Re: The Loar 700 vs. The Kentucky 1000
Ok Steven, if you've been following the latest post, you see that Rob and I have an active post on my recent purchase of the LM-700 from Big Joe's. Since I now own an LM-700 (just a few days, but I'm playing the hound out of it) and I have played a good KM-1000 at Gruhn's (couple of years ago), I'll give you my perspective on those two mandolins.
For starters, most of the KM-1000's are north of $1500. Gruhn just listed that latest one for $1700. The prices I'm seeing posted on the LM-700 place it at about $1050-$1100.
Build quality. The Km-1000's are beautifully built. The craftsmanship is really, really good. When I purchased the KM-700, I was prepared for the craftsmanship on it to be less than the KM-1000...its not! My LM-700 is just plain stunning and the detail is excellent...double bound on the top and sides (you don't see that much). Excellent job on the neck binding and headstock binding. Beautiful abalone and Pearl work in the headstock. The sunburst is just fabulous...beautifully done...I'm talking Gibson level sunburst here. The only flaws I can see on mine is a little roughness in the finish on the inside of the loop in the ear of the headstock...have you inspected some of the biggest name's finish inside the loop of the headstock ear or under the floating portion of the extended fretboard?
Anyway let's get to sound. When I played the KM-1000 it was a good sounding mandolin, but my thoughts at that time was that it was a good sounding mandolin for $1500...and I didn't buy it. It was bright with what I would call average Asian strength on the G and D strings.
Now the LM-700 has a sound that you can compare with mandolins that cost $3K to $5K...I know because I have two examples of excellent mandolins in that price range. The LM-700 isn't as deep or growly as my Red Spruce Weber Yellowstone or my Silverangel, but I haven't played but one other mandolin in my life that had more G and D punch than these two (a Gibson MM). The LM-700 is brand new and I can tell you that it is better than the Gibson F5g I previously owned at this stage in its break in period. It s a little bit tinny (new word for bright sounding tone) than my Weber...with more sustain e.g., less decay, but not in a bad way. Chop chords are lethal...not as deep, but the whole set of strings does get into the action! It cuts in a Jam!
I made a comment on another post about someone not liking the name The Loar..and I said just put some painter's tape over the word Loar and then go to a jam and see what people say. I'm going to do this with mine just for kicks when I got the Casey Jones Jam this Thursday...cause if they can't see the word "Loar" they're going to have a hard time figuring out if the word Gibson isn't under that painter's tape (I'll have to cover the tailpiece too...Its beautifully engraved with "The Loar."
Its going to be interesting to see how this LM-700 opens up as it gets played. Like many other folks that have posted on the Cafe, I believe that you can get a pretty good idea of how good a mando is going to be even when its new, e.g., if it isn't really good when its new, it probably doesn't have the potential to become really great! I do know from my Gibson F5G that some mandolins do require a lenghtly break-in period...that one did, but when I traded it away for the Weber, it was a great sounding mandolin.
Ok Steven...my fingers are hurting...last point....I can list a bunch of locations where you can get a KM-1000, right now today! I think if you look around, you'll find that it might be difficult to even locate an LM-700...some advertise but don't have them in stock. have you studied the concepts associated with Supply and Demand?
So I don't get a bunch of KM-1000 owners mad at me, I love KM-1000's. I think they are great mandolins! I just had to see how a mandolin with no tone bars will perform, I'm an engineer after all
Tim Burcham
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