Welp, Kelley A5 #79 arrived safe and sound yesterday! Thanks to Kevin at Mandomutt in NC for working with me, and especially answering my questions over the weekend. I'm not recommending you bother him on the weekend, but it was nice of him to respond when I did. Great customer service, highly recommend checking out his inventory when you're in the market. I believe he is the sole retailer of new Kelley mandos, so he's got that going for him!
I'm sold on Skip's quality of work, attention to detail, and ability to dial in a winning combo of materials, hardware, and construction! The 100 year-old red spruce top sounds nice and played-in already, and I'm sure it'll only get better with time and miles. All the hardware is top notch. The Schaller GrandTune tuners are especially smooth and seem to hold pitch well. This is my first mando with EVO gold frets, and I like them so far. Can't go wrong with a James tailpiece. The finish is fantastic, and I'm soaking in that new mandolin smell!
Overall, it plays like a dream and the tone is spot on what I was hoping for. Has that dry, woody bark when you lay into it, and yet has a full, rich tone at the same time. Chords punch and single notes sing, couldn't ask for a better bluegrass mando! I don't know how Mr. Kelley has not got a bigger reputation yet, but I can see why folks that have played one are singing his praise. And I say that only because I wasn't aware of his mandolins prior to my recent thread trying to find a builder that could do an A5 with a great bluegrass tone. Maybe it's just me who was out of the loop.
Anyhoo, here's some pics of #79!
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