Rock Style from The Boyd Collection 
27 June 2019
Rock Style from The Boyd Collection 
289

Kay

1959 Old Kraftsman Sizzler electric guitar

1959
lacquered wood, maple, plastic, chrome-plated steel, rosewood 37½ h × 13½ w × 2 d in (95 × 34 × 5 cm)
estimate: $500–700
result: $344
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Printed to headstock ‘Old Kraftsman’. Stamped internally to pot '134910'. This example was dated using the pot code. Guitar features brown Zolatone finish.

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Established by Henry Kay Kurhmeyer in Chicago in 1931, Kay initially manufactured only traditional folk instruments and later developed a line of mid-range guitars. In addition to their own brand, Kay also manufactured a series of house branded guitars made specifically for various department stores: Silvertone and Supertone for Sears, Sherwood and Airline for Montgomery Wards, Old Kraftsman for Spiegel, Custom Craft for St. Louis Music, Truetone for Western Auto, Penncrest for JC Penney, Barclay for Unity Buying Service, Orpheum for the Wards catalog and Suprema for Eaton’s Canada. Kay also produced a line of archtop acoustic guitars called Kamico. 

Jimmy Reed playing a Kamico Thin Twin similar to Lot 295.

Notable players include Jimmy Reed, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Jack White, T Bone Burnett, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and Sarah McLachlan. 

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