New Kentucky KM-606 mandolins are in the wild!

[Austin Bob]

I ordered one. If I can get it for $359 it's worth it to me.

[multidon]

From the way things are going here I hope Elderly ordered a whole cargo container full!

[Roger Adams]

Price at Elderly is now $525.

[Stompbox]

Looks? Tomato-tomatoe

I hate gold hardware. I like this one, wish I had seen the Elderly deal

[Tobin]

Price at Elderly is now $525.

I think we have a pretty good idea what their markup is now.

[Miltown]

I just checked Elderly again, and now there's no sign of the 606 at all. Guess they sold out.

[rfd]

I just checked Elderly again, and now there's no sign of the 606 at all. Guess they sold out.

or stop the bleeding from their goof.

[Austin Bob]

I just got off the phone with Elderly. They were as nice as can be and said that I was one of four that got in on the early bird special. The only caveat is that the mandolin will ship in 7-10 days, and he wanted to let me know that my card will be charged ahead of time as part of the promotion.

[Mike Stewart]

Just got a voice mail from Elderly stating that I'll be getting the KM-606 in a June shipment. And then some confusing stuff about how they forgot to put on the website that it is a fully-refundable deposit, I can cancel at any time, yada, yada. I'm not sure what that was all about. It was described as an "early bird special". So maybe it was just a promotion for a brief few hours, or maybe someone's getting fired, dunno. Worst case, selling a couple of mandolins at cost gets a buzz going here, eh? Regardless, if they say it was a special, then I'll sleep fine tonight (had they said it was a mistake and losing money on the deal, but they'll honor it anyway, I would have just cancelled; not looking to screw anyone).

But the important part is that more are arriving on the 31st, and the magic words: "You're guaranteed the mandolin." Wasn't looking to buy a new mandolin (I just bought the Pava a few months ago), but I guess I've got one on the way. If you missed out on the $199 Michael Kelly, you might soon get another chance as the 606 is likely to displace mine. And mine's already set up.

Full report when it shows up. Despite my lack of need for another instrument, I'm looking forward to it. I'll be curious to see if by saving money on aesthetics Kentucky can make a good F-style for very little money. That, and as much as I like the MK "for the money I paid", I expect the 606 to be an upgrade.

EDIT: it just occurred to me that the confusing part of the voice mail was Elderly explaining why they've already charged my credit card, despite not shipping the instrument yet. I'm slow that way sometimes.

[mandolinstew]

I too got the phone call from Elderly about the early bird special and I could get my deposit back

[Folkmusician.com]

OK.. I talked to Saga... There were approximately 15 KM-606 mandolins in Total and they supposedly split them up among dealers, so one per dealer was shipped.

As for some initial feedback, the one I shipped is on its way back to me. Reason, not enough volume and punch. They own an Eastman and although this has a nice full tone, it didn't beat out the MD305.

So there is the latest news.

[Austin Bob]

Robert, that's not what I want to hear, LOL.

Now you have me second guessing and wondering if I should cancel. I don't really need it, it just seemed like a good deal for a spare mando. But no instrument is a good deal if it doesn't sound good.

[Folkmusician.com]

I personally, wouldn't pass it up at that price. I don't want it to sound like I am saying it doesn't sound good. It actually has a good voice and is well balanced, it just isn't an Eastman killer. Where it is lacking is in the punch. I noticed this and now it was confirmed by a second opinion. It was purchased by a past customer of mine and we talked pretty in depth about , so I trust they are giving an honest opinion.

Of course, this is just the one example and it is still an excellent mandolin for the price point.

[Stompbox]

May sound better with time too.

[allenhopkins]

...it just isn't an Eastman killer...

A what? An "Eastman killer?" And the Eastman in question is one of the "300" series?

I mean, we're talking about the basic "budget" Eastman mandolin here, a clearly mid-priced instrument that competes with low-to-mid-range Loars and Kentuckys, JBoviers, such-like. Comparable discounted price, post-"early bird" loss-leader pricing.

The KM-606 has got to punch a bit above its weight to (in my opinion) overcome its non-traditional appearance, and supplant those Eastman "300's" and mid-range Loars. It does have the advantage of the widely respected Kentucky brand, but I'd think Kentucky was hoping for something that would outshine Eastman, especially among the bluegrass crowd, where Eastman's more "modern" sound is not as preferred.

Hey, I've got a Strad-O-Lin that's a "Rogue killer," but that's like the heavyweight contender who takes on a succession of "stiffs" to earn his way to the championship. Eastmans are nice mandolins (I own several) but they're hardly in the Mike Tyson class...

[multidon]

Hmm. Elderly now listing it again for pre order at 499. First it was 359, then 525, now 499. Interesting how the price keeps changing. And if there are only 15 in the whole wide world, and each dealer is only getting one, and they already pre sold four with the "early bird special", how can they still take orders for instruments that they may never be able to fill in the foreseeable future?

Also interesting there has not even been a peep about these from The Mandolin Store. They are a pretty big Kentucky dealer.

[Tobin]

Hmm. Elderly now listing it again for pre order at 499. First it was 359, then 525, now 499. Interesting how the price keeps changing. And if there are only 15 in the whole wide world, and each dealer is only getting one, and they already pre sold four with the "early bird special", how can they still take orders for instruments that they may never be able to fill in the foreseeable future?

Also interesting there has not even been a peep about these from The Mandolin Store. They are a pretty big Kentucky dealer.

My guess on the price change is that the dealers are trying to figure out where their competition is going to settle, and so there may be a period of adjustment. Some dealers like TMS may be sitting back and letting the others be the first to lay it all out there, before they establish their competitive price.

Robert can certainly answer this, but I'm guessing the 15 original samples were just the first batch. More will undoubtedly be coming if they sell quickly and there is demand for them. Dealers wouldn't take pre-orders without knowing Kentucky will be delivering more.

[Folkmusician.com]

A what? An "Eastman killer?" And the Eastman in question is one of the "300" series?

In my opinion, Eastman is the one to beat right now (at the price point). They do not have the marketshare, because they are not covering the lowest price points and they are not distributing to Big Box Stores. The competition is beating them in that area. Walmart even sells Kentucky's (and not third party). Eastman has it nailed down as far as overall quality, fit and finish and Eastman is gaining momentum.

I'm guessing the 15 original samples were just the first batch.

More are in route and the ETA is somewhere toward the end of June. I forgot to ask how many, but I wouldn't expect a large number. I don't believe they have the capacity to churn these out (especially when higher models are also back-ordered) and this was not meant to be a mainstream model. Of course, that could always change.

[Mike Stewart]

I was one of four that got in on the early bird special.

So IOW, all Cafè members: me, you, Miltown, and mandolinstew. Thanks to multidon for the heads up on that brief window of a deal!

Now explain to me my anxiousness to receive a mandolin I didn't need in the first place, and probably won't be as good as half the mandolins I already have. New stuff is new stuff, I guess. As for the much debated aesthetics, I fessed up to the wife yesterday and showed her some pictures (thanks, Robert; yours are apparently the only ones on the whole Internet). She took one look, made a face, and said "well, buy what you want." I think I'm safe in saying that was a "no" vote.

[Folkmusician.com]

It is surprising that there is not more sign of them. Assuming all 15 shipped at the same time, dealers should have them.

[Miltown]

So IOW, all Cafè members: me, you, Miltown, and mandolinstew. Thanks to multidon for the heads up on that brief window of a deal!

Yes, thank you, multidon! Maybe Saga should just make this a Mandolin Cafe exclusive model.

I'm eagerly awaiting the 606. I've got an Eastman 515 which is my everyday mandolin right now -- and which I like a great deal -- but if this plays at all comparably to the Eastman, I might keep the 606 and sell the 515. My frugal nature just might demand it, as a matter of fact.

[The Mandolin Store]

We got one of these new KM606 mandolins in this week..............We boxed it back up and sent it back to SAGA. The workmanship on it was just horrible. The sound was just OK. We have no plans to carry it as we think the majority of customers would be just as disappointed as were.

[rfd]

We got one of these new KM606 mandolins in this week..............We boxed it back up and sent it back to SAGA. The workmanship on it was just horrible. The sound was just OK. We have no plans to carry it as we think the majority of customers would be just as disappointed as were.

hmm. why am i not at all surprised.

[Folkmusician.com]

I agree with Dennis, that the majority are not going to be happy with this. There is a minority that will like it, though. I didn't find the workmanship to be poor. The finish work, yes! A little rough (ok, a lot rough), yes! Overall build quality wasn't bad on the one I had.

Allen said it well...

The KM-606 has got to punch a bit above its weight to (in my opinion) overcome its non-traditional appearance

And it falls short of this. It does, however, do well it its class (price range) and makes for a solid contender.

Dennis is the smart one here... A lot of customers are going to receive these, be unhappy as soon as they pull it out of the box and it won't matter one bit how it sounds, it will be returned. I see it coming. There will be customers that love it, but maybe not enough. I can't sell something that has even a 10% return rate, let alone 25% or more. We'll see.

[Kalasinar]

Oh dear. I remember the spy photos thread when this was still in the works. It appealed to me, being of frugal means, and I actually quite liked the barebones look of it. I wasn't sure whether I'd ever buy one, as I'm happy with what I've got... but if it ever came to the UK and played well at a decent price, I may have been encouraged to buy one eventually. This initial feedback doesn't sound promising though, and it seems a shame. A missed opportunity... Regardless, to those who have ordered, it would be really nice to know your thoughts and opinions when you get them.