi-Fi” Single Coil	Switch Stamp	N/A
Pickup Detail	CM Integrated Cover	Switch Detail	N/A
Pickup Date	N/A	Capacitor Stamp	Cornell Dubilier, #86119, 178
Pickup Poles	Individual Screw Height Adj.	Cap Value	.10 μF, 100 V.D.C.
Pickup Wiring	Body Cavity	Cap Value Actual	0.096 μF
Pickup Output	5.3kΩ	Resistor	N/A
Potentiometers	Stackpole	Resistor Value Actual	N/A
Potentiometer Stamp	304544	Wire Harness	Unshielded
Potentiometer Value	V-250kΩ, T-250kΩ	Ground Wire	Ground to Tailpiece
Pot Value Actual	V-234kΩ, T-257kΩ	Output Jack	Switchcraft 1/4″, LB Side

Catalog Description
These professional Spanish Electric Guitars are acoustically designed to produce a clear, rich tone.
Carefully adjusted and musically inspected for the discerning player. They feature the slim and thin, balanced-tension “Speed Demon” neck
Powerful “Hi-Fi” magnetic pickup unit has individual string adjustors for perfect tone balance. Select spruce top, choice curly maple back and sides, fully arched.
Celluloid edges. Bound oval rosewood fingerboard with inlaid position markers and nickel silver frets. Finish is hand-rubbed and polished to a high luster.
K152-S – Glowing Reddish Mahogany with Golden Sunburst. $137.50
K152-B – Radiant Honey Blonde. $147.50

Chronologue Legend
Pickups numbering starts from top position. Ex. P1-Neck, P2-Middle, P3-Bridge
Pup – Pickup
UB – Upper-bout, LB – Lower-bout, WB – Waist-bout
Laminate – Pressed layers of wood w/ veneer
Celluloid – Nitrocellulose-based plastics
W/B – Binding alternates White/Black or Black/White depending on count. Ex. 5-ply W/B = W/B/W/B/W
Pearlette – Plastic resembling natural pearl.
MOP – Authentic mother of pearl
COB – Chrome over brass
CM – Chromed Metal
OAP – Tuners mounted on a metal plate
V/T – Volume/Tone
kΩ – Kiloohms, measuring electric resistance
μF – Microfared, measuring electrical capacitance
Unknown – Electronics – examination would disrupt vintage integrity, or accurate reading is weighted by other components.
Unknown – Wood or hardware – examination would disrupt vintage integrity
N/A – Not Available from manufacturer.

The Chronologue entry is for model inspected only. Similar models may exhibit different specifications.
The Chronologue is for historic reference. Updates to continue.
Maintenance on models not performed unless documented.
The Chronologue is a registered trademark of SLT Vintage