Played a MK Classic

[A9cp]

Not sure what is going on with the builders overseas but, the quality is getting pretty unreal and the cost is really low compared to USA built instruments and they sound like older Gibson F bodies. So what's the big difference between those "higher end" overseas mando's over the USA built Gibsons, Weber and Rigels. Now I am not knocking Gibson or the other, I own a A9 and a F5G I just find it odd that the China and Korean builders can build them at a lower cost. Sure labor is cheaper. Is it true they can get better wood materials at a cheaper price than the US builders. This classic has a radiused ebony fretboard, Grover tuners, Allen tailpiece,dovetail neck joint and all solid wood and a clean even finish and it sounds great at a lower cost. A perfect friday night parking lot Jam instrument.

[jim simpson]

From what I understand, the tops on these instruments first are steam shaped/bent first to get the arch then the edges are carved to get the final shape. This process alone would save material and time - a huge cost saving to the manufacturer. I don't think tap-tuning is involved. I think this is probably why the sound varies so much from MK to MK. I have not played one yet that impressed me and I don't have any bias toward PacRim instruments. I have played 2 examples of the Olympia imported by Tacoma. Same price range or even a bit lower than the MK and I was really impressed with both examples. I don't know if Olympia employs the same building technique or not.

[GVD]

They must have hired Dale as a consultant. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

GVD

[Scotti Adams]

..my experience with these brand mandos and others in their catagory are while being good at a certain level of playing they tend to want to break up or turn to mush..for a lack of a better term. It seems they cant be driven as hard..they reach their plateau and cant be coaxed to cross that line....as the Gibsons can as well as some of the other great custom builders mandos do...these are just my thoughts and mt experiences...by no way or means are they they Gospel...

"A perfect friday night parking lot Jam instrument."

There ya go.......you answered your own question.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"A perfect friday night parking lot Jam instrument."

There ya go.......you answered your own question.....


Yup I don't think you will see them on the Grand Ole Opry anytime soon http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Bill James]

So what's the big difference between those "higher end" overseas mando's over the USA built Gibsons, Weber and Rigels.

I suppose resale could be one of the differences.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[mcarufe]

I have a Dragonfly II. All I can say is that with proper set up it is a nice practice instrument and nothing to be ashamed of. I took the time to properly set bridge as it was listing toward fretboard. This made much difference. It now sounds good and playability has improved after setting E sting lower at the nut. The material is good but it definitly needed some love to help it reach it's potential.
Service and support is lacking to say the least. Compare that to a company like Weber that goes out of their way to make you happy. You can actually talk to live people that discuss and trouble shoot and FIX if needed. If you are handy or know a Luthier the MK is not a bad bang for your buck.
Yes they are cheaper. You do get some great looks, radiused fingerboard and if lucky decent wood. Mine is not the prettiest but had a decent sound so I kept it.
Mike

[jiffyfeet]

I finally saw my first MK in the flesh this past weekend. While to me it sounded OK and comparable to the other instruments in its price range, I was pretty disappointed in the construction quality. There were at least three spots on the intstrument, not counting the inside of the scroll, where I thought I could have done a better job myself, and I don't even work with wood. From 6 feet away it looked OK, but when I was holding it, it just looked cheap. It was one of their new "o" models.

For the price, I was almost tempted to buy it anyway, since I don't have an oval hole right now. The more I looked at it, though, I decided I just didn't want something that wasn't very visually pleasing.

[PCypert]

Thought I'd stoke the fire a bit. Not really trying to get on anyone's bad side, but something I've noticed. Import or cheaper mandolins actually sound better to me than more expensive ones in the hands of beginners. My wife used to play a Yamaha acoustic she bought in Thailand for 75 bucks. It was a piece. But it was very forgiving of sloppy chords, bad hand technique, etc. When she played my Larrivee she sounded terrible. If she wasn't holding down on a chord all the way it rang out and the listener could really tell. Cheap mandos used to be like this for me. I always though, "man these things play so much better than that Gibson or whatever." Now I know how to play and know how to coax the sweet tones out of a fine made mandolin. At certain levels you don't know what to do or even what to listen for, but as you advance you do and that's when these quit becoming such "good deals". If you want an incredible parking lot picker get you a old flatiron a festival and save yourself some money and have twice the mandolin.
Paul

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

I agree with PCypert. Alot of those korean imports have extremely low action and are super easy to play. Raising there bridge/action doesn't seem to help tone like a quality handmade mando so you get an easy mando to play/chord. A better mand will often have somewhat highr action(and better tone0 but they take a little umph to pull the tone from. Without that umph you get a weaker tone and it is harder to play.

[mandodude]

...they tend to want to break up or turn to mush... they cant be driven as hard..they reach their plateau and cant be coaxed to cross that line...
Scotti,

Hep a brutha out, please! After too many years of pickin' 'n' grinnin', I'm still trying to figure out just what it is that sets a truly great instrument apart from a merely good one...

What do you mean by "turn to mush?" Does this refer to the sound?... the playability? How can you tell when things get "mushy?" Is this something that only you, the picker, notice, or is it perceptable to the listener as well? (Frankly, I think a LOT of my pickin' sounds "mushier" than I'd like it to, no matter WHAT axe I'm pickin' on!).

Also, how do you determine a given instrument's plateau? What is it that establishes each individual instrument's "line" that can't be crossed? And if you can, indeed, coax some instruments across that line, doesn't that mean you haven't really reached the line in the first place? For example, if you can coax a Gibson to cross that line and still sound O.K., maybe you really weren't "at the line" after all, right?

And why would you need or want to cross that line anyway?

Forgive me - guess I'm just one confused ol' 'dude!

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

[lownote]

jiffyfeet
I finally saw my first MK in the flesh this past weekend. While to me it sounded OK and comparable to the other instruments in its price range, I was pretty disappointed in the construction quality. There were at least three spots on the intstrument, not counting the inside of the scroll, where I thought I could have done a better job myself, and I don't even work with wood. From 6 feet away it looked OK, but when I was holding it, it just looked cheap. It was one of their new "o" models.

There is at least one major USA company building mandolins which have just as many booboos. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[John Zimm]

I'd like to offer a dissenting opinion here. I have an MK Firefly Flame which I really love.

I think it is wrong to compare Gibson with Michael Kelly instruments. The top of the line Pac Rims cost several hundred dollars less bought new than the stripped down, no-frills Gibson. For a lot of us, the Mk makes a lot of sense. If you have the patience to play several of them, odds are you are going to find one that sounds just as good or better than the low-end Gibsons, and which look a heck of a lot better too. I wish I could afford a Master Model or even an F5-G, but until I have enough disposable income to front thousands for an instrument that will probably only be marginally better than mine, I'll stick with my MK.

-John.

[Mandobar]

i played a whole bunch of mk's at a music store in new hampshire a few weeks back. he had what looked like one of every F style mk model. the best sounding of the bunch was the oval hole F4 style mando. but they are a long way from their original ebay prices from several years ago. most were over $900 without a case. for that money you can get a used flatiron as paul said or an A9. you will have to look around a bit but hey, isn't that all part of the fun.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[John Flynn]

I had heard a lot about MKs over the last year and was really intrigued, but had never played one until recently. I have now played four of them, including one of their "Custom" models, which is supposedly made in Florida, rather than China, and one of the new ovals. I thought the looks and the playability were very nice for the money. I was dissappointed in the volume and the tone, however. It was not bad, just not impressive. None of the MKs I played lived up some of the claims I have seen on the board here. I have played some Kentuckys that sounded better and the Chinese-made Eastmans are much better.

[GVD]

If theres one thing I hate it's sitting on the back row at a festival and seeing somebody play a mandolin with finish flaws inside the scroll or under the fretboard extension. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Sincerely,
Edwin Hubble

[Bradley]

[QUOTE]There is at least one major USA company building mandolins which have just as many booboos.

Could you mean the same USA company that has mandolins in the classifieds for over $100K.....

It is amazing how PacRim owners are always trying to bring down Gibson to make them feel better about themselves.

Just pick and be happy with whatever you have......

[John Zimm]

It is amazing how PacRim owners are always trying to bring down Gibson to make them feel better about themselves.

Just pick and be happy with whatever you have......
It is also amazing how frequently some people like to bring down Pac Rims. If they were as bad as some people would like to think, they wouldn't sell the way they do. Many of us are happy and content with our MKs (not that I wouldn't buy a Gibson if I had the money).

-John.

[Scotti Adams]

Mandodude..its just been of my experience that some mandos cant break the breaking point....its only got so much volume and tone...while these things can be coerced out of others. Turning to mush is more noticeable to the player than the non player...I dont know..its just hard to describe..I want the full potential out of my instrument...some Ive had just get to a certain point and just s&^%t all over itself...others will take everything and all the beatin you can give it and keep coming back for more. Yes there is a line that can be crossed...you will know it when it happens...it might happen when you are playing a MK or another type mando..trust me..it exists...as far as a plateau...that exists too...liked Ive explained before..some instruments plateaus' are higher than others...some, no matter how hard you try to coax it out just wont emerge. I know there are other players out there that can probably explain this better than me. Its happened to me and I know others have experienced it.

[mpeknox]

against my better judgement i'm gonna have to chime in here...i've played my FS deluxe side by side with 2 different F9's and while i would LOVE to be able to spend the money on a Gibson (2 kids in braces, yada yada yada) they just don't sound 5 times better even though they cost 5 times as much*

*5 times as much as i spent on my mandolin...not 5 times retail

[Scotti Adams]

..maybe I should clarify something here...there are high dollar mandos that never cross the line and Ive heard low dollar mandos that just freakin rock.....alot has to do with the set up and alot has to do with the player. Ive played Bush's mando...now I couldnt get that thing to sound like anything...and we all know how well it sounds in Sammy's hands....so its not a money issue or a make and model issue...it all boils down to the player and wether the mando has "it" or not.. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Tremolo]

I currently own a MK dragonfly, which I've had for a little over a year...I have to use D'addario J67's because if I use the J74's, they will not stay in tune, and I get frequent string breakage. I attribute this to the construction and quality of the instrument: It can only handle light guage strings. Another issue with the MK is that it is very sensitive to temperature. If it is slightly humid, the top will change and in turn, the action will get higher and tighter, thus making it difficult to play. This can be a pain, especially when you want to keep playing but you can't because it becomes so difficult.

For me, I'm already outgrowing the MK. I just want a solid instrument than I can play for hours on end and not run into playability issues. I'm looking at the Weber Yellowstone which I checked out at this past Merlefest.

The bottom line, for me, is that the imports like MK are just not solid. Don't get me wrong: I still like my dragonfly, for the price it's ok. But after playing a mando like the Yellowstone, I'm more than willing to pay extra to be able to play comfortably without worrying about playability.

[Flowerpot]

What Scotti describes is a very real phenomenon. I would call it dynamic range. Some mandos will respond well to a light or medium touch, but if you're in the big jam and really need to lay into it, it breaks up, sort of like a speaker being overdriven to the point of distortion. But others will keep putting out the volume, and still maintain a clear tone with lots of projection no matter how hard you drive it -- it's like a set of speakers that sound just as clean at 200 Watts as they do at 1 Watt, or a car that grips the road like glue at 120 MPH.

Sorry if I'm getting off on a tangent... I think the thread was about to go off into Gibson-bashing mode or inexpensive mandolin bashing mode, anyway.

[lownote]

Could you mean the same USA company that has mandolins in the classifieds for over $100K.....

It is amazing how PacRim owners are always trying to bring down Gibson to make them feel better about themselves.

Just pick and be happy with whatever you have......


What makes you think I'm talking about Gibson?



http://images.andale.com/f2/121/114/6565467/1085095143423_mandolins.jpg

[Scotti Adams]

..thanks Flowerpot...I couldnt have said it any better myself....and I didnt... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Bradley]

Sorry if I "jumped the gun",but things were definetly leaning that way........The discussions like this always take the same path.

My point is "I think" we spend too much time defending our instruments and what is good/bad about them.Whether they cost $500 or $5000 the instruments are made to have fun with.If you purchase a mando so that you will fit in,or even worse treat someone like crap because thay dont have a $10K mandolin,then shame on you.

Like Scotti said alot of factors are out there in regards to "quality of sound"....I too have heard good PacRim mandolins As a matter of fact, I have wished many times that I had back the Kentucky that I started on.

[Scotti Adams]

so ever true Pearl..

[Nick Triesch]

I think a lot of it depends on the player. #A year ago I saw John moore of bluegrass ect and also the teacher of Chris Thile play his Kentucky on stage and it sounded wonderful. #In other words, #I think he could make firewood sound good! #I just played a new M/K F type the other day and man it was a nice mandolin. # For the money. # IMHO. # Nick:)

[John Zimm]

I'm glad that this has not degenerated into Gibson-bashing or too much Pac Rim bashing. I think many of us can agree that the MK is not in the same class as the Yellowstone or Master Model, but many of us are perfectly happy with them as they are.
Now, if I had to overpower a banjo every week, I may want something with a little more punch. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

-John.

[jim simpson]

John Moore plays an early 80's KM1500 Kentucky. A very good instrument and John's a great player!

[jiffyfeet]

If theres one thing I hate it's sitting on the back row at a festival and seeing somebody play a mandolin with finish flaws inside the scroll or under the fretboard extension. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Sincerely,
Edwin Hubble
Well I guess you're trying to be cute about my comment here, I can't really tell. About the last thing I'm worried about when it comes to my mando is what anybody else thinks of it. What I think of it is what matters. I can tell you right now I wouldn't be happy paying hundreds of dollars for something with obvious finish flaws.

The point of an F style mando is the looks. Otherwise you would buy a much better A for the same money. If I'm paying for looks, how am I supposed to deal with finish flaws? The owner/player might be the only one to ever notice, but he's also the only one that matters.

[Coy Wylie]

I can understand both GVD and jiffyfeet's points of view. My second mando was an MK Classic with the radiused board. I still have it and use cross-tuned for "Get Up John." I suppose I was lucky and got one of the better ones. It developed great volume. I received nice comments about it and people always wanted to test drive it.

I saved up some more cash and began shopping for a hand-made American mando. I bought one from a private builder from the cafe classified on a 48-hour approval. I could barely wait to get my hands on it. It sounded okay and would have sounded better after some time of playing it. However, the fit and finish were so bad, I couldn't justify spending that much money on it. I sent it back and the seller graciously refunded my money.

I ended up saving up a bit more and buying a Weber. It is asthetically beautiful and I love its tone. The volume is getting better and better as it opens up. Now when I go back and play the MK, I can really hear the difference in the tone. Though the MK sounded good to me before, it sounds rather tinny compared to the Weber.

[jlb]

I'm with Bradley here. People spend way too much time thinking about why their mandolin is so great, and other mandolins are so bad or so overpriced. All this really ends up doing is getting one another p-o'd for no real reason.

Just buy what you're happy with. We all have reasons for what we choose!

Hopefully, the one thing we all have in common with our choices, and what is ultimately most important, is that we're buying our mandos to pick on!

[mad dawg]

Luthier or Pac-Rim?
Both can taste good, yet diff'rent;
Like apple and orange.

[mandodude]

Luthier or Pac-Rim?
Both can taste good, yet diff'rent;
Like apple and orange.
mad dawg rides the fence,
Doesn't want to "stir the pot!"
What a diplomat!


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

[OdnamNool]

Whoa! #There's mandodude!
Ridin' long side the posse
Giddy (ahem.....) up!
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Hee yahhh!

[OdnamNool]

Oh, come on now, Django Fret... #I know you must have a suitable photo somewhere in your photo album... #illustrating the above... #Post it! #(If you dare...)

[John Zimm]

Play Michael Kelly
Play a Gibson or Weber
Just play mandolin

Sorry, best I could do.

-John.

[lownote]

Eight strings they all have
Familiar tones sounding same
Strumming or picking

[JiminRussia]

I don't own a pac rim instrument, and I'm not going to knock them. I just want to ask, how many of us can play as well as one of those intruments is capable of being played? When you consider that there is no more diference in tone between a $900 Pac rim F style and a $5,000 American made instrument than there is between a 3/8 of an inch variance in the placement of your finger when freting either one, or any one of about a dozen other "proper applications of tecnique', then it makes me wonder. How good would that Pac rim instrument sound if we put the $4,100 diference into lessons and a several hundred hours of practice?

[Steve L]

[QUOTE]Posted on May 31 2004, 01:19
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When you consider that there is no more diference in tone between a $900 Pac rim F style and a $5,000 American made instrument than there is between a 3/8 of an inch variance in the placement of your finger when freting either one, or any one of about a dozen other "proper applications of tecnique', then it makes me wonder. How good would that Pac rim instrument sound if we put the $4,100 diference into lessons and a several hundred hours of practice?


I don't want to bash Pac Rim instruments, but this seems a bit of a stretch. #I spent some time in a store yesterday and played 3 Gibsons from the teens and 20s, a Rigel, a Collings, 3 Webers, an old Sultana Grand oval hole and #even a couple of Mid Mo's #As I was about to leave, I realized I'd never actually played a Kentucky and picked one up. #And I'm sorry, but the difference in tone was unmistakeable. #I say this as someone who owns a Mexican Celtic cittern and a Korean Irish bouzouki and enjoys them. #But on the occaisions when I've played a Foley, Fylde or Sobell it's just a whole other world of tone.

This particular store, by the way, is also listed as an Eastman dealer but they haven't had any in stock. I asked a salesman about them and he said all the ones they received so far had to be returned for one reason or another.

[A9cp]

When I stared this thread, it really was intended to move towards the price verses quality issues or the quality utilized to construct a $1000 mando verses a $8000 mando. The cost of labor of course has got to be the true driver when you get to those $1000 PACRim instruments followed by materials then construction or the quality of construction. I own quite a few guitars, A 1965 D28, new OM35, Collings D2H , Bourgeois Slope shoulder D plus a Ryan Nightingale and I just bought a new BlueRidge BR160 imported by Saga. Well the Blueridge sound is true to the classic Martin boomy bass, nice trebles and construction seems sound when you look deep inside, clean bracing no glue seepage, but the labor had to be rather low to sell a guitar this "cheap ($529). The materials, inlays seem and look cleanly constructed. Of course computers had to be used just like they are in most major US volume builders. Comparing my F5G and A9 to the PACRim mando's in the $1000 range, well I am not going there.

If Collings, Gibson, Weber, Ridgel had their mando's built overseas using the same materials and construction techniques they use in the US would the cost be considerable lower ? that's the question.

[JiminRussia]

A9cp, my apology if it seems that we hijacked your thread. It wasn't my intention to do so. If and when I get the urge to pontiicate on this, my pet peeve again, I'll start my own thread on the subject.

[Greenmando]

I bought one of the MK butterfly's when they came out, I thought it was a decent deal for the $260 I paid for it. But after buying my Flatiron the MK was never picked up again. I sold the MK and added a little more and bought a great A9. I kept emailing Tracy asking when they would have a F4. Now that he did I am looking for a real F4.

I think the MK was a good buy at the price I paid, I think the current retail is now too high for what you are getting. If you can get over the scroll you can find a better mando in the same price range. But the MK is a decent beginner.

Gibson does have a Korean mando called the epiphone, and soon the new Korean made Flatiron. I think Korea and China may have some wonderful builders. I am sure given the time and resources they could build a comparable instrument for less. I just do not think that will be allowed to happen.

[Jaded]

I've been playing mando for a few months shy of a couple years now. I've had the opportunity to play everything from a $200 Kentucky a model up to three different Lloyd Loars.

Those Loars definitely sounded better in my hands than the kentucky, but they actually sounded worse in my hands than the F5G I normally play. The man who owned the Loars made both the Loars and my F5G sound incredible.

I think you have to find a balance between your playing level, style and budget in picking a mandolin. A beginning player may not sound good on a good mandolin, but imo they will sound worse on a bad mandolin, particularly if that mandolin has playability issues.

I think it is a bad idea to encourage beginners to buy less mandolin than they can afford on the idea that they won't be able to make it sound good anyway.

However, a cheap mandolin is certainly better than no mandolin and if you can find a cheap good mandolin, well then buy it and be happy!

While I don't agree with the folks who think all Pacific Rim mandos are junk, I do think there is good reason to be dubious when encountering the claims of the my import sounds just as good as mandolins costing 300 times more crowd. There are always those rare gems out there amongst cheap mandolins and plenty of dogs amongst expensive, but I think on average, you get what you pay for.

[steve in tampa]

A lot of the newer factory made instruments are computer cut/planed etc, taking out a lot of the human error factor in that area. Assembly and selection/reading of the wood initially are another story all together. There are skilled craftmen in all parts of the world.

[frets1]

Don't worry about it. Unless you're getting paid big bucks to play, play what youhave and be happy that God blessed you with a mandolin and the ability and desire to play it. The next time your at a jam, look around. I'll bet ya the guys with the Johnsons are enjoying themselves just as much as the guys with the Gibsons and the Webbers. Sure, we all want a nice un and go for it if you can afford it. I'm a Gibson owner myself.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Professor PT]

I'll just agree with what many people have said so many times before: play what sounds good to you and what you can afford. I recently took my MK with me to a music store to play along side other mandos. I played other MK's and some Webers. To my surprise, most of the Webers, even those with maple backs, sounded thin and flat. My MK and another one on the wall sounded much better. There were many MK's that sounded flat as well. It's really just a matter of playing as many mandos as you can and seeing what you can justify spending. Personally, I will not be looking to upgrade until a mando truly blows my socks off. I don't care if my MK was only $500 or that it was made in Korea. It sounds good in the "blind taste test" to me, and that's all that matters. I love the workmanship of the Webers, but I have yet to play one that has really "spoken" to me.

[Christine W]

I'm getting ready to go mando tasting at FQMS they got a whole load of Mk's in and I want to compare them to the other mandos. Michelle that works there said they sound real good and she was very impressed with the sound and looks.
I agree with the Professer I"m happy with my Mk and until something "blows my socks off", I will up grade but for now I'm happy with the sound and the money I paid for it. The only mando I have played that I really liked the sound of enough to start even thinking of up grading is a friends Sumi. It's so sweet but so out of my price range.

[John Zimm]

Don't worry about it. Unless you're getting paid big bucks to play, play what youhave and be happy that God blessed you with a mandolin and the ability and desire to play it. The next time your at a jam, look around. I'll bet ya the guys with the Johnsons are enjoying themselves just as much as the guys with the Gibsons and the Webbers. Sure, we all want a nice un and go for it if you can afford it. I'm a Gibson owner myself.
Amen. Music is a gift from God, and if some of us can't afford a Gibson we should be happy with our MKs. Especially since they sound so sweet. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

-John.

[Coy Wylie]

I have an MK Classic and a Weber Custom Bitterroot (maple). I played the MK hard for several months and loved it. Then when I first got the Weber, I thought it suffered a bit in tone and volume. I played it anyway and have enjoyed it evolution of opening up. I moved into a new office this week and took the dust-collecting MK with me to practice during my breaks at work. Though the MK sounds decent I just can't tell you the contrast in tone that I hear when I get home to the Weber. It has by far bypassed the MK. My point is, what you are used to playing is usually what sounds good to you.

Interestingly, I recently swapped my Weber with another player's Master Model at a jam. The MM was awesome, but I thought the Weber kept right up with it in terms of tone and volume.

So no matter where you are on the scale of price, a lot of this discussion is centered around what you are used to and your loyalty to your own instrument.

[JGWoods]

"...If Collings, Gibson, Weber, Ridgel had their mando's built overseas using the same materials and construction techniques they use in the US would the cost be considerable lower ? # that's the question."
Rigel did just about what you are talking about with their G110 see Goldtone (http://www.goldtone.com/products/pages/gm-110.asp)for an instrument licensed by Rigel with the same look and construction as my very expensive Vermont made model.
I'm not so sure I like it, by I can't figure out why that is....

best
gw

Some of you MK lovers might want to give Ken Cartwright a call......Looks like he is having a sale! #Cartwright Music (http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=9960&query=retrieval)

[jiffyfeet]

"...If Collings, Gibson, Weber, Ridgel had their mando's built overseas using the same materials and construction techniques they use in the US would the cost be considerable lower ? # that's the question."
Rigel did just about what you are talking about with their G110 see Goldtone (http://www.goldtone.com/products/pages/gm-110.asp)for an instrument licensed by Rigel with the same look and construction as my very expensive Vermont made model.
I'm not so sure I like it, by I can't figure out why that is....
Probably the reason you don't like it is because it looks cheap and ugly. It does not look like a G110, the points are way too fat. It looks more like a small version of the cheap Mexican strat I have.

[trialjeff]

I'm a "seasoned" guitarist (30 years of gigging under my expanding belt)and I have been a Michael Kelly fan since they began selling soley on Ebay. I bought two guitars back then; a hollow body electric and an acoustic, which were incredible values. I remember looking at the mandolin auctions, and couldn't understand why these little instruments were selling for more than double the guitars. Little did I know what I was getting into.
A few months ago, I decided to give mandolin a whirl (havent played much guitar since!), and after researching it to death, decided on a MK. I started with a Legacy FS. While it looked a little rough around the edges (mainly in the scrolls), after a good setup, it got me hooked on mandolin. It was loud! That is what counts in the mandolin world. After getting to the point where I could hold my own in a jam, I decided to give the mando to my dad, who wanted to revive his interest in the instrument. The real reason I gave it to him was so that I could upgrade, so I got a Legacy Deluxe, with the Fishman electronics. I didn't like this instrument at all, and I sent it back to the dealer. The binding was really sloppy. Remembering how much I liked the first MK I bought, I decided not to give up hope, and decided to get the Evolution.
I figured that the Evolution would satisfy my concerns, because it's a "bindingless" mandolin. BOY WAS I RIGHT! I love this instrument. The finish (hickory sunset) is awesome, the woods VERY nice (deeply flamed maple back and neck), and after setup, this thing plays like a sunofabitch! The guy who does the work on my instruments is a luthier who has built guitars and mandolins for many years, and he was AMAZED with the quality of this instrument. This is a phenomenal value, and I don't see myself upgrading any time soon. Can't wait to show it off to my friends!

[Tom C]

Ever try to play a harmonic other than on the 12th fret
on an inexpensive mando? Maybe if you are lucky you can hear some sort of tone. Then try it on an upper scale mando. It's more possible to pull the tone out and have it ring.

[Ancient]

I think what it all boils down to is you never know about how an instrument is going to sound because of the nature of wood. You can take two or three instruments of the same brand and model and each will be different in sound and feel. Even the more expensive instruments will be different. I have played a lot of Michael Kellys because I work in a music store and I usually set up all the mandos. I have found a few MKs right out of the box that were fantastic instruments. I own two MKs that I wouldn't trade for a Gibson,Weber or anything else. I use an MK Legacy Classic with a Shadow 2000 stick on pickup on the weekends when I play and it works very well. I also own a Weber Bitterroot and a Breedlove Oregon and they can't keep up with the MKs.

[Damnation Gulch]

Ever try to play a harmonic other than on the 12th fret
on an inexpensive mando? Maybe if you are lucky you can hear some sort of tone. Then try it on an upper scale mando. It's more possible to pull the tone out and have it ring.
Funny I find myself knowing so little after reading a lot of folks posts but this is one of the first things I do (maybe because its easy). Not sure where this thread was when I posted "200" MK threads a week or so ago, but this one is a classic (no pun intended). Its only been two days since I got my "Phantom Of The Opry" and while I love everything about it I'm still blown away that my Rover A sings like a bird and barks like a dog with harmonics to boot. That thing came right out of the box and was never set up and when the bridge would move when I restrung it I just put it back where the indentions were in the body from when it was first finished/built. Not sure if this is because I've beat it half to death in the last three years (and its fought right back) or what.

I did notice the thing about the finish on the inside of the "Phantoms" scroll. Its not a big deal as all the binding seems as clean as any higher priced mando I've looked at. Do those $5,000 mando's really get all the finish inside the scroll?