#1
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The Loar mandolins
Looking at purchasing a mandolin but have limited funds. Thinking about a Loar LM-520 VS. Is this a good instrument for the price range? Looking for something with a wider nut and this seems to have that.
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#2
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I had a Loar 310. Nice mandolin.
Last edited by Kerbie; 09-10-2020 at 04:09 PM. Reason: Not allowed by the rules. |
#3
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Quote:
https://themandolinstore.com/product...olin-best-buy/ |
#4
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My first mandolin was exactly this model. It's a nice choice in that price range and didn't require much 'tweaking' to the factory set up to be playable. I played it in several settings using a condenser mic to amplify it. It worked well as an entry level model for me. I sold it to get my current Breedlove A model and perhaps should have kept it as I find myself looking at F models online!
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"I go for a lotta things that's a little too strong" J.L. Hooker |
#5
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Eastman, Loar, and Kentucky are the three imports that get good reviews. I started with an Eastman MD505. It was good until I started playing the Northfield and Collings mandolins. All are good enough to get you hooked. I would not buy anything above an all solid wood mandolin in any of the imports. I have not found a great difference, and indeed have often preferred the Eastman 300 over the more expensive models. Scrolls cost a lot of money.
While you are enjoying whatever you buy, set your sights on a used A style in the $1200-1500 range. Weber Gallatin, Silverangel Econo, Ratliff Country Boy, to name three. It is all in the richness of the G string. If you are coming from guitar, the neck width won't matter much, as they will all seem tiny.
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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 |
#6
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I have an Eastman 505, and it is a very nice Mandolin, BUT, it does have a narrow nut. Not sure if they are all consistently narrow. If I had my choice I would get one with a wider nut, but my hands are bigger, that's why. Soundwise and quality, very good, but I've heard good things about Loar also, and supposedly they have more of the Gibson chop sound if you're planning to play bluegrass. I do see a lot of Eastmans played in our local old time music venues though, too.
Last edited by Kerbie; 09-10-2020 at 04:09 PM. Reason: Not allowed by the rules. |
#7
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I have played Loar, Eastman and Kentucky mandolins.
In my opinion, the Loar was the quietest the least resonate of the three. Still for starting out, they make a nice looking F model that has a price that's hard to beat.
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Happiness Is A New Set Of Strings L-20A |
#8
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Eastman......consistently better in all ranges than The Loar, IMHO.
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#9
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I like mine.
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All things must pass, though some may pass like a kidney stone. |
#10
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I was cruising the web the other night and came across this.
https://breedlovemusic.com/acoustic-...eries-for-2015 Wider neck, no idea how it sounds but it seems Breedlove had guitarists in mind. |
#11
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If you have a price point, you will almost always get a better quality mandolin by buying an A-style. As Brick said in his post above, "Scrolls cost a lot." I've heard it described as "an expensive strap hook".
A $700 A-style will be a much better quality mandolin than a $700 F-style. If money is no object and you have to have a scroll, go for it. Some folks feel that it ain't bluegrass if you don't have an F-style. My 2005 Eastman MD605 is my favourite mandolin and it blows away many of the F-style mandos at festivals and clubs.
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Jim _____________________ -1962 Martin D-21 -1950 Gibson LG1 -1958 Goya M-26 -Various banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, ukuleles, Autoharps, mouth harps. . . Last edited by PHJim; 09-15-2020 at 07:25 PM. |
#12
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Quote:
Somebody must like them, though, because Breedlove has kept them in their product line for quite a while now. Still, they used to make their mandolins in Oregon, but the one in the link that you provided is an import. By the way, the Tacoma mandolins that show up occasionally on Craigslist and eBay are more popular among guitarists than among mandolinists. They’ve got flat tops and backs, and they’re really more suited to a strumming chord style than they are for playing bluegrass. They’ve got more sustain than an archtop mandolin with f holes. But they don’t cut through the mix as well as an archtop mandolin will. whm |
#13
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Quote:
The wider fretboard makes a difference for me, and when i discovered silk n steel GHS strings it it became light to play. I like it. I cant really comment on the sound - I'm still at the stage where I sound like a pair of cats fighting in an piano, however I will say that it does make a difference whether you go for a round hole (smoother more Celtic flavor), or an f hole (Bluegrass, harder edge, cuts through). As a starter it does me fine. If I ever get to the point of making a decent sound (and its a big if) i would certainly upgrade. From what I recall the Eastmans and Kentuckys get some love, so do Big Muddy. Setup is really important. The used kentucky I started with was a finger killer, but i managed to sell it back to GC for $5 more than I originally paid them for it. Last edited by Kerbie; 09-27-2020 at 08:37 AM. Reason: Not allowed by the rules. |
#14
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Like said above the scroll costs
money. It does not add any discernable tonal difference. They are solid blocks and are strictly ornamental. Desirable because It's what "Bill" played. The A5 which is an f holed A style 15 fret to the body mandolin has the same sound and is roughly half the price . Generally the a style is an oval Hole 12 fret to the body. These are more of a Celtic instrument and sound much different than an A5. |
#15
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Quote:
__________________
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 |