Your input on Muddy vs. Kentucky

[Steve Jeter]

I hope this question isnt too vagueor been asked too many times. I have been out of mando about a yr. or more, dont ask me why, but Im back.
Unfortunately I only have a cheap mando now. I had a MO-W and really liked it. I had a Flatiron and really LOVED it. But there gone. So I was thinking about getting another one of those. Well Big Muddy, but same thing .
But I have started playing bluegrass 2-3 times a month with some fellas locally. No band just jamming. Other than with these guys Ireally like the Irish stuff, so it is a point of confusion.
I know the Muddy isnt made for bluegrass, but what would you do?
I really liked the wider neck and it seems there are no wider neck mandos in my price range unfortunately.
If I dont get the mid -mo muddy,sorry,, I will probably get some kind of Kentuckey A in similiar price range.
Thanks in advance , if you try to tackle my problem here.
Steve in Houston

[Capt. E]

You will get a wider neck with something like a Stradolin and it will be in your price range. They can be very nice mandolins. I found a killer 70's Japanese made solid top (brand Shiro) on Ebay with a fairly wide neck for $150. So, they are out there. If you are looking at Big Muddy (formerly Mid-Missouri) then your budget should be $300-$400. I would look for a solid top used A style (with f holes?) you should be able to find a nice one: say a Kentucky 505 or a Michael Kelly for example.
Here are a couple of Ebay examples:
A vintage Stradolin
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nice-Vintage-1920s-Stradolin-Mandolin-Restored-Setup_W0QQitemZ140280434151QQihZ004QQcategoryZ1017 9QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A Michael Kelly A
http://cgi.ebay.com/Michael-Kelly-Solid-A-style-Mandolin-Tob-Sunburst-BLEM_W0QQitemZ330285102177QQihZ014QQcategoryZ10179 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A Michael Kelly F
http://cgi.ebay.com/Michael-Kelly-Legacy-O-f-style-mandolin_W0QQitemZ330285845640QQihZ014QQcategoryZ1 0179QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


good luck hunting

[JEStanek]

Those Big Muddy prices of 300-400 are for used, not new. If the Big Muddy/Mid Mo fit you best you may want to stick with it. You can play bluegrass on a mid mo. If you're just jamming, I suspect your chop will be loud enough to contribute. If you can try a Kentucky and they fit your hands, that's a good option too.

Having bought a Stradolin I would recommend try before buy or have an approval period. Not all Strads are the same and they (for a laminate older instrument) may need a bit of work ($$$) to get them playable.

If your price range is for new Big Muddys ($600-800) look at Breedlove Quartz models too the OO or OF as those have a wider board and are arch tops. You might even be able to find a player not a looker teens Gibson to consider as well as the very fine Big Muddy mandolin.

Jamie

[Capt. E]

Yeah, I just looked closer at that Stradolin ebay ad and it is really kind of rough. Play before you buy is always a good idea. Keep in mind that an ebay buy may still need a good set up etc: up to another $100 depending on what it needs.

Again, good luck hunting.

[Don]

I've mentioned this in a couple other threads. There is(or was) a Japanese made Kentucky F5 style at the Mandolin Store that is probably a pretty good mandolin. It was priced at $749. No financial interest,yada,yada.

[Steve L]

I don't play bluegrass, but my understanding is that it's difficult to get the right sound out of a flat top oval. You can play Irish music on any kind of mandolin, so if bluegrass is part of your musical world, I'd cover both bases and get a solid top Kentucky.

When I bought my first mando, I got a Mid Mo M2 as Irish is my only interest and I still play it and enjoy owning it. But I've heard people playing entry level Kentuckys at sessions and have been surprised by the volume and sound.

[Mattg]

While I think Mid Mo's/Big Muddy's are great instruments, I think a Kentucky is a better choice for bluegras. I set up a mid mo and spent some time with it (I know, it's just one) and it didn't seem like it was beefy enough for bluegrass, especially if you want to be heard. The bridge also seemed like it wanted to slip around and when I really chopped on it, I felt like is was going out of tune faster than an arched top mando. Celtic, folk, cross picking and some jazz stuff sounded really good on the Mid Mo though.

I have a Kentucky 380s that turns heads at bluegrass jams. Totally worth the price.

[Bob DeVellis]

I have both and like both for their price. But I concur that a good Kentucky will serve you better for bluegrass and will be acceptable for Irish (where folks have less specific expectations about what a "correct" mandolin should be). But I'd recommend buying one you can play first, for two reasons. First, it will give you a chance to see if you can live with the narrower neck. Play both bluegrass and Irish stuff on it to get a sense for how both feel on the instrument. Second, you'll get to determine how it sounds. Kentuckys can be good but they can also be not so good, sometimes. (Mid-Mo/Big Muddy's are more consistent.) Also, be prepared to get it set up properly (a new one from a bricks-and-mortar shop should include a basic setup in the price; a used one may or may not). Good setup will make all of the difference in the world on an instrument of this type. Be particularly mindful of the action at the nut. It's often high on Kentuckys and getting it set properly really improves playability.

[Payit Forward]

I bought a JBovier A5 mandolin because of the feel of the neck. It is 1 1/8" wide at the nut like a lot of mandolins, but the strings are spaced wider apart, almost exactly as wide as the strings on a Breedlove I had, which has a 1 3/16" nut. This might make it feel more like the Mid-Mo you had. (I believe they have a 1 1/4" width).

The JBovier also has larger "banjo" frets which I like, and a radiused fingerboard. It's very comfortable to play compared to the Kentuckys I used to have. They (Kentuckys) have narrower necks, and smaller frets.

The JBoviers are around $500+ new. Good looking, and loud for Bluegrass, and has good tone for anything. I play it at irish sessions as well as old time and bluegrass jams.

You can send me a PM if you'd like to know more about my JBovier. It was very nicely set up by Kyle Dunn at The Mandoshop.