the Mandolin stores does it again !.

[mandolin tony]

so I get an e-mail ad from them saying they bought up all the Kentucky KM-900 & the price is a little over 1K. is that a good deal with the case & should I pull the trigger & buy one.

[Johnny60]

Tony, they’ve got a great reputation (both the Mandolin Store and the KM900).

I’ve played 3 KM900’s and have found them all to be really well crafted instruments, with good tone. The only reason I haven’t bought one is that I prefer a 1 1/8 board with a radius - I personally find them just a tad narrow, otherwise I’d have one!

Whether you go ahead and buy one or not is totally up to you, but the Mandolin Store do have a couple of videos of the KM900 on their YouTube site, so you can take a look/listen.

Good luck with the decision. I’m sure plenty of KM900 players will be along soon to sing their praises of the 900!

Cheers

John

[yankees1]

so I get an e-mail ad from them saying they bought up all the Kentucky KM-900 & the price is a little over 1K. is that a good deal with the case & should I pull the trigger & buy one.

A or F ? I assume an A style at that price ! If a F model buy one quick !

[mandolin tony]

yes it is an A style Yankee. an as for narrow Johnny I have an ODE model C banjo from 1980 that is real narrow for a banjo. but with a little playing its no big deal going back & forth from my Gibson to the ODE or my Deering which has a real wide neck. to tell you the truth I like them all different but good.

[Northwest Steve]

The newer 900's have a 1 1/8" fretboard but it is flat. The Florida is not scooped like on the 950"s. They are a good deal and if you get a good one it should keep you happy for a long time. The quandary would be for a few hundred more ($1400-1800) you open the door to some pretty good instruments if you know what to look for and are willing to pull the trigger if a bargain appears. I currently have a 956 that is a very good mandolin.

[Br1ck]

And thinking like that can nudge you up to $5k really quick.....

If you are patient, some gems show up at $1200.

TMS is first rate.

[CES]

They’re very good mandolins with the occasional exceptional mandolin, and my experience with TMS in buying my mandocello was outstanding. Dennis offered great advice, great service, and the price for my Yellowstone was, in his words, “a smokin’ deal,” with which I agree. Is the price for the 900 a smokin’ deal? No, but it’s very fair, especially considering the scarcity of new ones out there now.

I personally would go with KM 950 or 956, because the unscooped FB extension would annoy me, and I do prefer a radius. BUT, on a budget and being mando naive, those factors are unlikely to come into play at all for you. My first mando was a Kentucky with a flat board and unscooped extension, and I played it for about 5 years without any complaint or concern. Heck, the pick click was like a metronome, and just part of the sound.

[Eric C.]

The newer 900's have a 1 1/8" fretboard but it is flat. The Florida is not scooped like on the 950"s. They are a good deal and if you get a good one it should keep you happy for a long time. The quandary would be for a few hundred more ($1400-1800) you open the door to some pretty good instruments if you know what to look for and are willing to pull the trigger if a bargain appears. I currently have a 956 that is a very good mandolin.

That's the good thing about the 900's, 950's, etc. You don't need to worry about "for a few hundred more". These things hold their own against much higher priced mandolins.

[BrianWilliam]

Wait for a used one

[mandolin tony]

Brian what do used ones go for.

[UsuallyPickin]

Well …. as these are being discontinued the price will likely stabilize. If a trade war ensues the price will go up both new and used. These are very good instruments for the money. IMO this is a strike while the iron is hot situation. R/

[mandolin tony]

there being discontinued too ?, so the 900 & 250 will be gone. glade I bought my 805 when I did.

[Br1ck]

Is Kentucky the only major player who has traditionally had a flat fingerboard? Gibson of course has, but I see more customs with radiused fingerboards. Sign of the times I guess. You can't go on building mandolins no one wants. Often I've seen people buy 900s in spite of the flat boards not because of it.

I could get used to either if the sound was right.

[V70416]

I need to play a Kentucky. Narrow/thin necks are features I look for in a mandolin.(also scooped ext. radiused board).