The new kentucky oval's

[Nathan Kellstadt]

It looks like they're out now, just wondering if anyone has any opinions on them, or is it too soon to ask? I'm not expecting them to be the Grail of mandos, but for the price I'm curious how they hold up. I would appreciate feedback specifically from those that may have played one. I'm not looking for speculation or a pros/cons of Asian made mandos discussion. Thanks.

[Lane Pryce]

Someone started a thread a couple of days ago regarding a nice little Kentucky oval A. Pic was in there too. Lp

[jefflester]

Thread here

[trevor]

I am expecting delivery in the next week or so. I will report my thoughts then.

[Folkmusician.com]

I have one here (KM-174 Amber). It is surprisingly nice. The workmanship is actually better than the KM-160,161,162 I have had. I am not sure if this is typical, or just the one that I have.

This one has no flame on the maple. The finish is much better than the KM-254 mandos I have had.

There is a rosewood peghead overlay, good quality Gotoh tuners, new tailpiece style (stamped) and a bone nut.

[trevor]

I have now had my delivery and agree with folkmusician, very nice. The tone is what I had hoped, big bass, rich mids, clear trebles, its good to be able to offer a good oval hole in this price range

I have to say that the quality of the whole delivery is a very pleasant surprise, a great improvement on previous Kentuckys. They were always great value but I think they have improved in finish and tone across the range.

[fiddler]

I heard some good things about the Kentucky KM-172. I heard them at a time when MAS was getting critical but I didn't want to part with too much money. I was also bored. So I picked up the phone, called Gryphon Strings and bought one, just like that. No agonizing, no comparing, just snap. Even though I had promised myself that I would never buy a pac-rim again. I've had it for a few days and here's my report.

First the big question: How does it sound?

Rich, round-hole sound. Very sweet E string, especially in the higher positions where some E's get a bit hard. Solid deeper strings. Even tone across all strings. Excellent intonation. My best two instruments (see my signature) are a bit better in overall tone, but they cost 7-9 times as much. The KM has considerable sustain and the tone does not harden when driven with a firm pick. It does not seem to have tone bars so I don't know if the tone is likely to improve much with playing, but it's off to a fine start.

How about playability?
Gryphon did a nice setup job. It came with a good set of typical bronze strings, but I don't like twang so I changed to JazzMando JM11's and lowered the bridge a touch. My radiused Rigel Gypsy Q plays easier but the KM equaled all the others. The frets a bit thinner than I'm used to so I had to adjust my fingering to suit. After that it played very nicely indeed.

Appearance?
Nice and very neat finish job. As you would expect, the woods are not deluxe. There is a just barely visible flame on the back and none on the sides. The top wood has uneven grain; but the top finish is a lovely translucent amber that is really very attractive. The nicely done rosette around the oval hole is a pretty touch. In general it looks good!

Overall value?
If I had paid three or four times the price I would be very pleased with the sound, but would have expected fancier wood. At the $254 I paid Gryphon Strings it's an exceptional bargain.

Highly recommended to anyone who wants quality round-hole tone and is willing to do without fancy wood. Certainly a major opportunity for anyone on a tight budget.

[trevor]

I forgot to report on my arrivals. Basically I don't think I can add much to Bob's comments. Great, tone and finish for the money. In fact the whole delivery is impressive. Kentucky/Saga have gone up a notch or two.

[Folkmusician.com]

Since my original post, I have had a few more of these through my hands (the KM-171 and KM-174). So far so good. The quality has been consistent and the tone is much better than you would expect. I did not think much about it until I read Fiddler's post. He nails it. This is playable up past the 12th fret. This latest 174 I have, has a better quality bridge than is typical of the Kentucky's. I am not sure if this is just random, or something we will begin to see on all of these.

I spoke with the head of sales at Saga, and they are pumping a lot of effort into the Kentucky line right now. The KM-1000 is a good example of what they are capable of. I believe they are just feeling out the market and seeing what the players want. Basically testing to see if people are willing to pay a little more for a better quality mando.