New guy questions

[donnie]

Greetings
I like this board. I lurked off and on before joining but now I have some questions. I've played guitar about 25 years and I feel the need to branch out a little bit.
I need need recommendations for:
a) best budget laminate A style, and
b) best budget solid top.

Also, can anybody in Austin TX recommend a teacher?

TIA,
Donnie

[donnie]

I should add that I especially like bluegrass and Dawg music.

Thanks,
Donnie

[fatt-dad]

Donnie,

Welcome to the mandolincafe! I don't know about the "best" budget mandolins from what is currently being made. I do have some mandolins for sale and am confident that any one of the mandolins that I have will meet your needs. With the exception of the Vega (refer to my web link), all of my mandolins have a solid top and most are solid top, sides and back.

mandolins for sale (http://home.comcast.net/~fatt-dad/mando4sale.html)

fatt-dad
Richmond, Virginia
fatt-dad@richmond.com

[newblue]

Donnie,
Kentucky makes both. the km-140 will probably run about $150 or so but the km-140s or km-150 are both solid and I think can be found for under $200. I have a km-140 and after some adjustment, it plays well, frets nice no buzzing all the way up the neck, even with the action very low. sounds a little better than a cigar box. But be warned if you buy either of these, you will be wanting to upgrade very soon.
P.S. stay away from the $69 cheapo mandolins

[chipotle]

Yes, stay away from the cheapos.....

I got one from ebay and it was a big mistake. Keep your eye on a good solid wood instrument, probably an A model. Your ear will become more refined as you progress.

My big mistake was buying cheap and being frustrated with lack of tone, bad frets, tinny sound and rotten tuners.

[soapycows]

Eddie Collins at South Austin Music on Lamar. He'll teach you bluegrass mando. There are a bunch of other great ones here, too. Just depends on what you want to learn. Go to Artz Rib House on Sunday afternoons, you'll learn all about the mandolin.

[ShaneJ]

A big consideration in picking a starter mando should also be quality of tuning machines. A $150 mando is not going to sound like a Loar, but if it will stay in tune you'll sure enjoy playing it more. I'd recommend buying as good a solid top mando as you can afford, having it set up (bridge fit & adjusted perfectly and nut slots cut right), and putting some plain yet quality Grover tuners on it. I doubt it'd be worth what you'd have in it when MAS sets in, but you can always put the stock tuners back on before selling it and keep or sell the Grovers separately.

If it plays easily and in tune you'll enjoy it more, which will lead to more playing, which will lead to faster improvement, which will lead to MAS (Mandolin Aquisition Syndrome), which will lead to depleted bank accounts, which will lead to wife strife, which will lead to who-knows-what-else. Forget all this advice your getting!!! Run! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Baron Collins-Hill]

maybe it was luck. but my friend got some cheapo a-stytle oval hole mandolin that claims to be all wood for about 60 bucks, and it sounds really decent for the price and stays in tune relitavely well. you may be taking your chances on that one though. i think its made by "infinity" or somthing like that.

[Jasper]

Hi Donnie, Let me echo the above sentiment...stay away from the really cheap stuff. My first mando was a $125 Bean Blossom. It sounded okay, but it was killer on the fingers...did develop nice callouses fast though. And a $125 mando isn't worth spending $75 to get it set up, nearly doubling the cost just to make it playable along with all the concerns above about cheap tuners, etc. How much cash do you call a "budget mandolin?" Good solid mandos can be had for $500 or so, but you still don't necessarily get the nice tuners, etc. I don't own a Michael Kelly but have played one or two...they come with good hardware and play reasonably well off the shelf. And I stayed at Holiday Inn Express last night;-)