Banjo
Kay Open Back Banjo
Price: 163 EUR – 163 EUR
Price history
Cheapest seen
Most expensive seen
Availability: 0/10 (Very rare)
A no-frills, mass-produced Chicago banjo built without a resonator for a woody, old-time tone, sold in large numbers through the 1940s-60s before Kay closed in 1968.
About the Kay Open Back Banjo
Kay's open-back banjos followed a consistent, simplified formula across decades of production: an 11-inch, multi-ply maple pot (rim) with a simple hoop tone ring rather than the more elaborate cast tone rings found on higher-end banjos, a poplar neck with an unspecified hardwood fingerboard, and geared tuners. Without a resonator behind the head, the sound projects backward as much as forward, producing the woody, warm, sustained tone old-time and clawhammer players favor over the louder, more directional bluegrass resonator sound.
A single coordinator rod (rather than the dual rods on step-up instruments) joins neck to rim, and the long scale length - typically 27 inches or more - combined with narrow string spacing reflects Kay's cost-driven, mass-production approach rather than player-ergonomic design choices found on purpose-built old-time instruments.
Where to buy
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Reverb Kay Open Back Banjo 1950s - Natural 163 EUR Best price View details
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Source: https://reverb.com/item/100783666-kay-open-back-banjo-1950s-natural
Sound character of the Kay Open Back Banjo
This Kay uses a simple hoop tone ring rather than a metal Mastertone-style ring, and has no resonator, so the head vibrates with little metallic reinforcement and the back stays open. The result is a soft, dry, plunky tone with fast decay - typical of budget-era open-back banjos built for old-time clawhammer playing rather than cutting through a bluegrass band.
Technical data for the Kay Open Back Banjo
| Rim | 11", multi-ply maple |
|---|---|
| Tone ring | Simple hoop |
| Neck | Poplar |
| Coordinator rod | Single |
| Scale length | ~27"+ |
| Type | Open-back (no resonator) |
Price history for the Kay Open Back Banjo
Cheapest seen: 163 EUR · Most expensive seen: 163 EUR
Cheapest seen
Most expensive seen
The history of the Kay Open Back Banjo
Kay Musical Instrument Company, based in Chicago, was one of America's largest mass-market instrument manufacturers through the mid-20th century until closing in 1968; its open-back banjos were affordable enough to introduce large numbers of players to old-time and folk banjo during the 1950s-60s folk revival.
