Any Mandolin players/owners here ?

[Muttcaster]

I play mandolin some (took 2nd place at Rocky Grass many years ago). $500 is minimum. I quadruple the advice about A's and suggest Kentucky, Morgan Monroe, Kelley, etc.

You've gotten great advice about Mando Cafe- it's the equivalent of this place.

On a cheap mando, setup is CRITICAL. Most will come with the nut slots way too high. Lower them to fret height. Get the action down to about .065" G, clearance between top of fret and bottom of string.

We have 2 mandolins right now. My daughter plays a Kentucky KM-1000 that is really good. Setup-wise, I did _nothing_ to it. Among all the guitars, mandolins, banjos, and basses that I've owned, that is a first. Used, they run about $1000 +/- and can be lifetime mandolin. Our mandolin is still up on Acoustic Music Work's website.

My mandolin is an '02 Krishot F5. It is stunningly superb. I've worked on $20,000 Gilchrist, Gibson Master Models, etc. and I wouldn't trade my Krishot for any of them. Setup-wise, I lowered one A string at the nut. That's it.

[Telesavalis]

I recently did a trade for an Eastman 915. It's a darned fine mando. a bit over your
price range though.

[Bob Mc]

Beware my son; MAS is worse than GAS!

I finally settled on a 70's MIJ solid top Epiphone A style.

And I think you are on the right track already by thinking of it as a seperate instrument. I tried to apply all my guitar 'learnin'', and while it sorta works, the mandolin shines when played as a mandolin!

[Aaron G]

I've got a Weber Gallitan that I will not part with. I've played many more expensive and love the woody sound of the Weber. Morgan Monroe has a model that looks identical (satin, natural finish) and play amazingly well for the money.

Ha, I knew I had seen a used Morgan somewhere that I thought was a decent deal but couldn't remember where it was. It's in OUR classified's. No affiliation, no horse in the race.

AND... you can play mandolin in bed!

[wetland10]

About 10 or more years ago I bought a Rogue acoustic electric A style mandolin. I think the whole deal was $150 with a decent enough hardshell case. I know enough to get by but still find it awkward to play chords because it is strung upside down from a guitar and the neck is so small. But still fun to play and this one plays well enough for me.

Just recently though I took the plunge and ordered a TEO octave 12 string which I hope arrives next week. With that you get the tones (or at least close enough) of a mandolin with the ability to play it like a guitar.

Wayne

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Originally Posted by wetland10

About 10 or more years ago I bought a Rogue acoustic electric A style mandolin. I think the whole deal was $150 with a decent enough hardshell case. I know enough to get by but still find it awkward to play chords because it is strung upside down from a guitar and the neck is so small. But still fun to play and this one plays well enough for me.

Just recently though I took the plunge and ordered a TEO octave 12 string which I hope arrives next week. With that you get the tones (or at least close enough) of a mandolin with the ability to play it like a guitar.

Wayne

W O W ... 12 strings . . . wow, is'nt 8 enough for you

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Originally Posted by Big Tony

I took a totally different road:



(But I've also got two old cheapo acoustic mandolins)

/ Tony

Hey, i've never seen an 8 strng Mandobird before, only a 4 stringer . . . are they new ?

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Originally Posted by aunchaki

A friend of my has a Trinity College Octave Mandolin that I really like. I can barely fit my fingers on the neck of a standard mandolin. The Trinity College Octaves run about $550 new, but I found an eBay seller under $500:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Trinity-College-...item35a8983ef3

Now this looks like a nize size instrument

Better look into the Co.
Never knew about this brand, thanx.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Originally Posted by Papa Joe

I have an Alverez A style..Don't play all the good but I can find my way around good enough for adding on to my recordings.
It's a very good sounding insturment..Think I payed $140 used about 15 years ago.

Will look into Alverez too.

Originally Posted by ironweed

Big Muddy mandolins are great solid wood, no-frills instruments modeled after the old Gibson Army/Navy mandos of old. Before they were Big Muddy, they were called Mid-Missouri mandolins. Same builder (Mike Dulak), same design, different company name. Would be at the high end of your budget, but ought the be the best tone you can buy in that price range. If you can't afford a new one, search for used.....

http://www.bigmuddymandolin.com/products.php

Thanx, yet another brand i can look into.

Originally Posted by ROADMAN

Micheal Kelly F...probably 500 american...made in China but you would think it's made in Italy by Stradivarius his own self ...great instrument and well worth the coin...same company and factory as Kentucky I do believe

Great, i will see what M Kelly has to offer.

Originally Posted by wshelley

As others have said, Mandolin Cafe is the place to go to learn more about mandolins. A new thread pops up almost daily about "which mando should I get for under $500" so the search function should provide you with enough reading to last a while.

I just purchased my first mandolin and am waiting for a Kentucky KM-162 to show up. The main thing to keep in mind is, like with any acoustic instrument, solid wood construction is key. That, and a good setup should afford you a number of good instruments in your price range to learn on until you're ready to splurge on a Collings or F5.

Oh i hear you - i am deff keeping my options open.
Because i have a budget of +/- 500.00, does not mean i am gonna go all out and spend it all at on a Mando, but i can if need be.
Going to the Mando Cafe later this evening and lurk there for a bit

Originally Posted by Tim Bowen

As for getting started, I'm totally with this:

Carry a little basic chord and scale book with you, play a bunch of el-cheapo mandolins, spend as little as you can initially, and choose something that plays and intonates well.

Most of the inherent tonal considerations aren't going to be as big a deal inititially as are tuning stability and intonation, and playability. I'm not saying that you shouldn't avoid an instrument that sounds awful straight out of the gate, but for getting the feet wet, I wouldn't put too much thought into getting great "authentic acoustic bluegrass tone". If you dink with it for a while and decide you really have a jones for it, then it's possibly time for an upgrade.

Speaking of which, and looking ahead a bit, should you get the jones, and perhaps start looking at practical applications: instruments chosen for acoustic properties and/or for playing into a single mic in the old school bluegrass tradition and/or recording with a mic -VS- an acoustic-electric instrument that's going to fill the bill in a loud live playing scenario that's way louder than bluegrass - totally different beasts.

I don't own anything drool-worthy as mandolins go. I have a Fender with a single coil pickup, an Ovation, and a Michael Kelly Legacy FSE, the latter two containing onboard preamps and under-saddle systems. For my needs - and I had to arrive the hard way - I needed something for far less than a grand that looked like a mandolin, mic'ed up and recorded great when that was the deal, and also sounded wonderful 'as-is' through a DI/PA configuration in loud live situations, this consideration being the most important for me personally. In other words, I wanted a really great compromise, and I wanted to spend far less than mandolin freaks typically shell out for a quality working instrument. For me, the puzzle was solved with this instrument:

http://www.michaelkellyguitars.com/legacy_fs_e.html

Well, for now i do not need an electric one.
Even if i take it to the open mic evenings, i am sure i can just use an SM57, the same as what some of the other acoustic guys are using.

Originally Posted by gitold

I've played Mandolin for about 20 years and though I think I'm a much better guitarist I get a lot more complements on my mandolin playing.People love that instrument. I have a Flatirons A perfomer mando from Boseman Montana.

I know zero mando players in my city, so it will be even more unique to the public, believe it or not.
Can not wait to learn some easy tunes and head out to the open mic nights with mando in hand, and play with my regular female vocalist/guitarist.

Originally Posted by Muttcaster

I play mandolin some (took 2nd place at Rocky Grass many years ago). $500 is minimum. I quadruple the advice about A's and suggest Kentucky, Morgan Monroe, Kelley, etc.
You've gotten great advice about Mando Cafe- it's the equivalent of this place.

On a cheap mando, setup is CRITICAL. Most will come with the nut slots way too high. Lower them to fret height. Get the action down to about .065" G, clearance between top of fret and bottom of string.

We have 2 mandolins right now. My daughter plays a Kentucky KM-1000 that is really good. Setup-wise, I did _nothing_ to it. Among all the guitars, mandolins, banjos, and basses that I've owned, that is a first. Used, they run about $1000 +/- and can be lifetime mandolin. Our mandolin is still up on Acoustic Music Work's website.

My mandolin is an '02 Krishot F5. It is stunningly superb. I've worked on $20,000 Gilchrist, Gibson Master Models, etc. and I wouldn't trade my Krishot for any of them. Setup-wise, I lowered one A string at the nut. That's it.

I take it and good guitar store selling mado's will be able to do a GOOD set up.

Originally Posted by Bob Mc

Beware my son; MAS is worse than GAS!

I finally settled on a 70's MIJ solid top Epiphone A style.

And I think you are on the right track already by thinking of it as a seperate instrument. I tried to apply all my guitar 'learnin'', and while it sorta works, the mandolin shines when played as a mandolin!

. . . warning noted !

If the chords is not 100% the same as a guitar, then it deff is a deff instrument n my eyes.
Kinda like starting all over again. But a new start that i am looking forward too.

Originally Posted by Aaron G

I've got a Weber Gallitan that I will not part with. I've played many more expensive and love the woody sound of the Weber. Morgan Monroe has a model that looks identical (satin, natural finish) and play amazingly well for the money.

Ha, I knew I had seen a used Morgan somewhere that I thought was a decent deal but couldn't remember where it was. It's in OUR classified's. No affiliation, no horse in the race.

AND... you can play mandolin in bed!

That is one of the attractions for me . . . the size of the instrument.
A perfect travel instrument.

And thanx for the heads up on the mando in the classifieds.

[zombywoof]

Just started playing myself - got me a 1913 Gibson Model A. I fingerpick the thing - stuff like Robert Johnson's "32-20 Blues" and old chestnuts like "House of the Rising Sun."

Only real problem I am having is a bad case of tennis elbow so obviously I am not even holding the mando properly.

[brandt]

The mando bug bit me hard a few years ago and I looked and played a bunch of entry level instruments from Eastman to Kentucky and finally settled on a Rover (Saga Music) imports these as well as the Kentucky brand from China. The Rover is all solid woods, F style, total knock off of a Lloyd Loar Gibson, carved top - killer mando for the money. I keep wanting to get another mando (better) but every time I go to spend $1000 + I am actually surprised at how good the Rover actually is.

One extra thing on the Rover - you MUST get a good set up because they don't do that well at the factory.

[pdxjoel]

Mando is an interesting instrument - so many factors can contribute to tone. Here's my suggestions after a few years of playing:

1) Get a good pick before you even start playing instruments. This can make the single biggest difference in tone. Get a thick pick like a Dawg or Wegen. Yep, they're pricier, but they last longer and make an enormous difference. At least grab the thickest (1.4 or more) pick in the store and use the rounded edge to approximate.

2) There is a tonal difference between A and F style mandos. As sound airier, more open, lighter to me. F styles have more "bark" - woodier, throatier, more "chuck" than "chick" when you chop. Play a lot of mandos before you buy so you understand what you like.

3) Mandos are freaking expensive because to do them even pretty well is a labor-intensive process. Get an Eastman. Lots of mando for the price. Hand-carved and assembled, high build quality using hide glue and nitro lacquer. Gianna Violins carries a good stock of them: http://www.giannaviolins.com/mando/index.html. You'll need to call for prices, but they're quite competitive.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Just started playing myself - got me a 1913 Gibson Model A. I fingerpick the thing - stuff like Robert Johnson's "32-20 Blues" and old chestnuts like "House of the Rising Sun."

Only real problem I am having is a bad case of tennis elbow so obviously I am not even holding the mando properly.

Man, i gotta see that instrument - got any pics ?

Originally Posted by brandt

The mando bug bit me hard a few years ago and I looked and played a bunch of entry level instruments from Eastman to Kentucky and finally settled on a Rover (Saga Music) imports these as well as the Kentucky brand from China. The Rover is all solid woods, F style, total knock off of a Lloyd Loar Gibson, carved top - killer mando for the money. I keep wanting to get another mando (better) but every time I go to spend $1000 + I am actually surprised at how good the Rover actually is.

One extra thing on the Rover - you MUST get a good set up because they don't do that well at the factory.

OK, another brand i can look into

Originally Posted by pdxjoel

Mando is an interesting instrument - so many factors can contribute to tone. Here's my suggestions after a few years of playing:

1) Get a good pick before you even start playing instruments. This can make the single biggest difference in tone. Get a thick pick like a Dawg or Wegen. Yep, they're pricier, but they last longer and make an enormous difference. At least grab the thickest (1.4 or more) pick in the store and use the rounded edge to approximate.

2) There is a tonal difference between A and F style mandos. As sound airier, more open, lighter to me. F styles have more "bark" - woodier, throatier, more "chuck" than "chick" when you chop. Play a lot of mandos before you buy so you understand what you like.

3) Mandos are freaking expensive because to do them even pretty well is a labor-intensive process. Get an Eastman. Lots of mando for the price. Hand-carved and assembled, high build quality using hide glue and nitro lacquer. Gianna Violins carries a good stock of them: http://www.giannaviolins.com/mando/index.html. You'll need to call for prices, but they're quite competitive.

Thick pick ?
Mmmmm, that is gonna take some getting use to.
For guitar i use a Dunlop Tortex .73mm, & sometimes a .60mm
You say the above mentioned plectrums are expensive. How much do they go for ?
Great link there too - thanx

[wetland10]

Originally Posted by SirJackdeFuzz

W O W ... 12 strings . . . wow, is'nt 8 enough for you

Funny. The 12 string is set up like a guitar so you play regular guitar chords, the 8 string is upside down.

[tele-vangelist]

I'm a long time guitar player. I just took up mandolin last summer as a diversion so I'm in kinda the same boat as you, Sir Jack. I am lucky that I live within driving distance of Elderly Instruments, a mecca for stringed instruments. They have a great selection of new and used mandolins, as well as lots of mandolin books and recordings. Everyone who works there is a player of stringed instruments including some mando players. So I feel I got some good advice. I picked out 10 or 12 new and used instruments in my price range (I tried to keep it under $400) and after I noodled around on them for a while a salesperson/mando player played them all and gave me his running commentary.

As a couple of others have said, in that price range you get more musical value with an A style. It costs more to make the fancier F style. Since you have a strict budget of $500 including case (and strap presumably), you may not want to pay more for the complex, time consuming ornamentation of an F. In my specific case, the salesperson felt that the used Kentucky F model going for around $450 was a bit heavy and not so musical. I ended up with a used Kentucky KM 254-A, an A style with f-holes for $225, way under my budget. I’ve played it a ton and it only sounds better. Would I like an old Gibson? Sure, but this is a good musical-sounding instrument.

It’s worth a few bucks to try a Dawg and/or Wegen pick. Like you, I use more of a medium for guitar. This is not a guitar. You may find you prefer your guitar pick, but it’s worth experimenting. I’ve found that I get a more powerful tone with either a Dawg or a Wegen. My .88 guitar pick sounds a bit thin. And if you’re going to be doing tremolo picking you probably want a rounder edge.

mandolincafe.com for sure.

If you decide to stretch your budget, how about this Gibson F-5 made on the same day as Bill Monroe’s...for only $250,000.

http://elderly.com/vintage/names/gib...--90U-5368.htm

[ROADMAN]

beautiful patina ...why did you show that to me tv....I'm not sure I have that kind of money....

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Originally Posted by tele-vangelist

I'm a long time guitar player. I just took up mandolin last summer as a diversion so I'm in kinda the same boat as you, Sir Jack. I am lucky that I live within driving distance of Elderly Instruments, a mecca for stringed instruments. They have a great selection of new and used mandolins, as well as lots of mandolin books and recordings. Everyone who works there is a player of stringed instruments including some mando players. So I feel I got some good advice. I picked out 10 or 12 new and used instruments in my price range (I tried to keep it under $400) and after I noodled around on them for a while a salesperson/mando player played them all and gave me his running commentary.

As a couple of others have said, in that price range you get more musical value with an A style. It costs more to make the fancier F style. Since you have a strict budget of $500 including case (and strap presumably), you may not want to pay more for the complex, time consuming ornamentation of an F. In my specific case, the salesperson felt that the used Kentucky F model going for around $450 was a bit heavy and not so musical. I ended up with a used Kentucky KM 254-A, an A style with f-holes for $225, way under my budget. I’ve played it a ton and it only sounds better. Would I like an old Gibson? Sure, but this is a good musical-sounding instrument.

It’s worth a few bucks to try a Dawg and/or Wegen pick. Like you, I use more of a medium for guitar. This is not a guitar. You may find you prefer your guitar pick, but it’s worth experimenting. I’ve found that I get a more powerful tone with either a Dawg or a Wegen. My .88 guitar pick sounds a bit thin. And if you’re going to be doing tremolo picking you probably want a rounder edge.

mandolincafe.com for sure.

If you decide to stretch your budget, how about this Gibson F-5 made on the same day as Bill Monroe’s...for only $250,000.

http://elderly.com/vintage/names/gib...--90U-5368.htm

Very, very nice

[DNestler]

Jack,
Lotsa good recommendations herein. I just have a few things to add.
1)The Big Muddy's are hand made, solid wood instruments. If I had $500 to spend on a new mando, that's what I'd get. The flat top will give the tone a bit more sustain than the arch tops will have too.
2) Whatever you get, it will need a set up. Make sure you take it to someone who knows how to set up mandolins. Mandos are affected much more by a bad set up than guitars are.
a) The feet of the bridge need to make full contact with the top.
b) The saddle height needs to be set properly for both decent intonation and proper action.
c) In factory made instruments (including our favorite electric guitars) nut slots are mostly left too high, making the first fret difficult to play and throwing off the intonation.
d) The frets will need to be checked for uniform height as well.
3) Once you get your mando, (if it's not a Big Muddy) think about a couple of relatively inexpensive upgrades:
a) A high quality ebony bridge. You'll be amazed how much better a good bridge, well fitted to the top, will make you mandolin sound
b) A cast tailpiece like the ones by Weber or Randy Allen. Cheap bent tailpieces steal energy from the strings and kill tone. A cast tailpiece will allow more string energy to get to the bridge and make another large improvement in tone.
4) Solid body e-mandos are perhaps the coolest instruments on the planet. But they have their own sets of issues, like weak e string volume. They come with bad set-ups too, but unlike with the standard mandolin, a good electric guitar tech will probably be able to set it up properly for you. Amps will be an issue: your e-mando won't sound its best through your guitar amps.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Originally Posted by DNestler

Jack,
Lotsa good recommendations herein. I just have a few things to add.
1)The Big Muddy's are hand made, solid wood instruments. If I had $500 to spend on a new mando, that's what I'd get. The flat top will give the tone a bit more sustain than the arch tops will have too.
2) Whatever you get, it will need a set up. Make sure you take it to someone who knows how to set up mandolins. Mandos are affected much more by a bad set up than guitars are.
a) The feet of the bridge need to make full contact with the top.
b) The saddle height needs to be set properly for both decent intonation and proper action.
c) In factory made instruments (including our favorite electric guitars) nut slots are mostly left too high, making the first fret difficult to play and throwing off the intonation.
d) The frets will need to be checked for uniform height as well.
3) Once you get your mando, (if it's not a Big Muddy) think about a couple of relatively inexpensive upgrades:
a) A high quality ebony bridge. You'll be amazed how much better a good bridge, well fitted to the top, will make you mandolin sound
b) A cast tailpiece like the ones by Weber or Randy Allen. Cheap bent tailpieces steal energy from the strings and kill tone. A cast tailpiece will allow more string energy to get to the bridge and make another large improvement in tone.
4) Solid body e-mandos are perhaps the coolest instruments on the planet. But they have their own sets of issues, like weak e string volume. They come with bad set-ups too, but unlike with the standard mandolin, a good electric guitar tech will probably be able to set it up properly for you. Amps will be an issue: your e-mando won't sound its best through your guitar amps.

Hope this helps!
Daniel

It most deff helps - thanx Daniel

I am getting on a plane come Thursday, and will be in the US for atleast 6months.
Hope to get a killer Mando then.


Guys . . . i can not log onto mandolincafe.com's site to register, nor can i log onto their site at all.
Are their site down ?
Can anyone else log on to the main site ?

[hannigan]

Originally Posted by Big Tony

I took a totally different road:



(But I've also got two old cheapo acoustic mandolins)

/ Tony

I also got the Mando bird couldnt decide on 4 0r 8 string so I got both.
I need to work on playing them.
One of these days Ill get a traditional mando.