#31
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I have a mandolin and bought Pete Huttlinger's "Mandolin for Guitar Players" I will highly recommend this book, because even though I haven't mastered the mandolin, he included many guitar parts to the mandolin sons, so my repertoire has been greatly expanded.
CK (PS -Guitar repertoire) |
#32
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Martin BC, Canada |
#33
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Thanks Frogstar, I'll keep my eyes peeled...
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Martin BC, Canada |
#34
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1. Start playing with others right away 2. Get acquainted with mandolincafe. |
#35
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On the subject of beginner/not terribly expensive mandolins, I have been playing an Eastman 515 all day. When I pulled it off the wall at my local music store, it was actually set up pretty well, but had the bright, glassy tone I associate with all Eastman mandolins. But once I put a set of heavier strings on it (J75s), it really popped. It doesn't sound as good as my Ellis, but for a sub $1k F5 style, it is very hard to beat; it is at least as good as most Kentucky KM 1500s. But that is the thing about Eastman that is frustrating. You play some, and they sound pretty good, others, not so much. And the quality of the tone tends to be independent of the model number. This 515 sounds as good or better than many of the higher end Eastmans I have played. Which all leads me to wonder how much of what we think of as the bright Eastman tone has to do with sub-optimal string selection.
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Bourgeois Aged Tone Vintage D Gibson CS 1958 Les Paul Std. Reissue Mason-Dixon FE 44 Combo Amp |
#36
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I love it! Wayne Charvel (of Charvel Guitars) once asked me when I was giving up playing guitar. I said I hoped to play for many years. He said, "Then just relax; learn a new chord form or technique every month and keep going".
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Listen to the music! |
#37
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I got the mandolin bug a little over a year ago. I have a few observations.
What do you want to play? Celtic, old timey, jazz? Many go for an oval hole mandolin. Bluegrass? Most tend toward f hole styles. All such rules can be broken. A setup is way more important on mandolin than guitar. That is why you should buy from a mandolin store. Several have been mentioned. Buying used can be a really good thing, but budget for a setup, including a fret level. Kentucky, Eastman, and The Loar are the three brands that most view as best in the lower cost price range. I personally would spend at least what a Kentucky KM 150 costs, and that is a mandolin you can use as your camper when, not if, you upgrade. To me, IMHO, once you get to KM 150 or Eastman 305 level, you won't see a significant sound and playability increase until you get to the 900 and above master built Kentuckys. Save and move up to the $1500 used A style when the time comes. That is where things get really interesting. Double your budget for a scroll. The precision it takes to play a mandolin will greatly improve your guitar flatpicking. Start by doubling the thickness of your guitar pick. Start from the git go picking in the sweet spot, which is at the end of the fingerboard, or over the Florida if your mando has one. If it does, have it scooped for pick clearance. Get a metronome and use it. Mandolessons.com is a free or donation site that will get you going. Good pay sites are Peghead Nation, and Mandolins Heal the World, among others. Lots of YouTube videos too. Don't freak out when you try a G chop chord for the first time. Remember your first barre chord?
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2007 Martin D 35 Custom 1970 Guild D 35 1965 Epiphone Texan 2011 Santa Cruz D P/W Pono OP 30 D parlor Pono OP12-30 Pono MT uke Goldtone Paul Beard squareneck resophonic Fluke tenor ukulele Boatload of home rolled telecasters "Shut up and play ur guitar" Frank Zappa Last edited by Br1ck; 07-06-2017 at 11:32 AM. |
#38
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Absolutely agree. Should be carved in stone.
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2001 Gibson J-185 2005 Washburn J-12SN 2009 Larrivée F-III LS-03RHB #36 2014 Martin 000-18 2022 Merkuloff DS |
#39
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Seriously, mandolin and mandolin-family instruments are my main musical passion for the past 10 years. Everybody plays guitar, some play well. I'm the only person playing out in my area with a mandocello. That alone has landed me gigs. The audience sees something they've never before seen or heard, so they don't have any preconceived ideas of what I'm supposed to play or sound like. Its a blank check for their attention. If I show up with a guitar somebody's going to expect "Wonderwall." As said before, a mandolin is NOT a small guitar. A mandolin is NOT an upsidedown guitar. A mandolin is NOT an 'ukulele. Quote:
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#40
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There's no accounting for taste. I prefer the look of an f-hole A. Maybe it's because two of my favorite mandolin players - Tim O'Brien and Joe Walsh - both play A's. Or maybe it's because I only have one foot in bluegrass and the other in Hiatt and Zeppelin rock. I wouldn't say no to an F, but I'm certainly not paying an extra 2K for the same tone. You'll find a few who think the scroll does affect the tone, but that's bollocks to me.
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#41
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Great advice here and I'll throw in the Eastman 505 as one of the best sub-1k mandolins to get started with. I also found the John Pearse/Thomastik Infeld mandolin strings to not only have great tone but also a really nice feel especially for a new player.
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Doerr Trinity 12 Fret 00 (Lutz/Maple) Edwinson Zephyr 13 Fret 00 (Adi/Coco) Froggy Bottom H-12 (Adi/EIR) Kostal 12 Fret OMC (German Spruce/Koa) Rainsong APSE 12 Fret (Carbon Fiber) Taylor 812ce-N 12 fret (Sitka/EIR Nylon) |
#42
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There is so much good advice in this thread. I would like to add one for the mando lovers here. There's a podcast by a mandolin player, Bradley Laird, that I've been enjoying. Brad also has lots of great instructional material both free & paid. I've bought his courses in the past which have helped me greatly. I have no affiliation other than being a fan.
http://www.bradleylaird.com/podcast/index.html
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Santa Cruz TR Martin 000-18 Laura Ratcliff A model |
#43
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if you do drop into mandolin, and if it does get ahold of you, expect your guitars to collect dust for a while. and expect to sell one or more to move up the foodchain in mandolins. mandolin is extremely life altering and addictive. A recent Girouard OM, 20" scale, with a 100 year old cedar top. Sounds amazing, easy as any guitar I own to play(I keep low easy action for fingerstyle on my guits), and a haunting amazing tone. Love love this OM. Picked it up used. Got a soundclip somewhere, i'll try to find it and post it. |