Killer deal on Kentucky KM 900 Master Model A

[mzuch]

I hesitate to bring this up here, but I really want to know what happened.

It is possible that the link you posted triggered the wish list purchase. This can happen if you copied and pasted the URL from a page you reached by clicking on the link in your wish list, and someone here bought an instrument using your link.

[Mandobar]

I hesitate to bring this up here, but I really want to know what happened.

The day after I posted about this deal here, I went to Amazon to check and see if any were left. I had put the item in my PRIVATE "wishlist" on Amazon. When I clicked on the mando in my wish list, I got a dialog box saying "Someone may have purchased this for you." And then: "Someone DID purchase this for you." Of course I am a great guy and all, but I was pretty sure no one had decided to send me a new KM 900, so I called Amazon and was told that, yes, someone had purchased one of these, but it had not been shipped to any of the addresses I have on file at Amazon. They would not tell me where it had been shipped or who had bought it. Now, my concern on this is that my Wish List is flagged as PRIVATE and should not have been visible to anyone. So, if someone here actually purchased one by going through my wish list, I need to know about it or I have to assume that my Amazon account was compromised. Sorry to bring this up, but I posted this info only here and in private emails to two Cafe members who had instruments in the classifieds. Hope to hear that someone innocently found their way onto my Wishlist.

Of course I have my eye on the brown truck of joy....but somehow I'm pretty sure that a brand-new KM900 isn't going to show up at my doorstep.

Amazon uses an inventory-leveling program that takes the quantity on hand and discounts down automatically. Once people start buying it raises the price.

[houseworker]

It is possible that the link you posted triggered the wish list purchase. This can happen if you copied and pasted the URL from a page you reached by clicking on the link in your wish list, and someone here bought an instrument using your link.

Looking at the link the OP posted, that seems to be the answer.

[Stephen Porter]

It is possible that the link you posted triggered the wish list purchase. This can happen if you copied and pasted the URL from a page you reached by clicking on the link in your wish list, and someone here bought an instrument using your link.

Could be--I don't recall how I got to the URL when I copied and pasted here, but if that's the way it works, great. Alls well that ends well and there hasn't been anything weird on my Amazon account or credit cards associated with it.

[Stephen Porter]

Amazon uses an inventory-leveling program that takes the quantity on hand and discounts down automatically. Once people start buying it raises the price.

Yes, I've observed this many, many times. Amazon is a pretty clever outfit. I guess the rule of thumb is if you see a no-brainer price on something you want, best grab it fast.

[mandopaul]

Lets see some pictures of the new KM900, back & front please

[MANDOLINMYSTER]

This is the kind of retail that just kills the brick and mortar stores. If you like the service, convenience of playing an instrument, etc. I think it behooves the public to pay a little more to keep the mom and pops around. Just sayin...

Well said, I second that.

[almeriastrings]

I have never seen a bad one of these... a couple of knockout, great, really outstanding ones, and all the rest very, very impressive when you take the price into account. Certainly capable of (more than) holding their own in some serious company.

All nicely made too, with good to excellent fit/finish. Materials seem to vary quite a lot - some super figured examples, some plainer. At those discount prices, an absolute steal.

[Darryl Wolfe]

I will posts some pictures tomorrow. My iPad is not forum friendly. Update: this thing is now starting to sound great. The bass is coming around after being strung up for two days now. I have also raised the action twice now. it plays extremely well and can stand it easily. These are great mandolins at even a $1000 or so. The color and look and feel are very close to my Loar

I must bring one thing up that could turn off some perfectionists and coudl possibly be why these were on Amazon at the price to begin with. There are some places in the finish where the bubble wrap packaging has reacted with the finish. these are relatively minor and sort of like tape residue in places, but nonetheless are there. There are some places on the peg head face and around the f-hole area where the packaging was tightest to the finish. Most will compound out and completely go away, a few others will leave a trace. You won't even see it in the photos I post

Additionally, the finish is extremely thin which is good in some respects, but will preclude some of the spots from completely going away. If this was a known problem, there is no evidence that the original packaging from overseas was ever opened.

Even so, this is still a great mando

I also hope my buying one did not screw up the original posters wishes

[f5loar]

Well Darryl............ Welcome to the 900 Club! You are now on the roster of some of the greatest owners of the best of the cheapest mandolins made in the World. I bet you are working on that special Loar pickguard as I type. PS: To other owners of the 900, Contray to rumors circulating in the mando world, owning one of the KM900s will not get you admission into the next LoarFest. Close, but no cigar.

[jim simpson]

Is this one in the price range of the original one from this thread?


http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Kentucky...item257c6a05b6

[mandopaul]

Darryl, just wondering what serial number that one is? I have one that i picked up used, it is a 2011 from October, i think from its number.

[lenf12]

Is this one in the price range of the original one from this thread?

No, the OP price was $660 iirc.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Stephen Porter]

I also hope my buying one did not screw up the original posters wishes

Hi Darryl--OP here. No worries on that score.

[robert.najlis]

I thought about ordering one at this price. But I figured after buying a case and paying for a setup, it wouldn't be that much cheaper than getting one from a place such as the mandolin store or folk musician. So I decided to hold off. I will pay a bit more, sure, but that will go towards supporting these great stores as well. Maybe if I were able to do my own setup I would have made a different decision, who knows...

[f5loar]

These "out of the box" are about a 50/50 on needing a real set up by a pro. They were set up before they left China on that slow boat. If you know how to put on a bridge, set the bridge in the right spot and tune it up you may be good to go. That's all I did to mine.

[Darryl Wolfe]

OK...here are the pictures. The peghead shot shows the minor lacquer attack. I couldn't figure out how to delete the duplicate pic.

Also, the color is much closer to the Loar than it appears. In all my years of mando photography, I cannot figure out why photos of a lacquer finish mando change the colors away from brown to more red and black contrasty

It is also amazing that it arrived undamaged. I think the next day shipping saved it. Yes, that's the box presumably exactly the way it came over on the boat

[Darryl Wolfe]

Poor photo, but you can tell here that it is indeed Loarish in color

Also, I measured the strings and they are lights, so this puppy should wake up even more with J74's. I'm saving all my work on this mandolin for one Saturday afternoon. I'll install one of my bridges, and as F5LOAR said, my second A5 guard will go on it. I'll take the tuners off and buff the peghead spot out and restring with mediums. I'm iffy on these bridges. They almost look like molded graphite epoxy. I see no grain at all. Check out the two closer body shots

[Willie Poole]

I have one of the older KM-900`s and it is brownish in color, also I tried a CA bridge on it and didn`t see any difference in sound, the bridge on mine seems to be of the same quality and the CA ones....It would be interesting to know what bridges Ky uses then and now....I am not a pick guard man so I don`t have one on mine...Mine came all set up and had medium strings on it but I changed them right away to GHS-A-270`s, which are my favorites...I have compared the sound with a newer F-5G and it holds it`s own against i....I can see why just about everyone that has tried one has all good things to say about them, maybe one day they will be a collectors item....I do wish mine had the Loar like color scheme though....

Willie

[Darryl Wolfe]

Darryl, just wondering what serial number that one is? I have one that i picked up used, it is a 2011 from October, i think from its number.

I'll have to check it. I remember a bunch of 12's in it..like 120120300386

Whatever it is, it made me think it was made in Dec 2012

[f5loar]

On the back photo beside the real F5 I see the heel cap matches pretty good on size and shape. Heck, Gibson can't even get that detail right on their high end models. Color is oh so close to the original A5.

[almeriastrings]

That is really excellent colour and graduation on the 'burst... crazy good for sub-$1K mandolin.

That is also crazy packaging for shipping. What is going through their heads to ship it like that?

[Darryl Wolfe]

I thought you guys might also want to know that these are triple bound on the sides. I really did not notice it because it looks so at home to me (because my Loar is)

The real A-5 is triple bound on the face of the body and then on the sides of neck and face of peghead

[evanreilly]

My KM-900, an older model, is triple-bound both side and top on the body. Serial number is 09012003.

[Mandobar]

i like that case, darryl. what kind is that?