Mandolin for old time

[Cary Fagan]

Hope it's ok to put this question here, but it seems to me like the right place.

I'm playing some old time these days and think an oval hole mando sounds better. Don't want to spend too much and was thinking of a used mid-missouri M2. Any thoughts on the sound as compared to, say, an eastman 504 (which would be more) or some other?

Thanks.

[rohan]

I'm running the Mid Mo, M-1 with JHS silk & bronse strings. Good ringing sound. Had to raise the action when buzzies appeared. Gud value. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Ken Berner]

Last year I had a reunion with a banjoist that I played folk music with back in '64. He is big into old time music and a pal of his was present with a 1915 Gibson oval-hole, blackface mandolin (A4?). I cannot tell you how good that mandolin sounded; it was astounding.

[John Flynn]

The teens Gibson ovals are most prized for old-time. I would play and/or listen to a few to get an idea of that sound. Then I would find an instrument you can afford that is as close as you can get. The Mid-Mo would be fine, they are great instruments made by great people just down the road from me. You may be volume-challenged in the bigger jams, though. The Eastmans may do better in that respect. The Eastman ovals I've played seem to have the classic tone in the bass and mid-range, but seem weak on the treble end to me. There are also a lot of great used bargains out there. Some of them sound great, some not.

You just have to know what you are listening for and it is important that you make that choice for yourself. The process of buying mandolins is "buy...play...look for the next upgrade...repeat ad infinitum," so don't stress about it, it's a journey, not a one-time event. If you can afford a Mid-Mo, get it. It will be a great started for OT and you will want to keep it as a second mando later.

[JGWoods]

I often see, and hear, a nice Mid-Mo at the Skellig Sunday Old Time jam in Waltham MA- fits right in and plenty loud enough.
There's a guy that plays an Eastman F hole model and he sounds fine too, a little edgier in tone as expected with the f hole mando.
I guess in the end most anything will work for old time as long as you are trying to fit in. They all sound good in the groove.