best kids starter mando

[Trip]

With a guitar its easy....just get a baby taylor, a big baby tay, or a GS mini....they have a tool that can be set up primo and have a fighting chance of learning, plus have a lifetime instrument that can stand the test of time, or something to sell for prob what it originally cost...

With a mando, choices are pretty slim.......long ago I was at a music store with midmo instruments and always thought this would be a good choice as a kids beginner.....seems like the name has been changed to Big Muddy? Same builder?..... but the prices have doubled which makes this less appealing to hand off to a 9 yo to beat the hell out of.....

Any other good options that I am unaware of that is a true instrument, not just a mando shaped block of wood like most of the pac rim junk....I have a few very nice mandos, but want him to have his own that he doesnt have to worried about scratching it( I've been letting him use a Fender that has Dawgs sig, which is not a great player) and switched him over to one of my F styles and he instantly improved and was able to fret better...

I would spend prob up to $250......and would hope that it would hold some value until he was ready to trade up......

And also if anyone has any hints/links for beginner(kids) lessons.... just want to get him kick started and will get him in front of an instructor when his non school schedule allows.....

[Frank Russell]

I'd be tempted to check out the Kentucky flat top in the classifieds. One thing I've done for kids is string up something like that one with four strings, to let them get to know the fretboard and notes, with a little less finger strain. I've also strung up one of the larger ukes (tenor? Can't remember) in mando tuning, just to leave hanging around at work if something came to mind I wanted to play. Very easy to find good ones at reasonable prices, and easy on those little fingers, which was what discouraged me from learning guitar as a child. I was given a nice steel string with super high action, never wanted to play it. When my boys are old enough, I've already got several ukes, guitars and mandolins which will be easy and accessible for them. Don't get a cheapie unless you can have it set up easy to play. Most of the cheaper ones I've tried out for "beginners" had really crappy intonation and high action, from the factory. Good luck. Frank

[Mickey King]

Look for a used Kentucky KM 150 or Loar LM 220 with good setup. And if you want to spend a little less try these http://www.guitarworksinc.net/STORE/...20Works,%20Inc. at $150 comes with case and good setup. I found a used on ebay for $80. They're laminate but much better than Rogue, Stagg, ect.

[allenhopkins]

You might be able to find a used Weber Sweet Pea four-stringer for $250; that's what they seem to go for, but they're rare. Would be an ideal kid's mandolin.

Martin Backpacker mandolin is another possibility. There's one on Minneapolis CraigsList now, in your price range, but that's a long way from Georgia...

[bart mcneil]

Were I you I would go for a used Mid-Mo or Big Muddy, same instrument different name. You can often find them in excellent condition for around $300. The tone of these instruments is outstanding in my opinion and they come from the maker very well set up so that saves you money. You often see them in the classified at around this price. I have one and it has had a very hard life but still sounds great. The cheapest way to buy them is from eBAY.

I would avoid the Martin backpacker on the basis of its tone. The one I tried din't have any. An interesting idea but without musical merit in my opinion.

A new or used Kentucky would be right in the price range you want but it must be properly set up if it hasn't already been. These seem to get good reviews here. I have no personal experience with one.

I personally would go the ukelele route as the nylon strings would be so much easier on a childs fingertips. My personal experience as a kid with a decent uke was all positive.

[Charlieshafer]

I agree with Frank above. There's no reason to go the uke route if you want to start on the mando; who needs to bother learning an new tuning and fingering? We have always used pretty lame older mando's; flat-tops especially, and pull off one string of each course. The single string has no problem making a flat top vibrate with enough volume, where cheap carved tops tend to have little to no volume. Our favorite loaners have turned out to be old Stellas, Stradolins, or unidentifiable things from the 20's and 30's. Very easy to play, and kind of a cool history lesson.

Just from a practical standpoint, I'd stick with the tuning-in-fifths thing, even though ukes are really fun and easy to play.

[fatt-dad]

Your guitar examples make perfect sense to me. Your $250 budget does not make as much sense to me though. Just take the guitar example pricing and double it. That's where your sights should be. Similar quality mandolins are about twice as much as their guitar counterparts. How serviceable is a $125.00 guitar for the new student?

KM-150s seems to be the most likely starting point. Somewhat better quality may be found in the Eastman lineup.

I'm getting too old to keep up with the new crop of entry-level mandolins though. They just don't make Kay anymore. . .

f-d

[pops1]

I have an old supertone that plays decently. Top has been cracked and repaired, but has a short 13" scale and light strings on. Would be a good beginner mandolin. Sometimes an older instrument can be the ticked and they are not pricey, but sound way better than a cheapo new one.

[jwynia]

I bought one of those cheap Kentucky's to keep in my office and have been surprisingly happy with it. I had it set up well (was crap out of the box) and it serves me really well for practice breaks while at work.

[Jim]

I would also consider the Rover RM50 as a starter mandolin for a kid or anyone.

[carlshirleys]

If guitar will be a good starter in using mandolin, I have some recommendations in guitar for kids. I saw how my little one got interested with string instruments so I thought of buying him a guitar as a starter and I saw this Yamaha JR1 3/4 Scale Guitar at https://www.kidstoystop.com/best-guitar-for-kids/. For the money this is one of the best beginner guitars you'll find. It sounds decent and feels pretty good. I bought a similar Yamaha as a teen 25 years ago and they still make a great product. I have no complaints about quality.

[Rob Meldrum]

I'm a voice in the wilderness on this one. I'm not in favor of giving a kid a musical instrument that they'll treasure as a great player in thirty years. I remember reading about Wayne Gretzky. His first hockey stick was inexpensive and he voiced his displeasure to his father. His dad told him when he was too good a player for the hockey stick he'd get a better one. Wayne said it took him 2-3 years before he was good enough that he had earned a better hockey stick and that his extra effort made him a better hockey player.

Me? My dad bought me an inexpensive guitar when I was eleven and I played that baby until my mid-twenties. The neck started to lift and the body started to cave in, and I happily bought a Martin D-35. Playing the inferior guitar made me a much better guitarist - having to work to pull the tone out of it for all those years improved my technique.

So my recommendation is the Rogue two-fer at musiciansfriend. It's their $85 RA-100D dreadnought and their $65 mandolin for $99.00. Set them both up, put on new strings,and get my free ebook (email me at rob.meldrum@gmail.com for your copy). I include links to before and after videos on youtube. Find links to my other videos and there's one where I A/B the Rogue guitar with a $1000 Taylor. See what you think.

Someone posted on this site that they bought and set up a Rogue mandolin using my guide, then sold it to upgrade to a higher-quality mandolin. The purchaser came with a friend who was a good mandolin player. He said that the tone of the Rogue wasn't as good as his mandolin, but he was shocked that it played much better than his (better action). That Rogue mandolin will work for the first couple of years of learning for any new player. In my opinion. :-)

[mandroid]

Kids come in many sizes..


How Old ? you did not say.


Suzuki training makes violins , smaller, to be made, for almost any child's age..

Being able to sight read violin scores is a real advantage when later they choose to take up the Mandolin ..



.. someone who should have taken up music as a child..

[MikeEdgerton]

I'd go for the setup Rogue myself.

[Charlieshafer]

The Rogue does sound good. The main issue we have when letting little kids play the mandolin for the first time is the pressure required for the paired set of strings. It's either too much for their little fingers to handle it easily, or starts hurting after just a few minutes. I mentioned in my post above, from a couple of years ago, that we pull one string off each double, so it's a four string mandolin. That makes it a lot easier. The Rogue, at that price, is tough to beat. We're lucky to have accumulated a few old flat-tops from the 30's that are very easy to fret. We like to get our little fiddlers on a mandolin at some point, as they can more easily see a chord shape.

[pops1]

I gave my children a uke and a baritone uke when they were little. I open tuned them so they didn't have to make a real chord, but had a musical sound so as not to teach their ears non musical sounds. I tuned them as often as needed. As they got older the baritone tunes like the first four stings of a guitar so it is a good start. Nylon strings are easy to play and I don't recall ever changing strings. I sold them many years later so a friends children could learn. They had plastic guitars, but were told these were real instruments not like the plastic and they had to take care of them. Both of my children are musicians today.

[MikeEdgerton]

You don't need to put J-75's on a mandolin for a new player, adult or child. If that's an issue you should start them on a uke.