Soares'y Mandocello

[kelsonz27]

Does anyone have any experience with the Mandocello from Soares'y, or anything at all from the company? I want to try to get one but their website (http://www.soaresyguitars.com/) has no info on how to purchase one. Are they expensive or hard to get?

[Jim Garber]

Soares'y Inventory
- depends on when you contact us
Our product line is still evolving. Some of the guitars pictured here have been changed slightly while other models are still being developed. Our inventory varies from day to day, and depends largely on when we receive shipments from Portugal.

Email them... they are pretty active on eBay as well. Prices are reasonable but quality varies, AFAIK. I have not seen any instruments in person, tho I am about 45 minutes by car from him.

[allenhopkins]

Here's (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?16582-Soares'y-Octave-Mandolin&highlight=soares) a pretty informative thread on Soares'y octave mandolins. These instruments are made in Portugal, mainly sold on eBay, and not particularly hard to get. They are inexpensive, comparatively, and are made of laminated woods. Users seem to like the low prices and decent construction, but find the "fit and finish" inferior to other brands, including some of the Asian imports. Many users stress the need for a professional set-up, since the instruments arrive poorly adjusted, and replacement of the factory-installed strings. Soares'y themselves are up-front that their instruments are not as well-finished as other brands; "made by elves in a dimly-lit cave" is a quote from their eBay descriptions.

Soares'y instruments are apparently made in limited batches, so a particular style may be available only for a short time. They make "specialty" instruments that aren't generally available -- plectrum guitars, short-scale tenor guitars, etc. -- but buyers are dependent on what they happen to be building this cycle.

Can't speak from personal ownership experience, but based on Cafe discussions, Soares'y seem to be a decent value for the money, as long as you have access to professional set-up capability. Mike Soares is apparently based in the NYCity area, and oversees the importation and sale of Soares'y instruments. Some Soares'y owners have reported less-than-great communication with the company when reporting problems with their purchases.

Nothing from Soares'y on eBay right now that I can find, but that's where I'd keep looking. Mike Soares lists his address as 11 Whittier Ave., Yonkers, NY 10704 (from a post on the Tenor Guitar Forum), so you could try writing him.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Mike Soares posts on the Tenor Guitar Usergroup on Yahoo from time to time... I have a Soares'Y Tenor guitar - Gibson Style (single cutaway). I love it. I believe it was one of 12 made before Gibson "disallowed" the use of the their mold. Mike had the bodies made in China back then and did the necks himself. He also had the use of a Gretsch mold ( double-cutaway?) for a limited run.