Kay Musical Instrument Company
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Kay's archtop electric guitars in 1961: (L to R)
Swing Master K673, K672, Truetone Jazz King |
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| Industry | Musical instruments |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Groeschel Mandolin Co. (1890), Stromberg-Voisinet (1921) |
| Successor | Engelhardt-Link (1969-), (Kay Guitar Company (2008-)) |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Founder | Henry Kay Kuhrmeyer |
| Defunct | 1968-2008 |
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Key people
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Sidney M. Katz |
| Products | guitars, guitar amplifiers, upright basses, violins, cellos, banjos, lap steel guitars |
| Brands |
Knox, Kent, Kamico OEM brands: Silvertone, Sherwood, Airline, Old Kraftsman, Custom Kraft,Truetone,Penncrest. |
| Website |
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Kay Musical Instrument Company was a musical instrument manufacturer of the United States, in operation since the 1930s until the 1960s. It was established in 1931 at Chicago, Illinois by Henry Kay Kuhrmeyer, from the assets of the former Stromberg-Voisinet, which was founded as Groeschel Mandolin Company in 1890. Kay offered their first electric guitar in 1936—five years after the Rickenbacker Frying pan, and the same year as the Gibson ES-150. Nonetheless, Kay is considered an electric guitar pioneer because Kuhrmeyer bought their past company, Stromberg-Voisinet, and produced the first commercial electric guitar, the Stromberg Electro, in 1928.
The Kay Musical Instrument Company grew from the Groeschel Mandolin Company (or Groeshl Instrument Company) in Chicago, established in 1890. In 1921, the company was renamed to Stromberg-Voisinet. In 1923, later president Henry Kay "Hank" Kuhrmeyer joined the company, and in 1928, with the help of an investor, he bought the company and started producing electric guitars and amplifiers.
The new company, "Kay Musical Instruments" was formally established in 1931 from the assets of the former Stromberg-Voisinet company by Kuhrmeyer.
The company initially manufactured only traditional folk instruments, but eventually grew to make a wide variety of stringed instruments, including violins, cellos, banjos, upright basses—and a variety of different types of guitars, including classical guitars, lap steel guitars, semi-acoustic guitars, and solid body electrics. Some of Kay's lower-grade instruments were marketed under the Knox and Kent brand names.
In addition to manufacturing instruments for sale under its own brands, Kay was also a prolific manufacturer of "house branded" guitars and folk instruments for other Chicago-based instrument makers and, at times, for major department stores including Sears and Montgomery Ward.
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Wikipedia