Anyone Familiar With Kentucky KM 1500 From Late 1980s?

[FlabbyFabby]

I'm considering buying one and as a new (one year) mandolin player would love some feedback. How do they compare to recent 1500 models? To the KM1000? I now play an entry level Loar and need to upgrade.
Am new to the forum, what a great place!
Thanks for your thoughts.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Welcome to the Forum. I could go into a long detailed response to your post but I won't. The short answer is that the '80s-built Kentucky KM-1500s are considered to be some of the best by Kentucky. I own an '84 though, so my opinion might be biased.

One of the coolest features of this website is the 'search' function. Enter a few key words...Kentucky 1500, '80's Kentucky, KM-1500, Kentucky/Sumi (one of the build-team members of your mandolin) etc. You'll find dozens of threads and hundreds of posts discussing the very subject you are wondering about.

Good luck.

[FlabbyFabby]

Thanks Flatrock Hill and I'd love to hear what you have to say no matter how long. Would you prefer to send it directly to my personal email address? Can you access it from my profile?
I'll do the search as you suggested.

[mandobassman]

I only ever heard and played one KM-1500. It was a mid 80's model built in Japan and it was outstanding. It was a powerful Bluegrass mandolin.

[almeriastrings]

I've played a recent (2012) KM-1500 and an 80's version side-by-side and I'd say that the current ones are also excellent. In that price range, both are hard to beat. The new one I tried was really very nice indeed, I would certainly not say it was in any way at all inferior. I just think the KM-1500 has always been a very nice mandolin.

[f5loar]

I have (do) own them both and consider the new ones to be far superior to the 80's 1500s. These new ones are much more "Loar like" in looks and how them feel as well as they play. Sound wise they are pretty close, I just think the quality is a bit better on the new ones.

[FlabbyFabby]

Thanks EVERYONE for you thoughts and feedback. I bought the 1987 KM 1500 and really love it. I now wish I could play it all the time, but the wear and tear on my fingers and 'real' life get in the way of that.
Love this forum!

[Jim Nollman]

Do all the 1980's Kentucky F-5s have the raised spine running down the back plate? Or is just my KM-850 that has it? I've always wondered how that slight extra mass affects tone.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Do all the 1980's Kentucky F-5s have the raised spine running down the back plate? Or is just my KM-850 that has it? I've always wondered how that slight extra mass affects tone.

To the best of my knowledge, only the KM-850 has that extra lump on the back, near the heel. No idea why it's there or if it makes any difference in tone.

[FlabbyFabby]

Jim,
I'm not sure what you're referring to, don't know what the back plate or raised spine is. But, if it's something I'd notice that's different about the KM 1500 than other F shapes I don't notice any difference. The more I play it the more I love it. So happy i got it!
FlabbyFabby