Mandolin Newbie

[sujuju25]

Hi everyone,

New to the forum & have enjoyed reading the various threads thus far! I've recently started playing the mandolin (converted violinist) and just picked up a Kentucky KM-250 (in brown, not sunburst-oddly enough) from an ad for $225. I was wondering if anyone could advise if I over/under paid for the instrument & any general advice on advancing on the mandolin. Coming from a violin background, chords scare me! How do I overcome this challenge?!

Thanks!

[Ed Goist]

Hi & Welcome.

It looks like the average street price of a new KM-250 is about $375 when purchased from a good dealer who provides a decent pre-purchase set-up of the instrument, and with a good case. Hence, I'd say $225 for one in good shape and well set-up is a good price.

I'm still very much a beginner so my best advice is to soak in as much from the Cafe as possible and to play, play, play.

Interestingly, I came to the mandolin as a rhythm guitarist whose comfort zone was chording, so it's the melody lines that scare me! :)

Oh, and those brown KM-250 mandolins are fairly rare so we'd love to see pictures!

[ColdBeerGoCubs]

WElcome, are you sure its not a KM-254, thats a sort of brown model.

[sujuju25]

Thanks for the responses!

I took a look on the inside & the sucker is labeled as a KM-250, but it definitely has the exact same look as a KM-254-very weird; but it sounds sooo much better than this Rover Rental I was practicing on, so I'm pretty please with it thus far.

I'm sure I'll get around to posting some pics...when I can stop practicing on it! :)

[Ed Goist]

Interesting...Take a look at this thread (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?64338-Kentucky-KM-250).

[Denny Gies]

Welcome to the wild, whacky world of mandolins and mandolinists. As stated above play, play, play and listen to as much of the genre of music that you want to become proficient with. Most of all, have fun.

[Jesse Harmon]

Just joined myself coming from classical guitar and I can't believe the depth of mandolin cafe, it should be called the University of Mandolin Cafe. I just keep finding out how much I didn't know. i only meant to do mandolin as a kind of novelty and a whole new world opened up to me. Also it kicked me up out of a rut in classical guitar I had sunk into. Keep digging here, I keep finding something new about the site every time I get on.

[Folkmusician.com]

Welcome to the Cafe!

Your KM-250 is the correct color for a pre-2007 mandolin. :)

[sujuju25]

Pre-2007 Kentucky Mandolin? Nice!

Thanks for the info/advice - BTW, are there fellow lady mandolinists around? ;)