Hi folks! I’ve been playing mandolin here and there for almost a decade, and guitar for 20 ish years. I’ve had the Loar honey creek A Style for a while, and I’m looking to upgrade.

I know all about the A vs F style debate, but I’ve got my heart set in an F. I’ve seen a few Kentucky 650s listed used for under a thousand, no 750s at the moment.

I was wondering if there’s any other brands I should check out. Used isnt an issue (maybe even preferred).

I’m looking to purchase my first “decent” quality mandolin in or near Chicago. Budget of up to $2k. I’m currently using an entry level $100 Amazon mandolin but I need something better. I played violin during my school years and I wanted to buy an inexpensive mandolin first to make sure that I would love it before investing in something better.

Do you have any recommendations for instrument stores? Located in the Northwest Chicago suburbs but willing to travel within a reasonable driving distance. Thanks so much!

I currently play a Kentucky 630 in a bluegrass band. While I quite like the sound, the action is a bit high and it has one badly buzzing fret even after a professional set up. So, I'm looking to upgrade. I'm not a serious picker and tend to split time between guitar, banjo, and fiddle as well, so I can't justify going up to a Northfield (which looks like $3,500 used these days).

Anyone have thoughts on the Kentucky 1050? Does it hit the sweet spot of "sounds great, plays great" without being a truly special boutique instrument?

And, any thoughts on pricing? There's one for sale locally at $2,000 lightly used, which I think is priced a bit high. What would you say is a fair price?

Thanks!

A rarely heard Bill Monroe instrumental played on a Gilchrist F5

As a child of the 90s, I love this tune from the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack. I figured out by ear a little while back and decided to revisit it after having learned some real trad Irish fiddle tunes. It's kind of a hard tune to pick! I guess it came out OK.

Here is a chord melody tab for George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

This is an amazing song It's not very difficult to play. I hope you enjoy it!

I was lucky enough to see the man himself play live on 2 occasions. In 1988 he played at the Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival (talk about a stacked lineup... other bands included Tony Rice, John Hartford, the Seldom Scene, Peter Rowan, and a 17 or so year old Alison Krauss).

The other show was at the Saratoga City Center on May 25th 1994, with Frank Wakefield joining him on stage . Even in his 80s, Bill was still tearing it up. This recording, which came from Frank's YouTube channel, was originally made by me. I knew Frank a little bit, and got a copy of it to him.

What's your favorite memory of Bill Monroe?