harptech - Posted - 03/28/2014:  16:08:22

Hello.  New to the forums so I thought I'd introduce myself.

I've been lurking for a little while and it seems like a nice group of folks here. I'm also over at the flatpicker hangout.

I'm new to the mandolin, though I have played around a little ...I know some chords and a few melodies. 

I've been playing guitar for 30+ years and country/blues harmonica for about 20. I customize my own harps, hence the "harptech" handle.

I just purchased a Kentucky KM-700 mandolin which should arrive Monday ...so I'm pretty excited about getting started.

...Looking forward to hanging out...

-bill

TSSN - Posted - 03/28/2014:  21:25:53

Welcome.  The more the merrier.

I have played the 700.  Nice choice.

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 03/29/2014:  05:32:15

Welcome , Enjoy the process , the big difference between mandolins and guitars is the differences of being tuned in fifths and not fourths. An of course no "B" string. Enjoy your mandolin. If you haven't already check out the " Mandolin Café" site. It is a wealth of information also .... Luck ... R/

Steven Clarkson - Posted - 03/29/2014:  07:53:38

Welcome! Glad to have you aboard!

mandoteacher - Posted - 03/29/2014:  08:08:07

Nice to meet you Bill!

harptech - Posted - 03/29/2014:  14:48:43

I really appreciate the warm welcome, guys. Thanks.

quote:

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Originally posted by UsuallyPickin

 

Welcome , Enjoy the process , the big difference between mandolins and guitars is the differences of being tuned in fifths and not fourths. An of course no "B" string. Enjoy your mandolin. If you haven't already check out the " Mandolin Café" site. It is a wealth of information also .... Luck ... R/

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UsuallyPickin... I've been lurking over at the cafe, also. I actually purchased my Kentucky off of their classifieds.

Just a little nervous... I've never bought an instrument that I haven't played. ...I'm prayin' for a good one. LOL,

-bill

TSSN - Posted - 03/29/2014:  21:28:45

Let us know how that Kentucky turns  out.  

TI_USER - Posted - 03/30/2014:  09:44:10

Welcome Bill.  Good luck with the new mandolin.  Fine first choice.  I've been a Mandolin Cafe member for several years and have bought and sold many items from the Classifieds and have had nothing but success there.  The Cafe is policed pretty well by members and and moderators and "bad apples" are not tolerated for long.  Hope you have many years of enjoyment with the mandolin.  I've been playing for 35 years and still enjoy it just as much as I did when I first started.  Even more because now I actually know how to play it.

Jonnyboy - Posted - 03/31/2014:  02:10:43

Welcome bill.
I too have a Kentucky and just started playing at the beginning of this year although I've been on this site for a while.
Good look with the new mandolin and let us know how it goes.

Victoria - Posted - 04/07/2014:  13:48:58

Welcome to Mando Hangout!!!

TeachinMandolin444 - Posted - 04/09/2014:  07:50:10

Welcome,Bill! I'm another Kentucky  mandolin player.....I have a KM-140 that I love. Be sure to ask questions (I've played guitar for over 30 yrs like you) 

harptech - Posted - 04/23/2014:  06:07:16

Well, I've had the Kentucky KM-700 for a few weeks and thought I'd pass along a little critique.

First of all... the mandolin had never been set up. Probably why the previous owner traded it in.

Fit and Finish... she's pretty! Flame maple is gorgeous. Close examination shows some finish flaws along the edge bindings, the inside of the scroll is pretty rough. Overall, pretty much what I expected. I'm glad I saved some money buying used. I'd be disappointed if I paid top price for it. It's hard to believe what you get for your money these days...

So, I started with the nut... I filed the string slots down to about .011 -.013" e-g over the first fret from a starting point of nearly .025" and I shaped the nut. It does have a bone nut. Then I addressed the saddle. I fitted the saddle to the top, then I lowered it (a lot) to about .052" over the 12th fret. Again, a big improvement to playability. However it developed the dreaded fret buzz, so I checked the frets and found a couple low and a few high. I undressed the instrument and took my trusty file to the fretboard and leveled the little buggers, then dressed and polished them. I oiled the fretboard, cleaned and polished the instrument, put on a new set of Martin Bluegrass strings and tuned her up... the truss rod was adjusted fine, never had to touch it. She pretty much plays like butter, now.

Of course, I am not a mandolin player (yet), but she feels real good, the action is nice and she has a pretty good tone. Once I get a little playing technique established, I think it will be a nice player.

I do my own set up work on my guitars, so I have most of the needed tools to do the job, but this is the first time I ever worked on a mandolin...

Of course, as the salesman informed me in advance.... she's no Gibson F5. ...But I think she'll suite me fine for a good while.

-Bill

SteveZ - Posted - 04/23/2014:  13:18:14

Congrats on the KM.  Mandolins are more finicky than guitars, and a decent set-up, getting the action right for you and finding the strings which best match up to the instrument are so necessary.  

As far as the KM not being a Gibson, so what!  What makes the musician smile is what matters, not the logo on the headstock.  Everyone has their favorite for their own reasons, and it's usually because the instrument meets the person's Goldilocks standard -  e.g., not too large, not too small, just right!   Too many folk get wrapped around the axle on brand names and logos.  50 years of guitars taught me there's a lot of darned good guitars out there other than the high-priced ones, and it's the same with mandolins.

harptech - Posted - 04/23/2014:  14:36:55

Stevez, I am in total agreement about headstock logos... I meant to add an LOL or a smiley face, but I inadvertently left it out during some wordsmithing of my post. The funny thing is, that actually was a real quote from the salesman. LOL!



Thanks for the comments.



-Bill

 

Edited by - harptech on 04/23/2014 14:43:51