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#1
12-09-2008, 10:53 PM
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Old Epiphone Mandolin question
I know nothing about Mandolins. I am going to look at this Mandolin in the morning. Does anyone KNow anything about this model. Is it an ok starter or a find or what? Hows the price?
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/msg/950789223.html 
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#2
12-10-2008, 02:14 AM
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'Common-sewer' of unrefined guitars.
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#3
12-10-2008, 08:15 AM
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Looks like the listing has been deleted, which indicates to me that the mandolin's been sold...
Just for what it's worth, I count mandolin among the major instruments that I play, and I've never been too impressed with any of the Epiphone mandolins I've run across. It seems to me that there might have been a few pre-war Epiphone mandolins made, but those are rarer than hen's teeth. All of the Epiphone mandolins I've ever seen for sale have been Asian-made modern pieces, mostly all-laminated woods, occasionally with solid tops and ply back and sides. None of them have been worth getting terribly excited about, frankly. You can spend the same money and get an all-solid wood Kentucky mandolin that's a better instrument. That's just my opinion, naturally, but it's been my experience that most used Epiphone mandos that come available are from people who pick up an entry level instrument to learn on, fail to get anywhere with it, then try to sell it for all or most of what they have in it. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I've never seen too many bargains, and, as I said, the Epiphone mandolins I've played have all been fairly unimpressive instruments. Wade Hampton Miller
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#4
12-10-2008, 04:23 PM
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Each to their own I guess. I've had an Epiphone MM30 for about six months now and am happy with it. As you describe, I got it as an entry level instrument, just for something different while guitar remains my primary instrument. To me it sounds as good as other higher profile named mandos at the folk club and other players have said the same.
I'd say that for any instrument purchase it's up to the buyer to play the instrument and see if it suits their needs. BTW I've found, and many others at the mandolincafe forum have said the same, learning mandolin has improved their guitar playing.
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#6
12-10-2008, 06:44 PM
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Epiphone is a good beginner's mandolin. I don't know how much they cost exactly, but I know that they are inexpensive.
As with Epiphone guitars where the old and new are not the same quality of guitar, the same is true with the Epiphone mandolins. The old Epi mandos are much better than the new ones. One good place to ask your same question is on the Mandolin Cafe discussion group (forum) : http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/
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RaulB Pontificator Extradordinaire '87 Guild GF-30 Bld (blonde) '89 Seagull S-Black Velvet '06 R. Taylor Series 1 (koa) All 3 Taylor Liberty Tree Guitars 2 mandolins, 2 dulcimers, 1 mandola, 2 bodhrans "It may not be smart or correct, but it's one of the things that make us what we are." --Red Green, "The New Red Green Show"
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#7
12-12-2008, 08:49 PM
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Quote:
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#8
12-12-2008, 10:28 PM
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Okay, full disclosure: I've sold Kentucky mandolins as the world's laziest home dealer for more than twenty years now. I don't advertise, I don't push them in any way, and I generally discourage fellow online forum participants from ordering through me because it isn't worth anyone's time to expect me to beat the prices a large volume outfit like Elderly can charge.
Having said that, I strongly recommend that you take a look at the Kentucky KM-350S and KM-380S. These two instruments are structurally identical, the KM-380S just has fancier woods and fancier appointments so it costs a bit more. I've played hundreds, maybe thousands of all sorts of mandolins, and played stinkers and clunkers at all price levels. Yet I've never played a bad KM-350S or KM-380S: it's just a very good design, and I have repeatedly looked for a bad one the times I've visited Saga headquarters. No luck - it's just a remarkably musical-sounding design. Kentucky recently came out with an even nicer version of the same thing called the KM-505, but any of the three versions will serve just fine. They're as much mandolin as most guitarists doubling on the instrument will ever need. Janet Davis Music carries all three models: http://www.janetdavismusic.com/kmand.html  Kentucky KM-380S  Kentucky KM-505 They're all solid wood, very reasonably priced, and truly serviceable, usable instruments. Hope this helps. Wade Hampton Miller
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