- #KENTUCKY MANDOLIN KM 160 HOW TO#
- #KENTUCKY MANDOLIN KM 160 INSTALL#
- #KENTUCKY MANDOLIN KM 160 FULL#
Sound is impressive, finish is fine, and I look forward to putting my own D'Addarios on in a few weeks.īy the way, my best mando is the Michael Kelly Legacy. I use the As for Bach, and the 160 sounds fine. All my other mandos are radiused, but this flat fretboard is quite workable.
I have played it for a few hours and find no need to send it for setup, although probably should. I have a Washburn F, Michael Kelly F, an Eastman F, a higher Kentucky A (505?), and this 160. They may be hard to find, but if you do, you won't be sorry.īest Deals for Kentucky Artist A-Model Mandolin Model KM-160 in Traditional.which is a big-sound, ready-to-go, well-priced carved mandolin. The fact that it is one of the few in this price range with a solid (not laminate) carved spruce top and a truss rod counts for alot. After alot of research on the web, this one consistently had the best reviews. made instrument? I doubt it, but it will be a great little work-horse player for those wanting one as a secondary instrument.Ĭlick Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >I've been playing guitar for a while (mostly Contemporary Christian & Irish) and wanted to cross over onto the Mandolin. But if you want an actual instrument that will last you a while, you can't go wrong with this one. If you're just wanting a mandolin to just mess around with, by all means order a $60 one.
I would classify this as an intermediate-level instrument.
#KENTUCKY MANDOLIN KM 160 HOW TO#
I already knew how to do this on a guitar, so the entire set-up time for me, out-of-the box, was about 15 minutes.
#KENTUCKY MANDOLIN KM 160 INSTALL#
There are many articles and videos on-line demonstrating how to install it, but if you have no previous experience in doing this or setting intonation this may be an aggravating process. The bridge has to be installed correctly or your fretted notes won't be in tune. One thing to note, and none of the sellers ever mention it, is that almost all arch-top instruments do not have an affixed bridge piece and for the safety of the instrument are shipped without it installed, and the strings completely slacked off. But the light has to hit it just right to see it. Going over it completely, there is one small (out the size of a pen tip) ding in the clear-coat on the top. The strings it shipped with seem to be of good quality, and feel and play comparable to any name brand guitar strings I've ever used. With the range of a mandolin, it is pretty easy to make one that sounds thin and life-less.
#KENTUCKY MANDOLIN KM 160 FULL#
This thing sounds great, really full and well rounded. The fret work is very well done, nicely filed and leveled, and all of the inlay work is great.
And the top is an actual piece of spruce, not a laminate.
The finish on mine is extremely nice for the price and it has a very nice visible wood grain. The tuners look like what you'd find on most entry level instruments, but every time i pick it up it's still in tune. I've played on some cheaper models, and they felt like toys. This is a great little player, and I've been able to make the transition from guitar and banjo very quick. I've owned several really nice, professional-level guitars, so I do have some reference point for instrument quality. I'm mainly a guitar play (15+ years) and dabble in some other instruments as well. The cheaper mandolins that don't have one will be little more than firewood or a luthier project if the neck ever starts to bow. There are a lot of cheaper ones out there, but one of the big selling points for me was having an adjustable truss rod and they included the allen wrench for it. Before ordering this I did quite a bit of research online, and this Mandolin gets a lot of recommendations for beginning players that want a decent instrument.