1940 Kay M-1W bass

This is a 1940 Kay M-1W upright bass. This bass showed up at a local music store, which is affiliated with a statewide chain. It was being sold on consignment for $1500. Upon inspection I saw that the neck was coming loose from the dovetail block. I asked if they'd come down in price, and they pretty much laughed it off. A few weeks later it disappeared, and I heard it had been sold in another part of the state. About a year went by and I inquired about it. Turns out the sale had gone sour (probably when the buyer saw the neck joint). I again inquired about it, and they again said they couldn't come down since it was a consignment, but asked if I'd like to make an offer. I thought to myself that I'd go as high as $1200, but I didn't have a good feeling about the person (and company) I was dealing with.... I just had the gnawing feeling that they were trying to squeeze every dime out of it, and possibly not passing the due amount on to the owner's family (the original owner passed away). A week later I was talking to Gary Upton about it, and he said it'd likely make me a good project if I could get it for $1000. He took it upon himself to call the music store on my behalf and pretty much told them, look bozos, I know a guy who'll give you $1000 cash right now, take it or leave it! The next day I received a call saying they'd accept $1000, and would I like to put it on a Visa or Master Card? Uh, no, actually I'll pay cash when it's delivered to the local store! First of all, I hadn't seen it in a year and a lot could have happened to it. Second, it was 200 miles away, and I'd rather have it 10 miles away at the local store. A few days later I went to pick it up (it was raining of course). It came with an old canvas bag, which I wrapped in a blue tarp for the trip home. That weekend I loosened the strings, slapped the fingerboard with the palm of my hand, and the neck fell out, just as expected. I spent the weekend scraping the old hide glue out of the neck joint and fitting shims to tighten up the dovetail. I glued the neck back into position without incident. I believe this neck is not original, but can't prove it. The neck has definitely been refinished, and the scrolls are typical of those made after 1952. The owner's family swears it's the original neck. I don't know, but it's correct for the bass anyway, with an ebony board. The early M-1s had ebony boards but soon afterwards went to a rosewood board. Other than refitting the neck I didn't have too many problems getting it up and running. I did file the nut slots down a tremendous amount, and trim and reshape the bridge. I'm not done with the bridge, and may even go to an adjustable one. I did put a new set of Obligatos on it. At first I was disappointed, thinking it didn't sound one bit better than my 2001 EC-1, but after a couple days the difference was evident. The EC-1 has a clear distinct voice, almost a "bark", while this old Kay, well, you FEEL the notes more then your HEAR them. I still have some tweaking to do on the action height, but it's definitely a keeper, and will have an easy life from here on.

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