Kentucky Mandolin A Model Sunburst

Kentucky KM-150 A-Style Mandolin (Vintage Sunburst)

The KM-150 is highly praised for being an all-solid wood mandolin at a price point where many competitors offer laminate or hybrid construction. This "all-solid" construction is key to its superior tone and resonance.

Key Features and Specifications:

• Body Style: A-Style (teardrop shape) with F-holes. This design is traditionally associated with bluegrass and offers a punchier, brighter, and more focused tone with good projection.

• Construction:

  • Solid German Spruce Top: This is the most crucial feature. A solid, carved, and graduated spruce top is essential for vibrant acoustic tone, excellent resonance, and the ability of the instrument to "open up" and sound even better over time. German spruce is highly regarded for its tonal properties.

  • Solid Alpine Maple Back and Sides: Again, "solid" is the key here. Solid maple back and sides provide excellent projection, a crisp tone, and contribute to the "punch" desired in bluegrass and other styles.

  • Dovetail Neck Joint: The neck is typically joined to the body with a traditional dovetail joint, which is known for its strong resonance transfer and stability.

• Neck:

  • One-piece Alpine Maple Neck: Provides stability and contributes to the mandolin's overall resonance.

  • Rosewood Fingerboard: A durable and smooth playing surface.

  • Pearl Dot Inlays: Simple, traditional position markers.

  • Nut Material: Bone, which provides excellent string vibration transfer and sustain. The nut width is usually 1 1/8 inches, a comfortable width for many players.

  • Scale Length: 13 7/8 inches (standard mandolin scale).

  • Truss Rod: Vintage-style single-adjusting truss rod for neck relief adjustments.

• Hardware and Aesthetics:

  • Finish: High-gloss Vintage Sunburst lacquer finish. This classic sunburst is highly appealing and helps bring out the grain of the wood. The lacquer finish is thin, allowing the wood to resonate freely.

  • Peghead: Traditional "snakehead" shaped peghead with a black overlay and the "Kentucky" script logo inlaid in Mother-of-Pearl.

  • Tuners: Deluxe 4-on-a-plate, nickel-plated open-geared tuners with white buttons, providing good tuning stability.

  • Bridge: Adjustable Compensated Rosewood Bridge. This allows for precise intonation adjustments and action setting.

  • Tailpiece: 1920s-style stamped brass tailpiece with a press-fit cover.

  • Binding: Ivoroid binding on the body (top and back) and sometimes the fingerboard, adding a clean, classic look.

  • Pickguard: Often includes a black multi-ply pickguard.

• Strings: Typically comes strung with D'Addario EJ-74 Mandolin Strings.

• Case/Gig Bag: The KM-150 often includes a sturdy, padded ProTour BV-2520 Mandolin Gig Bag, adding excellent value.

Why the KM-150 is so well-regarded:

The Kentucky KM-150 is frequently recommended as the best all-solid wood mandolin available at its price point. Its solid wood construction provides superior tone, volume, and sustain compared to laminated instruments, making it a fantastic choice for:

• Aspiring Bluegrass Players: It delivers the punch, chop, and clarity needed for bluegrass.

• Intermediate Players: A significant upgrade from most beginner mandolins.

• Anyone seeking genuine acoustic tone: The all-solid wood construction ensures a rich, resonant sound that will mature over time.

While Kentucky produces other A-style models (some with oval holes for a warmer tone, or higher-end models with more elaborate appointments or hand-carved features), the KM-150 in its sunburst finish is often the quintessential "Kentucky A-style mandolin" that comes to mind for many players.