Upgrade guitar, or get a new mandolin (to learn)??

tlwtaylor · #1 12-31-2008, 11:29 PM

I am having conflicting urges..... I have sold some equipment and cannot decide whether to upgrade from my HD-28 to a Collings or a Santa Cruz that I have been craving, or go out on limb and purchase a new Collings MT mandolin. I am wanting to pick up the mandolin, but have always believed if you start with a fine instrument you stand a better chance of enjoying learning.

Would it be worth it to invest in a great mandolin being a beginner, or investing in a better guitar, something I am already proficient in? Want to do both, but can't

grayn · #2 01-01-2009, 02:37 AM

I'd say, get the new guitar and buy a cheaper mandolin.
And, like with guitars, there are some very nice mandolins out there, for not a lot of money. It could be fun searching one out, too.

Good luck

Fliss · #3 01-01-2009, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlwtaylor

...Would it be worth it to invest in a great mandolin being a beginner, or investing in a better guitar, something I am already proficient in? Want to do both, but can't

What a nice choice to have to make! I agree that if you are going to take up mandolin, you will enjoy it more with a great instrument from the start, and as a guitar player you should find it relatively easy to adapt to the mandolin. On the other hand, Grayn's idea is also good - if you have your heart set on a nice Collings or Santa Cruz guitar, you could get that and still get a decent beginner mandolin for much less than a Collings - something like an Eastman would be a good start.

I think that whichever you choose, you will probably want to save up and get the other as soon as you can anyway!

Fliss

slagorourke · #4 01-01-2009, 04:44 AM

I've just done the opposite & "downgraded" from a Collings to an HD28, though I certainly don't view it that way! To my ears, the HD28 sounds better than the D2H I sold, and it gave me a little boost to the ailing bank balance too! There's no doubt the Collings is built to a higher standard than Martin, but that doesn't guarantee better tone. The Collings always sounded a little harsh to me. It just seemed to lack musicality somehow.
On the Mando issue, I'd buy a useable, cheap mando until I decided if it is something I really want to pursue. You can always upgrade later. If you don't continue with the mandolin then you won't be investing significant money in a potential mistake.

dmcowles@comcas · #5 01-01-2009, 06:42 AM

Collings mandos take time to achieve peak tone, just like most wood and wire instruments. My experience as a late-starter on mandolin (guitar for 50+ years, mando for about 7 ) is to get the best one you can afford to start on. I went through about 4 or 5 cheaper mandolins before I got my handmade one. The cost of those cheapies would have added up to a Collings and a half, had I started out with what pleased and motivated me. Go for the gold. Also, take some time to decide preferences, such as flat or radius fretboard, A or F style, f hole or oval hole, etc. Those things are critical to staying with the mandolin, in some ways.

You will love the logic and sensibility of mandolin, compared to guitar. You have a wondrous journey ahead.

Dave

Lawn Jockey · #6 01-01-2009, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmcowles@comcas

My experience as a late-starter on mandolin (guitar for 50+ years, mando for about 7 ) is to get the best one you can afford to start on. I went through about 4 or 5 cheaper mandolins before I got my handmade one. The cost of those cheapies would have added up to a Collings and a half, had I started out with what pleased and motivated me. Go for the gold. Also, take some time to decide preferences, such as flat or radius fretboard, A or F style, f hole or oval hole, etc. Those things are critical to staying with the mandolin, in some ways.

You will love the logic and sensibility of mandolin, compared to guitar. You have a wondrous journey ahead.

Dave

+ 1

I've played guitar for nearly 40 years and mandolin for about 20 years. To me at least, if you buy something that is easy to play, sounds great, and looks like a mandolin should, it will inspire you to play/learn even more.

Dave's statement concerning logic and sensibility of the mandolin is spot on. It is not terribly difficult to learn basic chord shapes and move them around. Picking will come with time, like anything else. A radiused fingerboard is extremely comfortable.....but you may prefer flat.

If you don't have a case of "scroll envy" an "A" style will give you almost the same tone/bark for a fraction of the cost. IMO the scroll is beautiful...but it is an awfully expensive strap hanger. Later in your mandolin journey you may want an "F" for aesthetics.

Please don't take this as a "ad" for my mandolin listed in the Classifieds here. As an acoustic guitarist you are no doubt familiar with the Larrivee name. Their new line of mandolins are comparable in every way with Collings...and the A-33 is directly comparable to the Collings MT.

The only reason I mention mine is that not too many people know about the Larrivee mandolins yet.......and to be honest.......until their arrival on the market there wasn't an USA made alternative in that price range.

The Breedlove Quartz series is another great US made mandolin (I've owned one), though not traditionally styled. The Quartz mandolins are significantly less outlay than the Collings MT as well. Their craftsmanship is outstanding at their price point.

Again, this is NOT to be construed as a spam post of my mandolin.....but is to alert you to another fine US builder that is new on the block and producing a quality mandolin for not much more coin than an Eastman (fine mandolins, Chinese made).

Good luck in your search. If you decide to get a mandolin, play as many as you can get your hands on. If you don't have that option......talk to the guys at The Mandolin Store. Dennis, Brian, and Zach know mandolins. They are great guys to deal with......and won't steer you wrong.

Happy New Year!

jgwoods · #7 01-01-2009, 09:20 AM

Oh yes, get a mandolin, and get a good one that fits with your taste in guitars or you won't like it much.
Playing mandolin will improve your guitar playing and give you another voice, another way to get the music inside out.

devellis · #8 01-01-2009, 03:42 PM

I'll echo the recommendation to get the best mandolin you can afford. I think this is more important in the case of mandolin than it is for guitar. Although there are nice mandolins that are inexpensive, it's not easy to find one that plays well, sounds good, and doesn't cost a bunch. It partly depends on the style of mandolin you want to play, of course. I agree that an A-style body shape will give you more tone for the dollar than an F-style. Collings makes great mandolins. I have an MF-5 that sounded great the first day I picked it up and still does. Although there are good mandolins that are fairly inexpensive, the quality goes up pretty substantially with the available budget. Learning on a "really good" instrument is far more rewarding than learning on a "pretty good" one. The only circumstance under which I'd recommend a less expensive mandolin (assuming that fancy and expensive F-style bodies, with points and scroll, are off the table for the present) is if you're really unsure about the style you plan to play. These days, most mandolinists associate the instrument with bluegrass and an f-hole is very well suited for that style of music. If you have no particular interest in bluegrass, an oval hole (my personal preference) might be better. As with guitars, people usually end up with more than one mandolin. If I had to have only one mandolin, knowing what I know now, it would be an oval hole. But probably for most players, the best "one-only" mandolin would be an f-hole. They're very versatile and bluegrass is the place where you're most likely to find a strong bias toward one type, and that type is f-hole. Old time players can also be somewhat fixed in their opinions and tend to prefer ovals, but I think they're less dogmatic than bluegrassers about which instrument best suits their musical style. No criticisms of anyone intended, by the way.

tlwtaylor · #9 01-02-2009, 03:05 PM

Man! I wait a day to get back on and have received some great, logical responses. I guess when it all comes down to it, I am pretty happy with my HD-28. I have played better guitars, but the HD does what I need it to, and well.

I play primarily bluegrass and am looking for a mandolin with enough bark to cut through in a group setting (which is where some of the pac rim mandos fell short). I think I will go for the MT as soon as I can. Never thought my first Collings would be a mandolin

I have heard great things about the larrivee's and have always been impressed with the workmanship of their guitars as well.

Thank you everyone!

Lawn Jockey · #10 01-02-2009, 04:17 PM

Great!!

There is a sweet MT on the Cafe (used) right now at a good price. Here it is (I have NFI in the mandolin).

There is also a Gloss MT for a few bucks more here (again, NFI).

Good luck!!!

macfawlty · #11 01-02-2009, 07:08 PM

Ummm, this is not the Acoustic Mandolin Forum. Get the new guitar.

markd · #12 01-03-2009, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macfawlty

Ummm, this is not the Acoustic Mandolin Forum. Get the new guitar.

I hear what you are saying, but the mandolin has been the biggest boost to my guitar playing in the last couple of years. It also is great motivation to record your own guitar playing and then to play along with yourself. I love jamming with friends when I bring my mandolin and guitar but find that I use the mandolin more in those settings because it adds the different texture.

Back to the original post, I would opt for the mandolin, but playing an excellent guitar is pretty good inspiration to play as well.

Lawn Jockey · #13 01-03-2009, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macfawlty

Ummm, this is not the Acoustic Mandolin Forum. Get the new guitar.

FROM THE RESONATORS THREAD:

Quote:

Originally Posted by macfawlty

Check out LibertyGuitars.com. They make a some real nice ones for a good price..

I suppose it would have been different had he asked about resonators.

aaron1433 · #14 07-07-2009, 12:04 PM

i'd say get the absolute best instrument(s) you can afford. It will be worth the wait, and you can hopefully bypass the "buy and sell dance".

markd · #15 07-07-2009, 02:20 PM

As a recent mandoliner I would advise to stay away from the cheap stuff even at the outset. You are used to a good sound from your Martin and it would bother you. I am on my fourth (and fifth) mandolins because I didn't buy a good enough one at the outset. It has helped my guitar playing and it is very fun to bring a different texture of sound to my playing circles.