Kentucky 1500 info wanted

[grasspicker]

I have a 1984 Kentucky 1500. Are the tops made from red spruce? Did Sumi get the woods from Japan or were they shipped to him from US. Were the Kentucky 1500s modeled after the Loars? Were any of the 1500s built with a pick guard? Basically, I am lookng for any info on the Kentucky 1500s.

[FLATROCK HILL]

I BELIEVE the tops are Sitky Spruce. If the info I've read is correct, the top wood was harvested from the North American continent, Pacific Northwest and shipped to Japan.

There are tons of contributions on this forum regarding your inquiry. I would imagine most of the 'experts' are tired of answering the same questions that come up over and over.

The best thing might be to do some word-searches on this forum. Try typing in KM-1500 Sumi, Kentucky Japan, etc. It's not always easy to find exactly what you're looking for, but I'll bet you will find it if you are persistant.

As far as your other questions... (take into consideration the fact that I'm no expert) I BELIEVE that some head honcho of Saga Instruments used his own circa mid '20s ('23, '24?) Loar as a model for the Japanese Luthiers.

All of the '80s KM-1500s that I personally have seen, that have a pick-guard/finger rest, have had it added on after it was built. I don't know if any came from the builders with pick-guards.

Here's one place to start your quest. http://www.vintagemandolin.com/kentuckyarticlepage2.html
I'm told there are some details in this article that are not 100% correct. Mostly good info though I think.

[GTison]

I have the old catalogs and literature. Sitka was the top wood. The backs were advertised as "Michigan" maple. The top on mine has a lot of "silking" ( the sideways squiggly lines in the spruce). I've read this is more typical of sitka. The KM-1000 had no finger rest while the KM-1500 was pictured with the finger rest. Serial numbers seem to mean nothing as far as the years go. I've only seen/played two KM-1500 s through the years. I've seen many KM-1000s. I purchased my KM-1000 in 1984. For more info, do some searches on this board you may find more info than the web in general.