There’s nothing demure about the KV162’s looks—its acrylic headstock badge and tiger-stripe mounting panels drew a lot of attention onstage. Its vibe was great on a roots-rock gig, but it was a little ostentatious for some other settings. With a profile like that of an acoustic guitar, the hollow body had rather a lot of mass, which helped keep the neck from diving when I played it standing up. The set neck had a round, bat-like feel, but its narrow width—with string spacing to match—kept it from feeling clunky.
Unlike vintage Kays, the Pro Bass possesses both a trussrod and an adjustable saddle. On arrival, the Kay’s action felt a little low, but a quick saddle adjustment raised the strings to my liking. Noting my low notes sounded a little anemic, I tilted the pickup to move it closer to the E string. Problem solved! The pickup’s placement seemed well suited for pumping out old-school thump, reproducing the Pro Bass’s meaty bottom with none of the honk of bridgeposition pickups. The Kay sported solid construction, but its squeaky, creaky tuners sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard and made tuning a challenge.
The heavy-duty switch perched beside the Kay’s cool volume and tone “cupcake” knobs is nifty—flipping it bypasses the tone-control pot and sends the pickup through the onboard capacitor, cutting highs and giving the Pro Bass a deep, dark voice akin to an upright bass. On one stage, the single-coil pickup was excessively noisy, but flipping the switch made a quick fix, removing all highs without making the bass sound muddy or muffled.
The Kay’s short scale gave the stock flatwound strings a delightfully elastic finger feel; the bass felt best suited for gentle pick work and a light fingerstyle touch, and it sounded killer when palm-muted and thumb plucked. The Pro Bass was a hoot to play onstage—more than with solidbody basses, I could really sense the woof of air moving around me. Knowing that hollowbody basses are prone to feedback, I was especially mindful of my stage volume. Controlling dynamics with my right hand, I had a blast exploring that feedback threshold— there’s a certain exhilaration playing a bass on the verge of sonic revolt.
While this newbie may not have the karmic accrual that comes from living the long, hard life of a vintage Kay, its modern construction makes it a durable, trustworthy piece, and it has a tone that sounds as old as the hills. The unique retro style and thumpy tone of the Kay Pro Bass makes $999 seem like a reasonable asking price. It’s a lot of dough to drop on a niche bass, but when it looks and sounds this cool, price doesn’t really matter, right?
TECH SPECS
Scale length 31q"
Weight 7.5 lbs
Top Three-ply maple laminate
Body Maple
Neck Maple
Fingerboard Rosewood
Nut Bone
String spacing 1e" at the nut, 2a" at 20th fret
Tone controls Volume, tone, tone switch
Hardware Wilkinson tuners
Hardshell case Included
Finishes Honey sunburst, blonde, black
Made in China
Warranty Two years limited
KAY KV162 PRO BASS
List $999
Pros Thumpy upright-like tone, serious stage mojo
Cons None
Bottom Line A quality reissue of a cool historic bass.
CONTACT
www.kayguitars.com