South American Mandolins

[Fred_Murtz]

I heading to Argentina and Brazil in the near future. Does anyone know if South America produces mandolins - and if they are worth looking for? If so, what brands?

Thanks.

[Bruce Evans]

I have a mandolina from Peru. It has a rather deep pear shaped body and the upper two courses are tripled, rather than doubled, making it a 10 string. It is not a great instrument, but it is different.

The Giannini brand is big in Brasil.

[Jacob]

Here are builders in Brazil (http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/builders/searchdb.cgi?uid=default&view_records=1&keyword=Brazil) and Argentina (http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/builders/searchdb.cgi?uid=default&view_records=1&keyword=Argentina) from the Mandolin Cafe builders database. (http://www.mandolincafe.com/builders.html) #
Mandolins are bandolims in Brazil and play a prominent part in Choro music. (http://tremolo.no/english/misc/aboutmusic/choro_paulo_01.htm)

[Potosimando]

I've traveled through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile on three extended trips, always with a mid-range mando under my arm and always looking for a good SA mando...but never ever found anything close (in tone) to my run-of-the-mill mando.. Maybe I just looked in the wrong places, but don't be surprised if you don't turn up anything. #Take your own mando and have a great time looking for others, though--great sport. #

If your experiences are like mine, then you will come back thinking your own mando sounds like a million damn bucks--then reality settles in, of course, once State-side again. #I've gotten a terrific mando since last touring SA--your shopping surely will be more successful here. #

I would never take a nice mando to SA, by the way--you'll see what I mean when you get there...don't take anything at all that you wouldn't mind losing or ruining. #SA can get pretty rough in a hury if you get off the beaten path--which you most definitely should.

Que tengas buen viaje, chico.

[MartinD_GibsonA]

My wife and have just come back from our second trip to Chile, and we visited at least a dozen music stores and artisans looking for something I wanted. #(More on that in a minute.) #In all of those places, I might have seen two mandolins; it's just not a common instrument in South America. #If you really want something representative of the area to remember your trip by, then look for one of the instruments previously mentioned (mandolina and bandolin) or what I brought back ... a charango. #Any (all?) of them would make an interesting addition to your instrument collection.

Don Smith

[Jacob]

Bandolims (mandolins) are very popular in Brazil. #Most have this shape. (http://geocities.yahoo.com.br/manoel_andrade/Bandolim4.htm)

[sailaway]

Well, i have been living in Santiago Chile since February and haunt the music stores weekly to see if there are any worthwhile mandos , or mando music. There is not. But if you want charangos made of poor dead creatures, or andean flutes, or various obscure interesting wooden rhythm-making instruments, there are a lot. Any of you mando players out there intending to pass thru Chile , please give a holler! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[boatman]

Mark O'Connor plays a "Do Sorito" mandolin made in Rio de Janeiro, which, in his hands, sounds real fine. (Listen to him play this on 'Butterflies Day Out' on the "Appalachia Waltz" CD:some kind of fine!) I should think it would be worth trying to find one of these. Boa viagem!

[Oren]

I have an oval-soundhole Joao Batista bandolim that is pretty darn nice--gently arched spruce top with rosewood back and sides. It has a trebley sound that is traditional for choro music, and I like it for all kinds of ethnic music. Batista is located in Sao Paulo, Brazil.