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Ken McKay Guitars

Rayvyn

Active member
Joined
Apr 14, 2002
Messages
3,100
Anyone have any info they can share regarding Ken McKay Gibson replicas? I know nothing of them but what I've seen online looks pretty cool...
 

OKGuitar

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
938
Full disclosure-I sell Ken's guitars on an informal basis. Ken builds one to my spec (usually 58 or 59) and when I sell it, he builds me another. They are as close to a vintage 335 as you can get both visually and tone wise. He changed the body shape at one point and I never played one with the asymmetric cutaways-the ones he builds for me are shaped like a 335. They are not inexpensive but they are built using old school techniques. I've played perhaps 7 or 8 of them (most have had Throbaks) and they sound like the real deal. I've played recent Gibsons that are pretty convincing as well but I've also found that you have to play a few of them to find a really good one. Not the case with Ken's 335. All of them have been excellent.
 

jwalker

Les Paul Forum Sponsor
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
2,592
I have played a McKay. It was very light and very well made. It played great and sounded great. It was a little brighter toned than my '67 ES-335 I compared it to. I think the McKay build is so tight and precise that it just amounts to a brighter tone which is usually a plus for a ES-335 player.
 

MichaelJMoore

New member
Joined
Jul 2, 2017
Messages
1
Anyone have any info they can share regarding Ken McKay Gibson replicas? I know nothing of them but what I've seen online looks pretty cool...

I have a LP style guitar that Ken built - it's amazing - the perfect neck carve, old growth wood, extremely resonate!
Good luck in your search....
M
 

sidekick

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
3,060
Anyone have any info they can share regarding Ken McKay Gibson replicas? I know nothing of them but what I've seen online looks pretty cool...

I remember a that DAG at one stage offered/sold some McKay thinline builds a while back which subsequently had to changed body-hape-wise (as OKGuitar mentioned) due to Gibson sending (I guess) a Cease and Desist letter.

From what I gathered back then, Cliff Cultreri considered Ken McKay's builds pretty special.
 
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