#16
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A word on mandolin cost, particularly F style mandolin cost. I bought a really cheap F style mandolin on closeout. It was probably $600 list and Michael Kelly was blowing out a discontinued model. It was an OK mandolin I could work on stress free. Well, I put a ton of work into it. Redid the nut, fit the saddle and leveled the frets. Got it to be easy to play. Not even close to my Silverangel A style, but I found myself playing it all the time. Oh no, I had the F style bug. But $5000 for a mandolin, or even $3k for a Northfield? No way. So I bought some CNC parts from a luthier, you could call it a kit, but nothing was done beyond the plates, and that was rough. After a year, I had a mandolin. I would do something, then I'd wait a month to get up nerve to continue. What I learned was $5000 is very reasonable. I had a great if angst filled time and have an appreciation I never had before. A fully bound F style with some headstock inlay is a steal for $7500. The mandolin I built is close enough to the $5000 mandolins (sound only) that I've had to up my budget and hope I get a well played mandolin with cosmetic issues for four to five grand. I'd be thrilled. They really take as much time as an archtop guitar. You can spend $500 on the wood alone.
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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 |
#17
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Recently I have gotten into octave mandolin and Bouzouki because I find the fretboard less intimidating and it's easier for me to sing with. I have a Pono guitar bodied OM coming tomorrow. Pretty exciting!
I own a Kentucky KM272 and have been pretty happy with it. I don't really try to play bluegrass so the round hole works better for my needs. I just wish it had a wider nut!
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https://www.mcmakinmusic.com |
#18
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Quote:
Crikey, what a great & informative post! I love those resonator mandolins & the ones you consulted on look brilliant! You need to write a book on your experiences your posts are always a great read. Thanks Slim
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2022 Gibson L-00 Studio Walnut/Burst 2019 Martin D-28 Re-imagined 2018 Gibson J-45 2007 BSG GJ-27 12 string 2005 BSG J-27 2020 Regal RD-30M Resonator 1938 Dobro model unknown 2023 Michael Messer Fiddle Edge Dobro Plus a Takamine and an old S.Yairi. |
#19
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I've been playing mandolin since
the 70's. Started with cheap bowl back In college. Played in a BG band Back then. Owned an alverez for about 10 Years ..then bought a rigel. When vw was buying back their diesel cars I was lucky enough To have one and they gave me Almost 3 times what it was worth. I had this windfall and bought an Ellis mandolin (austin) . The Ellis A5 special. A5 mandolins sound just like F styles but without all the horns And less labor involved in building More bang for your buck. This is a very Nice mandolin and not something I would Buy if I hadn't had that windfall. But I love it and play it often. . |
#20
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I've played and performed guitar for decades and got my first mando -- a Godin A8 -- about a decade ago to use in a duo I was in. That disbanded shortly thereafter and although I was really smitten with the sound and look of the mandolin, didn't play it much since then, just off and on. I joined a band about five months ago, though, doing guitar and vocals, and the mando is turning out to be a great fit (I'm pretty much playing "rhythm mandolin" this far) and complement to the guitars in the band (I play it on about 6-8 songs so far) and the bug has bitten me to the point where I just bought a used-but-still-gorgeous Collings MT-O mando that arrives in a few days (just like this photo).
I'm finding mandolin to an intriguing, beautiful, challenging and enjoyable instrument. I can barely put mine down!
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.[SIZE="2"] - Sean Debut album Time Will Tell now available on all the usual platforms -- visit SeanLewisMusic |
#21
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I bought my Gibson F9 at a local shop that was going out of business. It took about 10 years to finally learn the major, minor, and 7th chords for fiddle tunes. Transferring melodies from guitar to mandolin was relatively easy.
I grew from novice to intermediate and then I played a 5G mando that had a bassier, deeper, fuller tone. I have been looking in the used market without success.
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rubber Chicken Plastic lobster Jiminy Cricket. |
#22
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I just dove into the mando world a few weeks ago, and I am finding the instrument very intuitive. The tuning just makes musical sense, and my repertoire of fiddle tunes are easy to transpose to the instrument.
I started out with an Eastman MD505 from the mandolin store. It has been setup to sound great and easy to play. Just having a hard time putting in down..... D
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"There's a lot of music in songs" Last edited by dhodgeh; 12-19-2020 at 09:02 PM. |
#23
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I’m a beginner..l and I know just enough to get me in trouble!
It’s a great compliment to the acoustic guitar |
#24
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Beautiful MT-O! Lovely burst.
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#25
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That sounded like fun and good too!
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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) |
#26
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I began studying the mandolin a couple years ago and instantly fell in love with its beauty, versatility and small size. Learning musical concepts through the mandolin has helped my guitar playing. MAS can definitely rival GAS. Here are my two, a Pava Pro A and a Collings F5V. Both bought used which is the way to go with these treasures. I've been enjoying Wayne Benson's YT channel recently for some terrific instruction.
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#27
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I just found a 40 year old photo of my first 3 mandolins. The first was a Martin bowl back that I bought for $20 at a "We Buy/Sell Anything" joint in the mid-sixties. I traded it away soon after this photo was taken.
I also had a banjolin which my grandson now owns. My first flat back mandolin was this A-style Ibanez that I bought in 1970. I no longer have any of these mandolins. These days I have a 2 point oval hole Washburn from the eighties, a 2005 Eastman MD605 and a TC octave mando that my wife bought me a bit before the turn of the century. I have no real desire for an upgrade to my mando arsenal. All of my mandolins, in fact all of my instruments, have cost me less than $1000, but I started buying instruments in 1960, so I'm sure that prices have gone up a bit. Suggestion for someone buying a mandolin: If you have a fixed price point, you will almost always get a better quality mandolin by buying an A-style over an F-style. The scroll adds a lot to the price, but not much, if anything, to the sound or playability. I mean that a $2000 A-style mandolin will be a much better quality than a $2000 F-style. On the other hand, if price is no object and you really like the scrolls, go for it.
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Jim _____________________ -1962 Martin D-21 -1950 Gibson LG1 -1958 Goya M-26 -Various banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, ukuleles, Autoharps, mouth harps. . . |
#28
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Look, I was very happy with my A styles. Makes a lot of sense. A lot. More than a lot. The insanity of the F style is just that. If I could find one that would make me happy for $5000 used, well, I'd be happy. The special mandolins are just that. I should never broken my rule and played that used Ellis. It was $9500. So I'm happy for people happy with their A style Ellis. I am afflicted with a hopeless disease.
The upside, which is considerable, is that I built an F style that continues to improve two years out, and is the reason a $5000 mandolin isn't a big improvement.
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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 |
#29
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I’ve been totally enthralled watching Jerry Rosa build mandolins on the Rosa String Works YouTube channel. He’s making one now out of quilted maple that is just stunning. The fifth and final build episode is supposed to drop soon and I can’t wait to see this finished. Very, very cool.
He built this one that was used by now deceased Carmine D’Amico in some films and recordings and is in a collection in Belgium: https://www.tuneyoursound.com/collec...carmine-damico
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Carol _______________ PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Emerald X30 Woody Traveler EG-1 Custom |
#30
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And here’s an Octave that I would kill for if you like non-traditional instruments: https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/149299#149299
Check out the makers website...oh, my, my!
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Carol _______________ PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo Emerald X30 Woody Traveler EG-1 Custom |