Kentucky Mandolin Serial Numbers

As far as I can tell they were originally made in Japan, and then moved to Korea, and now they’re made in China. I can’t find specific dates for each of these, nor how serial numbers map to dates. It does look like the 200S was only made in the 90’s, and the company relocated to China around 2001, so you’re looking at Japan or Korea for yours.

From what little I did find, it sounds like the Japan made ones are a little bit better. It’s surprisingly hard to find much detail about this Company, especially considering how popular they are. Edit: Should be a sticker on the back of the headstock that indicates the Country the instrument was made in.

Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture. I thank you all for your responses. Not to belabor the point, but SAGA Instruments who import both the Trinity College and Kentucky brand instruments to this country; denoted the their Kentucky mandolins with a year coding. I agree with skreech,.

And I also found posts (this is all coming from the mandolincafe by the way) that indicate they made the 200S in the 80’s as well. This is some tricky business.

I messed around with cheap mandolins and was always disappointed. I have a Kentucky 505 A model I love. Any I have played were easy to play and sound decent. I own much more expensive ones butI think they represent the entry point for a Kentucky someone will keep and most of all play. Breedlove makes a crossover mando that is another entry level choice and it has a wider neck than the 505. Both have radius necks and play like Mondos costing a whole lot more.

Setup will also have a lot to do with any Mandolin. HTH, Al Powered by, best viewed with JavaScript enabled.

One indicator of place of manufacture is the inlay on the headstock. I had a TC bouzouki with a Celtic knot which also had a sticker that said 'Made in Korea.' I have heard that all the instruments with a Celtic knot were made in Korea. The instruments with a Celtic cross are more recent and were (and are) made in China. Ones with a fleur-de-Lis predate the Celtic Knot instruments and were made either in Japan or Korea.

For a further discussion see: Posted by 7 years ago. Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture. Posted on November 27th 2010 by Cape Cod Struggler: 'It only really matters if you own one and are trying to determine age and the country of origin as the Korean made TC’s are worth a more for resale.'

The only time serial numbers and dates are important is in the world of collectable instruments. For for everyday playing instruments, the value is dependent only on the quality, condition and playability of the instrument.

It may be true that Korean TCs are generally better quality that Chinese ones, but the secondhand value goes with the quality and condition of the individual instrument - if its a good one it is worth more than a bad one, regardless of where either was made. With regard to serial numbers and dates, I have no idea how TC allocate S/N, but it is extremely unlikely that a S/N starting 02 means it was built in 02. Some manufacturers do encode the date in their serial numbers, but never that obviously - for the simple reason that instruments sit on the shelf before they are sold. Would you pay the ‘new’ price for an instrument if the label told you it was actually four or five years old?

Posted by 7 years ago. Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture. I thank you all for your responses. Not to belabor the point, but SAGA Instruments who import both the Trinity College and Kentucky brand instruments to this country; denoted the their Kentucky mandolins with a year coding. I agree with skreech, condition and playability will normally determine the value. However, in the case of the Trinity College brand country of origin can impact the sell price as I have a Fleur-de-Lis headstock and may pull in a slightly higher price being made in Japan or Korea which is why I posted the question. Posted by 7 years ago.

Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture. I’m amazed to,learn there might be a recognizable value difference between different ages of TC instruments.

They’re only factory-made instruments ( OK, I know Martin guitars come out of a factory too, that’s different ). Please tell us if and what difference your information makes to a potential selling price - my personal opinion is that something is worth ( only ) what some else is prepared to pay for it, at any given moment, which is one hell of a qualification.

Posted by 7 years ago. Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture.

I’ve noticed a very large difference between the Korean and Chinese built Trinity College instruments with the Korean stuff being better. There are lots of things built in factories that have variable quality. The fact that an instrument was built in one place or another may not really impact price so much as someone’s willingness to schlep somewhere and check the thing out. I’d look at a Korean over a Chinese built one but would buy either if the condition and price was right. The market for this stuff is small and mandolas are probably the smallest market of the bunch. Posted by 7 years ago.

Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture. As Steve L pointed, there is a preference for a Trinity College made in Japan or Korea over one made in China. A potential buyer may more for non- Chinese Trinity College with other factors being equal.

Hence my question for determine year of manufacture to establish a base asking price. When it comes to mandolas, they are a very quantity in the overall SAGA import plan. Somewhere in the 1 to 500 range with octave mandolins and mandolins being the ones being produced and imported in higher quantities. Ecs Geforce6100pm M2 V2 0 Drivers Download.

Airbus X Extended Free Download there. Posted by 7 years ago. Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture. Cape Cod - you are struggling to post what you are trying to say - there are several words surely left out of your last posting, which makes it a bit of an exercise in imagination to work out exactly what you are trying to say; always proofread before posting ( Like I always do! ) However '.a potential buyer may' has two qualifications already, so it is a statement entirely based on two factors which are absolutely not to be quantified.

PLUS you need to factor in actual state of this proverbial instrument, which is similarly unknown or unstated. Bearing in mind that these are only mid-range instruments, and we’re only talking about a secondhand one, I don’t see there is enough difference to matter, and I’ve already wasted more time on this posting than any cost difference that would occur. PS I charge £20 per hour. I think my expertise is worth that much.

Posted by 7 years ago. Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture.

GP: You are absolutely correct. I did leave out several words: 'A potential buyer may PAY more' and 'When it comes to mandolas they are a a very LOW quantity in the overall SAGA import plan.' Sorry for the confusion but I am unwilling to pay for your wasted time.

As far as the instrument is concerned I was only really looking to determine the country of origin by the age of the mandola. SAGA Instruments has provided that information based upon the serial number. Posted by 7 years ago. Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture. GP: I knew you were only joking, so was I.

To answer your question, YES, as always; the discussion board has provided a wealth of information and opinions. As you stated, when comes to used instruments it is always condition and quality of sound that determines the asking/sell price. However, in this case, if a potential buyer has a choice between a Trinity College made in Japan, Korea or China; one may pay $25.00 to $50.00 (US) more for a mandola made in Japan of the same quality. Selling a mandola is another whole can of warm as the market is very limited. Thanks everyone for your responses to this somewhat lengthy discussion.

Posted by 7 years ago. Re: Trinity College serial numbers - year of manufacture.