A customized “Yama-Kay” guitar made by Canadian luthier Nicole Alosinac, serial #RB 0001, in a pearl white finish. Owned and played by Randy Bachman, who has sold 40 million records worldwide as a member of The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and as a solo artist.

Vancouver-based luthier Nicole Alosinac has been repairing and restoring guitars for over 20 years, and in that time her stellar work has garnered a sterling reputation. She’s also gained Randy’s respect and has maintained numerous guitars in his collection, and even taken on a few Frankenstein projects like this “Yama-Kay.”

The guitar began its life as a Yamaha AES-1500, a semi-hollow bodied electric model that takes its design cues from Gretsch. "They made a lot of orange ones,” Randy recalls. “I had an orange one for a while, but it was too Gretsch-y looking. So I asked for a white pearl one.”

Some time after receiving it, the guitar took a fall and the headstock broke off. Instead of simply gluing it back on, Randy purchased an old Kay Barney Kessel model from a literal fire sale, and enlisted Nicole Alosinac to re-shape the Yamaha’s headstock to match the Kay’s profile.

“So I said, ‘I have a project for you. I have this Yamaha guitar, I want you to put the Kay headstock on it and make me, let’s call it a “Yama-Kay:” half Yamaha, half Kay!’”

In addition to the headstock augmentation and adding on the eye-catching “Kelvinator” overlay, Nicole also installed a pair of Kleenex Box pickups to give this Yamaha the look and sound of an old Kay guitar. She also swapped the knobs and installed Kay 8700s-style inlays on the bound rosewood fretboard while leaving the original dot inlays intact. The f-shaped sound holes are also blocked off for added protection against feedback at high volumes.

Maple body, maple and spruce center block, sycamore maple top, maple neck, 22 frets, gold Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stop tailpiece, and gold Grover Imperial tuners.

PROVENANCE From The Collection of Randy Bachman

Guitars & Instruments, Randy Bachman