Mandolin to Guitar?

[Brad Weiss]

I know lots of folks here got started playing the guitar, kicked it around for several years, and then discovered the mandolin and love it, etc. etc., I have sort of the inverse experience to report: now I truly, madly, deeply, love the mandolin (esp. my new Europa!!) but I've only recently taken up the guitar (ok, technically, I played 4 chords when I was 11 years old...) and it's been a whole lot of fun. In an ideal world I think my guitar playing will enhance my mando chops, and vice versa. #I have certainly made faster progress on the guitar than I would have expected - and I'm certainly in no danger of abandoning the mandolin for the guitar!! Heaven forfend!

Anyway, anybody else play the guitar AFTER starting out on the mando?

[T.T. Brown]

I'm anxious to pick up the guitar myself, so it's encouraging to hear that someone else has done things "backwards" (as my friend put it) and is enjoying it. I'll be watching this thread with interest.

[cgwilsonjr]

I played guitar first but I do think playing both guitar and mandolin daily is a great way to live and each instrument will enhance your overall musicianship so playing both is a wonderful situation.

[PaulD]

I do think playing both guitar and mandolin daily is a great way to live
Sounds like you need this (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7351015134&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1)! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

pd

[merv]

For the last six months I fooled around with my son's Sigma guitar and though I couldn't play chords was figuring out single notes pretty well. The down side is he has now moved on with his life and of course took the guitar with him. Now Dad has been looking around for a decent sounding beater guitar . Does the music bug ever go into remission ?

[T.T. Brown]

Advice from more guitar savvy musicians on good starter guitar? I think I'd like to get something that's all solid wood to start since I feel confident that I'll love playing the guitar once I pick it up and fooled around with poor sounding laminate mandolins for a while - an inhibiting experience. Looking at an Alvarez for about $600 new, but maybe go the used route instead? Budget is definitely an issue.

[PCypert]

Look for a used Larrivee D03 or any of their 03 lines. You can get them on the Larrivee forums or ebay pretty cheap if you shop around. Fantastic guitars for the money. Best bang for the buck I've heard in a long time. If only they'd release their mando line and it'd be as good.
Paul

[Rick Schmidlin]

Blueridge Guitars are excepted by some on the same scale as Eastman Mandolins.

[johnwalser]

I played guitar and banjo for close to twenty years before taking up the mandolin. The mandolin just seems to me to be the top of the food chain and will certainly give me enough musical challenge till my dying day. For a few years I still used my guitar to accompany singers at the chapel, but now do it with my mando. I just no longer can afford to split my time between both loves, but more power to those of you that can.
John

[Michael H Geimer]

I picked up a used Larrivee D-03 for 5 bills, and it is ... Wow! No Bluegridge can compare with a D-03 IMHO.

[mandroid]

I went off guitar to (melody on) mandolin, for almost 12 years, recently bought one again . another guild f30, from Westerly RI ; my earlier one was from Hoboken NJ .
Its like snow white and the 7 dwarves now.

[Andy Bob]

I've been playing guitar for about 40 years. #I took up the mandolin less than a year ago. I'm having a ball with both. I try to learn something new on the mandolin every time I pick it up. (Daily) I've taken to experimenting with alternate tunings on the guitar, especially for songwriting. That has opened up new doors.
I have an Eastman 604. I also have a Morgan Monroe MMS-3 for sale in the Mandolin Cafe classifieds. (Now reduced to $350.00)

[Michael Gowell]

Agree about alternate tunings, particularly if you fingerpick. #Learn a basic 6-4-5-4 thumb pattern, practice it 'till it's automatic. No fretting, just open strings. #Then bar fret at the 5th fret and back to open. Then bar at the 7th fret & back to open. #Open/bar5/bar7 = the I/IV/V chord pattern. #Then throw in an occasional treble note or two - frets 3/5/7/10/12 are all harmonious. Then put a glass slide on your ring or little fretting finger and you'll be amazed at the haunting sounds you can make. Experiment.

Learning in open tunings is much quicker than the traditional chord shapes in standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E, fat to thin strings.)

A lot of open tuning teachers recommend starting with G tuning, but it never sounded right to my ears. #I much prefer "Low Bass E" tuning - E/B/E/G#/B/E - it was a favorite tuning of Robert Johnson, Elmore James, and Duane Alman.

My guitar teacher of 40+ years ago (Philadelphia Jerry Ricks - anybody out there know Jerry?) taught me the basics, and he was tutored by the REALLY old guys - Son House, John Hurt, & Brownie McGhee. #Jerry taught me the tunings by name [G tuning was "church tuning", E was "graveyard tuning", etc.] #Really cool stuff.

And you can get away with using a very cheap guitar. #I have an electric, a reso, and a square neck hawaiian all in open tunings, but my current favorite is a $100 plywood Johnson (in blue, natch.) #It throbs and sings. #What fun...

[JGWoods]

Now Dad has been looking around for a decent sounding beater guitar . Does the music bug ever go into remission ?
Yes- it goes into remission- sad to say- then 15 years later you get back into it for some reason and kick yourself- a lot- for ever putting it down.

Play something every day. Keep it going.

best
jgwoods

[arbarnhart]

I played guitar before, but put it aside for a very long time. Then the mando rekindled my interest in playing, but I mostly want to play blues. There are only a few resources for blues mandolin, but if I drop back into guitar (and I have a little lately), there are lots of resources for learning that I can apply to the mando. Also, my daughter has started playing guitar and we play together some. I have a 77 takmine acoustic guitar from what is often referred to as the "lawsuit series". It's a dead on Martin copy. If you can find one (hard to do; just about everybody who has played mine is in the "if you ever want to sell it" queue) they go for a whole lot less than comaparable models. Edit - I went and looked up more details. It's an F360, wich is a copy of the Martin D-28. Onein good condition sold recently for only $350 on ebay.

[RolandTumble]

Also pay attention to older Alvarez guitars, though you'll want to examine these in person rather than on auction sites (at least, until you've done some research). They did (still do) make plywood cheapos as well as good guitars.

I'm really happy with mine, despite the fact that I almost never play it ("too much" time on mando, and my new-to-me Harmony tenor guitar). All solid woods, mahogany/spruce, &c., &c. "European dreadnought" shape--sort of like slope-shouldered Gibson dread's, with a bit more waist. Don't recall the model number offhand--I'll try to remember to look it up & add it as an edit....

[Kenith]

Funny, I've played guitar for 30 years before seriously taking on the mandolin. I find that learning mandolin has complimented my guitar skills (and vice versa)

[handpicked]

I really like older 70's Guild acoustic guitars in the "bang for the buck" category...the ones made in Rhode Island. Guild seems to be undervalued in the acoustic market. I have a g-37 (maple back and sides dreadnaught) that I really like...I paid too much for it at around $700. I've seen them go for under 5 bills on ebay. The Guild D-4 is also a very good and very cheap alternative which reg. appears on ebay.