Kentucky km900 review

[Steve Ostrander]

I’ll compare my new km900 to the km505 and the Collings MT, which is like comparing apples to oranges, but because I own them and can A/B them, that’s what you get. Of course, the km505 costs about half as much and the MT costs over twice as much as the km900 and is made in USA, so that must be factored into the equation. I wish I could compare it to The Loar or Breedlove, but I don’t own them.

I bought this mando unseen and unplayed from the good people at The Mandolin Store. They told me I would be surprised, and I was. After unpacking, the first thing that I noticed is that the km900 is truly a copy of the Gibson Lloyd Loar A5, and not just an upscale version of the km505 and other Kentucky A models. The back is carved to match the A5 and the neck has a slightly less pronounced V profile than my km505. The FB is flat, as is the original A5. While I prefer a radius FB, this km900 plays like butter and has a low action, which I like. I attribute the playability to the superb setup by TMS. I’ve had no trouble adapting to the flat FB, after about 3 minutes of playing, it wasn’t even an issue anymore.

The flamed back appears similar to those used on the km1000. The carving of the back is completely different from my km505. It has the signature ridge at the heel, copied from the Gibson Loar A5, and the pear-shaped body. The top is listed as “select spruce”. The placement of the f-holes is different from the km505 as well; they are higher or closer to the neck than on my km505 and MT.

The instrument is loud, definitely louder than my km505 and I believe it to be slightly louder than my MT. I have also previously owned a km855 and an Eastman md615, and this is definitely louder to my ear. The highs ring out nicely, and it has a dry, woody tone. The overall weight is less than my both km505 and my MT.

My pickin’ partner has a D-28 and the km900 stays right with it, without having to dig in overly hard. I can honestly say that the playability surpasses both my km505 and MT. That may be due to the recent setup, but I believe that it will always be that way. In tone and volume it hangs with my MT, which cost over twice as much, although the detail and finish on the MT is better. The MT has a slightly better chop, but the km900 chop is pretty good.

At $899.00 shipped from TMS in a Golden Gate HS case, this mando is a lot of instrument for the money. I like my km505, which I believe it is the best value for under $500, but this km900 may be the best value for under $1000.00 in an import.

[John Kinn]

Makes me want to start saving up for one..

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Makes me want to start saving up for one..

+1, or sell whatever I have (a KM-675 at the moment) to get one.

Thanks for the review Steve. Ever since I realized that the KM-900 is not just another A5 but a copy of the Loar A5, I have been very very intrigued to see a review of it. Your review confirmed that it's indeed one special mando. Enjoy!

[thejamdolinplayer]

Really?.. Sounds just as good as your MT?

[Andrew Roberts]

Thanks for the great review Steve, those are always fun to read. I ended up playing a KM-900 this weekend and totally agree with your review. It was an impressive mandolin right from the beginning. Very good sunburst, really nice maple on the back, very classic looking mandolin. It played great, and to my ear had a very good bluegrass voice. It was definitely louder than the two Eastmans that I played before it (DGM1 and MD915) and I liked the tone more as well. I love my Silverangel, and the KM-900 has a totally different voice from my SA, but if I were on the market for a new mando that Kentucky would have been an excellent choice. Hands down the best Kentucky I've ever played.

[Ron McMillan]

Very interesting and informative, Steve - well done. Without wanting to hijack the thread, I know the The Loar LM400 is a lot cheaper than the KM900, but at least here on the forum the two mandolins seem to be competitors for attention and praise. Is anybody who has played them both able to share their thoughts on how they compare?

ron

[red7flag]

I have played a KM 1000, which I was very impressed with. For those of you that have played both the KM 900 and KM 1000, how close would they be to each other?

[Steve Ostrander]

To clarify, I wouldn't say the km900 sounds just as good as my MT, but almost, and half the cost. The MT has a more of a BG tone. The km900 has a different tone, sweeter and more sustain. The playability is better than the MT, so maybe the MT needs a setup.

If this model had been out when I bought my MT, I probably wouldn't have bought the MT. It's definitely superior to the km505, but I would have been really dissapointed if it wasn't.

[Andrew Roberts]

Tony,
I have played both of them, although not side-to-side. I picked a KM-1000 about a year ago, and remember not being super impressed by it. I liked the KM-900 more, although having only played one of each the difference I heard could have been caused by differences in setup, how I was feeling on the particular day, etc... The one thing that stuck with me about the KM-1000 was not really liking the playability. It felt kind of tight and unresponsive as I played, whereas the KM-900 felt easier to play. Also, if I remember the tone on the KM-900 I played the other day sounded pretty mature and complex as compared to the KM-1000, which I thought was a little thin.

To answer your question a little more explicitly (but still ambiguously, haha), from my experience I definitely enjoyed the KM-900 more, although I would say it is likely that a KM-1000 is out there that sounds as good if not better than the KM-900 that I played.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

I hope you wouldn't mind fielding yet another 'how does this compare to... ' question. I have been looking at a few Gibson A9 lately, and they have been going for around ~1K in the used market. I understand it's probably comparing apples to oranges, but if anyone has played both the KM-900 and the A9 can give us a quick summary of how they stack up, it would be greatly appreciated.

[thejamdolinplayer]

My Km900 will be here on Friday I will let you guys know what I think of it..

[Elliot Luber]

People on the Cafe seem to really like the Gibson A9's sound quite a bit. There's no question about it and I haven't played one personally. My Eastman, however, is made of much better quality wood and has better trim and it woofs. In my personal view it's a much better value. I know some say they can be inconsistent and some don't want a Chinese instrument, but really informed, experienced bluegrass players (people who know better than I) were impressed with it given the price (just under $800). There are some real vaues out there today, and the choices are growing. It's a great time to be learning mandolin.

[thejamdolinplayer]

If it sounds good who cares how much it cost... At least that's how I feel, no one is going to admit a costly mando sounds bad after they cleaned out heir savings to buy it... And most the time its the player that makes it sound good regardless of the price.

[thejamdolinplayer]

I just got mine I will post my opinion, within a few days

[thejamdolinplayer]

Overall this is a nice solid sounding mandolin.. Here is a quick clip of me playing playing on my new KM-900....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMhbofdbzu8

[Ed Goist]

Nice job! Sounds great.

[thejamdolinplayer]

thanks im pretty happy with it...

[Robert Mitchell]

Nice job,,,,just curious,,,did you change the strings,and if so,,to what?? I got one for my grandaughter and found j75's really made a difference. I think the km900 is well worth the money,and is as good as mando's costing more than twice as much.

[thejamdolinplayer]

Nice job,,,,just curious,,,did you change the strings,and if so,,to what?? I got one for my grandaughter and found j75's really made a difference. I think the km900 is well worth the money,and is as good as mando's costing more than twice as much.

It has J-74's on it, with just high enough action for no fret out... I thought about trying 75's but from what ive read they will tear your fingers up.

[Caleb]

I was in Fiddler's Green the other day and one of these was on the wall. I was very impressed by the workmanship; it just looked and felt like a quality instrument. I played it a bit and it had a nice "thuddy" low-end and plenty of volume. However, there was a KM1000 on the wall as well, which, to my ear, sounded a lot better than the KM900. The KM900 looked and "felt" like a better instrument, but that KM1000 was a monster. It sounded better than the three Collings mandolins on the wall to me. Either way, hats off to Kentucky for putting out some excellent instruments.

[thejamdolinplayer]

Ya kentucky has definitely upped their game in the past few years. Now I had a KM-1000 blacktop and think my KM-900 sounds better but then thats where in-consistency becomes a problem with a lot of imports.... I still have my MT(for sale in the classifieds) and last night I A-B'ed these 2 and im leaning towards the Kentucky.(although it doesnt matter because im selling the MT).... Maybe i will do another comparison video like I did with my bitterroot and Km-1000.

The Km has a nice V shaped neck,(not as much as the collings), but overall a nice feel. I give it 8.5 stars and for under a grand you cant go wrong for a new instrument.

[Capt. E]

I was in Fiddler's Green the other day and one of these was on the wall. I was very impressed by the workmanship; it just looked and felt like a quality instrument. I played it a bit and it had a nice "thuddy" low-end and plenty of volume. However, there was a KM1000 on the wall as well, which, to my ear, sounded a lot better than the KM900. The KM900 looked and "felt" like a better instrument, but that KM1000 was a monster. It sounded better than the three Collings mandolins on the wall to me. Either way, hats off to Kentucky for putting out some excellent instruments.

Yeah, that particular KM1000 at Fiddlers is one of those individual instruments that somehow rise above the norm. Not sure why it hasn't sold long ago.

[mandograss]

I got a KM-1500 on order and just recieved notice that it shipped from Cali yesterday to the store. I should have it in hand by next week sometime, and I will give it my best review possible. With my lack of skills, it may be a biased opinion, but I will do my best. I'm kind of excitied to get a new toy to play with. I've been beating on a Gibson A9 for a few years, but have had scroll envy for a while, and this one looked like a decent instrument for the cash. I wish I was flush with cash so I could afford one of the A style Ellis mando's that have popped into the classifieds over the past few weeks. I really want a Ellis A now, even with my battle with scroll envy. Maybe I will really like this Kentucky and I can sell my Gibson to someone here and help fund that magical Ellis I keep dreaming of. I've had dreams of sitting around the campfire with my Ellis, so I guess it is in my future one way or the other.

[Caleb]

Yeah, that particular KM1000 at Fiddlers is one of those individual instruments that somehow rise above the norm. Not sure why it hasn't sold long ago.My guess would be because it's surrounded by so many other nice instruments. There is such an amazing selection of instruments to choose from there. Honestly, if I were to walk in there wanting to buy something, the choice would be tough with so many.

There was/is an Altman hanging in there that has the deepest arches on the top and back that I've ever seen. I just stared at the thing for a long time, afraid to take it off the wall.

Side note: A nice fellow (and a find mandolin player) working there let me play his Ellis, which is as nice a mandolin as my hands have ever been on.

[Capt. E]

It is amazing to try out the wonderful mandolins pass through Fiddlers. It goes to show what you get when the owners really love and know their instruments. I am sure other shops are just as amazing, it's just Fiddlers happens to be in Austin where I live. Being in Austin also results in a steady flow of Ellis mandolins. The last I tried was one of the new oval A4's that would be a great pleasure to own.
There is really nothing like visiting a quality bricks and mortar shop if you are shopping for a new instrument, with the exception of having one custom made by a talented small builder.

[Psyberbilly]

Yeah, that particular KM1000 at Fiddlers is one of those individual instruments that somehow rise above the norm. Not sure why it hasn't sold long ago.

I played that one too , and really liked it as well . As I was looking to really upgrade as much as possible and had a bigger budget than that I jumped on up and bought a Passernig A model . For that kind of money that Kentucky really caught my ear and my eye

[Caleb]

For that kind of money that Kentucky really caught my ear and my eyeIt wasn't a "for the money" thing for me, but that was (is) an nice mandolin no matter the price tag. I actually preferred that KM1000 to any of the Collings mandolins on the wall.

[thejamdolinplayer]

Alot of people I tak to say the same thing about collings. I have had 2 MT's and I had to sell them both for financial reasons, but its not like they were the best sounding mandos out there. They have a very modern voicing and sometimes I think thats why alot of hard-core bluegrassers dont like them..

[Caleb]

For what it's worth, the best-sounding mandolin I've ever heard was a Collings MT at First Quality Music in Louisville. That thing was from another planet, I think. But that particular KM1000 at Fiddler's Green was very close. Of course, this was all to my taste and liking; I realize everyone is different.

[thejamdolinplayer]

For what it's worth, the best-sounding mandolin I've ever heard was a Collings MT at First Quality Music in Louisville. That thing was from another planet, I think. But that particular KM1000 at Fiddler's Green was very close. Of course, this was all to my taste and liking; I realize everyone is different.

ya the MT's are a beast , the first one I had which is just the standard satin finish MT, sounded better than the latest one I had which had the wide nut and gloss top.... I really wish I would of kept that first one, it was definitely from another planet like you said.

[Caleb]

ya the MT's are a beast , the first one I had which is just the standard satin finish MT, sounded better than the latest one I had which had the wide nut and gloss top.... I really wish I would of kept that first one, it was definitely from another planet like you said.Thread derail: I took a tour of the Collings factory the same day I visited Fiddler's Green. I can't recommend the tour enough if you're ever in the area. They take you through the entire process from start to finish. A friend and I were there well over two hours. In one room there were a lot of in-the-raw MT's on one particular rack, which was a treat to see; and of course there was a heavier focus on guitars, but I was there to see the mandolin construction. In the final room they have a machine that cuts out the f-holes with a laser. A fellow brought a fresh-built MT in there as our tour was about to end and I got to see the process (and I got one of the f-hole pieces as a souvenir!).

[Irénée]

Hello !
Do you know what is the difference :confused: between Kentucky KM900 https://themandolinstore.com/product...mandolin-case/,
and KM906 https://themandolinstore.com/product...mandolin-case/
Thank you by advance,

[guitarpath]

I believe that the KM906 features a slightly larger nut width than the KM900.

[Nick Gellie]

Pavas were not around when this review was published. I have had a KM-950 and while it was a great mandolin it is nowhere near my Pava or Collings MT in terms of tone. The Pava has that old fashioned A-5 look and the MT the modern look.

I like them both. They both play and sound well. I should have bought them years ago and avoided a lot of buying and selling instruments.