Michael kelly electric mando

[gretsch6120]

Hello all - this is my first venture into the mandolin world! I have been playing the guitar for 11 years (41 years old) and am intersted in getting a electric mando to use on a few songs with my Cajun/Zydeco band here in Lafayette, LA. What about this Michael Kelly brand? Any thoughts? Looking to spend about $400-500, need a pickup. Any tips or advice will be appreciated!

[mrmando]

In that price range I'd look for a secondhand Godin A8. Do you want an "amplified acoustic" sound or a full-on electric sound?

[gretsch6120]

Not sure, like I said, this is my first go 'round with mandolin. I guess an amplifier acoustic is what I am after.

[ALog]

Michael Kelly's are fine but make sure to play if you can....they are like most instruments or for that matter anything....good and bad. Get one you like!

[Folkmusician.com]

A new Michael Kelly will be above this price range. The FSE is the lowest price MK with a pickup system.

These come with an OEM Fishman system. This is not as nice as the retail Fishman mandolin pickup and an external preamp, but it does do a good job and provides an excellent value considering they do not typically add that much to the mandolin's price.

Of the mandolins I have seen, $400-$500 may not be enough to get a nice F model Acoustic Electric Mando and there is very little available as far as A-models with preinstalled pickups. You might consider an A model and installing a pickup.

[mrmando]

Again, the Godin A8 is a great value, and used copies can be found in this price range (check eBay and Craig's List). It has a very nice amplified acoustic tone that compares favorably to any Fishman system.

You might want to see what you can get from Elloree Guitars (http://elloreeguitars.com/) in that price range. One of the few low-cost small shops that offers a pickup option.

[gretsch6120]

Thanks for the tips, I have found a Michael Kelly, a "B" stock, with a few blems spots on the horn for $400, including a hard/soft case. The seller says that it is brand new, nothing wroing besides the blem spots.

[lespaul_79]

My MK dragonfly with the pickup was ok. It was nice to learn on. I wish I did more research and got something with better tone like a Gibson A, which I hear is really good and for around $1000 used (I think...).

[lespaul_79]

However, there are so many used ones out there you should be able to get a good deal on a MK. I just wouldnt recommend it.

[Tim2723]

Hi, and welcome to the Cafe and the world of mandolins!

Two comments in your post are very telling to me. First, you're not playing Bluegrass (so you might not be too concerned over the traditional BG sound), and it's only for a few tunes (not your main axe, so you won't beat it to death). #Under those circumstances, I think an MK would be good for you. #I've played an FS-E for two years now (over 300 shows) as my primary stage instrument and I've been perfectly happy with it. #Depite the bad press MKs tend to get around here, it has held up wondefully under very hard use. #It DOES NOT have the bluegrass tone so many mando players here want, but we're an Irish folk duo and don't really want the BG tone anyway.

My previous mando was an Ovation MM68. #That would also be a great fit, IMO, although they are well over your budget. #They make a trimmed-down version under the Celebrity label. #Either of these should kick in a Zydeco setting, and have the on-board electronics you're after. #I've yet to have any problems with the pickup. It has matched every board I've played through,and so far it hasn't fed back in eveything from tiny private parties in acoustically hideous rooms to the monster PA at the State Fair.

I own it, I play it, I make money with it, and I'd recommend it.

[Folkmusician.com]

A quick word on the "B" stock instruments... now, this is not necessarily true of ALL blems and B stocks, but when you get into the low to mid range imports, small cosmetic flaws are not always the real problem.

I regularly return mandolins for all sorts of reasons. Some of these include, truss rods that do not work, necks on at the wrong angle, back bows in the neck, loose braces, humps at the neck joint, tops that are too thin, or all sorts of other issues. Poor fret work, not just uneven or a few loose frets, I fix that myself, but things that are not really repairable. And lastly (this is a great one), mandolins with pickups where the bridge was installed incorrectly and will not intonate due to the pickup running down through the top and preventing the bridge from being moved.

I bring this stuff up because small finish flaws do not automatically send a mandolin to the B stock pile. Many of these are repaired and sold as firsts, or only slightly discounted. This is no different than Car dealerships touching up the new cars that get minor chips, dings, etc.

I don't want to say that all B stock instruments are bad, just that I personally return a lot of these that end up being sold off as B stock, so I am aware of some of the problems. I have also gave a couple of goes at buying batches of these for resale, and almost always regret it. There is a reason these end up on auction sites.

Don't rule out the B stocks as good deals. Just use this guideline.. Unless there is some major issue (repaired or not), such as repaired cracks, or something that could not be easily fixed, suspect that there could be less obvious issues and ask a lot of questions about the playability, internal braces, truss rod, intonation., etc... If the instrument has significant (irreparable) cosmetic damage, it is a much safer bet. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Better yet, look for a used one. Preferably one that has already had a good setup done on it.

[UnityGain]

I agree, 2nds are not allways just a little finish flaw. I too have a michael kelly 2nd. Legacy Delux. The center seam on the back was clearly re-glued and cleated in two spots. Now, the repair is solid and Its only really noticable if you look carefully. But also the bass tonebar has come loose, the top has sunk about 1/8 of an inch, but its stable. I have no idea if the two are related. Its quite likely that they are not, but it still happened. So who knows? But I also think that the fretwork was a little sub par, but thats not hard to get redone at all. However, its a great mandolin and has served me very well for over a year now, loose brace and all. Its going out to pasture soon but I still don't regret buying it. Heck, buying something and it having issues down the road is just what you have to live with sometimes.

[allenhopkins]

I too have a michael kelly 2nd. #Legacy Delux. #The center seam on the back was clearly re-glued and cleated in two spots... also the bass tonebar has come loose, the top has sunk about 1/8 of an inch, but its stable...I also think that the fretwork was a little sub par...However, it's a great mandolin....
Define "great." #Is that sort of like, "The Titanic's first voyage was a great disaster"?