Kentucky KM-272 Artist Oval Hole A-Style Mandolin – Transparent Amber – Solid Spruce Top, Maple Back & Sides, Rosewood Fingerboard – Professional Mandolin for Beginner and Advanced Players

I bought this instrument used from Amazon Resale and it was listed as “mint.” That was an accurate description. The only sign of use were numerous “scratches” on the clear protective decal on the pickguard. Once that was removed the entire instrument was blemish free. The instrument is beautiful, is easy to tune, and seems to stay in tune very well. The tone is bright and articulate with a very nice chime when “chopped” if that is the right term. The string height suits me well. I had a top quality luthier install a front strap knob, and was told that a setup was not needed. So, beautiful and flawless finish, setup as delivered would allow a beginner to learn with no disadvantage, pleasing tone, and plenty of volume . Also, the soft case is very nice looking and appears to be very protective for normal use, but not crush-proof. Oh, and let me add, the mandolin is much better looking than the product photo would lead one to believe.

When my wife saw me looking at ukuleles on-line, she said that if was going to buy another instrument, she would like a mandolin. Since I really don’t need another ukulele (does anyone need more than eight? – that’s rhetorical – of course they do), I took that as permission to acquire a mandolin. Not wanting to spend a ton of money on an instrument that neither of us was sure we would play much, I proceeded to do my usual exhaustive research. I didn’t want to go with a really cheap instrument because I know they can be more trouble than they are worth. I decided to purchase an Ibanez model that seemed to hit the sweet spot between price and performance. When it arrived there was a small problem with it and I had to return it. In a way that was fortunate because my wife didn’t care for how it looked and I wasn’t impressed with it either, though I am sure it would have been adequate for our use. I didn’t want to go cheaper, so I figured I would bite the bullet and upgrade to what I considered to be a better mandolin. Thus this Kentucky KM-270. The first impression was that this was a very nice mandolin. For the price, I expected it to be. I could not find any construction flaws and the finish was great. The fretboard was straight and the frets were fine with a good action. The bridge came set correctly, including intonation. I didn’t need to do any set-up. The only issue was that the strings were obviously corroded. I am sure this was from sitting around in a box for some time. I had purchased a set of strings “just in case” and got to use them sooner than I expected. I got to know the mandolin by doing a complete restringing. This mandolin sounds much better than I will probably ever be able to play it, and it certainly will satisfy my wife’s desire to have something to “play around with.” I really like the oval sound hole as compared to the f-hole models. It has a nice mellow sound that is appropriate for the type of playing that my wife and I do. We are not into bluegrass, being rather inclined to folk and Celtic music. I was considering buying a gig bag that had the Kentucky logo on it, but wanted to wait until I got the mandolin. It’s a good thing I did, because it came with the gig bag, and it’s a very nice one. Very heavy duty, though the accessory pocket could be a bit more voluminous. Still, it’s big enough to get a tuner, a sling and a wiping rag into. For the money, in spite of costing more than what I had originally wanted to spend, I think this mandolin is worth it. It sounds good and looks good, and is all the mandolin I will ever need.

I actually went through three mandolins to get the right one. The first was not even a Km-272 rather they sent a KM-256. The second one I received had some defects in the finish. The third was a beautiful one. Took it to my luthier and he stated there was nothing needed to be done to it. His first response was man this is loud. I left it with him to make any adjustments he felt needed. When I returned to get it he stated I may have to get me one. I have a KM-505 but this thing is a lot louder! Great mandolin! The gig bag was nice as well!

I love this mandolin. The sound is sweet and it is beautiful. The amber finish looks great, the inlay is really nice, no defects or quality issues. It’s my first mandolin and learning was kind if slow until I realized the tuning is the same as a guitar, just flipped and with the high B and E removed, since then it’s been off to the races. Leather travel case is nice. I only gave it 4 stars for two reasons - one being that the little strap knob on the bottom is cheap plastic, is too wide and short (the strap I bought doesn’t really fit), and doesn’t really match the rest of the instrument in quality. Should be metal, but a small issue overall. The other issue is that I had to send one back to get a good one. I originally ordered the KM252 and it came looking awful - lots of scratches esp near the bridge, pick guard damaged, looked like it came from a showroom floor or had been returned a few times. So keep that in mind if you get one, you might have to send it back and try again.

I selected the Kentucky KM 272 due to the solid wood top, sides and back, and the radius fretboard. It arrived today and the set-up was great. No need to adjust the truss rod, or the bridge for the intonation. Also, the bridge was fitted to the sound board properly, no need for it to be adjusted either. Right out of the box, all I had to do was tune the strings. What a relief. The mandolin is great, with beautiful maple figuring on the back. Totally satisfied. I've also bought a Sega Cremona SV-500 Violin. Pretty much the same great experience. I'm very thankful for Sega to produce these quality instruments at entry level pricing.

This is a very decent mandolin. But beware that the bridge is not fitted. If you don't know how to fit the feet of a bridge, you'd better buy it at a brick and mortar store that does set-up.

This was a warehouse deal. There was only one thing wrong, the pick guard was broken off and needed to be reglued. Other than that, the mandolin was flawless. At about 60% off, it was an absolute steal. I took it to a local repair shop and they repaired the pick guard and did a professional setup on it. The mandolin sounds and looks fantastic, I couldn't be any happier.

The Mandolin itself was great - clearly good quality. The strings on the other hand were very poor and snapped on the first attempt at tuning them. Very disappointed as this was a gift for a “big” birthday.

At the outset, I should say I am new to the mandolin but I have played its cousin, the fiddle, some 20 years and been playing music almost since I could walk. I've played guitars, fiddles, saxophones, clarinets, Irish whistles, Celtic harps, wire harps, and on top of that, I used to own a folk instrument store. So, while new to mandolins, I am not new to music. The fiddle has been my main instrument for decades, but i wanted to get into an instrument with a softer, sweeter sound. I love old folk music and mostly play Irish and Scots music and some medieval music. The mandolin is the direct descendant of the lute and it's a natural for a fiddler--the tuning is the same and the fingering is almost the same. Fiddlers tend to pick up the mandolin very quickly, and I've found that to be true. I already sound like I've been playing it for ages. One day I heard the Kentucky 272. It was love at first note, so I researched it. I learned this model is built in the old style, and has a subtler voice than modern mandolins, rich in overtones. I would describe it as velvety, smoky and liquid. It's not loud but it has good volume. So I ordered one. She arrived only today. The bridge was lightly affixed to the sound body in a good position and adjusted for optimum action. All I had to do was make a few slight adjustments and tune it up (though every player of a bridged instrument really should know how to do their own adjustments). Playing it was a joy from the very first. The fingerboard required only a light touch, just a little heavier than I would press violin strings, and it was not touchy. WHAT A JOY! I soon found myself playing tunes like King of the Fairies and The Butterfly with speed and ease. And the voice--magnificent. It makes me think of smoke and dreams. The 272 is like the best of the modern mandolin and its forebear, the medieval lute. I LOVE this instrument. I simply cannot say enough good things about it. I can only say try it. In my opinion, this is a remarkably nice instrument at a very reasonable price. I am incredibly happy with it.

When I received the mandolin, the pick guard had already broken off in the case. The bridge was also not attached and the strings were corroded so it had been sitting in a warehouse a long time. The repairs and the setup will cost an additional $150

Instrument arrived with the pickguard broke off, bridge dislodged and out of place, and poor condition strings. Also appears that the carry bag/case is dirty and may have been under weight (likely cause of broken pickguard). I've since repaired the pickguard, restrung, and set up the bridge and the sound is decent. It's a bad experience thus far.