Kansas K-MA1B Mandolin, Sunburst

I decided I wanted to learn mandolin and I looked into a few of the beginner or starter mandolins. This one was super cheap for a musical instrument, and it had very good reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I'm very very happy that I did.My big concern when I bought this was "Is it going to sound like a $65 instrument?" The price, and the fact that, as of this writing, the person who wrote the description doesn't even know how many strings a mandolin has, had me a little bit nervous.Once I got the package those fears were put to rest. The mandolin was packaged well, inside of the gig bag, with the bridge already set up and strings on and very near to being in tune, so I could tell that someone tuned it up before they shipped it. I had a mandolin before, that cost about 4 times what this one did, and this one sounds the same and stays in tune better. It's a good-looking instrument, as well. Playability is excellent, and the sound is bright but not harsh or sharp.Basically, if you want to learn mandolin and don't want to break the bank, then the good news is that you don't have to. This instrument is a ridiculous value, it sounds damn good and it's a blast to play.

I have 4 guitars, and have always wanted a Mandolin, but didn't want to spend a lot on my first one. I bought this after looking at several others, and am very pleased. I know the strings aren't always the best, so I also bought a set of J-74'sto restring it with. I was really surprised in what showed up. Out of the box, there was not a single scratch, and this finish is beautiful. If someone told me this was a $300 mandolin, I would believe them. I set the bridge and tuned it, and although the strings it comes with came out of tune fairly fast, not a bad sound. I waited until I learned some basics before putting the D'Addario strings on, but the difference in sound was incredible! If you want a great instrument at a great price, you can't go wrong with this. Oh yeah, and the gig bag is a nice bonus.

I am giving 5 stars not because it's a perfect instrument in every way but because it's a very decent instrument for its cost.If you the knowledge on how to set up the bridge for intonation, the instrument is very playable after around 15-20mins of setting up. The string action is decent not too high or low. No dead notes. Nut height was appropriate. The supplied Allen wrench suggests the presence of a truss rod for neck relief adjustments, however I have not removed the headstock plate to confirm this yet. The instrument looks rather cheap and the paint job is mediocre but plays and sounds rather nice. My instrument had a slight paint blemish within the sunburst, but I am overlooking this issue considering its price.If you are looking for a cheap beginners instrument or a guitarist looking to noodle around on an alternative instrument without breaking the bank, I highly recommend this instrument.

It came cracked - but it served it's purpose - my daughter wanted to learn to play it and as she already played violin, viola, bass, cello, acoustic guitar & base - learned to play quickly and is in the process of getting a higher quality mandolin.

all you have to do is contact customer service.I didn't find the mandolin so great actually. seems it has plastic on it to me. I bought because of the reviews saying how great it was. for the price, as long as you get a bag as well, then I guess, for the price, it is ok.it is worth the try to see if you like playing a mandolin.

I purchased the Kansas K-MA1B Mandolin, Sunburst, for my 72-year-old husband (he's a very youthful 71!) for his most recent birthday. Unlike so many gifts I've given him, this one did not stay in the box. He tore off the wrapping paper, saw the oddly shaped box and said, "What's this!" It wasn't a question. He took out the mandolin and had the look of delight on his face. He has since ordered a strap and a pick and a lesson book.He is learning to play this mandolin and practices daily. He is a very good musician and knows how to play many instruments, having taught music, and his comments have all been very positive about the Sunburst Mandolin. He loves that the case is boldly labeled KANSAS! This instrument is very pretty, is well made, and has good sound quality. It's a winner in my musically experienced husband's opinion.Thanks, amazon.com!Fran

I got this Mandolin a few days ago and I have to say I am really impressed with this little fella. I have played guitar for over 30 years and have wanted to dabble with the mandolin for a while now so based upon the other reviews I took a chance on this one and do not regret it for one minute.The quality is really very good for the money, nice tuners that have just the right amount of torque for their purpose, the finish is excellent and the case it comes with is way better than some guitar bags I have seen.Once I got it tuned ( about 15 -20 minutes for them to settle down ) it stayed in tune like a champ. I can't see a fault with the finish, it's a beautiful sunburst tobacco and is flawless. This mandolin looks way more expensive than it's price of $67, it's a down right steal and I have no problem recommending this to anyone.As for the tone, it's not bad but what do you want for this price, like I said, I only got it to satisfy my curiosity and without doubt I have been pleasantly surprised.

Set up was easy. I am new at mandolin playing. I have played guitar for several years. I bought this because I wanted to try it out, after I learn to play. It looks very nice. After I set up, by myself, it plays great. No buzzing no bad vibes. The strings are nice and close to the frets. They even sent me a allen winch, so I think it might even have a truss rod. I should have looked under plate before I wrote this. From what I know of guitars it does not seem like an entry level mandolin. I bought it because it was low cost and had good reviews. I gave it 4 stars because the quality seems much better then the price would indicate. I believe the Kansas is a very good entry mandolin.