My kentucky km-1500

[mandoforme]

Body photo of my KM-1500. #Ron Cole did a great job on the repairs!

[mandoforme]

Trying again!

[mandoforme]

Headstock

[mandoforme]

Back

[mandoforme]

Neck

[mandoforme]

My photography skills are not the best, as you can see the reflection from the camera flash in the photos of the back and the top of the mandolin.

I really love this mandolin. The photos don't do the mandolin justice. I would love to hear from other Kentucky KM-1500 mandolin owners out there. Even with a new red spruce top, this 1500 is rich with tone. Ron said the top tapped out very well. I can believe it, because this mandolin is a bluegrass machine.

[Russ Partain]

I would like to see some pictures of the mandolin case without the mandolin in it. It is a Superior case, if I guess correctly. It is in the Loar style.

[mandoforme]

I would like to see some pictures of the mandolin case without the mandolin in it. #It is a Superior case, if I guess correctly. #It is in the Loar style.
Russ, you are right. The case is a Superior and in the Loar style. I will post a photo of the case without the mandolin. A previous owner decided to cover the case with stickers, so I am in the process of removing all the stickers. The case is still in good shape, I just don't like all the stickers.

[mandoforme]

Russ, here is a photo of the case. #As you can see the interior definitely has some wear, but for now the case is still functional. #I hope the photos helped!

[hanknc]

Dude, leave the Neighborhood Watch sticker. Help take a bite out of Mando crime! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[mandoforme]

Dude, leave the Neighborhood Watch sticker. Help take a bite out of Mando crime! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Hank, good call! I think I will leave that one and put on a Cafe sticker.

[Soupy1957]

Didn't know there WAS such a thing as a KM-1500..I thought the KM-1000 was the top of the barrel?

What's the history behind the KM-1500?

-Soupy1957

[mandoforme]

Didn't know there WAS such a thing as a KM-1500..I thought the KM-1000 was the top of the barrel?

What's the history behind the KM-1500?

-Soupy1957
I was waiting for someone to chime in, but I guess I will go ahead and make an attempt at sharing the history of the KM-1500.

Kentucky built the KM-1500 mandolins in Japan during the 1980's. I am thinking production of the KM-1500 stopped in 1990. To my knowledge Sumi built the KM-1000, KM-1500, and the David Grisman Dawg model. The Dawg mandolin was the top of the line during that time. The Japanese built Kentuckys are held in esteem. I contacted Saga regarding the year my KM-1500 was built, but they were unable to give me an exact year. They did send me a copy of a catalog from 1988 showing what the retail prices were on all the mandolins at that time.

Currently, the KM-1000 is the top of the line for Kentucky. The representative from Saga told me that there are plans to start production of the KM-1500 again, and that the new KM-1500 will be as good as the ones built in Japan. I have not played the new KM-1000 mandolins being built in China, but the Japanese ones I have played were all good.

I bought my KM-1500 for a low price due to the original top having a couple of cracks. I sent the mandolin to Ron Cole and he replaced the original top (sitka spruce?) with a red spruce top. The result is a great sounding F-5 mandolin. When I hit a chop chord, I can feel the vibrations from the wood on my chest. The tone is very woody, great for playing Bluegrass!

I hardly ever see a KM-1500 or the Dawg model for sale. They usually command a price of around $2,500 to $3,500. I have less than $1,200 invested in my KM-1500, which I realize the value of mine has been sacrificed somewhat with the replacement of the original top. I wanted a high quality F-5 mandolin for an affordable price, and I am very happy with the results.

I apologize for getting off topic. Desert Rose ( a member here on the Cafe) is very knowledgable regarding the history of the Kentucky mandolins built in Japan. Perhaps he will see this thread and add some information.

[Soupy1957]

Mandoforme: thanks for the history lesson...My KM-620B that I bought a year ago, and then re-sold, was a fine "starter" and I miss it. (I imagine that it was a China-built mando, since I don't believe it was very old).

I'm of the belief that I would really like the KM-1000 or KM-1500, so I'm watching for deals.

-Soupy1957

[mandoforme]

Mandoforme: thanks for the history lesson...My KM-620B that I bought a year ago, and then re-sold, was a fine "starter" and I miss it. #(I imagine that it was a China-built mando, since I don't believe it was very old).

I'm of the belief that I would really like the KM-1000 or KM-1500, so I'm watching for deals.

-Soupy1957
Hi Soupy, there is a Japanese built KM-1000 for sale in the classifieds.

[ledmandlin]

It's been posted many times but check out www.mandolincentral.com for the Kentucky history lesson.

[earthsave]

Very nice. Those Sumi's are supposed to be nice instruments and relatively hard to come by from what I have read.

[Desert Rose]

Just to keep it accurate Sumi built the 1500 until late 1992 and started building his own brand in 1993

I own 93-003 the third instrument made with the Sumi logo

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

[fstylemb1]

Sumi makes great instruments. My 2 Sumi mandos kick some serious butt!!! Now if I can play well enough to represent the great craftsmanship!

[Mikey G]

(QUOTE] When I hit a chop chord, I can feel the vibrations from the wood on my chest.:

I love when that happens, but it's even better when it extends to the internal organs! I think tht's why I like hitting the D and G strings most.

[AlanN]

I love when that happens, but it's even better when it extends to the internal organs! #
If it makes your spleen rattle, look out http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[BlueMountain]

Looks Report: I bought this from Mandoforme last week. Ron Cole did a great job replacing the top. If not for the note inside that says the top was replaced, I wouldn't have guessed. (Well, having the replaced top included in a little box was also a tip-off. The problem was that the top Sumi carved was a hair too thin for that piece of wood, and it collapsed under the tailpiece. Gail Hester probably could have restored it, but the owner decided on a new top.) The binding has been replaced on the top, but I simply can't tell. The replaced binding looks just like the original. Extremely nice work, Ron! It's been very lightly distressed on top so it will match the sides and back, and that's what it does.

Tone Report: When I tuned it up, I was very disappointed with the tone. When played lightly, I could hardly hear it. If I played it really hard, I could tell that it had the possiblity of something nice, but I don't like to work that hard. I like the tone to jump out at me. But I knew it was a new top, and I figured that maybe it hadn't been played much.

So I decided to give it a chance and put it through my vibration treatment. (I've written about this somewhere else on here a year or two ago.) This time, what I did was slide the D strings over toward the A strings at the bridge. I used one $10 Walmart vibrator. It has a cord and a number of attachments, one being like a suction cup. I worked the suction cup under the G strings and into the gap between the G and D strings. Then I plugged the vibrator into the suction cup (with the handle overhanging the fretboard), plugged the cord into the wall, turned it on high, and left it for four days.

When it was done, I took it to my usual mandolin testing chair in the living room and tried it. I was shocked! It was now LOUD, and it had great tone. The tone was rich and well balanced, rather like my Bussmann Old Wave F. Not a Loar sound. More of a recent Gibson sound. But what I love is that there is a real POP to the strings, what I like to hear when I play chop chords, and that happens all over the fretboard. In my experience, that's pretty unusual in a mandolin. My wife looked over, not having paid attention before, and said, "Wow, that sounds really nice!" That's a good sign.

So, in conclusion, Ron Cole did a great job on this top, both looks and tone. But this story is a good reminder that it really can take awhile for a top to open up, and once it's open it can sound very different.

Also, I've found that the vibration treatment doesn't make much difference if a mandolin is already opened and played, but it can make a noticeable difference on a sleeping mandolin. But I've never before had the vibration treatment lead to such a huge change. Might be worth trying on yours. (But I would hesitate to try it if the finish might not be fully cured. By the way, I could FEEL a big difference in how the top was vibrating between when I first turned on the vibrator and four days later. If you are worried about the finish, you could attach the vibrator to the strings with a piece of string or something, but boy, it had better not fall off onto the top!)

[AlanN]

Hamilton-Beech to the rescue! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif


Glad it worked out and the mandolin sounds good. It looks super.

[Ron C]

BlueMountain, That is great that it has opened up like you said, I knew it would cause the Appy Spruce I picked tapped out very good and as I told the owner that time would tell how the new top would sound. The original top was indeed Sitka and was a good slab of wood but was carved to thin at the rear of the top near the tailpiece. When I received the mandolin the top was caving in and twisted to a depth of an inch or so and the inside tone bars were just hanging loose. I was told that the mandolin was placed near a wall heater and that would do it to a mandolin for sure. I am pleased it turned out to be a Cinderella story for you ... happy pickin

[BlueMountain]

Here's a shot of Sumi's top. Note how the top was collapsing under the tailpiece. The top is cracked across the grain for about three inches.

[BlueMountain]

Here's the inside. Note the delicacy of the tone bars. Someone had cleated a separation down the middle, but there was a reason why that happened--the top was collapsing--and that reason wasn't addressed in time.

[BlueMountain]

Ron Cole did an amazing job of duplicating the top color. The current top is the color of the original UNDER the bridge. The top finish and wood had darkened over the years. I assume the current finish would do the same if I left it in the sun for a month.