Buying a mandolin

[timithing]

I don't know if this question has been posted before, but i did try and search the message board for it half an hour and came up empty handed

I was wondering what to look for when buying a beginners/student mandolin. I see them on ebay for $100, but this seems suspicious. I dont want a fancy mandolin, but i dont want one thats gonna fall apart. please offer your insights. I also noticed there seems to be many types and tunes of mandolin, what would be best for a beginner?

Thank you,

Tim

[Dfyngravity]

ok a beginner/student mando....well here is what i would look for. one i don't think i would buy one off ebay unless you really trust the person. you need a mando that has a straight neck so the action can be lowered down. at this point set up is way more important than having perfect tone and such. however you don't want something that just doen't sound good because you might be driven away from the mando completely. i know my first mando almost made me quit because of how bad it was. if i were you i would really truley try to get a nice kentucky A style(like an artist km-250). kentucky makes a very good A style mando that is good for beginners to imtermediate and i have even seen pros play them. there are other good mandos out there like fender, washburn and such. i would personally go somewhere where yo can play it though. because you want to make sure your not buying something unplayable.

[Bandersnatch Reverb]

Now THATS a tough question. I'd be steering away from a $100 mandolin personally....

Before I say anything else, it also should be added that a beginners instrument ought not be the bottom of the line! The reason here is that playability is a big factor with a beginner. If the instrument is hard to play, then interest will diminish, and the student will not progress. By spending a few more dollars, getting a better instrument, one that is nicely playable, one that perhaps has a better musical tone, one made of more quality tonewoods, not only will the student be compelled to learn, but when the student is ready to "move up" the instrument they began on will hold more of its value for resale, or, the student may wish to retain that first instrument, as a perfectly good 2nd or backup (ie, playing out and break a string... switch to the spare!).

I mean... folks could say... make sure the neck is good, make sure the body is well assembled, make sure the frets are good, but you have no basis to know these things from what I'd guess.

If you've been dealing with a muscical instrument store that you trust, you might want to ask them whats available. Getting to know another local mandolin player might be helpful.

If not, you can ask for specific suggestions here about models.

I took a chance on the unconventional Tacoma instrument as my first, and to be honest I'm perfectly thrilled with it, especially considering its lower-mid level price ($500). Take that from a guitar player who's been dinkin' on the gitfiddle since 1972. Its well made, ok decent tone, and very playable. Mine did require a little tweaking, but to be honest, most of the lower priced ones will. Same is true of guitar. By tweaking, I mean it needed some slight adjustment of the truss rod (user adjustable), and some minor filing on the string nut (better left to a specialist) to achieve optimum playability. That was something that would probably cost $40-50 from a local shop. There are some low end models out there without adjustable truss rod necks, and its probably best to avoid these.

[timithing]

Thank you for all the information! If anybody else has something to share, I'd be happy to hear it. Specifically, what tune/type of mandolin should i look into purchasing.

[furashgf]

I have to agree with Bandersnatch Reverb. My 1st mando was a $100 johnson. I couldn't tell when I was having trouble if it was me or the mandolin. I got a gold tone, which wasn't a 3K instrument and was much better - when it sounded poor, I knew it was me.

[GVD]

timithing Posted on May 13 2004, 09:44
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Thank you for all the information! If anybody else has something to share, I'd be happy to hear it. #Specifically, what tune/type of mandolin should i look into purchasing.

If you let us know what kind of music you are planning to play it would help. The Kentucky A KM-250 previously mentioned would work good for bluegrass. If you're planning on playing celtic, old time or classical etc. a Mid Mo would probably be more suitable.

GVD

[timithing]

Well, I don't really plan on playing bluegrass, i've never been too fond of it. I'd like to learn to play some jazz and latin/brazillian music, and i do like the sound of celtic music as well.

[Lane Pryce]

Look in the classifides at the Kentucky KM380s outfit. Very decent for a starter mandolin and there is some extra loot to boot! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif Lp

[PCypert]

If you're looking to go the celtic, etc route do yourself a favor and get a Mid Mo. You might not have to upgrade for years. Solid, great mandolins. I really can't say enough good things about them and the company. I had the best relationship with them and my mando. Some one will chime in with the usual "You need something you like to look at" reply post. Ignore it and get a Mid Mo. You won't have to bother looking at it because it'll be in your lap all the time getting played.
Paul

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Weber makes a couple of very reasonably priced flat top mandos, great beginner/student mandos and excellent for Celtic no matter how advanced you are.

The Aspen #1 retails at $1250.00US and the Y2K3 retails for $830.00US. They can probably be found for less at places other than http://soundtoearth.com. And if you find one used (on the Cafe's calssified ads perhaps) you'll pay a lot less.

But the Mid.Mo.s are very good instruments too.

For Jazz you'll most likely eventually want a carved arch top mando. Whether you go for F-holes or an oval hole, A-style or F-style will be entirely up to you when you're ready to buy up to that level. Point is, Jazzers generally like a sweeter sounding mandolin than than Bluegrassers. But you're perhaps a few years away from making that decision yet.

Good luck, and don't forget to enjoy the process!

Daniel

[timithing]

ok, thanks everyone! sorry to ask so many questions, but i dont want to have an instrument im not happy with. First, I'm left handed. is it important to find a "left handed" mandolin? Also, if i see a Kentucky mandolin, but it says "Korean" or "Assembled in Korea", what does it mean?

[peterbc]

Kentucky mandolins are made in Korea. Most of the cheap mandolins are. Mid Missouris are american and I think Tacomas are as well, but I might be wrong. For me, I'd say a solid top and a truss rod or some sort of neck reinforcement is pretty key. My first mandolin, a plywood Santa Rosa, didn't have anything in the neck and it started to move a bit. It wasn't a big issue but if it is going to be your only instrument for some time it is something to consider.

As for lefty vs. righty, there is a big debate about how it should be played. Some people say that you should play it as if you're right handed because it'll be easier to learn from other people, some say it's easier to do whats natural. I'm a righty so I don't have that issue. My sister is a lefty and plays baroque fiddle and is in the camp of playing it like a righty. I can't make a recomendation there, but I do think (i might be wrong) that righty vs. lefty instruments are different, I think the bracing under the top is reversed. Not being a builder though I'm not really sure so maybe someone can chime in.

Good luck with finding a nice one! It'll get addicting.

Peter

[Bob A]

First, I want to agree with the idea of buying a quality instrument. No one enjoys the learning process on a piece of junk. Also if you do decide it ain't for you, you might like your money back. That's why 90% of the instruments I get are used or "vintage". Let someone else take the depreciation hit.

Left handed or right handed, it's the same learning curve. Both hands are learning something they've never done before. Do yourself another favor, and make a valiant attempt to play "right-handed", and don't cut yourself off from 99% of the best mandolins in the world. (Ever seen a left-handed violin?)

I like old Gibsons a lot. You can get a cosmetically poor, but well-set-up A style for 6-700, and you can always get your money back. If you buy from a reputable dealer, you'll get a setup, a 24 to 48 hr evaluation period, and a guarantee of sorts. They're great for Celtic, Andy Statman uses them for jazz, they're solid, and they keep their value. You won't be paying inflated collector's prices, and the trade-in value is there if you want to switch. But that's just my personal take on the situation. Still, I believe a student can't go wrong in buying a better instrument than he thinks he needs, or thinks he can afford.

[ira]

based on what you described- i too would say get a midmo as well. i've played a bunch, and no nothing special to look at, but easy to play, and depending upon the sound you want, they have multiple options (yes, the woods will make a difference).
if you go f-hole/arch top, i started with the kentucky 150s, and it did the job, still use it when i play for kids at my schools, and to shlep around to play while waiting for my kids to finish a class (dance, karate, etc..).
it was a good solid buy at a reasonable price. i would recommend it. you don't need to spend a grand to get going.

[Oren]

The issue of your left-handedness is an interesting one. Finding a lefty mandolin will be a lot more difficult than getting a standard instrument. Learning to play right-handed will make upgrading a lot easier later on.

If you are not sure which way will work for you, look at the Mid-Missouri mandolins here

http://www.midmomandolin.com/products_mandolins.php

You'll see that they are symmetrical in shape. I don't know if it would cause any problems to re-string the instrument in reverse order, but it looks possible. That would give you a left-handed mandolin. Of course, reversing the nut, or replacing it, might also have to be done. You could e-mail Mid-Mo and ask their advice. They might be able to set it up for you that way at not much extra price. At any rate, they could tell you if it would work, or if a lefty has to be built that way from the ground up.

If you want to try learning to play right-handed, but want to be able to reverse the strings if it doesn't work our for you, a symmetrically-shaped mando might be the thing.

Something like the Mid-Mo would probably suit very well the type of music that you're thinking about. The Mid-Mo has an excellent reputation.

I believe that the new Kentucky mandos are made in China now, not Korea. That is not necessarily bad--I played a Chinese Kentucky that sounded pretty good.

If you can get to a big acoustic music store like Elderly Instruments or Mandolin Bros., go and fool around with the mandolins, and ask lots of questions.

Oren