Up North Strings

Service and Sales of Stringed Instruments

silloette of child violinist www.upnorthstrings.com

About us
Virtual String Shop
Custom Instruments
McKay Benchmade Tribute Guitars  
Traverse City Area Music
Links

kenmckay@hotmail.com



 McKay Benchmade Tribute Guitars
Benchmade - Stageworthy


Are available through
Cliff at Destroy All Guitars

Just born...7 pounds 11 onces...This ES 335 TD "burst" is available through DAG.
Call Cliff or email me
 



The 1964 "block" tribute is underway!

The 1964 on the left compared to the '59. The shape of the rims changed due to wear and tear of the laminating mold. This resulted in a more pinched horn shape.
I am very proud be able to pay tribute to these two distinctive golden period laminated, thinline guitars. The first Cherry 64 will be coming off the bench soon. Make now mistake though these guitars resemble no factory guitars being made today! 

  And the designwork is done on the peghead.

 further along headstock 
The McKay headstock has been designed so there will be NO confusion with guitars being made today! Close up or afar these are all McKay guitars. 


Update August 2011
The 1959 "dot"
McKay Tribute Guitar

blonde prototype!
 



Original with a burst and the tribute guitar in a blonde.

 kenmckay@hotmail.com




Please grab a cup of java or set some time aside for this.   Open a link to the :
Ken McKay & Gil Yaron colaboration on TDPRI
click here to see the build thread. It will open at the telecaster forum and you can read through the pages at your leisure.  My friend Gil Yaron and I built a couple  of guitars together.



A comparison between Frank's 1959 ES 345 and a prototype body.  


The McKay Shop

"Benchmade" is a reference to the instrument being handmade by a luthier, commonly in a violin shop. This includes, at times, under the bench too.

The McKay Benchmade Guitars are crafted all by hand using carefully selected wood and parts. We do not buy parts and assemble guitars. This works out best for our Benchmade Tribute Guitars since quality can be controlled.  


All of the guitars are made starting from raw material that we source to be the highest quality we can find.
 
The Tribute instruments are not designed

but reverse engineered copying only a real original instrument.
 

Some guitarmaking is done by the McKay boys and other supporting contributions under my guidance. 
 
We use industrial equipment and specifally designed jigs and fixtures.






  Zimnicki archtop

This one is on FIRE!!!!! Fine custom guitarmaker Gary Zimnicki uses Up North Strings laminated plates. He can make your dream guitar.  www.zimnicki.com   

McKay Benchmade Instruments and Ken McKay are not affiliated with Gibson or Fender in any way.