kentucky blues!

[sean808080]

so i have 2 mandos right now that i'm living with. i expect to return one . just got the kentucky today in the mail from musicians friend. it's the 380 a style.

i have to say i'm disappointed with the finish and quality of this instrument. i was expecting something that blew the fender away but this thing looks a bit sloppy. the inside of the instrument has some black paint splotches and the finish is not very pro looking (like the fender is)

the kentucky is a lot louder than the fender and has a lot more of what i would call chop. but the downside is that as youre playing it, the mids overwhelm the rest of the sound so it sounds like #### to me.

like i said i'm pretty disappointed. the fender was going to go back but now i'm not so sure. it sounds a lot thinner and quieter than the kentucky but it has a nice balanced tone.


any thoughts on the kentucky? is it a musicians friend problem? i did intonate and adjust the bridge of both instruments and of course changed the strings....i sure wish there was a dealer in the tri-state ny area where i could see a nice selection of mandos in my price range....

i sure hope i dont have to spend more $$ these bad boys are under 300 each and i'm not too keen on going up into another bracket.

thanks in advance for all your guidance. i sure appreciate it.

[wichitamando]

I bought the Kentucky 380 as my first mando a year and a half ago. I've got similar finish issues, but I think it sounds pretty good. I got a good setup job at the local guitar shop. They have a mando builder on staff as a luthier. I haven't played a Fender. When I bought the 380, I couldn't play and took the advice of the local guys that the Kentucky was much better. Since then I have played some other stuff in the price range and I think I made the right choice.

If I remember correctly, he sanded the bridge a bit, dressed the frets, filed the nut, etc... So, it took quite a bit of work. He also mentioned that they send back about 50% of the Kentuckys because they aren't playable. I have no idea if Musicians Friend is that picky about what they sell.

Hope it helps.

[gnelson651]

I bought a $299 MK Legacy Deluxe from MF and it was not proper set up. I spoke in someone in Customer Service. She said they send out the instrument in the box as received by the manufacturer. Obviously they don't set up their instruments.

The MK needed some work on the neck, bridge and nut. I'd say if you buy from MF, add the price of a setup to the cost.

[glauber]

Just because they say they're your friend, doesn't mean they really are!

[flairbzzt]

I don't like Kentucky's sunburst look, except for the old ones. If I had to choose one of their A's, it would be the 250s (dark brown). They're all solid wood and go for around $250 and would leave you some basic setup $ if this is where your limit stays.

[sean808080]

thanks everyone for your advice. i discovered lark street music here in nj http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif damn. what a excellent store. plenty of mandos to try and plenty to lust after. i settled for a mid-mo as others have recommended.

i wouldn't say settled as i spent more than i originally planned but this bad boy just sings. it's the m1-w (wide neck! an extra .25 inch! at the nut...) and needless to say the kentucky ukele is going back to musicians friend as is the fender. the fender isn't really all that bad but like i said, the kentucky was ugly sounding.

thanks again for everyones advice. now i gotta work through these intro to mando dvds from netflix!!


http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[RobP]

Netflix?http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif Netflix has mandolin instruction stuff?

[flairbzzt]

Where are you in NJ Sean?

[sean808080]

netflix has everything!!

they have a few mando instructional dvds


i am in union county nj.....

[mandroid]

MF ships units of product, the manufacturer is the quality control, and if they ship 'whatever' then you send it back. Defective ?,geta 'call tag' from customer service, and the return cost is borne by them.. UPS guy picks it up.