Kay Musical Instrument Company
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Kay Musical Instrument Company (often referred to simply as Kay) is an American musical instrument manufacturer established in 1931 by namesake Henry "Kay" Kuhrmeyer and based in Chicago, Illinois. It was formed when Kuhrmeyer bought out his financial backers in the instrument manufacturer Stromberg-Voisinet. They produced guitars, mandolins, banjos, ukuleles and were known for their use of lamination in the construction of arched top instruments.[4]
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Company type | Private (1931–1969) Brand (1969–present) |
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Industry | Musical instruments |
Predecessor | Groeschel Mandolin Co. (1890-1921), Stromberg-Voisinet (1921-1931) |
Founded | 1931 |
Founder | Henry "Kay" Kuhrmeyer |
Successor | Weiss Musical Instruments (1969-1980), The Kay Guitar Company (1980-present) |
Key people | Sidney M. Katz Tony Blair |
Products | Electric, lap steel and acoustic guitars, double basses, violins, cellos, banjos, amplifiers |
Brands | List
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Parent | Valco (1967–68) [3] |
The company operated independently until 1965 when they were purchased by the Seeburg Corporation, a jukebox manufacturer.[5] In 1967, the company was sold to Valco citing decreasing profits due to imported Japanese instruments.[6][7] In 1969, rights to name "Kay" was acquired by Weiss Musical Instruments (WMI) . The brand has been used by several manufacturers since then, mainly attached to Asian import guitars.[8][3]
Kay offered their first electric guitar in 1936 — five years after the Rickenbacker Frying pan, and the same year as the Gibson ES-150. However, Kuhrmeyer with Stromberg-Voisinet had announced the "Stromberg Electro" even earlier, in 1928, possibly making the short-lived model the first commercial electric guitar.[9][10][11][12] However, no copies exist, and there is speculation that the Electro was never produced. [13]