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KENTUCKY MANDOLIN KM 310 SERIES
If you want a carved top and back, the KM-250 series is where that starts for Kentucky. The current version is pretty good and is now that the woods are solid-the price has gone up to reflect this, also. Kentucky also has some models with heavier frets as an option. The absolutely BEST buy for an inexpensive mandolin is the Kentucky 150.
KENTUCKY MANDOLIN KM 310 PLUS
Kentucky has some modern designs if you want something less traditional plus others that copy vintage mandolins quite closely.īoth Eastman and Kentucky offer mandolins with wider necks than normal but none are as wide as 'teens Gibsons like my A-1. Sometimes there are minor finish issues around the scroll not as apparent on the more expensive Mandy's from the other two. I sell far more than the other two put together. Also, most of the Fs have corresponding As with the same construction. Generally, the hand carved Loars are available at lower prices than the other two lines. The 700 has a modern, open sound while the 520 is a plain looking hand-carved F at a very nice price. The LM-600 is my first choice when it comes to sounding like a 1920s F-5 without breaking the bank. Loars seem to be quite even from instrument to instrument and are the closest to looking like a vintage LL. If you play a few of them, one will usually stand out by being brighter or mellower or with a punchy mid. I find Eastman very well made but inconsistent in tone. That's an inferior, entry-level instrument this is the real thing.Eastman, Loar and Kentucky are all good. Please don't confuse this mandolin with the 4-string Kentucky KM-300E currently sold by Saga. Today you can pretend inflation never happened and get it for the same price it was fetching back in the 1980s. The KM-400E was made in Japan and imported by Saga Instruments, but was discontinued about 20 years ago. It has shocking blue velvet lining and is also in good condition. Original rectangular hardshell case included. Everything appears to be original and in excellent shape. Perfect for Western swing, country, or jazz. It looks, feels, and plays much like an acoustic mandolin (although it certainly doesn't sound like one), and could be a great choice as a first electric for a player making the transition. Extended fretboard features binding and standard 13-7/8" scale length neck has an adjustable truss rod. Tone and volume controls are tucked down toward the edge, where you're less likely to bump them with your picking hand. Spruce top, maple back/sides, and semihollow construction add a touch of warmth to the signal from the hot blade-style pickup (which looks and sounds very similar to the ones used in the Hondo electric F-style from roughly the same time period). The KM-400E is a sharp looker, with its gold hardware, 2-point design, sunburst finish, symmetrical pickguard, and 3-ply binding on the body and headstock. Here, years later, is what I missed out on. tried to talk me into a KM-400E anyway, but I turned him down.
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Well, I had the $531 for the 5-string but not the nearly $700 (in 1989 dollars, mind you!) for the 4-string. At the time, the choice was between a semihollow 4-string Kentucky KM-400E, like this one, and its 5-string solidbody cousin, the KM-300E. I bought my first electric mandolin in December 1989, with money I had earned from a week's worth of busking Christmas carols on the viola in downtown Seattle.