THIS GUITAR'S WEBPAGES:
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THIS GUITAR'S WEBPAGES:
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I replaced the missing volume knob with one that was almost the same as original but with a small beak pointer and missing the V and dot marker.  I also replaced that "raytheon" switch knob with a chicken head pointer knob, as shown above but without the paint work.  See the new knobs installed here.
CLICK HERE to view Detailed Info, Data and Description.
Here / below is what the original switch lever-knob looks like.  They are still quite available as new old stock from some guitar specialty dealers and ebay merchants, for usually less than $10.  Search
"Harmony+Kay+dakaware+switch+knob".
I have some small, vintage, dakaware pointer knobs very much like this guitar's pot knobs, but they don't have V and T imprinted on top.  I will be delighted to install or send them along with this guitar.  They are the first knob shown on
this page.
See more pics and info on Page 2 >>>
Please inquire for additional information you might desire.
Page 1; Description and Body Views:
Please inquire for additional information you might desire.
See more pics and info on Page 2 >>>
This previously uninspected guitar was recently pulled from storage in response to an inquiry about it.  I have taken pictures, inspected the guitar in detail and done full ops checks.  The results are posted here on this guitar's webpages.

Either me or my camera are having difficulties resolving light and focus issues;  I will post better pictures when I am able to find out what's up with the camera.  Thank You.

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The Kay Value Leader guitar's body is a hollow, thin-line, flat top and back, all-wood, laminated maple body.  It has a bolt-on maple neck with hardrock maple fretboard and hardened brass frets.  3 pickups with volume and tone pots for each pickup and a pickup selector switch.  The output jack is mounted at the rear of the 3-D checkerboard etched pickguard.  The Value Leader guitar model was made during the first half of the 1960s, mainly for a budget-minded intermediate and advanced level Players market.  They have remained a "sleeper" among seasoned players who like the Value Leader's wide range of tones from high dynamic and raucus grass-roots electric blues tones, to nice and clear rythm and jazz tones when the pickups volume is rolled back a bit, yet standing ready to get dirty again by rolling the volume back up or selecting a pickup whose volume is already rolled up, ....quite like other lower impedence / high-dynamics, vintage, single coil pickups.  The strings / fretboard scale is 24.5".  The fretboard is finished hardrock maple with translucent dark amber dot inlays.  The factory / design provided a bit of extra neck width beyond factory string spacing, which allowed a Player to custom set-up a wider string spacing at the bridge and / or nut, serving wider necks favored by some Players, particularly those with big hands.  Strings run across a height and angle adjustable floating rosewood bridge and root to a standard trapeeze tailpiece.  The neck has a trussrod adjustable at the headstock. 

I played this guitar along to an assortment of music styles recordings for about 3 hours, so I could refamiliarize myself with it and it's nuances.  Lots of fun;  LOTS.  It seems best suited for tones common to authentic blues and blues rock;  And has remarkable jazz tones with the volume and tone pots set accordingly.  Like most guitars of similar design, I think most Players would feel that the Value Leader can use some finer fret dressing and firming-up of parts mountings that rattled from the factory, ....although such rattling also contributes to authentic early electric blues sounds.  Firming up rattles is just a matter of tightening parts mounts and inserting paper shims between some parts and the surface it rattles against.  For instance:  The Value Leader's metal pickguard is inherently prone to rattle because it is screwed directly onto the guitar's body;  Which can be cured by making a "thick"-paper (such as spiral notebook covers) pad to go under the pickguard.  The entire electronics assembly is mounted to the pickguard, so removing a few small mounting screws allows the entire electronics assembly to be easily & completely removed from the guitar.

I have and will continue to post some tricks, suggestions and details worth mentioning as I progress with posting info onto this guitar's webpages.

Notice 1 non-original switch knob and 1 missing pot knob.
In the interests of keeping this unique guitar in it's original condition, I have done nothing more than wiping it down, doing a detailed inspection and that report on these webpages, pulling out the old broken-off rear strap button stump, playing it for about 3 hours of ops checks fun, and replacing 2 control knobs;  All said and shown on these webpages.
Camera flash.
This guitar has a fair amount of light scuffing but remarkably little playing wear anywhere.  It was obviously handled much more than it was played; "Daddy, can I "play" your guitar ....please".
The head of the rear plastic strap botton was broken off; I removed the old broken shaft.  It is a standard and very available strap button and very easy replacement.
There was / is no front strap button.  Back then it was most common for the front of the strap to have a "shoe string" that was tied around the headstock, under the strings adjacent to the neck nut.  Kays that did have strap buttons used the standard plastic strap button on the rear and a silver metal strap button screwed to the bottom of the neck heel or at a balance point in the vacinity of the neck / body junction.
I have some small, vintage, dakaware pointer knobs very much like this guitar's pot knobs, but they don't have V and T imprinted on top.  I will be delighted to install or send them along with this guitar.  They are the first knob shown on
this page.
>
<
Here is what this guitar's original pots knobs look like, ....should anyone be looking for some.
1964 Kay Value Leader
Here / below is what the original switch lever-knob looks like.  They are still quite available as new old stock from some guitar specialty dealers and ebay merchants, for usually less than $10.  Search
"Harmony+Kay+dakaware+switch+knob".
CLICK HERE to view Detailed Info, Data and Description.
------------ oOo ------------
I replaced the missing volume knob with one that was almost the same as original but with a small beak pointer and missing the V and dot marker.  I also replaced that "raytheon" switch knob with a chicken head pointer knob, as shown above but without the paint work.  See the new knobs installed here.
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NOTE:  If someone buys this guitar to remain in original condition (and this guitar's jobber configuration is indeed quite rare), then by all means this original lever switch knob should be obtained.  BUT if someone is buying the guitar to play regularly, then it has been my past experience that these lever knobs put considerable leverage forces on the switch and it's mounting surface which is the sorta-thin metal pickguard plate on this guitar;  Which over time can and usually does warp the mounting plate and puts excessive wear on the switch drive shaft.  The solution is to stiffen and spread the bending force over a larger area of the pickguard plate by puting a backing plate such as a standard flat cord-jack plate on the switch's mounting sleeve before inserting the sleeve back into the pickguard plate and tightening it all up with the switch's top mounting nut;  OR simply use a non-original knob that puts switching forces on both sides of a knob such as the chicken head knob I installed.  I would also use a round toothpick as an applicator to place some dots of white model airplane paint at each of the 4 switch positions a pointer knob would point to;  Makes it ALLOT easier to see what pickup configuration is selected rather than fumbling around trying to figure it out on the fly.  The model airplane paint dots are sturdy but will come right off of the metal plate if / when desired.  Here is some photoshop work to illustrate a pointer knob and position marker dots, and even a dot and V on the replacement volume knob:

THIS GUITAR'S WEBPAGES:
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THIS GUITAR'S WEBPAGES:
II Page 1 II Page 2 II Page 3 II Page 4 II Page 5 II