My New Kentucky KM-1000B

[houseworker]

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Bought this off Amazon, who were offering a terrific price a week ago. I only paid standard shipping, but they got it to me (in the UK) in two days.

The fit and finish are absolutely superb, I doubt I'd find better. Other than installing the bridge it needed no set up, and it's a very easy transition from my F-4.

Saga's replica Loar case and a suitably Christmas backdrop, what more could I ask for?

[Jill McAuley]

Well done on that one! Lovely mandolins them!

Cheers,
Jill

[f5loar]

And looks like it came with the fancy case cover too! You got the deal of the decade on that night. I'm thinking it was around $850 and that is just a super deal on a 1000 even if it is black finish. The black finish one has a less retail price then the traditional cremona sunburst finish.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Wow well done sir. So it came with the replica case also? The sale price was great even if it was for the mandolin only (as I had thought originally). But if it came with that beautiful case - then like f5loar said you got the deal of the decade. Congrats.

[houseworker]

I have to admit the case was extra. But again, Amazon did a good price and really cheap 2 day shipping. I actually bought the case first (it's been hard finding someone who'd ship them abroad) and then went for the mandolin two days later after reading Tom's report on his KM-900.

[almeriastrings]

Well, you did great. These mandolins are hard to fault.

[strings777]

That black top looks sweet...congrats on the purchase and Merry Xmas! For some reason though, I thought that Norfolk was in Virginia? :confused:

[houseworker]

That black top looks sweet...congrats on the purchase and Merry Xmas! For some reason though, I thought that Norfolk was in Virginia? :confused:

Merry Xmas to you too!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk

[lsisco]

Happy for you.... I also have a KM1000 and a KM1500 both are sweet and proud. Welcome to the Kentucky group. These new Master model China Kentuckys are unbelievable great. And yes I owned for many years a Gibson F5G. Again WELCOME

[Ivan Kelsall]

Seems like you got a terrific deal & kudos to the sellers getting it to you in 2 days. As a rider to this thread,for anybody in Europe,there's a beautiful condition 'used' 2009 Kentucky KM-1000 for sale in the Classifieds,by a member in France.It's half the 'typical' price of a new one in the UK,
Ivan

[houseworker]

Isisco, thanks for the welcome, both here and in the group.

Ivan, I'd also spotted Eric Deneve's classified listing (http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=52802&query=retrieval). It is a really beautiful instrument, and if it had been there when I made my purchase I would probably have gone for that instead, even with it costing rather more than I paid.

The Kentucky sunbursts of that vintage seem far more attractive, or is it just that the finish fades? almeriastrings has an absolute stunner, I think from the same batch.

[almeriastrings]

I have not seen any evidence of fading on them. They just seem to have a very nice, restrained (certainly well done) tobacco type 'burst. Not garish at all. The finish is also really thin. I'd be interested to see more photos of that black-top, incidentally. I have never seen one in person.

[houseworker]

I have not seen any evidence of fading on them. They just seem to have a very nice, restrained (certainly well done) tobacco type 'burst. Not garish at all. The finish is also really thin. I'd be interested to see more photos of that black-top, incidentally. I have never seen one in person.

The finish, like yours, is really thin and of the highest quality. The grain of the top (which is evenly spaced and very tight) is easily visible under the black. At the moment its gloss is rather overpowering, and shows fingerprints something rotten, but I'm confident that given time it will dull down and age nicely.

I'm reluctant given the current temperature to photograph it out of doors under natural light. So for now this is probably the best I can manage as far as a picture goes:
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[Wilbur James]

Congradulations

[Ivan Kelsall]

houseworker - If i could warrant a 3rd Mandolin,i'd be looking very seriously indeed at Eric Deneve's beautiful KM1000.A typical price over here is £1,579 UK, & Eric's price for a 2 year old,near perfect one, is a really good deal for somebody.
Your 'blacktop' is a beauty !.Don't worry about finger marks showing,if you play if enough,they'll soon be hidden by the scratches,:grin:
Ivan;)

[MiG-19]

Congratulations on acquiring a beautiful and well-made instrument! I think the black top looks great on the KM-1000.

[almeriastrings]

Nice match between the top and the well-flamed sides there...it works well. They really do make a very fine mandolin (and I don't just mean 'for the price' either). Properly set up and played in, these can be good by any standards. The level of craftsmanship and materials used are impressive. Even I was tempted by that one in the classifieds, and I already have one! Do I have a bad case of MAS, or what? :mandosmiley:

[joni24]

Woohoo, it's a real beauty! Would love to see a photo of the back side as well... the different grain patterns tend to be quite beautiful. Best of luck with it, you made an excellent choice.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I'll be perfectly truthful here. I have 2 great Mandolins that i'll never part with.The Kentucky KM-1000 in the classifieds is making my mouth water.Only the fact that there must be somebody else who'd benefit from such a lovely instrument at a great price,is keeping me from buying it. I was very lucky to be able to afford my 2 Mandolins,others,especially at this cash-strapped point in time,aren't so lucky.I just wish somebody would buy the darned thing & ease my MAS !,~:>
Ivan;)

[houseworker]

I'll be perfectly truthful here. I have 2 great Mandolins that i'll never part with.The Kentucky KM-1000 in the classifieds is making my mouth water.Only the fact that there must be somebody else who'd benefit from such a lovely instrument at a great price,is keeping me from buying it. I was very lucky to be able to afford my 2 Mandolins,others,especially at this cash-strapped point in time,aren't so lucky.I just wish somebody would buy the darned thing & ease my MAS !,~:>
Ivan;)

It's Christmas in less than 24 hours, make the seller happy and treat yourself. If a deserving recipient turns up later, you could always sell it on.

It's not just almeriastrings and yourself, I'm feeling the irresistible pull of MAS too! :grin:

[almeriastrings]

You need another. You know you do.

Absolutely have to have one for alternate tunings, for example... I keep mine in 'Get Up John' tuning (a useful excuse, and I am sticking to it). They don't take up much space, and that one is a great price.... :cool:

[Ivan Kelsall]

"Alternate tunings" - Now there's something i haven't been into for a long time. I used to use several different tunings on banjo,but soon tired of re-tuning every time i wanted to use one.I could never see myself wanting to keep a Mandolin in one tuning only (the 'Get Up John' one) for the few tunes that i like that use it.
Houseworker - I have thought of buying it to sell on at whatever it cost me.I e-mailed the link to the Mandolin to a friend of mine,but he's obviously not responded. Also, the lack of response from anybody (else) in the UK,seems to signify a lack of interest over here.
I'm sure the seller will eventually get a buyer,it's too good an instrument to miss,
Ivan

[Willie Poole]

You should have put it on your Christmas list Ivan....Santa has been know to do wonderful things....

Willie

[Ivan Kelsall]

I'm amazed that nobody's gone for this.The seller is willing to ship inside Europe & also to the USA. It's a good deal for someone out there,
Ivan

[Wastafair]

Hi everybody,

(I apologize for my bad english)
I am Eric, seller of the KM 1000 you are talking about. Thanks for your nice remarks.

Ivan, Willie, Almeriastrings, Houseworker: LOL for me reading your comments!!!
Ivan, the instrument is not sold yet !:cool::cool::))

Joyeux Noël and Happy new year everybody.
Eric

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hello Eric - I'm pleased that you have read our comments.Your Kentucky KM1000 Mandolin is in superb condition judging by the photographs. At least you can see that several of us are agreed on that.Don't let it go for less than your asking price,it's well worth it. Regarding your English,it's fine - have a great new year & i hope that you find a buyer soon,
Ivan;)

[almeriastrings]

I just wish somebody would buy the darned thing & ease my MAS !,~:>
Ivan;)

OK. I just did. ;)

Could not leave it unwanted and unloved for any longer....

It will be interesting to compare it side-by-side with my current one.

[houseworker]

OK. I just did. ;)

Could not leave it unwanted and unloved for any longer....

It will be interesting to compare it side-by-side with my current one.

Glad you beat me to it (I'd mentally settled on January 7th as my 'if it's not gone yet' date), as it would have stretched me a bit so soon after my last purchase.

Will await your comparison with real interest.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Well done & thanks - my MAS is now gone (until the next time !). Re-stringing 2 mandolins up as i did yesterday, was taxing enough.The thought of having to re-string 3,sort of put me off - i'm hankering after a good "A" style anyway.There's a Weber 'Beartooth' in the Classifieds that i wish i was 3,000 miles closer to.The one i had was an incredible instrument,such a pity that it had a neck problem,but then again,i got my lovely 'used' custom built Lebeda "Special" in it's place - 'every cloud....' as they say,
Ivan

[MiG-19]

OK. I just did. ;)

Could not leave it unwanted and unloved for any longer....

It will be interesting to compare it side-by-side with my current one.

Congratulations on a great acquisition.

[almeriastrings]

Finally picked it up today. Very interesting.. sounds really different from the one I already have. Just shows... same maker, same model, but getting on for as different from each other as two instruments from different makers. Both good.. but certainly different. I'll get some sound files and pics once I have it set up and settled in properly. Another very fine example from Kentucky. Can't seem to go wrong with these.

[almeriastrings]

Here it is. Now fully set up and playing really, really well.

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Very, very nice grade red spruce top here!

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Nice clean work everywhere, as usual on these:

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[houseworker]

That's another beautiful mandolin. I'll look forward to your comparison in due course.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Definitely curious to know how different they are. Are they close in terms of production years?

[almeriastrings]

I'll get a couple of quick recordings done. They have some things in common, tone-wise (both pretty 'focussed' and 'dry') but one is is noticeably more resonant with a bit more low end presence. It is very interesting. One is an '08 and the other an '07. The '07 has a standard finish nickel tailpiece cover, the '08 is very matt (matches the tuner metalwork). Structurally and in terms of fittings, that is the only real difference I can detect so far. Fit and finish and both is impeccable.

[Flame Maple]

At the moment its gloss is rather overpowering, and shows fingerprints something rotten, but I'm confident that given time it will dull down and age nicely.

I'm reluctant given the current temperature to photograph it out of doors under natural light. So for now this is probably the best I can manage as far as a picture goes:
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[Flame Maple]

Thank you for your post and for this reason I will be buying one tomorrow.I have had my eye on these Mandolins for a while ,it was a toss up between this or the Eastman 815 and after receiving comments from almeriastrings I shall buy the KM1000.Thanks Andy.

[almeriastrings]

Every one I have encountered has been a very nice mandolin indeed. Hard to go wrong with these.

They are very nicely put together.

[houseworker]

At the moment its gloss is rather overpowering, and shows fingerprints something rotten, but I'm confident that given time it will dull down and age nicely.

I'm reluctant given the current temperature to photograph it out of doors under natural light. So for now this is probably the best I can manage as far as a picture goes:
80077

Well I just about remember writing that; I was confused for a brief moment. I remain very pleased indeed with the mandolin (even if the gloss has proved more resilient than I expected thus far).

[Flame Maple]

Its not Christmas 2011 but September 2015 and after reading all the above posts and the relies to my e mails from Almeria and Ivan on the Kentucky KM 1000.B I have just bought one this morning from Hobgoblin in the UK and its now on its way to Faro.Thank you all for the positive input on this Mandolin.

[Johnny60]

Hi Flame Maple - let us know what you think when you get it.

We've got a new (to us) Km1000 in the house and it's a really good instrument. Recently had a full set up, refret and scoop done and its a seriously fine piece of kit!

[Flame Maple]

Hi Johnny 60.
I will let you know what I think of the KM 1000 B when it arrives next week.

It appears that many players have the scoop done ,did you have it done or was it scooped before you got the mandolin.
I don't know of anybody in Faro who could do that ,if my picking style requires it to be scooped .

I have set some of my guitars up regarding intonation and action so that wont be a problem.But regarding the scoop , I hope I can play it without it needing to be done.

[almeriastrings]

Whether you need to scoop or not is really down to preference and picking style. I have some mandolins with, some without, and some with 'abbreviated' fingerboards. If you do want it done, it is not hard to do yourself. Here's one I did some time back:

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Bill Monroe managed without it, however!

[Flame Maple]

Thanks Almeria,

So what is the reason for the scoop if not for the pick hitting the extended fingerboard.I mentioned this to Ivan and he said that the "Florida "does not impede his playing. I read a post from a member who needed to get his fingerboard scooped because his pick was striking the fingerboard .
I am new to the Mandolin ,I bought the Eastman in July so I am learning all the time from comments posted .

[Flame Maple]

What kind of of frets are on that fingerboard ?

If Bill got along without then so will I .:)) ( I hope )

[almeriastrings]

Yes - it depends. Some like/want it, some don't. Those are 'faux frets' - basically very thin inlays in the remaining fret slots. Just for appearance.

[Flame Maple]

Hi Almeria,

Not the faux frets but the original frets, but ,are they the original frets on that Mandolin. They don't appear to be crowned , maybe its the magnification but they look like really nice frets . I like big frets , the frets on the Eastman are, in my opinion only , not very good frets.

[almeriastrings]

That mandolin is a Jim Triggs '23 F-5.

http://www.triggsmandolins.com/products

http://www.triggsmandolins.com/mando_pics

Nice mandolin very much with a strong 'Loar' voicing.

[Flame Maple]

Hi Johnny 60 ,the KM 1000 B arrived this morning and it sounds really good ,I thought the Eastman 315 sounded good when it arrived but the Kentucky is a different sounding mandolin, ,its great ,I just need to spend more time improving my playing so I can enjoy it more and more.The black top is like a mirror and shows all the blemishes from making contact with the top but that should dull down in time(I hope).The Travelite case is also a very nice case.
:mandosmiley:

[almeriastrings]

Do post some pics of the back/sides and other detail when you can drag yourself away from it :grin:

They are quite different from the Eastman voicing, yes. You do need to experiment with pick and string choice to bring out the very best of the individual instrument, but I have not ever head a sub-par example of KM 1000. Consistently good mandolins. The more you practice, the better it will sound, too. Without getting into the "opening up" debate!

[Johnny60]

Flame Maple - congrats on your acquisition! I'm sure you'll soon join the legion of KM master model fans here on this forum! Seriously good mandolins.

[Flame Maple]

I have already sent you some pics Almeria ,I am not sure how to post pictures ,maybe Ivan will help me out .

[Flame Maple]

Its so different from the sound I was used to , and it can only get better .

[Tim W]

Well I just about remember writing that; I was confused for a brief moment. I remain very pleased indeed with the mandolin (even if the gloss has proved more resilient than I expected thus far).

I just saw this thread today. Sitting in the floor not 6 feet from me is the first black topped KM1000 they ever made. It was a special order by a Saga dealer friend of mine who also ordered a KM1500 in black top for himself in 1985 when Sumi was making them. He also had a 24' Loar and later sold it and kept the Kentucky...

He took rotten stone and dulled the gloss off his that way and it instantly looked vintage. Mine on the other hand was too thick and didn't sound like it should so years later during Desert Storm, I sat in a tent in the middle east and sanded the finish off the top and re-graduated the top from the outside and added a little more recurve. It sounds better but I never re-painted it. One of those "round to it" kind of things…

In certain lighting and at just the right angle, does yours look like it has purple in it? Mine did and was dark black but somewhat translucent to a small degree. I don't know what they were using these days for stain or tinted lacquer.

[almeriastrings]

Flame Maple's KM-1000

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[Flame Maple]

Hi Tim,
There is no purple tint as far as I can see .The top appears to be quite grainy under the black finish.Its a nice sounding Mandolin and now I have given it a quick set up it plays even better than when it arrived yesterday.

[Flame Maple]

Hi Johny 60 , I am now a full fledged paid up member ,I joined last night.

[Flame Maple]

It really is a nice Mandolin and plays great but the Black top shows every little mark, any suggestions how to dull the finish down .I have a Black Telecaster and thats taken about 25 years to dull down.

[houseworker]

The Black top shows every little mark, any suggestions how to dull the finish down .

You may want to take up Tim W's suggestion of rotten stone.

[Flame Maple]

What is rotten stone housworker ,it sounds like a village in UK .

[houseworker]

What is rotten stone housworker ,it sounds like a village in UK .

Try Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotten_stone

[Flame Maple]

Thank you houseworker ,Im not sure if that is available here,maybe is under a different name ,podre pedra may be, but I shall try to find some.Or maybe a really fine wet and dry 2500 sand paper.:mandosmiley:

[houseworker]

Thank you houseworker ,Im not sure if that is available here,maybe is under a different name ,podre pedra may be, but I shall try to find some.Or maybe a really fine wet and dry 2500 sand paper.:mandosmiley:

If you can't find it locally http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Liberon-Rottenstone-250g-Very-Fine-Abrasive-for-Burnishing-/391200093543

NFI

[Flame Maple]

Thank you housworker its on its way .Bought it on it on E bay.