I would like to know what you cafe members think I gave 500 for it. Is it a good buy or did i get burnt also has anyone ever had one if so what was it like tone wise?
I would like to know what you cafe members think I gave 500 for it. Is it a good buy or did i get burnt also has anyone ever had one if so what was it like tone wise?
Peghead
back
well the case is worth $100 so $400 for a vintage 28 year old mandolin ain't bad at all. While it probably sound like a late 70's/early 80's Ibanez/Alveraz/Washburn mandolin you got that good American name on it. Heck for that price if you don't like hang it on the wall for decoration/converstion piece.
i sold one a couple of years ago for $650 ,it had Monroes signature inside.
Danny Clark
How did you date it? It looks like it has a blue label in it. If it says Japan and Kalamazoo on the label it's most likely from the early 70's. Gibson moved most if not all of the Epiphone production of guitars (and I assume mandolins)out of Japan by 1973 or 74.
"bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--Jim Garber
Mike here is how i dated it and the serial no.starts with the first two numbers as 79----- http://www.geocities.com/guitarchuck.geo/MM70.htmOriginally Posted by (MikeEdgerton @ July 16 2008, 22:03)
Is it marked Made in Japan? I suppose they could have had the guitars and mandolins manufactured in separate countries. Is there a place where the serial numbers are listed?
"bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--Jim Garber
Here is one at elderly thats made in japan in 83 http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/90U-4492.htm
I have one. #The color is a little lighter though. #It plays well, it was my second mandolin. #The luthier who built my 3rd mandolin (June mandolin) said that it was well made and that I shouldn't ever get rid of it. #Don't know if he meant my specifically or all of them. #For the price I think it is a good buy. #I payed $400 in 2000 for one. I never saw one appear on the Cafe until today. #I'll take some pics and post them in the next few days.
Epi mandolins must have existed in a different world than the guitars. I was just on Gibson's site looking for Epiphone serial information and it really wasn't any help. OK, I know more now than I did this morning about Japanese Epiphones. When you get it let me know the color of the label and if it says Kalamazoo and Japan on it. That will shoot the heck out of what has been my accepted knowledge of the subject.
"bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--Jim Garber
How is the tone and volume fishdawg
For anyone interested here are some MM-70 threads. There are also some external links with more information in some of the threads.
"bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--Jim Garber
Mike i have some more pics amd the label is definately blue but i cant tell what the writing says. But when i get it i will let you know and clean it up restring it with some j75's and post some better pics. DANNY
Well, I think the tone is good for what it's priced. #It could be a little tinny but has a nice chop. #My action was very low, so the volume wasn't too high. #It's not gonna blow your ears off but it sure was great to play after my first mandolin, a plywood Epiphone that was only $200 less. #From friends that didn't know mandolins they said it sounded good, but from another mandolin player not so good. #Like I said though the luthier really liked it. #It took me a long way on my mandolin journey (around 6 years of on and off playing). #I think the price you paid was good. #Do you have it in your possession? It's at my parent's house so I can't play it now and the last time I played it was about 4 months ago.
NO I WANT HAVE IT TILL SATURDAY FISHDAWG
It's hard to see from the picture, but the bridge looks massive. You might get a real nice surprise by fitting a Cumberland Acoustic bridge and see how it sounds.
I stepped up on the platform, the man gave me the news;
He said: "You must be joking son, where did you get those shoes...."
"Your man doesn't sound so good!!"
Miles Davis to his drummer (ignoring guitarist John Scofield, who he had just brought in for an audition)
http://scottlearmonth.tripod.com
i've got a scroll-less epiphone and as much as i like it, you are envied!
http://www.youtube.com/user/billkilpatrick
http://billkilpatrickhaiku.blogspot.com/
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Hey, morristownmando; I have an MM-70 too. My serial starts with '80', so I'm adopting your system and calling it a 1980 (Japanese Epiphones came from a variety of factories, and there was no overall standard serial number system). It does have the blue 'Kalamazoo/Made in Japan' label. I don't think Epis started coming from Korea until the early eighties, but there were some being imported from Taiwan in the late seventies (they are easy to spot because they just say 'Epi' on the headstock; and they have a very, very bad reputation). Anyhow, my MM-70 isn't very loud, but I really like the tone.
Johnl Im pretty sure 1984 was the last year of the japan made mm-70. At least thats what most of the info that i have read is pointing to. I sure would like to see a pic of your mm-70 johnl
brand loyalty in extremus but i've always been attracted to epiphone mandolins - it's probably as close to a gibson as i'm ever going to get.
may i ask:
- what distinguishes a MM-70 from a MM-50?
- what does the VS stands for in "MM-50/VS?"
http://www.youtube.com/user/billkilpatrick
http://billkilpatrickhaiku.blogspot.com/
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I'll try to get some pics of my MM-70 up this evening.
I've got some Epi promotional stuff from '79, and interestingly enough, the MM-50 is depicted as being like the Gibson 'lump scroll' model (the A-12?); and where the MM-70 has an ebony bridge and fretboard (w/fancier abalone inlay) and gold hardware, the MM-50 has a rosewood bridge and fretboard with dots, and silver hardware. I've never seen a lump-scroll Epiphone; all the MM-50's I've ever seen had the traditional F-5 body style.
mm-70 top of the line for epiphone in late 70's early 80's handcarved and graduated top fancy inlay and peghead better tuners ebony bridge and fingerboard. MM-50 lesser quality just a solid top rosewood bridge and fretboard. VS I think means vintage satin.
... thank you!mm-70 top of the line for epiphone in late 70's early 80's handcarved and graduated top fancy inlay and peghead better tuners ebony bridge and fingerboard. MM-50 lesser quality just a solid top rosewood bridge and fretboard. VS I think means vintage satin.
http://www.youtube.com/user/billkilpatrick
http://billkilpatrickhaiku.blogspot.com/
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I think it stands for Vintage Sunburst.
"bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--Jim Garber
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