Ebony bridge?

**GuyIncognito** · May-19-2012, 8:39pm

Anyone know what kind of bridge the korean version of the Kentucky Km-675 comes with? I can't find any specs for it online and I was thinking of purchasing a Cumberland Acoustic bridge for it for my birthday but just wanted to make sure I'm not getting another ebony bridge if that is in fact what it already has on. Thanks for the help

**Philphool** · May-20-2012, 8:39pm

Google of 'Kentucky Km-675' gives a link to Elderly.com where the question is answered.

**GuyIncognito** · May-23-2012, 2:29pm

Thanks! It appears it already has a ebony bridge but do you think a Cumberland ebony bridge would be a better quality bridge than the stock one?

**Willie** · May-23-2012, 7:57pm

Guy, I can`t speak for a KM-675 but I tried a CA bridge on my KM-900 and didn`t see any difference, the KM-900 already had a good bridge on it when I bought it...I guess there is only one way to find out but it will cost you about 50 bucks, I still have the two that I bought and didn`t use so I am out even more....

Willie

**mandroid** · May-23-2012, 8:40pm

I imagine the woodworkers in Korea are capable of making every part
of the mandolin they were contracted to produce.

if it ain't broke, why fix it? you should just be playing the music,

Futzing over the mandolin like a old motorbike , is a Guy thing..

You will still need the base of the bridge to be match sanded
after you buy the second one, to fit the top curve of your instrument.

**Philphool** · May-24-2012, 9:48pm

Originally Posted by GuyIncognito

Thanks! It appears it already has a ebony bridge but do you think a Cumberland ebony bridge would be a better quality bridge than the stock one?

Okay, here's the spoonfeed. Straight from Elderly:

KENTUCKY KM-675 MANDOLIN
F-MODEL - All solid woods, carved spruce top w/ f-holes, carved flamed maple back & sides, tone bar bracing, maple neck w/ adjustable rod, radiused rosewood fretboard w/ pearl dot inlay, peghead inlay, adjustable rosewood bridge, nickel hardware, bound body, neck and peghead, and gloss lacquer sunburst finish. Imported from Asia.

**Loudloar** · May-28-2012, 1:38am

I have a KM-675 which is about 5 years old and from China not Korea. It comes with a rosewood bridge and fingerboard but they are stained black. (The fingerboard was more grey than black.) The bridge also has the typical Asian compensation, which allows the saddle to be flipped around either way, but isn't quite accurate. I replaced it with a Stewart-MacDonald ebony bridge ($22). I believe it improved the tone; not a gigantic change, but I think the ebony makes a difference.

Steve

**Fretbear** · May-28-2012, 3:45am

If you want to hear the best possible sound that the instrument is capable of producing, then yes, a CA will make a difference.

**mandroid** · Jun-03-2012, 2:29pm

The wood used if ebony is part of the picture, the precision of the workmanship
of making the piece and selecting which part of the piece of wood,
and it's fitting to the instrument, .. setup, is another factor.

perhaps the fitting can be improved , without putting additional demands
on the increasingly diminishing supply of a rare wood type.

**Folkmusician.com** · Jun-04-2012, 11:25am

I believe the Korean made KM-675 has a flat fingerboard. I don't think these were radiused previous to 2007, at which time the 675 was changed. I don't recall if the Korean version used rosewood or ebony, but it would have been a different mandolin than what is being made now.

**Brutus1999** · Jun-06-2012, 6:02pm

To Willie:

You aren't necessarily "out the cost of the two CA bridges" that you have, since there are probably some folks here who would take them off your hands, assuming that they are in good enough condition to fit to their mandos ... you probably wouldn't get $50 for each of them, but you might be able to recoup some of your costs and enable someone to try it out without having to spring for the whole cost.....

Originally Posted by Willie

Guy, I can`t speak for a KM-675 but I tried a CA bridge on my KM-900 and didn`t see any difference, the KM-900 already had a good bridge on it when I bought it...I guess there is only one way to find out but it will cost you about 50 bucks, I still have the two that I bought and didn`t use so I am out even more....

Willie

**CES** · Jun-06-2012, 6:44pm

My 675 S, Chinese made the first year they moved there, came with a Rosewood bridge. The wood was pretty decent, but the bridge was pretty much a disaster structurally. I didn't know about CA at the time and bought the Stew Mac ebony adjustable bridge (can't remember the exact price, but < 25 bucks), had it fitted, etc, and I noticed a substantial improvement in tone/volume. But, if yours is fit well and functions well, I don't know that a change is worth the trouble, as Willie intonates...

**Willie** · Jun-06-2012, 8:32pm

Brutus, I guess I should have said that I will hold onto them as I do some minor repairs for some local folks and fitting a bridge is something I do pretty well so I am sure somewhere along the way I will be able to use them...I didn`t mean to say "I am out some bucks" as I will find a use for them....Thanks for the advice though....

Willie