Decent mandolins.....poor asthetics

[Baloo]

I have a MK Legacy Deluxe that is handcarved front and back with a nice sound and is decently loud.

I took my MK to a luthier to adjust the truss rod and lower the bridge and when I went to pick it up he told me that the fret board needed to be sanded down because it was uneven and sure enough he was correct.

the Grover tuners on it have problems as well and the cheapo gold screws that hold the fake MOP keys in place keep falling off and the cheapo tailpiece slides off of my mandolin.

Is it worth it to sand down the fretboard, buy a new set of tuners, change the tailpiece instead of buying a new mando?

[cooper4205]

I'd get a new mando

[mythicfish]

Don't throw good money after bad.
As to whether your mandolin is handcarved I would ask ... Which portions are handcarved.
These instruments -typically- have pressed tops and backs.
My advice ... sell it at a loss. Your first loss is your best loss.
Putting money into it would only be the first loss in what could turn out to be a series of losses.

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

[Bill Snyder]

If you purchase another mandolin in the same general price range what makes you think it won't need the same attention?

[Jimmie]

I bought an MK a couple of years back and had serial problems. The major of these is similar to yours: uneven neck, huge hump at body-neck join. Had frets evened out, but there was just so much that could be done. My fellow bandmember also had an MK and finally traded it off at a loss. Good choice.

[mythicfish]

"If you purchase another mandolin in the same general price range what makes you think it won't need the same attention?"
Is this a rhetorical question?
There is little reason to believe that repetition of unwise behavior will yield different results.
So far, this has not been suggested as possible course of action. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Knot-Head]

My first mando was a fender fm 53, it had a developing crack in the neck. It wasnt really a problem but I couldnt stand it so I ordered a MK Legacy FS. What a piece. It too had a crack in the neck, a little more troublesome, it was cracked by the headstock. It didnt sound all that great and had a pretty thick top, so I did some experiments on it. I did what I could to stabilize the neck, then went at the body. I sanded off the 1/4 inch thick finish, then knocked out the tone bars, then it sounded better. Eventually the headstock broke off which brings me to my point. Should I pay to have the neck fixed,,,,,NO. Its still going to be a piece. So I got myself a Flatiron. In fact, there was a thread the other day about burning your old ###### mandos and I thought it would be a good fate for my MK.

[woodwizard]

If it's the tunner button screws that keep unscrewing a good fix for that is #242 thread locking loctite. One tiny drop on each screw will do it. About 3 threads 360 degrees is what a loctite rep told me. Also the tailpiece should be a simple fix too by slightly bending it in the right place. I was thinking about getting an oval hole MK but I'm just about scared off of that idea.

[wannabethile]

ive got a buddy whose got a michael kelly mando and its just good for whittling with his pocket knife, haha he had issues when he first bought it, and then he had them fixed and now new issues are arising with it. good grief!!! i feel bad for him, haha

[Baloo]

well guys here is the issue. me and my wife together bring home right at 60 something a year. We just had a 5 month old baby and money goes to the house I am buying and the baby and the cars.

If I get a new mandolin it would have to be financed, is that possible without a credit card.....dont have one right now....and if I do this what mandoling should I look for that will be a good mandolin and I not have to pay over, say, 1800?

[Baloo]

One more thing...I aint lookin for a pre war Gibson F5 here. I know that 5000 would get me a killer mandolin so please dont offer that advice.....

I guess a better question is what has the most bang for your buck in the price range previously stated?

P.S. Our baby was born five months ago, He was not five months when he was born if anyone was in need of clarification due to possible bad grammar.

[Hal Loflin]

If you are the original owner I would call MK and let them know your delima. Tracy Hoeft (sp?) use to own the company but I now understand he is one of the top executives. You might ask for him...he is a nice guy.

My first mandolin was an MK Legacy and it had none of the issues you are mentioning but I hand picked it from several at Merlefest...bought it from Tracy.

It's worth a call to them to see if they will do anything for you.

[Knot-Head]

Man, there are all kinds of mandos in that $$ range. An A style will give you the most for your money.

[Steve Ostrander]

In that price range I would look for a used Eastman.

[Pete Braccio]

Hey Baloo,

I'm going to go against the tide here. I had an MK that I thought sounded really good (and never gave me any problems). My advice is to do the work if you like the mando's tone and playability.

Follow woodwizard's advice from above and all you need to shell for would be fretboard work. Even with that, don't do it unless you notice it when playing. Just because it was pointed out to you doesn't mean that you have to take care of it.

MK's have a bad rep around here, but I've played a few good ones. Likewise, I've played a bunch of mandos by other manufactures that people rave about here and have found them wanting. That's because our ears hear things differently. Follow your ears. Don't get rid of something you like just because the "common wisdom" says to do so.

Pete

[Knot-Head]

Look in the classifieds here on the cafe, there is a Flatiron A5 artist, a couple of gibson A9's, there is a ratliff A, and I saw a Weber Bitterroot A maple back and sides. All are at or below your price range and all are handmade in America.

[Walter Newton]

If 1800 is your price range you have LOTS of good options - I'd be looking at an American made A like a Collings MT, Gibson A9, Flatiron, Weber etc - keep an eye on the classifieds. (As has been said above, though, the tuners are a cheap fix with a little Loctite, and the tailpiece cover likely just needs a little bending into shape - so I wouldn't consider either of those problems a big deal in themselves).

[Tim2723]

Baloo, all you've actually said is that you found an uneveness on the fretboard after it was set up. #OK, depending on what you really mean by that, it could be something that can happen to any mandolin. #Are you saying you need to pull all the frets and binding, or is it a minor sanding operation? #How defective are the tuners really? Do all eight screws on the tuners 'fall out' or do you have a loose screw? #Do you really need new ones? Once they're soilidy in place, they never come off again except to replace a broken button anyway. A loose tailpiece cover is nothing big. #People tighten loose ones and loosen tight ones all the time. #

If those problems occurred on another popular brand in that price range, many would tell you it was no big deal and to make a couple of fixes rather than buy a new instrument. #The fretboard issue can be a killer certainly, but how bad is it?

[cooper4205]

This (http://www.vintagemandolin.com/90charleshornera5_a56117.html) A-style mandolin by Charles Horner might be worth checking out for $800. There are plenty of nice, handmade A-styles to be found for not too much money.

[mythicfish]

You and your wife need to sit down and talk about $$$.
Try not to finance it ... you'll only be paying more than you can probably afford.
Unless you're up to your eyeballs in debt, you can probably put money aside each month for your mandolin, your kids education, and your retirement.
Not necessarilly in that order.

[Tim2723]

MK's have a bad rep around here, but I've played a few good ones. Likewise, I've played a bunch of mandos by other manufactures that people rave about here and have found them wanting. That's because our ears hear things differently. Follow your ears. Don't get rid of something you like just because the "common wisdom" says to do so.
Pete, I also have an MK that I like very much, but that makes us wrong by default. #Our only recourse is to sell them at a loss or burn them in sacrifice to the Mando Gods and buy Eastmans. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Treetopper]

I have two MK's and have none of the problems described here. I do not have the talent to deserve an expensive Gibson or the like, therefore, the Pacrim mandolins are all that I can afford. I am very happy with the MK's.

[Baloo]

well the fretboard issue is that I look down the fretboard and after the twelth fret I see a shadow, and If the bridge is too low I can hear a metallic clinging sound on two of my strings where they hit the fret before they hit the bridge.

Another issue is that this mandolin my wife bought me in the first year of our marriage so it has special meaning. Even if I get another I am thinking of fixin this one, possibly get another, and let my boy learn on this one....

[Kevin Briggs]

Here's a hypothetical for you:

MK = $500
Tuners = $100
Other stuff = $200
Your savings = $300
Sell some stuff = $200
Total = $1,300

Thats' a good range for somthing a lot nicer.Even with no savings and not selling anything, you will have close to $1,000. You can get a nice Breedlove OF in the classifieds right now for $900. That;'s a steal.

[BlueMountain]

I bought 7 cheap, broken F-style mandolins on eBay for $150 (including shipping) to fix and give to kids who want to learn to play. Two of them, a Johnson and a Mastercraft, the repairs didn't hold. I'm thinking of hanging them outside as windchimes, sort of like those pieces of bamboo some people use. I think they'll sound better that way, too.

[Santiago]

See fire thread.

[chip]

baloo, maybe you should hint to your wife that she might want to get an additional job to help you buy a really good mandolin. While she's working 16 hours a day you could be practicing and teaching your baby how to sing harmony?http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Alex of the North]

I'd like to second the guy who said that you should contact MK. Aren't these things guaranteed or warranteed? Maybe you can get satisfaction this route. Other than that, as a guy with an 18 month old, a second kid due next April, a mortgage, and not an enormous amount of income, I'd say call Dennis at the Mandolin Store (or another worthy dealer) and get yourself an Eastman. You do not need to spend 1800 dollars to have a satisfying mandolin to play.

[Tim2723]

Baloo, honestly it doesn't sound too bad. All mandolins will rattle if you lower the strings too far. Sounds more like to have to dress a couple of frets near the bridge. The other problems are no good reasons to loose money selling it, nor are they reasons to pump more money into it. Luthiers like to have everything perfect, but things seldom are.

If the strings are at a good playable hieght without the rattle and the intonation is good, what's the problem? You said you liked the tone and volume, and that's what counts. You've also got a little time before your son is ready for lessons, so give it some more thought.

[Jason Holmes]

In that price range I would look for a used Eastman.
I'd agree that if finances are tight, a used A-style Eastman or JBovier would be something to consider, as I think they'd come in a notch lower in price than a lot of those mentioned, though all are good options.

I love my Eastman 615, granted it's a very good one, MandoVoodooed and it's varnished too. It sure hasn't given me any problems in the couple of years that I've had it, it's only gotten better.

I'm looking to upgrade very soon and so I'll be selling it to help finance the upgrade. Feel free to PM me if interested.

[mandroid]

I'd propose the Bo Diddley rectangular body mandolin.
it worked for Bo, someone stole his guitar ,
and it was real easy to describe to the police,
so rather hard to pawn or for resell.
It was returned within days.

[offshore mass production would be at cross purposes in that regard]

[MikeEdgerton]

Tuner screws are easy to fix with a drop of loctite (as stated above), tailpieces can be made to not rattle quite easily. Try putting a piece of stick-on felt (available at any home center) under the cover. It will stop the rattle and the harmonic overtones as well. The fretboard is an issue I'd take up with MK if you're the original purhcaser. If you enjoy the mandolin beyond that and you're strapped for cash, work your way through it.

[Mark Richardson]

My first mandolin was a MK Legacy Deluxe. I also had a few issues with it that I found very annoying. I bought mine from the guys at First Quality Music Supply in Louisville. After about six months I took the MK back down to FQMS, about a 90 minute drive. They gave me a store credit for the full amount and with a little more of my money I moved up to an Eastman MD814, F-style with oval hole. I am very pleased with the Eastman. For the money, it is a nice mando.

[K3NTUCKI8oy]

whenever your about to buy a mandolin alwyays look it over and make sure its worth purchasing
i'm not a big MK fan myself but your case and many other bad cases i've experianced with them
always keep me as far away from them as possible

[wannabethile]

when i decided to buy my first "nice mandolin" this last march, i bought a used weber mandolin and i couldnt have gotten more bang for my buck. im absolutley in love with it and ive loved all of the webers that ive played. a styles, f styles, octave mandolins. theyre great instruments.

[mickey66]

Well,at the risk of being flamed here....I have a MK L-O and I like it very much....that being said I would not buy any Pac-Rim Mando sight unseen no matter the maker...although, I did and I got lucky and my band leader also bought one sight unseen and he was lucky...I sure have read some awfull stories about Pac-Rim Mando's though. The deals on ebay really temp you....I think on the next one I will go to the Mandolin store for a heads up on the Mando I'm thinking about buying.

[pickinNgrinnin]

About 4-5 years ago, MK's were the darlings of the Mandolin Cafe. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[GTG]

Yeah, I like my MK too (Legacy FS - 2003 model). I had it set up properly, and have played it hard enough to open it up some, which helped quite a bit; even put a tone-gard on it, which also helped. Eventually I bought my Colllings, which is noticeably better, but whenever I pull out the MK, I'm surprised by how decent it sounds and plays.

[twist_of_nate]

About 4-5 years ago, MK's were the darlings of the Mandolin Cafe. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif


I'm a long-time lurker who's decided to finally start posting on these boards. #I play a left-handed Michael Kelly Legacy Plus that I got this past Christmas. #I guess better late than never, right?

[mandolirius]

ad # 146, titled Flatiron/Gibson (sorry I don't know how to do a link) is a great deal, and right at your price point of $1800.

[Brady Smith]

I have two MK's and have none of the problems described here. I am very happy with the MK's.
Same here...I'd be looking for another good MK if you'd like to stay in that price range. I've now had two Eastmans that haven't lived up to the MK yet.

[Ivan Kelsall]

My first mandolin was a Michael Kelly 'Legacy Solid'. I only had it for about 3 months but had no problems with it at all,in fact for the money - $700,it was spot on regarding build quality. The reason that i traded it in so quickly,was that it just didn't give me the tone & volume that i wanted.This was probably due to a deal of ignorance re. Mandolins on my part,because if i'd kept it & played it more,it might have started to open up. As it was i traded it in for my old Lebeda F-5 Premium Plus,
Saska