Beatlenut,
If I may, I would like to repond to your email on this forum as we may get some others who could add to this subject.
Re: the Kentucky mandolins.
Some instruments come with a solid top, solid sides and laminated backs....or any combination of solids and laminates. A salesman should be able to help here. Sometimes you can look inside the mandolin and see if the wood grain on the outside of the mandolin matches the inside woodgrain as in the case of a solid wood instrument.
Re: Truss Rod.
If the mandolin has one, there should be a truss rod cover I would think. I've never had to adjust the neck of any of my mandolins so I don't even know if having a truss rod is something that I would worry about.
Re: "Do F-models sound different than A-models?"
My experience has been that there isn't much difference in sound here within similar brands and quality instruments. There is a much bigger difference, IMHO, in the difference in sound between a mandolin that employs f holes and one with a sound hole in the center. There appears to me, to be more bluegrassy sounding mandolins with f holes(woody sounding) and more celtic/Irish sounding mandolins(brighter sound) with sound holes.
Similar sounding F style vs. A syle mandolins...the A styles are much cheaper. But for many, the F style is more popular.
Re: "Is a solid top good enough? The Kentucky KM360S is
> an F-model with I believe a laminated back and sides."
On fiddles and mandolins in particular, I'm not a fan of anything laminated. My opinion is that laminated woods go dead after a time and the surface area of the mandolin and fiddle is small enough that laminated woods affect sound to a large extent.
Re: "Does the shape and thinness make it(the mandolin) sound less > like a mandolin and more like a guitar when unplugged?
Hopefully someone else could respond here. My impression is that the thinner the instrument, especially fiddle/mandolin, the more unlike a mandolin(how's that for vague?) the instrument sounds.
I've had a few Flatiron M style(pancake style) mandolins. Very thin(all solid woods) but it had a big sound...brighter though than others I've owned built in a more traditional style.
The best fiddles/mandolins are carved instruments made to last a lifetime or more.
In the end, like any instrument, it will be the sound and playability that counts...within your budget. Recently a friend of mine bought a used Tacoma mandolin(all solid woods) for $400 and this instrument had a great sound.
My first mandolin was one that the family bought me back in 85'. It was a cheap Fender that they bought for $75. As soon as I figured out that I wanted to play mandolin, I sold that mandolin and bought an all solid wood mandolin and haven't looked back.
My main mandolin now is an F-Style built(in 87') by a luthier friend of mine from Minnesota. All hand carved flame maple back and sides, spruce top. It will outlast me and become an instrument for me to pass on to my kids. It's a joy to play...and gets better sounding every year.
Hopefully you will have the opportunity to first play the mandolin you buy. In general(please don't shoot me here) stay away from Asian imports. I say this because this is where you will find green laminated instruments that sound good for a few months and go dead when the wood(and glue)dries. There are a number of American builders who build relatively inexpensive all solid wood instruments.
Also, there's got to be folks out there, on this forum that know more than me about this.
BTW, the mandolin cafe may not be your best bet here as those folks are into high end and high $$$ mandolins.
In the $300 to $500 range of all solid wood mandolins, try Tacoma, Weber(maybe in the $500 range?), Mid Missouri, used Flatiron M styles. J.R. mentions a mandolin I'm not familiar with but may be good as well. I hear Gibson just came out with a new A style that may have some potential.
Check with some reputable luthiers who may have taken a mandolin in on trade.
Finally, I'm going to send this post to a friend of mine who is fairly knowledgeable on mandolins. Perhaps he'll have a suggestion.
take care and good luck.
R.L.
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