$199.00 solid F style mandolin

[Willie Poole]

Bob, You don`t expect it to sound as good as your Buckeye do you? A big shock if it even is close......

Willie

[dhergert]

I just did a fret dressing and adjusted the nut on my MKLFSTB. It plays very nicely now, just as smoothly as my F9. Like butter.

Which leaves me to think more about the other bolt-ons that I have on my F9. I have put a pick-guard, an armrest and a tone guard on my F9 and I really like them on it. When I got the MKLFSTB I was thinking in terms of getting the same items for it, but actually I think now I won't do that. The MKLFSTB sounds really quite good without them all, and more, the whole point for me was to get in with a travel/backup mandolin for as little investment as possible, so if it were to be damaged or stolen I wouldn't have a lot of heartache about it. The pick-guard, armrest and tone guard all together would probably add around $300 to the total investment, so I think I'll hold off.

I am going to get a strap for the MKLFSTB. And I may get a gig bag for it -- I'm using my F9's original TKL case for it now, which I'd like to preserve for the F9 in case I ever decide to sell or trade up with it.

I've been playing the MKLFSTB a lot. The strings are breaking in nicely so some of that new brightness is wearing off finally. I'm getting the nuances of pulling tone with the MKLFSTB. I think this is going to be a very fun mando for me.

I'm primarily a banjo player, but nice banjos are heavy and are a pain to carry around especially if you're mobility challenged anyway. I can't stand up while playing my banjos anymore, but mandos are light enough that I can easily carry them and can even stand up while playing. So while I've casually played mando on and off since the 70s, I've lately been seriously concentrating on getting more up to speed with the mando. And with travel/backup in mind, the MKLFSTB is going to be very handy.

So, my last issue with the MKLFSTB is the tuner button screw. I expect to be in contact with the good folks at Michael Kelly sometime on Monday and hopefully get that resolved pretty briskly... I told them that I'm willing to buy whatever parts are necessary to make this right, but from what they've said so far that probably won't be required. I'm still amazed that the founder and QC director both emailed me yesterday in response to my query on Friday evening. I know of some big-name instrument companies which would probably never respond like that.

[Jeff Mando]

Sounds like a good deal for the money -- F style and all! Most of the under $200 F styles I see are the bottom end Johnson/Savannah mandolins. This sounds like a step up.

[colorado_al]

I have played some good MK mandolins and some not so good. I had a MK Legacy Dragonfly with Fishman pickup and it was only so-so. Even with proper setup, it just wasn't very interesting sounding and certainly not worth the money I spent. I bought it in a hurry since my gigging Mandolin had been stolen and I needed something quick. My brother has a MK Legacy Elegante that is far better than the MK I had. I think MK mandolins can be good, they are just not consistently so. For $200, certainly worth the gamble, especially for a travel instrument. Glad yours is working well for you!

[EdHanrahan]

A question on the "re-stocking" feature, especially as the seller lists another without restocking for $299, or $100 more. The full implications are not clear either here or on the seller's website.

It seems to me that the instrument was sold, played lightly, and later "re-stocked", which I take to mean maybe there was buyer's remorse and the original deal was undone, preferably in a very short time but possibly otherwise(?). So does that make it a technically "used" instrument, or is the original sale deemed to have never occurred so that the new buyer is, at least legally, the "original purchaser" and retains all the legal rights, yadda yadda, covered under the manufacturer's "original purchaser" warrantee.

A price reduction of $100, or about a third, seems like a great trade-off for a few light playing scuffs, but seems less-great, and maybe quite appropriate, if there is no warrantee to the new buyer.

[dhergert]

Hi Ed,

Here is what MF says a "restock" item is:

= = = = =
What is Restock?

Restock products may have signs of use or other forms of cosmetic damage that do not affect playability or performance. They may also have worn or non-original packaging.

Restocks are factory authorized B stock or C stock that have been returned by retailers for a variety of reasons and have been reviewed, repaired, or repackaged by the manufacturer. Standards of quality vary from one manufacturer to another.

Restock Guarantees

In most cases Restock products are guaranteed by the manufacturer to function or play perfectly and are covered by a manufacturers warranty. Some manufacturers offer a warranty with a shorter duration than new products. Restocks are eligible for extended warranty Gold Coverage and are also covered by our Musicians Friend 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Order risk-free and take up to 45 days to check out the gear before deciding to keep it.
= = = = =

After receiving my MKLFSTB from MF on Friday afternoon, I had sent out an email to the Michael Kelly company on Friday evening about my restock MKLFSTB, including all the serial number and dates, prices, etc. My main reason for writing is that one of my tuner buttons is missing a screw and I needed to know where to get the right threaded screw for it. Among other things I asked about warranty...

The founder of the company, Tracy Hoeft, emailed me back SATURDAY MORNING providing information about the missing button screw, which he said they will provide a solution for, and this was followed within about 90 minutes by an email from the director of Quality Control, Tim Keyes, who said he thinks he has a few of them in his desk and will contact me on Monday morning. Obviously I'm very impressed with their service.

In the email from Tracy, he included that since this was a new Michael Kelly mandolin, my restock MKLFSTB from MF is covered by warranty. He added that lost items like my missing button screw are not covered under warranty, but that he and his QC director would make sure this is taken care of because they care about customer satisfaction... Again, I was very impressed.

So, it sounds like the restock MKLFSTB mandos from MF are covered by warranty.

That's my experience up to this point in time. I'm very positively impressed. As always, YMMV.

A question on the "re-stocking" feature, especially as the seller lists another without restocking for $299, or $100 more. The full implications are not clear either here or on the seller's website. ...

[ajm2qc03]

This is a killer steal, Don. I'm happy for you. I picked up an 08' Michael Kelly Legacy Elegante' a couple of months ago for $250 on CL...that's about 1/4 of the MSRP price back in '08, when they were still made in Korea. I am beyond satisfied with my instrument; it plays wonderfully compared other high end mando's that I've played, and definitely has a great and complex sound compared other sub 1k mando's.
I also had a similar experience when dealing with MK directly, a very satisfactory experience. I was curious about some body nuances and differences between MKLE made today versus the one that I have from '08. My curiosity compelled me to call MK directly. 1st off, a HUMAN picked up immediately instead of a robot. Secondly, I didn't really know how to pose my questions since I didn't have anything specific to ask, so i just started with "here's the serial # and tell me everything you know...Please". Expecting a short answer to try moving on to the next customer's issue, I was pleasantly surprised when he proceeded to tell me EVERYTHING I wanted to know including MK transition from Korea to China and what effects that had on the company and how my instrument played into that transition. It ended up being a 20 minute conversation! So I concur with your statements on their customer service, for not really needed anything with respect to an issue with the company or my instrument, they bent over backwards to make sure all of my seemly unimportant questions were answered.
I hope you continue to enjoy your MK, that really is a great deal for a work horse of an instrument

[dhergert]

Thank you Andy. I feel very lucky. Having my F9 to compare the MKLFSTB with really helps put this into perspective. After a little setup, playability is great. Tone is getting better every time I play it. And it looks very nice. Just need to get a strap. I may keep the MKLFSTB in a nice hard case instead of a gig-bag, it does deserve the extra protection.

I did hear back from Michael Kelly, they have already sent out the button screws that I need this morning.

Btw, I had also asked about the finish on mine, it isn't cyanoacrylate like I had suspected, but close -- it's a polyester finish. Should last for a long time .

[re simmers]

Arrived today. I tuned it up and played it. No missing parts. Structurally sound. 3 minor finish flaws. The G and D strings have a buzz. Frets aren't touching, so I will mess with the tuners and tail piece cover later. The sound is good - better than some $1,000 mandos I've played. It plays exceptional - no truss rod adjustment needed. I'm shocked they can build and sell this mandolin for $200. It's a keeper for my office at work, and backup.

[dhergert]

Yup, pretty amazing. The longer I play and learn how to pull tone from mine, the better it keeps sounding. My F9 is looking over it's shoulder, and it's a pretty great sound machine.

You mention tailpiece cover... Does yours have a one-piece cast tailpiece?

[re simmers]

Yes. Looks like a task to change strings.

[allenhopkins]

Somewhat interesting change in perspective: MK's don't get a lot of respect here on the Cafe, but when the price gets down under $200, hitherto undiscovered virtues emerge.

It's a real bargain for a solid-wood carved instrument, fer shur, but you can get a Kentucky KM-150 for under $300, and Kentucky instruments get generally better reviews. No curl and points on the KM, and that does count for a good deal.

Hope all the MK purchasers get satisfaction from their mandolins!

[dhergert]

Sooo, if your tailpiece is the same as mine, and I suspect it is, as it is the 1-piece cast metal Michael Kelly design tailpiece it really cannot be the source of the buzz unless one or more of the screws that hold it on are loose. The end "pin" could also be loose, that's also just tightening a screw. Tuners are a possibility, plenty of screws there (possibly to loose too). Although I'm not experiencing it, even though the 2-way truss rod doesn't need adjustment, it might need some tension on it to keep it from vibrating in the neck. Or maybe the truss rod cover is loose, screws again. If the buzz isn't from the frets, there isn't a whole lot else that can be making it. I'm used to banjos where any of 50 or more odd metal parts could buzz if they are loose.

As mentioned, I had two high frets under the E strings at fret 14 and fret 20. Those are gone now, the frets are nicely dressed and the string buzzing is gone. And while doing that I adjusted the nut for spacing and height. Very nice to play now.

Interestingly, I had to do almost exactly the same setup related things for my F9 when I got it. You'd think for a couple of thousand dollars difference... Well, I'm glad to have both instruments so why complain. Setups are a fact of life with just about any fretted instrument now days.

I'm toying with the thought of putting the same kind of Flat Top strings that I use on my F9 on my MKLF. But first I want to get the EXP74s broken in so I can really hear what they will sound like longer term. I wouldn't mind having two instruments that sound so different regarding brightness as these two sound just for the variety, but I really want the MKLF to use as a backup for my F9, so that's why I'm thinking about Flat Tops for it too. Something to consider for a while.

I just ordered my strap. That will make the MKLF easier for me to play -- I always wear the strap, whether standing or sitting. Almost ordered a gig bag, but I'm trying to talk myself out of it. The MKLF is nice enough to deserve a hard case.

I hope you're enjoying yours as much as I'm enjoying mine!

Yes. Looks like a task to change strings.

[mandolinstew]

Wonder how many they have.I just ordered one.Guitar Center is out of them.Amazon has one for $449.Michael Kelly is out of them.Looking forward to checking it out.Could be my workplace mando.

[MikeEdgerton]

I thought it was a one off, it appears they might have more.

[Willie Poole]

Their web site now shows them for $$299, I wonder if they are marked down because of the buzz that both of you encountered? Maybe they thought it was something internal in the mandolins or wasn`t worth their time to correct the high frets,,,

Are they still located in Clearwater Fla.? I wanted to tour their place one year to see what they had and they said they only sell through a dealer so i never pursued it...I am sure what they have is better than the junk that Fender offers though and is cheaper too, in price...

Willie

[dhergert]

Hmmm, the original website that Mike posted still shows them at the same price and in stock... Just went to the OP and tried it. Also if you do a search at MF for "restock MKLFSTB" it will come up.

-- Don

[dhergert]

Ok, just to wrap this up for me, the Michael Kelly people sent me the missing screw for my tuner button plus three others as backup. Very nice. So my restock MKLFSTB is in excellent shape now.

Continuing setup with my MKLFSTB, I've put on some new FT74 FlatTop strings on both it and on my F9 so I could compare them more accurately. This is where it gets really interesting...

The extreme brightness of the MKLFSTB is now gone. It has greater sustain than the F9, I suspect mostly because of the heavy cast tailpiece but also maybe because of the poly finish or the ABS nut (with open strumming). Both instruments sound great. The F9 does have a more complex, colored tone, that slightly muted resonance that I've learned to love from it, and I'm not hearing that as much from the MKLFSTB yet although it's new and perhaps it is not opened up yet. But at least to my ears this difference is very subtle.

My wife, who has played guitar and sung with me for over 45 years and has pretty good ears for musical differences, can't tell them apart except for the greater sustain of the MKLFSTB. My son, who plays guitar and bass in bands, also agrees with this assessment.

Soooo, the MKLFSTB is now my backup and travel mando and I'm extremely pleased with it. $199 is a remarkable deal for quite a nice mandolin.

Many thanks to Mod Mike for pointing this deal out in the OP, and for others for helping to clarify questions about it.

-- Don

[mandolinstew]

Picked mine up yesterday at the post office.Box and mandolin in good condition.Put on E and A Thomastiks,D and G GHS silk and steels.There are a few areas not finished well but are not noticeable.Only had to adjust the bridge.Very surprised how good it sounds.

[MikeEdgerton]

The link in my original post still shows these as 199.00. It isn't stopping me from getting to the shopping cart.

[mandolinstew]

from ABS nut supplier in China: Solid Durable,a good choice for your Mandolin instrument,it is will bring more beautiful music for you.How can you resist that?

[re simmers]

I guess it's not a "limited edition?" Lol
I'm glad I bought it anyhow!
Bob

[Mike Stewart]

The link in my original post still shows these as 199.00. It isn't stopping me from getting to the shopping cart.

After watching this thread for a few days, I finally said, "what the hell" and ordered one just minutes ago. MF took my money just fine.

[dhergert]

Mike, I hope you and others who are getting or have already received these mandos are as pleased as I've been.

Keep in mind, as new instruments these mandos are covered by the MK warranty per the MK folks themselves. I think it's a 2 year warranty, which may be shorter than the normal MK warranty for this item, but 2 years is a really good shake out period. As you may have seen from my previous posts in this thread, the MK people have been an absolute joy to work with for me; they obviously want their customers to be happy with their instruments.

Also, MF has a 45-day return period, plus you can get an extended warranty if desired.

(Regarding warranty, I do expect that adjusting the nut and dressing the frets voids the factory warranty at least for those parts under most civilian circumstances.)

I consider this the best musical $199 I've spent in a long time.

Best of luck with this!

-- Don

[MikeEdgerton]

I finally decided to just buy one of these as a mandolin to keep at work. The order went through fine.

What the heck, I've got an extra case sitting here and some other hardware I can change if need be.