A Kentucky KM900 Review

[Don Grieser]

I spotted a used KM900 at the Mandolin Store last week and thought I'd give it a try. I'm very pleased with this mandolin, and like others have mentioned, it plays and sounds as good as mandolins that cost a lot more.

Woods/Hardware: The top has some very nice cross-grain silking in it. The sides and back have very nicely flamed maple. The neck is plain maple. The tuners are nice (look like the ones that come on the Ellis A5) and the tailpiece seems sturdy for that 2 piece type. It's not thin metal that bends easily. They are using quality woods and hardware on this mandolin.

Fit/Finish: The finish is thin--you can see the grain lines in the top in the finish. The workmanship overall is very good to excellent. All the ff holes are clean and finished up nicely, and the binding isn't perfect, but it’s fit much better than a more expensive import A5 I returned to Elderly. This KM900 is side bound on the top, back, neck and top of the headstock. The mandolin looks great, and I'm glad they're making a mandolin in the style of the Lloyd Loar A5.

Playability/Tone: I'm used to a radiused fretboard and bigger frets, but I find this flat board and small frets very easy to get around on. The neck has a V to it, but not real deep and the shoulders on the neck aren't chunky. It's very comfortable. I'm not used to the long extension and will probably do something about it eventually. It's definitely sweeter up on the extension. The tone is quite good, and I have no doubt this thing will cut in a band setting. It is a little tight but it's very good for one week old, and I feel like it will develop quite well, maybe even become a monster.

Brian at the Mandolin Store was great to work with and the setup on the mandolin is excellent. They shipped from AZ on last Wednesday and I had it in NM on last Thursday. Amazing.

I’ll try to post a video and some photos.

I think the KM900 has a great mando/buck ratio and a good deal in an A5.

[Ed Goist]

Thanks for the excellent review Don.
Congrats! Looks and sounds like a good one!
Oh, and very sweet tone, and some fine playing on the video!

[Don Grieser]

Thanks, Ed. Here's a couple photos. It's not so yellow in person, a very nice Cremona type finish.

The video was shot with a Kodak Zi8, and there was no other processing of the audio--just what was recorded by the camera.

[Earl Gamage]

It already sounds good. Maybe a tad tight. It would be cool to post again playing the same piece after a year or so breaking it in.

Nice mandolin.

[f5loar]

In fact if I didn't already know that was you playing that song on that mandolin I would swear it was me playing that song on my KM900. You described my 900 in every way you could from fit to finish to the sound. These are not your beginner model As. Far from it, they are pro mandolins for great pickers.

[Fretbear]

Smooth, nice picking; it already sounds great new so it can only get better with time.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Several months ago,i played one of the KM-900's 'little sisters',a KM-505 & it too sounded very good indeed & played very well 'right out of the box' (off the wall). I haven't seen too many Kentuckys,but they still seem to be holding up quality wise with the best of the Pac-rim made instruments judging by what folk are saying on here,
Ivan

[Darren Bailey]

Sounds great. I agre with Ivan - as someone who recently acquired a 505 I can confirm their quality.

[almeriastrings]

Nice Dusty Miller... brings out the nice, dry woody tone there. They definitely do loosen up a lot the more you play them. I would say that they are more than holding up with other imports from that part of the world. They are up there at the top of the heap. Really fine mandolins by any standard.

[Mandobar]

Totally different animal than the KM505. It's got that warmth that you get from higher priced instruments. It was a real boon to get these over Xmas for nearly the price of a 505. Waiting for the warmer weather here so I can sit and pick outside with it.

[Cackmandu]

Don, Really sweet look and sound! I'm a newbie and don't have any mando players around to talk with and was just wondering how long have you been playing and what type of practice does it take to get to your level? Thanks

[Don Grieser]

f5loar, if I could only pick like you and Evan...and thanks to all for the kind comments. I played with a couple guitar players today, and the KM900 kept up easily. You can really dig in too and it doesn't break up. It will put out some sound.

Cackmandu, I'll send you a PM.

[Teletodd]

My km900 has a flamed neck and 3d flame on the back. It sounds like a grand Piano. Absolutely awesome.

[houseworker]

Just another very satisfied Kentucky owner wanting to say "great picking".

[f5loar]

You used the term " dig in and it doesn't break up" which is usually heard from banjo pickers talking about going down the neck. Many banjos and mandolins too seem to loose it as you go down the neck. It's important to play the B, E, F and C keys that your mandolin keeps on cutting it down the neck not breaking up on you. That's what I hear in these 900's. It cuts all the way down and doesn't break up on you. Many of these imports just fall apart once you go past the 6th fret.

[evanreilly]

Awww, Don....
You pick just like me and F5Loar, cuz we both have KM900s also.
I bought a used one the end of last year and am very impressed with it.
As a matter of fact, I suspect that after F5Loar played mine, he jumped on one of the bargain ones on Amazon(?).

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

My experience with KM900 mirrors all those who've posted about their experiences, and I've been meaning to post some pictures of my own KM900. This is the second one I have, and is an earlier model from 2010, and has the lighter burst finish that I recalled seeing when the model was first introduced, before Kentucky went to the darker stain that you see today. It also has binding on both the top and back as well as the side, while the later models have side binding only. Other than these cosmetic differences, both models I've owned have similar neck profile, playability as well as volume and tone, and I would have been happy with either one. The mandolin got a CA bridge upgrade and some 'florida scooping' over the holiday from Robert at folkmusician.com (who's great to work with BTW), and while there wasn't a huge improvement in tone, the new bridge definitely corrected some leaning and sagging issues that the original bridge was developing. All in all I'm very happy with the mandolin, and to hear that other people such as f5loar received theirs in a paper box and was able to simply put on the bridge, tune it up and start playing it with little or no difficulty, I wonder why anyone would bother with some of the other brands that require so much tweaking post-purchase to get it playing properly. But I digress

[Teletodd]

Does the serial number indicate what year they were made? Do the tops look any different. I started another thread about the spec change frm red spruce toP to select spruce top. Looks like the earlier ones are nicer

[houseworker]

Does the serial number indicate what year they were made? Do the tops look any different. I started another thread about the spec change from red spruce to to select spruce top. Looks like the earlier ones are nicer

First two digits of the serial number are the year of manufacture for the Chinese instruments. There's no visible difference in the wood used for the top that's manifested itself since the broadening of the spec to 'select' this far.

Yes, those earlier Master Models look fantastic.

[Bernie Daniel]

I was in the local Guitar Center yesterday and played a range of 4 Kentucky mandolins from a KM150S up to a KM805 (no KM900 or KM1000 in the place) --all were excellent. The KM805 was about $700 or so and it was just amazing! That quality at that price is outstanding. I feel the Kentucky mandolins shine best on the treble end -- I do not think they have the woody bassy Gibson bark -- but be that as it may they are certainly bargains! The build quality was very nice too.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Does the serial number indicate what year they were made? Do the tops look any different. I started another thread about the spec change frm red spruce toP to select spruce top. Looks like the earlier ones are nicer

I do remember the thread about the top. The first 2 digits of the serial number for my KM900 is 10, so I believe that's 2010. As for the top, I actually got to see my first one again tonight along side my current one, and they look very similar. Both have very tight grain across the top, though it's beyond my ability to tell whether it's sitka, red, or some other type of spruce.

I'm getting a finger rest installed on the KM900 this week. While I seem to remember pictures of the original A5 Loar doesn't usually feature one, I always wanted one on an A5. After seeing the owner of my first KM900 putting one on his and how it really complements the whole mandolin, I decided to spring for one as well. I"ll see about getting a pic posted here when it's done.

[Teletodd]

How do these compare with the Eastman 804 f hole?

[evanreilly]

Actually, the original A-5 Loar mandolin (#74003) did have a pickguard.
I am considering one for mine as well; post info as to where you find the best one.I am thinking Cumberland.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

[SIZE=2]Actually, the original A-5 Loar mandolin (#74003) did have a pickguard.
I am considering one for mine as well; post info as to where you find the best one.I am thinking Cumberland.

Evan - Thanks for posting the picture of the original A5 Loar with the pickguard; I vaguely remember seeing that in the Archive.

Also, my friend and I are both using the small, Ebony A style pickguard from Stewmac, which happens to be on sale right now:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Hardware...ickguards.html

They also have a large ebony A style pickguard (also on sale) which would match the one in the picture you posted.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

How do these compare with the Eastman 804 f hole?

I have never played an Eastman 805 (I believe 804 would be oval hole), so I can't give any feedback on that. I have played a couple of 315, 515, 505, and I believe a 605 (two point), and I much, much prefer the Kentucky to all of them. To my ear, there's more depth and woodiness to the tone that the Eastman. YMMV.