Weber Fern vs. new Kentucky KM1000!

[Ken Olmstead]

In this corner, weighing in noticeably less than it's opponent, wearing a red spruce top, J74s and in need of a better bridge and fret dressing is the KM1000!

…and in this corner, wearing a Sitka spruce top, Sam Bush strings and flamed back and sides that would make even a sailor blush is the returning champion, the Weber Fern!

Both contenders are sporting tonegards and are using a Blue Chip pick! The KM1000 is the rookie in this match and needs some time still to break in. Should be a good fight!


Man am I glad that I am going back to work in a couple weeks!! :))

I promised this shootout video in a thread entitled “New Kentucky Master Models” about a month ago so here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvbTSVuCI8A

…and the winner is? ME! I own them both! The Fern will be extremely difficult to unseat as my favorite but I really like the KM1000 and think it may be around awhile. I will say that extracting the full tone out of each one is hard when switching instruments like this and the Fern is not giving its best here but certainly enough to get an idea of the differences! Actually I think that my performance is better on the Kentucky (first mandolin) and I don’t think it is a coincidence. I consistently play bluegrass better on the Kentucky. The way the mandolin feeds back seems to produce a better grass performance out of me. The tune is my attempt at a Monroeish “Paddy on the Turnpike.”

Which is your pick?

[sbarnes]

i liked the 2nd one better.....

[TNT]

Another Vote for the 2nd one.

[loardreamer]

Yes the second one has a deeper tone on the base side.Thats about the only difference i could tell but it is a big difference in my opinion.

[F5GRun]

My vote is for #2 as well. More round tone and alittle more Thump.

[Ken Olmstead]

Sounds like the Fern is the winner so far! Nice to know that extra money has value! :) I agree with all of you and in person, the Weber really stands out on the bass side. I think that will develope on the Kentucky. Fletcher Brock told me that is what primarilly "comes in," whereas, the treble side does not mature as much so we will see. Anyway, the Fern is not going anywhere and as a backup, alternate tuning, travel mandolin the Kentucky will fill its purpose well. I think for the $$ the KM1000 is one heck of a value! Time will tell if it is a keeper.

[Denny Gies]

Another vote for the second one.

[Paul Weber]

I favor #1. Better treble...stronger, sweeter & more focused. # 1 is more balanced across the strings. Will mature very nicely as a Loarish/red spruce mandolin.

[Michael Cameron]

I liked them both!

Is there much difference between the neck dimensions on the two mandos?

Do Weber Ferns tend to have slimmer(speed) necks?

Your Fern sounds great!

Mike

[f5loar]

In so much as all mandolins tend to sound different I liked both. Both seem to be able to cut it. Both have what it takes to be a really good mandolin. Hard to believe there is a big difference in price because there is not a big difference in sound.

[Ivan Kelsall]

The Fern was noticeably better,my unbiased opinion of course,but the Kentucky sounded very good.Considering that the Fern has been well played-in,i suppose the side-by-side contest winner was predictable. I'd like to hear them both 18 months or so down the line,
Saska~:>

[Kevin Briggs]

Ken

Awesome comparison. The sweetness of your Fern really comes through with the side by side format. That pulpy, single note sound is evident.

That said, I like your KM1000 as well. As was mentioned above, it has a new brightness that will mature well. It was noticeably thinner is most respects, but that's to be expected.

Keep 'em coming!

[Payit Forward]

This is another comparison that proves to me that it's all good. Sure there are subtle differences, but I wouldn't say one is better than the other. I wanted to think that the Weber had a fuller sound, but I was trying to be unbiased while listening. Then I read the info and realized the one I thought was the Weber, was the Kentucky anyway!

[Dan Cole]

My vote is number 2.

[Ken Olmstead]

Thanks guys! I agree with all of you. Your comments are very representative of what I feel as well.

There is a fundamental difference in tone that is certainly not due to the wood but the construction and will always be there and that is the Kentucky has a dry sound while the Fern is, as Kevin would say (and accurately), "pulpy." Now, the reason I say that it is a function of construction is due to the fact that Kevin's Fern has even more "pulp" to it than mine and his has a Red Spruce top like the Kentucky's and my Fern is Sitka Spruce. My Fern has a drier sound than Kevin's, which we both immeditaely noticed when we started making videos.

Now as far as bass goes, it will come in. This Kentucky is in that very unstable phase sound wise where is almost sounds like it is opening up a bit and then clams up again. Such a wierd phenomenon! My Fern was the same way when I got it. In fact I was very disappointed when I first got the Fern because my old Yellowstone whomped it soundwise before it broke in. I remembered that the Yellowstone did the same thing and I am confident that the bass will come in on the Kentucky.

The Kentucky plays differently with the flat board and small frets. It has a faster reaction time which really seems to feed the bluegrass furnace! The chop will develope in time and it will be a monster!

My Favorite? Lets just say that my daughter will inherit my Fern if I decide not to be buried with it! However, the Kentucky shows really well and is going to mature like a trooper. I bought it as a mandolin that I could travel with and not worry about quite as much and for "Last Days on Earth" alternate tuning on stage but I find myself playing it around the house along with the Fern so they sound different enough to justify the two for me.

I personally think that for someone that wants a traditional bluegrass axe, that looks the part, is constructed well and has a powerful F5 sound for under $2k, the KM1000 simply fits like a glove!

Catfish - Actually, the Kentucky's neck is very similar to my Fern which is why I probably like it so much. I would have thought that the neck would have been narrow given it's goal to follow loar tradition. However I have never even seen a loar so I would have no idea about the necks on one of those!! The Kentucky is a tad slimmer than the Fern and they are both fully finished (no "speed" neck.) The KM1000 has a flatboard and thin frets while the Fern is very comfortably radiused and sports larger frets.

Saska - I think your right, it will be an interesting excericise to see how the Kentucky sounds once it has "broken in" a bit!

[gibson mandoman]

Both sound nice, but I don't hear a huge difference in the two, especially considering the Weber Fern probably costs about $3,000 more than the Kentucky new! That Kentucky seems like a great value to me.

[Dalton Maples]

Tenorbanjo,

Where are you playing on stage in Anchorage? Don't tell me Humpy's or M's Tooth!!!! I am looking at plans to come home next summer.

Dalton

[Ken Olmstead]

Tenorbanjo,

Where are you playing on stage in Anchorage? Don't tell me Humpy's or M's Tooth!!!! I am looking at plans to come home next summer.

Dalton

Have not played either of those for awhile. I am actually focused on the Anchorage Folk Festival in January! I am playing "Last Days on Earth" in my set there and do not have time to retune. Just a rationalization if you must know! I could easily borrow a mandolin to play that song on! :))

[jim_n_virginia]

another vote for #2 it has a better sounding chop to me. :mandosmiley:

[Phil Goodson]

I also favor #2, but the difference that I'm hearing is mostly a clarity of the notes. #1 sounds just a little muddy.

But again, both sound like very nice mandos! I'd be proud of both.

[Andrew B. Carlson]

I'm almost tempted to say that this could be an Apple vs. Orange comparison. If you wanted a really woody sound more like what Monroe may have had, then I suppose the Kentucky would be your mando. I think the Fern just has so much more volume and rich tone that initially, it is more pleasing to the ear. I am interested to hear that KM when it opens up a little. Like you said, with those minor mods, it should sound better too. I guess what I hear and see is that the Weber sounds like a $6k mando (which it is, give or take) and the Kentucky sounds like a $3k mando (which is great given what they sell for!).

[sgarrity]

Two distinct sounds. Two good mandolins. I prefer the Weber sound too. But I sure wouldn't complain if I had to play that Kentucky. What a great value in an F5 mandolin!

[Ken Olmstead]

The Kentucky has not unseat my Fern and I doubt that it will. However, the Kentucky represents what I feel to be about the ultimate value in a bluegrass mandolin. It has great sound, traditional look, fully finished, and is priced at $1500 new. I bought mine used as a second mandolin but it could easily serve as a number one, especially after it has broke in. I find it amazing!

After saying all that though...THE FERN IS STILL MY BABY!! :))

[Patrick Sylvest]

I like the Weber, but I'm biased ;)