It has “Rope binding” and two dots at the 12th fret, so far I haven’t found one anywhere with this type of bound headstock. Thanks in advance.
Your double dots are actually on the 5th, 9th, and 15th frets.
Complete WAG, but I’d guess no newer than 1960s, probably 1940s or 1950s. Consider how outdated the design is: archtop, acoustic, no cutaway, wooden bridge. Demand for something like that would have tapered in the 1950s, although Godin is currently trying to make them come back.
Archtops have never really gone away, although I’d say that cheap archtops have pretty much disappeared. There are plenty of expensive archtops still being made, and some midrange archtops (although most have pickups and are aimed at jazz players).
I do remember plenty of cheapo archtops kicking around when I was a kid ('60s). I’d guess that **11811 **is exactly right with his (her?) vintage estimate.
Beautiful guitar.
I had an “Old Kraftsman” made by Kay that had the same kind of binding. I was told it was a late-50s model, but this one also had a pickup and cutaway, so I’d take a WAG that yours is older.
Is the Kay logo on the headstock inlaid, or painted on? I can’t tell from the picture. The dealer I sold my Old Kraftsman to told me that older Kays were more likely to have inlaid logos, while the models made in the late-50s onward were more likely to have painted logos, but all this can vary depending on the model and which store chain it was originally sold through. ETA: When I say painted on, I include decals too.