Results 1 to 23 of 23

Thread: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so much?

  1. #1

    Default The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so much?

    Sorry for yet another KM vs LM thread. I've been eyeing both of these for some time now and since my guitar mods and repairs are just about complete I can start setting money aside to buy a nice F style bluegrass mandolin.

    I know it's silly but the aesthetic musts for me are gold hardware, f-shape, and a nice wood grain. The LM 700 and KM 1500 are the only ones of their respective brands that meet these three requirements. But why is the Kentucky so much more expensive? What more does it have to offer? I've been doing a lot of research but can't seem to find a definitive answer on this.

    What's worse is the Kentucky used to be something like $1850 in retail shops and now it's over $2200? At that point I may as well just put my money aside longer and look for something American made, or even a used gibson/weber shouldn't I?

    Any thoughts on these particular models? Maybe some other suggestions?

  2. #2
    Registered User wxfloyd's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Posts
    68

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    At $2200, you're not far from a Northfield, which will be far and away better than the Kentucky or Loar. It won't have gold hardware, but it'll be a great sounding mandolin. Depending on the tone you're looking for, you might be able to snag a decent used Gibson F9 around the same price as a Northfield.
    I know you said you're set on an F style, and you may already know this, but for your budget you could likely easily find a great new or used A style. A used Collings MT, which is a fantastic mandolin, can easily be had for under $2000.

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Fairfax Co., Virginia
    Posts
    3,013

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Can always swap the hardware.

    I wouldn't put the wood, design, and construction detailing of the LM700 and KM1500 at the same level. Price points make a certain sense.
    Stephen Perry

  4. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Stephen Perry For This Useful Post:


  5. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Boulder, CO & Chesterfield, MO
    Posts
    2,562

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    I wouldn't base a purchase on hardware color. Find the mandolin you like and swap out to gold as Stephen said.
    Grover 309F in gold are $80. A cast Allen tailpiece is $100. And you can likely sell the chrome parts to recoup some of your funds.
    I'd check an Eastman MD-815v

  6. #5

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    That is a good point, so I guess the gold isn't as much a deal breaker. The F shape certainly is. On the same note as what wxfloyd was saying I could just keep putting money aside until a good used gibson pops up. The F9 and F5-G are the same tonally as the F5-L (Fern) aren't they?

  7. #6
    Registered User f5loar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Salisbury,NC
    Posts
    6,468

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Good luck at finding a used Gibson F model in the $2200 range. To me I have seen better quality overall in the KM1000/1500. Hardware about the same. But I see the most important difference in the sound quality is the KM1000/1500 have a much better and thinner finish. You can just look it and tell it's thinner than the 700.

  8. #7

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Haha, no that wasn't what I meant, I'm sure it may have come off that way. I don't work on set budgets, I just stick to what I have until the money stacks up. I just like knowing what I'm getting for the money I drop.

  9. #8
    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Almeria, Spain
    Posts
    5,442
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    The KM1500's are very nicely built. Quality materials throughout. Good attention to detail. As F5Loar says, the biggest difference is in the finish. It is very thin on the KM950/1000/1500 and really thick and heavy on the LM700. I have done some work on both models and I'd take a KM1500 every time. They have good volume and sound great. They can hold their own with some much more costly instruments. Easily worth the difference in price, IMHO. Next step up would probably be an 'S' series Northfield, or a used Flatiron (these can be excellent - though prices have been rising for some time and they are likely to be well over your current budget).
    Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
    Distressed Silverangel F 'Esmerelda' aka 'Maxx'
    Northfield Big Mon #127
    Ellis F5 Special #288
    '39 & '45 D-18's, 1950 D-28.

  10. The following members say thank you to almeriastrings for this post:


  11. #9

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Agree with all the comments here. KM1000/1500 are superior instruments to LM700, in terms of build quality and finish. Northfield s series are a step up in quality again.
    How an instrument plays and sounds would be my number 1 concern colour of hardware would be least of my concerns.

  12. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to noah finn For This Useful Post:


  13. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Boulder, CO & Chesterfield, MO
    Posts
    2,562

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    You should check out JBovier. Very high quality in the under $2000 range
    http://mandolins.ecrater.com/p/16420...t-or-black-top

  14. The following members say thank you to colorado_al for this post:


  15. #11
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Boulder, CO & Chesterfield, MO
    Posts
    2,562

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Check out this Eastman MD-805v with gold hardware.
    https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/109371#109371
    Seller is asking $1200. Might be able to get it for less
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	109371.jpg 
Views:	201 
Size:	79.7 KB 
ID:	156026

  16. #12
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Sugar Grove,PA
    Posts
    3,371
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Right on, I've had some of these Kentucky F-5's and they are pretty darn good. A few of em were varnished also."if you can find them" The 700 looks like they went overboard with the nitrocellulose? Bang for the buck are the 900 A model Kentucky's. Also doesn't the 1500 have a radiused board?

  17. #13

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    I feel somewhat qualified to answer the LM700 vs KM1500 question, but only somewhat.

    We have in the house an LM400, which is the A style version of the 700, but with the same specs, no tone bars, etc. It's "OK" and we've only kept it as a spare, just in case. The neck is like a baseball bat, the tone is alright but a bit thin, the fit and finish are, to be honest, crap. The varnish looks like it's been slopped on with a decorating brush, there are several varnish runs and pools. Bits where the paint has gone over the binding and then been varnished over, and the "Florida" is drooping down towards the top of the instrument. Bought it, sight unseen, from a dealer. It's nicely set up, but the fit and finish are very poor. We were going to send it back and get a refund, but the dealer offered a good discount so it's now a campfire mandolin (which is where it belongs, in my opinion!). To be fair, maybe it was a second or a blem, but it wasn't sold as one and, if that's the quality of a brand new, non-blem The Loar, then I dread to think what a blem is like.

    My wife has a KM1000 - not a 1500, but still a Master Model. Chalk and cheese. Beautiful woods, a fantastic "3D effect" flamed back, subtle Cremona style burst, superb workmanship and attention to detail. A very sweet sound. Not massive on bass, but the mids and highs are very musical, if you know what I mean.

    I also had the opportunity to play a used KM900 in a shop a couple of years ago - the 900 is an A style Master Model. Gorgeous. It had plenty of volume and such timbre. A really rich, deep, powerful tone. Simply beautiful. I'd have bought it on the spot but I was looking for something with a slightly wider neck, a radius and bigger frets.

    So, I summary, not a direct comparison of an LM700 vs a KM1500 - but close enough to hopefully give you some indication of my personal experience of some top end The Loars and Kentuckys.

  18. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Johnny60 For This Useful Post:


  19. #14

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    I have not played the Loar 700 so can't compare. I have owned a Kentucky 505, 900, 950 and 1050. They were all good mandolins and the 950 was very good, but the 1050 was a great mandolin especially for the money. It has it all volume, chop very clear, balanced and had a sweetness I really liked. I have played one other 1050 and it was very close. They do come up once in a while used (not often) in the $1200 to 1300 range, 1500's in the $1200-1500 range. For that price they are a bargain IMHO. I currently play a 2001 Flatiron Festival mandolin that is way better mandolin than I should be playing but I love sound and feel. It just feels right and makes me smile when I play it. Long story short on Flatiron mandolins but they started in Montana in the 80's when Gibson was not making their best mandolins, so Gibson bought them. they stayed there until the late 90's when they were moved to Nashville and made in the same benched by the same luthiers who made Gibson mandolins. Charlie Derrington was overseeing the mandolin production at the time for Gibson and he went back to the Loar era mandolins and really brought the quality of the mandolins up a few notches. So the Flatiron Festival's from 1999-2001 can be very good (like all mandolins they will very). They even have a Gibson Master Model label. You can find them in the $2000 to $2700 range? My Flatiron is a better mandolin than my 1050. So for me I would not spend $2200 for a new Kentucky 1500 I would try to figure out what neck, nut and fretboard feel comfortable and look for a good used mandolin. Are you any place where there is a shop or jams to try out a few? Some others to consider -
    Summit - Paul Schneider worked for Gibson before starting Summit - can be bargains and used from $1600 to $2200
    Ratliff -
    Northfield
    Silverangel
    Currently there are several newer builders putting out terrific looking mandolins for $2000 to $3000.

  20. The following members say thank you to Northwest Steve for this post:


  21. #15

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Thanks for all the help, especially for the direct comparisons from Johnny and Northwest Steve. I'm in no hurry to pull the trigger so I'll likely sit on any extra cash I get for as long as I need for a good deal to come along

    As for shops to try, unfortunately I'm in Raleigh and it seems most of the shops near me just put basic stuff on the shelves with the exception of one shop that has a few The Loars and a used Weber.

  22. #16
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Outer Spiral Arm, of Galaxy, NW Oregon.
    Posts
    17,103

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Retail price is the amount of money the seller needs to get to keep their business running

    Its based on their cost + overhead to run the store as markup.


    Ideally, go to where they have more than 1, as the sound of each is not identical ,

    although they look the same...



    ...
    writing about music
    is like dancing,
    about architecture

  23. #17

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    I got my LM-700 a few months ago. I haven't seen any of the finishing issues discribed here. Seems like a good value for the price for a new mandolin. Good luck in your quest.

    Joe

  24. The following members say thank you to Joes for this post:


  25. #18
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Location
    Sierra Nevada Land CA
    Posts
    101

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Now this doesn't exactly fits your comparison, but seven months ago I was in the vicinity of the Mandolin Store. Stopped by. Was not real thrilled with my LM 520. Demoed a LM 600, the Eastman 515 and 815, and the Kentucky 1050. The LM 600 ($850) had better tone, but the same playability issues as my 520. A heavy and thick instrument. The Eastmans were great. Loved the tone of the 815($1600) Really liked the tone of the 515 ($999) Felt more playable for me. The Kentucky was my favorite. Easy to play, great tone. $1750. Worth the extra money? You bet.

    I guess my point is you need to demo to perceive the differences and decide if the better instrument is worth the price. In the end I went with Eastman 515. While I appreciated the 815 and the 1050 the extra $600-$750 for those instruments was not conducive to our budget and my experience as a musician of 40 plus years. My sax is a $3500 instrument and I realized years ago that I can play just as well and enjoy myself totally on a $2000 instrument.

    I so enjoy my 515. But if you got the $$$... worth it for the 815 or 1050!

    I should mention that I ended up with my sax due to a deal I could not pass up. The store owner said he'd order the sax and all I'd pay was cost plus $150. He made $150 for a half hour's work. I got a new sax for $1700. So that's how I ended up with a more expensive instrument than I needed.
    Last edited by Mr5150; Apr-15-2017 at 8:54pm.
    Eastman MD 515
    1991 33SB Gemeinhardt Flute
    1996 Yamaha YAS 62 Alto Sax

  26. #19

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Quote Originally Posted by Joes View Post
    I got my LM-700 a few months ago. I haven't seen any of the finishing issues discribed here. Seems like a good value for the price for a new mandolin. Good luck in your quest.

    Joe
    I Didnt mean to appear like I was knocking the LM700.

    In the past I have owned a km1000 and a LM700. A good LM700 is fine sounding instrument. I remember a member of the cafe posted a comparison between some high end mandolins and a well set up LM700 and the LM700 held its own.

    I just think there is a greater variance in terms of tone, fit and finish between individual models of the LM700 and the higher end Kentuckys.

    Here in Europe at its price point the LM700 is hard to beat.

  27. #20
    Registered User Petrus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    2,623

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Quote Originally Posted by almeriastrings View Post
    The KM1500's are very nicely built. Quality materials throughout. Good attention to detail. As F5Loar says, the biggest difference is in the finish. It is very thin on the KM950/1000/1500 and really thick and heavy on the LM700. I have done some work on both models and I'd take a KM1500 every time.
    You could sand off some of that excess finish on the Loar if you think you can do it, that might make a difference. If someone is really interested in the Loar over the Kentucky or finds a good deal on one. (I've sanded some lower-end mandos with less than spectacular results, fwiw.)

  28. #21

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    I too visited The Mandolin Store recently and basically did not hear that much difference as I worked up the ladder toward the +1000 level. The Km 150 was pretty similar to the 750 something. Small sound quality difference, big eye candy difference. When you hit the 900 and up masterbuilts, yes, nice quality tonal improvement. Bump up to a Northfield, apparent improvement at a great cost, and so on up the ladder.

    The Collings MT is a fine mandolin, but my Silverangel is equal but very different. My next mandolin will be something like an MT just for the tonal variety. I feel in the long run you're better off skipping the incremental improvements and saving for an MT, Pava, or some such where the improvement is huge.
    Silverangel A
    Arches F style kit
    1913 Gibson A-1

  29. The following members say thank you to Br1ck for this post:


  30. #22

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Let me add, one of the most compelling reasons I chose the LM-700 over anything else was the ability to try it out. I contacted several local music stores. They were all willing to order only if I committed to buy. Hide music had a loar I could try. Another had a Breedlove.

    They all had washburns.

    Joe S

  31. #23

    Default Re: The Loar LM 700 vs Kentucky KM 1500. What makes it worth so m

    Thanks again for the input everybody. I got to try a 700 out today finally and it was quite nice. Single notes sounded a little thin compared to my Breedlove though I suppose that's to be expected (it's a celtic/folk targeted one) but the open chords rang beautifully and the chop chords had enough power behind them. Still haven't got a chance to try a Kentucky yet :\ Main thing I got from the experience is that I need to get a setup for my Breedlove. They also had a few Webbers up but didn't want to bug an associate asking for assistance with one today so I'll have to be back later.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •