kentucky 250s

[dobroitis]

I am a dobro player that wants to play mandolin as well. Kentucky A model 250s go on ebay quite cheap. If I take to mandolin, I will probably get a better one a gibson flatiron. Can a kentucky give me a good taste of what mando is like?

[MartinD_GibsonA]

Can a kentucky give me a good taste of what mando is like?
The Kentucky 250S? #Absolutely!

Don Smith

[dobroitis]

thankyou

[Daniel Nestlerode]

A taste is cheap, but it'll hook you. Then feeding the addiction (aka MAS) becomes an expensive proposition. Be very careful, your musical world is about to turn upside down.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Daniel

[cooper4205]

it is the best beginner mandolin for the money. they sound pretty good to me. i have a 380S whcih suites my limited needs fine for now.

[Brady Smith]

Not really...you'll always have an empty feeling from missing the scroll.

[bluegrassjack2]

the KY 250s is an ecellant starting and future mandolin. Also the Flatiron is an excellant mandolin to upgrade to. I actually have one of each I'd sell you.[B]

[dobroitis]

the KY 250s is an ecellant starting and future mandolin. Also the Flatiron is an excellant mandolin to upgrade to. I actually have one of each I'd sell you.[B]
What are your pricings on each? Is the flatiron a Gibson? I have heard good things about it.

[Eric F.]

Not really...you'll always have an empty feeling from missing the scroll.
Unless, of course, you prefer the clean lines of an A style over the gaudy curves of an F.
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BTW, I have a 250s as well as some higher end mandos. The Kentucky is terrific for the money. If you buy from eBay make sure you're not getting one with major structural issues. Also, setup can be a concern with eBay mandos. If you're comfortable doing your own, great. If not, it might be worth paying a bit more for a new one from Elderly or a similar retailer that will set it up so it's playable right out of the box.

[dobroitis]

I've wondered about the setup. I don't know much about mandos, but it looks like the bridge can actually be raised and lowered with two screws. Is it common to file the nut down?

[Mattg]

For cheap Kentuckys, I think the 380s is a better value compaired to the 200 series. I started with one and it's still my beater. Set up correctly, they can play very well and sound very loud.

[Eric F.]

Dobroitis, yes, the bridge can be raised/lowered with the thumbwheel screws. You'll have to reduce the string tension first. The bridge is floating, not fixed, so be sure you don't take all the strings off at once. And yeah, the nut can be filed down if necessary. It's not uncommon.

[dobroitis]

This is a stupid question, do mandos have truss rods? I was just wondering if the bridge and nut height were the only two adjustments for neck setup.

[dobroitis]

Another thing I wanted to ask is what is the F model kentucky that has comparable sound? Does a f model 620 sound as good as a a model 250?

thanks

[Eric F.]

Not all mandos have adjustable truss rods. The KM 250 does. The KM 620 is plywood, the 630 is, I think, solid top with plywood back, so you have to go up to a KM 675 to get all solid woods in a Kentucky F. I think the 620s and 630s I've played have been thin and tinny sounding.

[dobroitis]

edited - not neccesary

[cooper4205]

i think the artist series (250s-380s), esp. the higher ends which aren't much more than the 250, have a better sound than the 620's, 630's snd some 700s IMO.

[dabowsa]

Hi all - thanks for the great site! I may just sit an' pick a spell... :cool:

I've spent this week reading everything I could from the old threads, and I believe I've narrowed it down to a KM-250S or KM-380S.

I wanted to stay in the $200 range, but it seems worth it to jump up to the $250 250S. However, some of you seem to think the 380S is a better value. The problem is, once I add a $30 case and $15 strap, I'm basically at $400 - twice my budget. I've been playing guitar for 15 years and only spent $450 on my acoustic and $600 on my electric.

My question is, what will I miss on the 250 that the 380 has? Will the extended fingerboard get any use? Is the tone and/or volume significantly better on the 380? Is the hardware much different?

I do like the unassuming look of the 250 for a beginner.

Thanks in advance,
-Ben.

[Jim MacDaniel]

Hi all - thanks for the great site! I may just sit an' pick a spell... :cool:

I've spent this week reading everything I could from the old threads, and I believe I've narrowed it down to a KM-250S or KM-380S.

I wanted to stay in the $200 range, but it seems worth it to jump up to the $250 250S. However, some of you seem to think the 380S is a better value. The problem is, once I add a $30 case and $15 strap, I'm basically at $400 - twice my budget. I've been playing guitar for 15 years and only spent $450 on my acoustic and $600 on my electric.

My question is, what will I miss on the 250 that the 380 has? Will the extended fingerboard get any use? Is the tone and/or volume significantly better on the 380? Is the hardware much different?

I do like the unassuming look of the 250 for a beginner.

Thanks in advance,
-Ben.
Many people find the extended fretboard gets in the way of the pic, and it appears to serve little utility to the average player, so some owners of mandolins with extended fretboards elect to have the extension "scooped" (http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Mandolin/DropTongue/droptongue.html). (Nowadays, I think some mandolins with extended fretboards may even come "pre-scooped" from several luthiers, and even from importers such as Michael Kelly.)

I have A/B compared both of these models in a music store, and at least of the two specific samples I tried, they sounded and played similarly to me. Considering this, I eventually opted for the KM-250S because I preferred its unique color over the KM-380s' standard run-of-the-mill burst finish, and the slightly radiused fretboard did give the illusion of a little extra "roominess" to my left hand.

[Eric F.]

It might just be luck of the draw, but my 250S sounds better to me than any 380 I've played. I don't see any point in ponying up more money for a sunburst and a fingerboard extension. Supposedly there's more attention paid to carving the top or something on the 380, but I wonder if that's just marketing talk.

[catmandu2]

I've got the 150 and 340--mine are actually quite different: The 150 is big and boxy with a deep woody sound and much more bass than the smaller, slimmer box of the 340 which has a clearer, brighter tone with more upper register volume. While I initially found the extended fingerboard on the 340 to be cumbersome, I really like the visual aesthetic.

[dabowsa]

Ok, thanks. That's what I needed to hear!

I'm going to order a 250S from Elderly.com right now.

[Ken Berner]

If you can locate a KM250S built in Japan (probably '80s), you might be even better off than a Korean or China product. I started out with the 250S and by the time I sold it, it was almost unrecognizable, except for the logo. I made lots of upgrades which really helped the tin-can-tone change to one with some character. To answer the original question: for the money, the 250S is a great starter mandolin!

[dabowsa]

Ken, I've been looking used but haven't had good results. Ever pick on a 380S?

[Ken Berner]

No, I have not played a 380. They were not in existence when I started ten years ago, and I have not had my hands on one. You would hope that they would be some sort of improvement over a 250. The Japanese builders seem to have made the better Kentucky mandolins, and occasionally one will pop up for sale; not very often, though. Folks are hanging on to them rather tightly!

[cooper4205]

i showed my 380 to Will Parsons (Parsons mandolins) and he was impressed with what i got for the cost. he thought it sounded better than the Kentucky f-styles (620-700) that i had been looking at, some of which were double the price. i think you would have to go up to the eastman 505 ($220 more) to find anything better. it just seems like the artist series a-styles are better quality than the lower end F-styles IMO.

[Kevin Briggs]

I have a 340s that sounds pretty dang good for what I paid ($65 new but with some dings). I was getting the neck on my Weber shaved down, so was stuck with the Kentucky for a month and a half. It grew on me a bit, but stopped growing once I got my nice Weber back. However, I used it to practice with Mighty Fine and it really held its own, even after a four hour practice. I dare say it played easier than my Weber, but it didn't have that thick tone I like.

[dobroitis]

Bit of a subject change, I posted this on my other help thread but decided to do it here too. I really like low actions all the way up the neck, but is it possible to get this on a mid mo because of the non-adjustable truss rod?

[cooper4205]

you'd probably have to file the nut and some frets if the bridge won't go any lower.

[dabowsa]

Well, I've had my 250s for about a month now - I'm quite happy with it!

Its been more than adequate in tone and volume while playing and singing along with one or two guitarists. Everyone says it sounds great, but I have much to improve on in tone from my fingers and pick stroke.

My question my be more suited for a different thread or category, but the intonation on the D course seems to have slipped. Is this normal for a mandolin thats going through a break-in period?