Tyler mountain - plastic back a/e

[Chippster]

I'm trying to help a dad get a mandolin for his daughters this Christmas. The three daughters are singer songwriters, all three play guitar and they are pretty good. I've backed them several times on mandolin, and they have all fallen in love with the sound (good taste huh?) Dad says his budget is around $200 and i've found this wood topped plastic bowl back 'mini guitar' shaped Tyler Mountain brand on Ebay for less than that. I played a Crafter in a pawn shop the other day and it was surprisingly decent. Does anyone have experience with the Tyler Mt brand ?

[John Flynn]

In that price range, there are some other opinions, including some more "traditional" all wood instruments. What I would recommend in that price range is to focus on the dealer, not the brand, because you really want to get a good setup on less expensive instruments and be able to return them for a full refund if there is a defect. NFI, but I would go for the Kentucky 150 at Elderly for $225, which is all solid woods and they advertise that it includes a setup. They are very good to deal with.

[Chippster]

I guess i need to clarify. These girls will be playing onstage and need to plug their mandolin into a DI going to a small PA. I'm trying to avoid "magnetic" pickup models in favor of piezo or contact mic models, as the sound is dramatically different.

[Rick Cadger]

I can vouch for the genuine Crafters. For what they are they are fine. Very tough and quite playable. The electrics work just fine.

No good at all for bluegrass though.

[Steve Ostrander]

The Epiphone MM30E has a built-in piezo bridge. They sound OK--not great, but OK. You can get them new for about $200.

However, my advice would be to get the best used A-style you can find and install a contact piezo pickup, or play into the best mic you have.

Some suggestions: Kentucky A, Eastman A, Glenn Student A.

[Tim2723]

Chippster, given the limitations you've mentioned in this thread and the other one just like it, the MM-30E is about the only game in town. If they've fallen in love with your mandolin, they might not like the sound of the Crafter, the Tyler Mountain, or even the real Ovation they're based on.

See what you can do to remove the restrictions. The MM-30E is OK for the money, but it really ain't all that great either.

[Martin Jonas]

For what it's worth, if you're quick you can get a Crafter here (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170177400560&) for rather less than $200. $139 with three hours to go.

The tone of the Crafter is somewhat different from other mandolins, and the instrument is much heavier. However, the ones I've played are supremely playable, and the tone is perfectly decent. Slightly muted acoustic, but really quite good when plugged in. There are several high-profile professionals in the UK folk scene who have played Crafter mandolins on stage, including Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention.

Sorry, no experience with the Tyler Mountain. The same factory that makes the Crafter also sells the same instrument under various other names, such as Ozark (Stentor's hour brand), Ashbury (ditto for Hobgoblin), Hohner and a variety of other. However, the Tyler Mountain looks more primitive than the Crafter, especially the headstock, so I would guess it's not exactly the same instrument.

Martin

[mehrsam]

I would have to agree with getting the best all-wood acoustic mandolin you can, and adding a pickup to it. I did just that for my son; found a superb Kentucky K-150 and added a K&K twin pickup to it. He is just as happy playing it unplugged, which I fear will not be the case if you opt for the Tyler Mountain model.

Just my .02...

[mandroid]

Yes, in-bridge piezos, and one attached to the soundboard would have a different sound.

rather than narrow choice to a low price point one that includes the pickup.

A decent sounding one can always have a temporarily mounted external piezo disc pickup attached on it ,
then when the performance fees come rolling in,
and the acquisition of the upgrade syndrome sets it's hooks,
the pickup can transfer to the replacement with no additional cost.

[Jkf_Alone]

the only difference i noticed between my stick on and a friends piezo bridge was that the stick on can be moved around for eq'ing, when the bridge pickup is stuck where it is. the downside of the stick on is that it is a bit sensitive to touch. i like to put mine just behind the bridge (under the strings) or under the bridge beside the bass strings. if you go with either passive pickup you will want an EQ pedal or effects pedal to go with it, as the signal from one of these is pretty weak.

[billkilpatrick]

don't know how far you've gone with this (chipster) but here's a few considerations (from a crafter owner).

- other than the name, there doesn't appear to a difference between the crafter and tyler mountain instruments.

- they're much heavier than an all-wood mandolin - both to carry around and perform with.

- depending on the style of music the girls write and perform, a "modern" looking crafter (tyler mt.) might be a plus. #some of the colors are beautiful (mine has a natural "bubinga" soundboard.) #if their repertoire is in any way "country" or "folk" then i would suggest an all wood mandolin with a traditional shape.

- if their local music store sells individual, steel guitar strings, then no worries but as it is, i'm limited to d'addario EJ70, ball-end mandolin strings. #nothing wrong with them but i'm not spoiled for choice.

- i think the bowl is made from fibreglass. #check out the specs here:

http://www.crafterguitars.com/

... click on "the M series" from their "guitar galleries - acoustic series" menu at the left of the page.

i bought one of the tyler mt. cases, specifically built for these instruments. #they weigh a ton as well but appear to be indestructible.

hope this helps.

[Martin Jonas]

- other than the name, there doesn't appear to a difference between the crafter and tyler mountain instruments.
Not sure that's quite true. Certainly, the Hohner, Ashbury, Ozark and Harley Benton incarnations are identical to the Crafter, but I think the Tyler Mountain may not be. Here is a photo of the Tyler Mountain:

http://www.instrumentalley.com/v/vspfiles/photos/TMM-20-2.jpg

And here is the Crafter:

http://www.crafterguitars.com/gallery_acoustic/gallery_images/m_70e_n_large.jpg

Note the different headstock and bridge shape. Also, the Crafter has the dot at the 10th fret, like a mandolin, the Tyler Mountain has it on the 9th, like a guitar.

Martin

[Tim2723]

Forgive me for saying this guys, but when you look at it straight on like that, the Crafter is the most unhappy mandolin I've ever seen. It looks like it's frowning.

[earthsave]

To me it looks like it's melting....

[billkilpatrick]

humph ... i love/hate it, warts n' all.

one positive difference i see in the tyler mt. mandolin, that i don't see in the crafter, is the diagonally placed piece of plastic, slotted into the bridge. my crafter, while looking good (love) will not tune properly at the 7th fret (hate.) the slant of the bridge may be the solution.