kentucky mandolin

[Rich G]

I'm picking up a used kentucky km 380s mandolin and wondering if anyone has any experience with one that might give a small review. They're suppose to be all solid wood construction and affordable for a beginner. I think I got a pretty good deal. We'll see. It's not in hand yet. Tia.

[Fliss]

I've no experience of these particular mandolins, but they do have a good reputation, as you say, as a decent, affordable starter. Why not visit www.mandolincafe.com and ask the question there?

Fliss

[devellis]

Kentuckys can be fairly nice mandolins. They're somewhat variable, however, and aren't necessarily set up optimally from the source. I'd recommend taking it to an instrument tech and getting the setup checked. The most likely issue is a high nut. If the action at the nut is high, it's a bear to play at the lower frets. It's very simple for someone who knows what they're doing to take a nut file and deepen the grooves a bit to solve the problem. The bridge might need adjustment as well, but because that's easier to do, it's more likely to have been done already by the dealer. If this is a mail order item, there's a fair chance that neither bridge nor nut have been adjusted properly. With a good setup, a Kentucky can be a very nice playing instrument with a decent sound.

I have some pretty darn nice mandolins and am not easily impressed by just any mandolin. On a recent trip to Boston, where my mother lives, I picked up a Kentucky at the Music Emporium so that I could leave it there and have an instrument around when I was visiting her or other relatives in the area, without toting a much more expensive instrument on a plane. Joe Russo lowered the nut grooves for me and it actually plays and sounds surprisingly good. It's actually a 150S, a plainer version, A-model with solid woods. Although I'd never mistake it for my Sobell or Collings, it's quite a respectable mandolin and an excellent value for the price. However, before the nut work, it was not a fun instrument to play at all. Setup can make a huge difference on an instrument of this type, which usually leaves the factory without much attention to playability.

I wish you the best and hope you enjoy your new instrument.

[kitsinni]

I had a Kentucky KXXX I can't remember what model, but it was pretty nice. I thought it had a really nice tone and played well, and it was cheap! Then mandolin player in my band really dug it to.

[HHP]

I have a 380S Kentucky and it is a good choice. Mine is very bright in the trebles but has decent bass. You might want to have it set up and adjusted right away to insure bridge placement and action is optimum. They are indeed all solid wood (spruce/flame maple) and to get significantly better, you would need to spend 5 or 6 times what they sell for.

[El Conquistador]

I bought a Kentucky mandolin the very first year they came out. At that time, Saga Instruments was looking to show the world that, even though these mandolins were made in Japan, they were high quality. To that end, they commissioned Siigi Sumi, a highly regared luthier in Japan, to hand make their flagship KM-2000 or DAWG models. These were John Monteleone designed instruments. Sumi made exactly 48 of these.

I happened to be looking for a new mandolin at that time and a place called The 5th String in Berekley CA happened to have just taken its entire shipment of 5. I walked in the next day and took the best, IMHO, of the 5 home with me.

This is a very fine instrument. Many players have been quite surprised by how loud and sweet this thing is. The workmanship is quite high. They have become quite collectible. Fortunately, I have already collected mine.

[devellis]

The Japanese Kentuckys are definitely a cut above the current Chinese-made models and the Sumi-made models are several cuts above. My very first mandolin was a Japanese KM200S. Although it was nicer than the Chinese KM150S I described earlier in this thread, the new ones are still a good value and can sound good and play well if properly set up.

[smw17]

I got a KM-350 last month and am pretty pleased with it. It does need a set-up (gonna take it to Steve at Gianna Violins) but it'll do nicely as a starter mando. You should be happy with yours.