Baxendale Old Kraftsman Dreadnaught

Here is a Kay/Old Kraftsman dreadnaught that was essentially remanufactured by Baxendale guitars down in Athens, GA.  Scott Baxendale takes the back off and re-braces the instrument, the neck is reset, new bridge, new tuners, new saddle, nut and bridge pins.  What you end up with is a guitar with incredible playability and tone.  These Kay and Harmony guitars are Scott's specialty and make for a wonderful instrument when they are given the care that Scott puts into them.

These Kay/Old Kraftsman guitars can be difficult.  I have had a few of these Kay dreadnaughts and none of them match up to this guitar.  Its amazing how many guitars were coming off the line in Chicago back in the day.  It's equally amazing how they lacked uniformity.  Every one of these Kays that I get a chance to hold all feel a little different.  Some are a bit wonky, but not this one.  It's solid as a rock, has a great neck, and sounds wonderful.  Fortunately, these guitars haven't caught fire and can still be found for real short money.  They might be worth the chance if you can find the right one.

there's the Baxendale logo.  you can see the new bracing which is carved way thinner than the original, hopefully allowing for more top movement