Guitar player looking for first mandolin advice.

[keithdunlop]

Greetings,

I am a fairly competent guitar player who would like to branch out into a bit and try my first mandolin. Songs like "The Battle of Evermore", "Dream of the Archer", and Eddie Vedder's new "Rise" provide the desire to learn the mandolin. I play Martin acoustic guitars, but know nothing about mandolins.

I play 70's and 80's rock, blues and folk music (Robert Johnson, Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, Heart, James Taylor, etc), but would like to experiment with more southern influences including bluegrass. Basically, I would like something with tone that a rosewood Martin guitar player would appreciate without breaking the bank. I would like my first mandolin to be something I can grow with, but not spend more than maybe $750.00? I'm also not opposed to buying used to save money, so if there are good used bargains I should be looking at I would love to hear about them.

Any other advice for a new mandolin player would be appreciated.

Cheers!

[Rob Gerety]

I was in the same boat about 6 months ago. I found an excellent condition used Eastman and I'm real happy. It is a good mando. Very playable. Good tone. I do think if I stick with it the way I have been I'll probably be looking for something a bit more high end down the road. But this is a very good mando and it is also possible I just stick with it. I think I paid about the same as your budget.

[Miked]

I was in a music store a while back and played a Kentucky KM-1000 that really surprised me. I actually thought it felt and played better than a Gibson F-5 that was there, although the Gibson was in dire need of a good setup. A KM-1000 new is out of your budget, but maybe a used one would work out. A KM-855 is probably not a bad instrument, either. Visit as many stores as possible and see what jumps out at ya.

[f#54]

I am a fairly competent guitar player myself:mandosmiley:, At least I was until I started mandolin. The mando opened my eyes and abilities to a lot of new things. The people on this forum have been a goldmine to me. I play with a guitar player mostly, Steve Earle, Shawn Mullins, Alman brothers type stuff. Its cool when you find old songs that love mandolin. The first thing is do you want/need an oval hole or F style. Judging from your post I would say Oval. Amplification if you need it is a can of worms sometimes. What setting are you going to use it for, learning, playing out with electrics etc.? Good luck

When you learn "Crazy on you" on mando your there

[Jill McAuley]

Eastman's are a good bet, it's down to your own personal taste and preference as to whether you go for an A style or F style, oval hole or f-holes - there's a nice used Eastman 515 (f style with f-holes) at The Mandolin Store right now for a nice price, and the folks there make sure all their instruments get shipped out well set up. Here's the link:

www.themandolinstore.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=8919

Cheers,
Jill

[mandomania7923]

many people have suggested the loar series mandolins. there is a 600 a 700 and maybe another not sure but check them out too

[Greg H.]

Seems to me like a Big Muddy (aka Mid Missouri) might be a good option. It's a flat top mandoiln that would fit easily in your budget. If you find yourself wanting to move more towards bluegrass you can certainly go in that direction later, but this would also be a good fit to handle the acoustic rock side of things as well.

[Rob Gerety]

I started with an F hole mando because the dealers told me they sell 10 times as many F holes as Oval holes and I figured it would be easier to resell when it comes time to buy that dream mando. To my way of thinking - and knowing myself too well - the chances are very good in a year or two I am going to be selling my Eastman and F Holes are fine. In the end I think I would like two - one oval and one F.

[man dough nollij]

Welcome to the Cafe, Keith! Whereabouts do you live? We could probably direct you to a mandocentric music store near you, where you could plink around on a few.

You are in a good price range there. It's tough when new people post that they are looking for the best mandolin under $150... the little suckers are so incredibly sensitive to setup that it's really hard to recommend something in that price range. Getting one from a brick and mortar shop that does a thorough setup would be a big plus. As an experienced guitar player, you could check the intonation and play every fret checking for buzzes before you took it out of the store.

Personally, I have an Eastman 504 oval, and a 505 (ff holes), that I got for $500 each, a few years apart. They both sound awesome, in different ways. The oval has incredible sustain and resonance. It sounds great for more celtic, old-timey, and rockish stuff. The 505 has more of an explosive, punchy sound, and sounds better for bluegrass. I've played it up against some $3000 mandolins, and thought mine sounded better. FWIW, I've also played Eastmans costing three times as much that I didn't like as well-- they vary quite a bit.

Happy Pickin',

Lee (a solidly incompetent mandolin player. Guitar? I can't even spell EADGBE.)

[keithdunlop]

My local dealer has a Kentucky KM675 for $739.00 that I had been considering. I've also seen online deals on "Paris" mandolins. Anybody know anything about these?

Also, I'm assuming that anything under one grand is made is Asia, right?

[Pen]

As a Martin guy myself, let me offer up a 1950'a A40 or A50 Gibson as my recommendation. $750 is in the ballpark depending on condition and, man, what a kick they offer. Nice mojo too.

My late 50's A40 has a great low end. Other than my stage mando - it's the one I play by far the most.

[Marcus CA]

Greetings,
Any other advice for a new mandolin player would be appreciated.


Since you live in San Luis, my advice would be to take a road trip! You're within four hours of three great mando stores: McCabe's in Santa Monica, Sylvan in Santa Cruz, and Gryphon in Palo Alto. There is also Boulevard Music in Culver City, but I've never been there. Like guitars, mandolins have very different tones and feels, so you'll really gain a lot by playing a lot before you plunk down the dough. All of these stores have websites, if you want a preview before you hit the road.

I think you're basically right about new mandolins with three-digit price tags coming from Asia, although I would yield to the expertise of others on the Cafe. At the $1K level, though, you can get a new American-made Breedlove. I have their Quartz OF model, which I really like. If you want to preserve your loyalty to Martin, you can pick up one of their vintage mandolins for three digits, but I've never cared for their tone.

Happy searching!

[man dough nollij]

Also, I'm assuming that anything under one grand is made is Asia, right?


Floodtone, Morris, Mid-Mo, and Redline Traveller (?).

[Hillsdale Leroy]

I am in your very same shoes. I just bought an Eastman from the Mandolin Store. I can't say enough good things about Dennis Vance and his Crew there. An incredible experience. Good Luck in your pursuit.

[Fretbear]

Keith as you already know from playing and owning guitars, different instruments have different sounds and therefore different uses. Even though mandolins with F-holes and oval holes as well as one's with flat-tops and ones with carved tops are all mandolins, they might as well be different instruments. A jazz guitar player would rarely choose a dreadnought to play with a combo, or a bluegrass guitarist an arch-top.
It is not because either is better than the other, just different.

Some people like the oval-hole sound (I can always tell within a few seconds of listening to a recording if the mandolin has an oval-hole) and others less so. In some ways it is kind of the opposite to the guitar world, where the arch-top F-holed guitar is almost exclusively used for swing and jazz, whereas in the mandolin world, every type of music conceivable is played on that style of mandolin.

Very generally speaking, oval-holes tend to have an open, ringing sound with lots of sustain and bright trebles with sometimes a "tubbiness" on the bass and F-holes tend to have tons of penetration and a quick decay which can be used to great effect for tight aggressive rhythm playing, an advanced technique more akin to closed position jazz guitar rhythm comping than open stringed folk guitar strumming.
(check out Sam Bush amongst many others to hear this style of rhythm playing)

You can likely get a flat-topped oval or round-holed mandolin for less than a carved F-5 style, but it is ultimately more about what you want to do with it than what it costs. Hope this helps.

[hank]

"You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."

I remember it vividly though it was many years ago. I was at the time a John Prine fingerpicking kind of layed back player. I was looking for a resonator guitar, had been for years but the idea of playing one and the reality I found in the music store just didn't match. Then on a whim I tried one of their little Tacoma mandolins. It was instant bonding, I think I heard a chorus singing somewhere. The red pill was sweet and went down easily. Hold on Keith your in for a wild ride.

[keithdunlop]

Well, thank you all for the terrific information. Look's like the Eastman MD515 is a good first choice for me.

Thanks again to all!

Keith