Wider neck?

[tony-moore]

hi,

i'm looking for some help in selecting a mandolin in the under $1000 range. i played violin from childhood until young adult, and have played bass pretty exclusively for the last 20 or so years. i'd like to give mandolin a try. i've played everything i can locally (cincy) and borrowed a friends kentucky for a couple months. but the string spacing on everything i've tried is just too tight for my bassy fingers. i've read about the washburn m120 richie owens model, which says it has a wider nut and string spacing, but i can't find one locally to try. does any have any opinions on this or other suggestions? i really have a preference on body style, i'm much more concerned with playability at this point...

thanks,

tony

[Jim MacDaniel]

Board sponsor Gypsy Music (http://www.gypsysmusic.com/) is in your price range, and their 8-string mandolins come standard with a 1-1/4" wide neck. If that isn't wide enough for you, I am sure they would be happy to build you one with a wider neck. (They have a 10-string model with a 1-1/2" neck, so if all else fails they could pprabably build you one of those, but set it up for 8-strings.)

BTW, Gypsy's have been well reviewed by many posters here on the message boards, and here (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=Search&CODE=02&SID=483111f62dd6b2ce) are four previous threads with multiple reviews and positive feedback about them.

[Boombloom]

Hey Tony! I'm a bassist as well. I have been playing some mandolin for a while and had a sudden urge to try mandocello. I posted on the Cafe looking for a modestly priced instrument. I heard from Walt at Gypsy. He is now building an instrument for me. We spoke at length about my preferences and he seems genuinely interested in building the mandocello I seek for a price that is reasonable. I won't see the end product for a little while yet, but I have read reviews of Walt's work and it's all been very positive.

Happy hunting!

[Benevolent Dick]

Breedloves are work a try.

MS

[Benevolent Dick]

....WORTH a try....

[cbarry]

Big Muddy makes a wide neck option on all their mandos (1 1/4"). Also, you might find an old Rigel A or A Natural at a decent price. They're about 1 3/8", but with a nice radius that helps my fingers fret cleanly.
Chuck

[tony-moore]

thanks guys! i've emailed the folks at gypsy and will keep my meaty fingers crossed. thanks again, tony