Hi, I posted some pictures of my 1979 KM-1500 Kentucky from Japan. I have owned it for 3 years and love it! There is virtually no previous information on it. It has no tag inside and no markings, but through research, it was determined to be one of the first to come out of the Maruko shop under Eiichi Sumi's supervision. When I found no information available for such a good quality instrument, I was astonished, so it started me on a trek to help in an effort to decipher the mysterious serial number system produced in the early days of the Japanese Maruko factory. I know this is a on-going debate, but I am just collecting facts and placing them in a logical chronological order and finding some answers. Thanks to all of you who have contributed over the years to the effort, we now (26) KM-1000s, (13) KM-1500s, (8) KM-DAWGs, (1) KM-2000, (5) KH-DAWGs, and (2) KH-1300s all from the early Kentucky days. Mike Aehle has been working on this project for many years, and we have collaborated with our current information and will be collaborating with future information going forward. All said, we have made some promising steps toward the effort. Thanks for your interest, and help Dan Wiegardt
Per threads and comments on the cafe Desert Rose indicates that Sumi was not a "supervisor" until later But that he did do building there. ( Nit picky perhaps). Article link: to Frets Magazine article from 1984: http://www.vintagemandolin.com/kentu...iclepage1.html per Desert Rose's conversations with Sumi: Sumi says the numbering system made no sense.
Who has the list of serial numbers? Please post it here somewhere!!! I'd love to see it.
I suspect this thread has gone reasonably cold. I just would add that I have a KM-1000, 1979 or 1980 vintage, with no serial number tag. The first owner (I am the second) said he bought it from Sumi at a trade show after trying out about a dozen different examples. He said he did not recall it having a serial number tag in it, and i've looked at the interior with a mirror and can't see any markings. I love it, though i could probably stand a fractionally larger nut on the thing. Cheers to all. EliotB
