Kentucky KM 250

[stevemci]

I'm a rank beginner just starting out on the mandolin and I recently purchased an instrument to learn on. I'm happy with it, I'm just trying to learn a little more about it.

The headstock identifies it as a Kentucky and the label inside identifies it as a KM 250. It seems to be an older model because it's brown in color like a violin and it seems that the current version is only available in sunburst.

I've seen discussions on this board about the new improved KM 250 and the older KM 250S, but nothing about the older KM 250. I can find the specs for the new model all over the web but not so much for the older model. The top at least looks to be solid wood and I don't see any way to access a truss rod. I can provide the serial number but that doesn't seem to be a very helpful piece of information.

Can anybody tell me a little more about this thing? Is this really a KM 250S and the label inside is lying to me?

Thanks,
Steve McI

[EarlG]

I think it used to be that Kentucky used the S designation for solid wood mandolins, so if yours is older and does not say S it might not be all solid. No big deal though, don't worry about it, you got a good mandolin.

[Folkmusician.com]

Images might help. :)

When Kentucky first came out with the new version of the KM-250/254, some of the 254 models were mislabeled. I don't recall what they were labeled as. The way to tell these is the newer style "modern" fingerboard extension (shortened), and a rosewood overlay on the headstock with the "La Spada" inlay. These would have an adjustable truss rod though. The truss rod cover would be the two screw style.

Previous to the 2007 makeover, the 250S had a full fingerboard extension. I believe the versions before 2001 (give or take), did not have any extensions at all. I could be wrong on that though.

[stevemci]

Images might help. :)

Thanks for the info. Here are some pictures and a little more info. Looking more closely at the label it says Made In Korea. You can also see the serial number 98200014. I asked the guy I bought it from how old it is and he said "six years, maybe."

http://coverfreak.com/media/mando1.jpg
http://coverfreak.com/media/mando3.jpg
http://coverfreak.com/media/mando5.jpg
http://coverfreak.com/media/mando7.jpg

[Folkmusician.com]

That is more than 6 years old. Production moved to China right around 2001 and the last Korean models that I saw did have a truss rod. It has to be older than that. :)

I believe production went to Korea around 1990. So we can at least narrow it down to 1990 to late 90s.

[Jim Broyles]

My Father-in-law has, and I borrowed for a few months, one of those brown Korean KM-250s, but his has a fleur-de-lis inlay on the headstock. Very nice sounding, loud mandolin.

[Marcus CA]

I also have one of those brown KM250SC's (oval hole) with the same headstock inlay. However, I bought mine in 1992, and it has a "Made in Japan" sticker on the back of the headstock. Also, its serial number only has five digits in it. So, I'm guessing that yours is from the turn of the century, if production moved to China around 2001.