Kentucky KM 950

[chris1157]

Hello all,

I currently have a KM150 that I bought for my wife. She has not been playing it and I have really gotten into it lately. I am looking at upgrading to the KM 950 to get a better instrument. Does anyone own one and have some real world experience with this particular mandolin.

Thank you,

Chris

[Pittsburgh Bill]

I have a KM-950 that I am very satisfied with. I find it has a very Gibson like voice that I find very suitable for 50s and 60s Country Music and ideal for Rockabilly. I do not play Grass but I believe the 950 would be at home as well on Grass as on Rockabilly. The playability and fit/finnish exceeds that of which I have seen on Mandolins costing much more.
For show tunes, waltzes, soft rock, etc. I find my Collings more at home. I am starting to dabble in some jazz and here too I find the Collings more at home.
Hope this helps.

[chris1157]

Thank you for your insight Bill. I guess I am suffering from a little MAS. I have really been drawn to the tone of the Collings MT and the Pava A5 player as they seem to be a little more round and not too bright. These are really out of the price range that I can justify at this point in time so was looking for something that sounded really good and played well too. The 950 seemed to be a pretty good choice.

[colorado_al]

You might consider a JBovier A5.
https://mandolins.ecrater.com/p/16368398/jbovier-a5
$900 and closer in sound to the Collings than the KM-950. Very well made and setup. With radiused ebony fretboard & bridge and medium size frets.
I love mine & prefer it to the Gibsonesque sound of the KM-950 that I used to have.

Not sure what you're looking to spend on the KM-950, but here's a used Collings MT for $1785
https://www.elderly.com/catalog/prod...lings-mt-2007/

[Jon Hall]

Hey Chris! I have a KM956, which is the same as the 950 but with a solid, dark brown finish instead of the sunburst. I agree with Bill's description. My 956 is the best bluegrass mandolin I could afford. It has a lot of volume, with a very "dry" tone. Several professional players have commented how good this instrument sounds. The 950 has tone bar bracing and a very thin finish which, I think, are responsible for it's tone and volume. If you would want an instrument with a sweeter voice but still projects, and you don't mind buying used; you might look for a Weber Absaroka. They have f holes and are x-braced instead of the tone bar bracing. The used Absarokas sell for about the same price as a new 950 or maybe even less.

[Br1ck]

At the level of a 950, it becomes even more advantageous to be able to play them. These are the entryway to the good stuff. Here is where things get tricky. After a KM 150, a 950 is going to sound great. Huge difference, possibly the largest increase available. The next step up is much smaller improvement. So one train of thought is stop there and be happy, the other is try the basic Webers,nor any of that level mandolin. New, that would be a whole lot of money for very perceptible performance, used, much less more money.

This is a subjective judgement. For me it was apparent I needed to spend the extra and buy my Silverangel. Some time can be gained buying a 950, especially if you don't have ready access to a Collings MT.

[Northwest Steve]

Are you buying new or used? I have had several Kentucky mandolins including a 950, 956 and 1050. The 950 was terrific and was originally owned by a luthier who was between mandolins for about a year (I thinks that says a lot) until he built another one for him to keep. The 1050 was a terrific mandolin and would be plenty of mandolin for most anyone but a professional player. I currently have a 956 that is really great as well. The 950/1050 have a wider nut, radiused fretboard and larger frets which a lot of players will find appealing. I really like the sound of them. They have that mid range cutting bluegrass sound with plenty of bass and the treble's are there as well and you will not get lost in a jam. Personally I am not overly fond of the sound of the Collings MT's, I have heard lots of Collings and some great ones but the MT has a distinctive sound to my ears. If you are looking at used ones and find a good 950/1050 for a fair price I think they are hard to beat. If you are looking at new ones with the price increase I think there are other options to consider.

[Josh Levine]

I will echo what others have said. The 950 is a really nice mandolin. It will be a major step up from the 150, although I have a 150 and it is solid for what it is. I have owned a 950 as well. I would highly recommend used unless you can get a big discount. I think Retail new is something like $1600? That is crazy and can get you into many different types of used instruments or new instruments from small shop American builders such as Silverangel, etc. You could also for a similar price to even a used one consider a Gibson A9 or Flatiron A5. Lots to consider. But, buying new will be like buying a new car and you will immediately lose money when you drive it off the lot. Just something to consider, and this may not matter to you. But overall they are a solid pick.

[Grommet]

Those Kentucky 950 series and above are very well regarded. I would agree with Brick above on two points. The need to try them in hand, and the recommendation to check for a Silverangel near your price point. If I didn't have my Pava I would consider the 950s, used Silverangels, used Pavas, MTs used Flatirons, and Webers. One of em is bound to feel just right. Enjoy the process!

Scott

[chris1157]

Just wanted to say thank you all for your replies. I am thinking at this point it would be a good idea to improve on my 150 and save up for a better used instrument. Also a discount was mentioned. I know with my Martin guitars there are certain dealers that give a significant discount compared to major retailers. Not sure if this is the same for Mandos.

[colorado_al]

Just wanted to say thank you all for your replies. I am thinking at this point it would be a good idea to improve on my 150 and save up for a better used instrument.

I think that's a great idea. Also, play as many other mandolins as you can to get an idea of what they are like and what you like about them.

[Mandoplumb]

I have a Dearstone, bought a Ken 900 ( I don't like radius board ) and have about quit playing the Dearstone. The 'Stone sells about 3 or 4 times as much as I paid for the Kentucky (bought new) and in some ways is a better mandolin but I love the sound of the 900 and have even gigged with it though I'm not playing gigs as much as I used to. If I had to be satisfied with one mandolin the Dearstone or the KM 900 would suit.

[Josh Levine]

The KM900 would still be a major upgrate, it would just have flat board and smaller frets and you can still find them used for under 1000. Example (NFI) - https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/132195#132195

[Pittsburgh Bill]

Just to note: I bought my 950 from the Cafe Classifieds about 6 months ago for $850. It came with a Cumberland acoustic bridge, James tail piece, Black tuner knobs, and an original Kentucky (Superior) case. I thought this was an amazing price.
I was truly overwhelmed when I received it. It appeared to be brand spanking new, not a blemish on it, and setup perfectly to my liking! Best deal I ever got.
I prefer a radius fret board which the 950 has and with oversize frets. It took me a while to adjust to the frets but now I think I may prefer them.
I would have been pleased had I paid 50% more than I did.

[chris1157]

Thanks for continuing to send over options guys it is appreciated. I am going to continue playing the 150 for a while and hope the MAS stays at bay for a bit.

[Br1ck]

The best discount you'll ever get is buying used. If a dealer knows it could be months before he can replace it, what incentive does he have for discounting a nice mandolin? If there are half a dozen in his back room it's another story.

[Roda]

I just want to chip in that the 505 is brilliant. This one is actually also made in the same factory as the master models. Brilliant tone and the amberburst is beautiful. But of course the 950 probably is superior in some ways. Havent had the chance to play one unfortunatly. All best and goodluck!

[chris1157]

Thanks for the heads up Roda. Had not looked in the 500 series as of yet. Would it be a good jump up from the 150

[Br1ck]

You could maybe make a case that you get better tone as you go up the food chain with imports, but I'm not a fan of incremental upgrades. I say start with the best you can afford and leapfrog up the line. For me that would probably include skipping the Kentucky master series, even though the ones I've played have been very good. I just feel that the biggest bang for the buck is spending $1200-1500 in the used A market.

But getting a 900 in the $800 range would be worthy of consideration. Certainly if you can't see spending more. There is just a little something extra when you start playing Webers and such. We are talking a subjective little for a bunch of extra money, but worth it IMHO.