Kentucky Km-950

[meado]

I saw this model on Amazon for $647.48.

Pricing error? One left.

I only wish I were in the market for an A mando!

[MikeEdgerton]

I'd buy that if I was looking for one.

[mcorax]

That is a "Modern" model.

"Traditional" sells for $984.58

I hope somebody could explain the difference.

[meado]

They are calling the km 950 "modern" and the km 900 "traditional."

[mcorax]

Oh, I see! Thanks.

[Mike Arakelian]

That's a real good price for a 950, but I'd guess it will need a good set up coming from Amazon.

[CES]

I never seem to hit these deals

[Torpedotom]

My KM150 smokes, I can only imagine what a KM950 would do in the hands of someone who can play!!!!

[dwc]

I just bought it. I have been looking for a backup for my Ellis. I feel like I am tempting fate taking stage with no backup instrument.

I will let everyone know about the setup once it arrives. Although I did order a mid level Córdoba nylon string from Amazon and the setup was fine. But there is far more to setting up a mandolin.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

I'm glad you got it since it was a temptingly good deal and I was having trouble keeping my new year resolution of no more new mandolins in the house... Let us know how you like it once it arrives.

[Bill Kammerzell]

Saw it the other day. A couple reviews read, "expect to have it set up. No case."

[dwc]

It didn't specifically say it came with a case, so I assume it will not. I have spare cases. I can set the bridge, but if it needs fret work or nut work, I have someone for that. And if it is really messed up, Amazon's return policy is very customer friendly.

[dwc]

OK, so the KM-950 from Amazon arrived today.

Abstract: Despite some sketchy packaging and no case, the mandolin arrived in tact. The only setup work it needed was to set the height and position of the bridge and a string change. It plays well and sounds good, but not as good as my Ellis.

Shipping: The mandolin did indeed ship without a case. The packaging was obviously adequate, but I would not be so cavelier, were it my mandolin. The instrument shipped double boxed.
Here is a shot of the outer box:



As you can see, there is some minimal damage to the outer box.

Here is a picture of the inner box and the mandolin still wrapped in bubble wrap:



Not the way I would ship it, but it worked. The mandolin arrived undamaged.

Setup: Yes, the mandolin arrived with the bridge wrapped separately and the strings that were on it were rusted and kinda gross.

Here is a shot of the bridge packaging:



Here is a shot of the mandolin with the original strings:



I took off the old strings, set the bridge height by eye and seated the bridge between the F holes. I strung it up with one G string and one E string so that I could fiddle with the intonation. It took about 10 minutes to set intonation. My eyeball estimate of bridge height turned out to be fine.

Sound/Playability: Both very good. I am not in love with the jumbo frets, but it isn't a very big deal. The neck feels a lot like my Ellis; it is easy to go back and forth between the two. The sound is much more mid focused and "grassy" than the Ellis. The Ellis has a much better chop and a deeper, fuller tone, which I prefer.

Conclusion: And here is the new addition to my music collection.



All and all, a great mandolin for under $700. It will be a great backup mandolin.