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Thread: Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

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    Question Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

    Greetings,

    Though I'm new to this forum, I'm a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing mandolin since the latter half of the 1970s and am looking to become more serious with my development on the instrument.

    I'm reaching out for help as a colleague has a 2012 Kentucky KM-650 that he's offered to sell me for what seems to be a good price and I'm currently nearing the end of a short period of evaluating this mandolin at home (before committing to the purchase). Though most things seemed good to great, I noticed a few (mostly minor) problems:

    1. A significant buzz on the 14th fret of the D strings
    2. The tuners for the A strings seem to have a bit of play (but I am able to tune them with a little extra time and effort)
    3. A few minor cosmetic issues that mostly look like permanent smudges

    The action and feel of this mandolin is excellent and, though my exposure has mostly been limited to inexpensive models in the past (and own an old Stradolin that has a few issues as well), this Kentucky was noticeably easier to play than anything else I've ever tried. As such, I was thinking about moving forward with the deal but then discovered this old (2015) thread on the model in question:

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...entucky-KM-650

    Based on what I've read here (highlighting posts #10 and #15 in particular), I'm now a bit concerned that the truss rod and/or neck joint seems to have a statistically decent chance of being problematic. With this in mind, I'm very much hoping for specific guidance regarding:

    1. Would it be likely that I'd end up in a situation (down the road) where I'd want to be able to adjust the truss rod?
    2. Given that fact that I don't want to touch the truss rod prior to purchase, how risky would it be to move forward and hope that the truss rod works OK and/or I'll never really find a reason to try adjusting it?

    None of the other frets (or even strings on the 14th fret) have any buzz-related issues and the neck is comfortable and more playable than I've ever experienced all the way up--and I doubt I'll be able to find another mandolin in my price range that is as nice as this (and I like the fact that I'd be purchasing it from a friend at work). I would very much appreciate any guidance that might help me move forward with making a final decision. Thanks a lot and best wishes! -Alan
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  2. #2
    Registered User Eric F.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

    You are going to need to adjust the truss rod at some point. Why not just give it a little turn one way and then turn it back? Also, it sounds like the issues with the instruments in the other thread were immediately apparent, so my uneducated guess is yours was one of the good ones. Do you have a luthier or decent shop near enough you could bring it in for a look?

    The tuners are a minor issue. The family of the late Paul Hostetter has kept his website up, and his page on tuners has helped many of us.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

    As an experienced repairman, the only sensible thing that I can say is that no one can look at pictures or a description of an instrument over the internet and be able to tell with absolute certainty what the instrument needs now without having the instrument in hand. Nor can I say for sure what an instrument might need a few years down the road, even if I do have it in hand.

    I would advise against making any attempt to adjust the truss rod on an instrument that you do not own, no matter whether the attempt is made by you or a competent repairman. That's because if something goes wrong, you've got a problem.

    A good repairman should be able to tell what is causing the fret buzz, and if the neck geometry, fretwork, and the neck joint are all reasonably sound. But other than a bridge adjustment, if necessary, he should make no attempts to make any adjustments to the instrument unless you own it.

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    Default Re: Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

    Hi again,

    Thanks very much for the feedback, Eric and RCC. It really helps in my ability to judge the level of risk I'd be taking on if I were to move ahead with the purchase (something I've committing to doing, one way or the other on Monday). Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any good mandolin-centric luthiers in the area and agree about not wanting to even try touching the truss rod myself unless I already end up owning it. I appreciate the link to that tuner page as well, something I think I may have found a while back when trying to see if I could work on making the tuners on my old Stradolin function a bit better.

    Though not a professional luthier, I've got a lot of experience setting up guitars and my Chapman Stick as well--and my observation (without the benefit of tools) is that the buzzy E on the 14th fret of the D string is a result of the fret being a bit lower under those strings for some reason.

    Thanks again for your help and best wishes! -Alan

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    Default Re: Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

    My thinking is:

    1. how often do I play the 14th fret of the D strings?
    2. how cheap is it?
    3. how old are the strings? (worn out strings often buzz)
    4. is it reasonable to expect an 11 year old instrument to be perfect?

    I should qualify this by saying all of my instruments are either vintage or used and I accept this -- both for the wonderful qualities and the less-than-perfect qualities. YMMV.

    I will say it is a nice looking mandolin. I see the label says KM-650, but features a bound peghead with inlay, as well as gold hardware. Not sure what is up with that, the current KM-650's online don't have those features. Maybe the model specs have changed?
    Last edited by Jeff Mando; Jan-27-2023 at 6:04pm.

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    Default Re: Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

    Frets and truss rods function the same way on all fretted instruments.
    A good guitar repairman should be able to diagnose the cause of your fret buzz, and if he's got a good eye, be able to tell if there is a problem with your neck joint.

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    Default Re: Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Mando View Post
    My thinking is:

    1. how often do I play the 14th fret of the D strings?
    2. how cheap is it?
    3. how old are the strings? (worn out strings often buzz)
    4. is it reasonable to expect an 11 year old instrument to be perfect?

    I should qualify this by saying all of my instruments are either vintage or used and I accept this -- both for the wonderful qualities and the less-than-perfect qualities. YMMV.

    I will say it is a nice looking mandolin. I see the label says KM-650, but features a bound peghead with inlay, as well as gold hardware. Not sure what is up with that, the current KM-650's online don't have those features. Maybe the model specs have changed?
    Thanks for the additional reply, Jeff. Being a prog-rock player (with a little classical and jazz thrown in), I don't think I'd be likely to play that buzzy E on the 14th fret all that often--though I'm hoping to develop at least some ability to sit in on the occasional bluegrass jam or folk circle on mandolin (and our friend who almost exclusively plays bluegrass says he does use that particular E every so often). I've actually had a hard time getting a clear market value on the instrument, but it seems like the asking price is definitely a bit below the low end of the expected range. (The strings seem fairly new and I'm confident the source of the buzz is a problem with the fret/neck, but I definitely wouldn't want to raise the action as it's really low, clean, and playable otherwise.)

    I suppose my biggest concern is trying to evaluate the potential risk of there being a more serious underlying issue that could worsen over time and put me back in the position of having to find yet another instrument to replace this one. (I thought the Stradolin was better than anything else I could afford at the time I picked that up a few years back, but it turned out to be more problematic than I realized at the time of purchase.)

    The colleague who is offering to sell me this KM-650 mentioned the model changing over time and the features of this vintage being a bit higher end, though I don't recall the specifics.

    Best wishes and thanks again,


    Alan

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    Default Re: Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    Frets and truss rods function the same way on all fretted instruments.
    A good guitar repairman should be able to diagnose the cause of your fret buzz, and if he's got a good eye, be able to tell if there is a problem with your neck joint.
    Again, much appreciated.

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    Default Re: Kentucky KM-650 (2012) buzzy fret & truss rod/neck joint help

    Hello again,

    I just spoke with my colleague who is selling the mandolin and he verified that he already had a trusted luthier examine the truss rod on the instrument and it was verified to be working correctly. As such, we have agreed to move forward with the sale and I'm very happy to become the official owner of this KM-650 on Monday.

    A very big thank-you to everyone who provided feedback to my enquiry and helped me feel as informed as possible before committing to the purchase.

    Best wishes,


    Alan

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