Recommendations for an Affordable, Quality Mandolin

[chinmusic]

Hello there-

I've recently decided that taking up the mandolin
would be a fine and highly enjoyable endeavor and
I wonder if I might ask a few questions of the informed
(and terribly pleasant) populace of the AGF.

I don't have a lot of money to spend, but would like
something that will (of course) play well, sound pleasant
and could be played amongst a group of people without
embarrassment on my behalf. Sub $500-range preferred.
What appointments, woods, shapes, companies should I
be on the look-out for? How does one judge the quality
of a used instrument (so as to make one's dollar go farther)?

Any help would be most appreciated.
Thank you kindly.

[Tafmutt]

In the $500 range, Epiphone has one (the MM-50) that I consider to be quite good. Used ones are readily available on eBay.

Good luck on the mando -- it's a fun instrument.

TM

[grampa]

I have a Johnson - made in China - A style mando and it has a carved maple top and a pretty good sound and it cost me 80 dollars. The list was 130 but in the pawn shop the price was lowered.

[Fliss]

Mandolin Cafe ( http://www.mandolincafe.com/ ) is a great website to find all the information you could ever want about mandolins.

In that price bracket, the best value would be a solid wood flat top, such as this one currently in Mandolin Cafe classifieds (NFI):

http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/...uery=retrieval

The reason flat tops are better value is that they don't require the amount of carving that solid wood arch top mandolins do, and solid wood arch top mandolins with scrolls (known as F5 style) tend to cost most because there is the most work in them.

However, it depends what type of music you want to play, If you want to play bluegrass, a flat top won't be great for that, so you'd be better looking for a reasonably priced arch top mandolin such as The Loar (not to be confused with Lloyd Loar!) Kentucky, or Eastman.

Here's an example of a nice-looking Kentucky well within your budget but in need of a little set up work by the sound of it: http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/...uery=retrieval

And an Eastman just above the budget, but possibly worth stretching to if the scroll matters to you:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/...uery=retrieval

Fliss

[Fliss]

Just found another one in Mandolin Cafe classifieds that might suit you:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/...uery=retrieval

Fliss

[nachomaga]

I have a Rover mandolin (F type) and I'm very happy with it. It's chinese and I think the sound is very good for the price.

Remember it's important to do a set up, a mandolin bridge is more unstable than guitar.

[flagstaffcharli]

Mid-Missouri - now called Big Muddy.

Solid woods & handmade in America. Find one used for under your budget easy, or buy a new one for just a bit more. I love mine. He makes them with a number of tonewoods. I have a spruce/mahogany. The all mahogany and spruce/rosewood models look really attractive to me. He also makes a few models with a wider nut width if most mandolins feel cramped to you - though I found that a narrow mandolin neck felt better with some practice.

Great instrument, and if you ever decide you must have a carved-top mandolin or a scroll you'll still want to keep this one. Also, I bet it holds its value better than most imports in this price range.

Gryphon Stringed Instruments has a number in stock with good pics and info.

Oops. Just gave myself a G.A.S. attack!

[sabatini]

I think this one would be a good start.

http://folk-instruments.musiciansfri...lin?sku=524001

[Bruce Sexauer]

If by quality you mean actually good, as opposed to good for the money, Eastman Strings is pretty unbeatable. I have their model 815 and it is a real mandolin that can play with the big boys. Mind you it is not as good as my Bob Schneider, and then there are better than that, but the Schneider costs 4 times what the Eastman does.

[bkharmony]

I'm a Mandolin n00b, and I've already been through a couple cheapos. I can't tell you what you should buy, but I can say do NOT buy a Rogue, not matter how enticing the price. I ended up with the cheapest Fender (FM-52E) you could buy and I'm not too crazy about it, either. I upgraded the tailpiece, bridge and tuners, and it's still toneless, out-of-tune junk. (I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's the equivalent of a $300 Fender dread)

[barrangatan]

Even though I spend lots of time on the AGF I actually play mandolin more than the guitar these days. And like you, I've been looking around for a good beginner to intermediate mandolin that I can develop my playing on. Here are some of the things I've learned while doing my research that may help you as well:

-- Like bkharmony I would very much caution against some of the sub-$200 range instrument such as Rogue or Johnson. I bought a Johnson oval hole MA-100 that had a hard time staying in tune. They also put too much of a back bow in the neck (to keep it from bowing forward), and without any truss rod adjustment it was impossible to keep the strings from buzzing without raising the action at the bridge to a fairly high level. After 3 months of it I had to call it quit. I now have an instrument that is neither good for playing nor can I resell.

-- Spend some time narrowing down the style of music you want to play with the mandolin, if you haven't done so already. Without generalizing too much, if you are into Bluegrass music, then an F-hole mandolin is more suited in that style. Oval hole, on the other hand, is more commonly found in Irish music. This will invariably help steer you toward the instrument style of your choice

-- Someone else had already mentioned that a flat top mandolin will cost less than a carved top mandolin, simply because it take less work to make it. However, there aren't as many manufacturers or builders of flat top mandolins as carved ones

-- You will also get more bang for your buck if you go with an A-style mandolin rather than the F-style. Carving the scroll and points on the F-style takes much more work than the simpler, tear-drop shape of the A style.

-- At the sub-$500 level, your best bet will be an import model from one of the Asian manufacturers, such as Eastman and Kentucky

-- The Mandolin Cafe is a must-visit for more info on all things mandolin.

After much searching I am very much leaning toward a used Eastman 5XX or 6XX series models. I have also heard good things about Rover RM-75, as well as Kentucky KM-505, both already mentioned above. Also, there is a mandolin luthier named Howard Morris (whose work was actually featured in one of the advert above) based in Oregon who will hand build an A-style flat top mandolin in the price range you mentioned, which is really phenomenal. He does not have a website, but sells his mando on Mandolin Cafe and eBay from time to time

Good luck.

[chinmusic]

Wow!
Thank you for all of the very helpful information.
I lean towards the F-style, though it's more money
mostly for it's comfort when playing seated.

I'll be looking into your suggestions with great interests.

Thanks again.

[MJScott]

Fliss gave some excellent advice. I would echo everything he said. Mandolin Cafe is a great resource - take a visit there. The question you asked here is asked there about once a week.

[chinmusic]

Found an older F-style Kentucky mandolin on Mandolin Cafe,
circa-1997 (?) which (apparently) means built in Asia rather than
their current Chinese production. The seller also mentioned an
Allen tail piece and an ebony bridge.

Thoughts? Thanks.