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Thread: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

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    Default Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    It seems like i am seeing less and less electrics being played,made and sold do you think they are going out of style or is it just me?

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    I'm buying them all and hoarding them in my basement!

    Seriously, name five people formerly known for playing electric mandolins who have stopped playing them.

    The most logical explanation is that your tastes are changing, maybe without your realizing it, and you're paying more attention to genres of music where mandolin players aren't expected to plug in their instruments.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    They are not being made as much as they used too call any manufactuer and ask they will tell you nobodys buying them

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    Registered User jefflester's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    I just bought one!

    Though it's almost 50 years old.

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    Smile Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    It seems like i am seeing less and less electrics being played,made and sold do you think they are going out of style or is it just me?

    Well I've got four and I plan to by more


    Seriously? On what evidence? There seems to be more emando choices now, than I can ever remember being available during my 30 odd years playing.
    Last edited by mandelect; Nov-21-2008 at 2:23pm. Reason: error in post

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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    We've had a couple new small shop builders of electrics pop up often this year. I don't believe we've heard the last reverb of the e-mando.

    Martin does seem to be a black hole for e-mandos but even he sends them on their way to happy new owners.

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Quote Originally Posted by loardreamer View Post
    They are not being made as much as they used too call any manufactuer and ask they will tell you nobodys buying them
    Pshaw. Specifics, please. Name me five such manufacturers. I'm not a Missourian, but I'm married to one.

    I understand the Fenders have been discontinued, which is something of a shame regarding the 60E, 61SE, and 62SCE, and a huge relief regarding the risible and ubiquitous 52E.

    But if I'm not mistaken, the Mandobirds, Eastwoods and Kentuckys are still being made. As are the million-and-one cheap Asian knockoffs. And just about all the higher-end stuff.

    That being said, demand for these is not infinite, and there could well be a saturation point for the bottom-end stuff. If at some time that point is reached, I hope it means that people will start looking to upgrade. I will not touch the 52E or its cousins. I can't honestly recommend that anyone should play them; therefore I don't sell them.

    Within the past year I've sold or traded:

    Rigel
    Risa
    Ryder
    3 Fenders
    Hondo
    StewMac
    MandoBird
    Kent

    (Not to mention an Ajr, a K2, and a National RM1.)

    I just sold 2 of these electrics on Monday, so I can't say I'm really seeing reduced demand. But if you have any kind of actual, empirical evidence suggesting that demand for electric mandolins has declined to a greater degree than demand for mandolins in general, I'd like to see it.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

  8. #8

    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Quote Originally Posted by loardreamer View Post
    They are not being made as much as they used too call any manufactuer and ask they will tell you nobodys buying them

    Really? I can't really think of any makers who have stopped making electric mandolins recently.

    I stand corrected. Wasn't aware Fender stopped but I'm not really sure why they make any mandolins anyway. Acoustics aren't exactly their strength.

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Quote Originally Posted by TomTyrrell View Post
    Really? ... Wasn't aware Fender stopped but I'm not really sure why they make any mandolins anyway.
    If Fender stopped there must be a ton still left in the supply chain.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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    Handle Of Science UnityGain's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    I hope they die so prices will go down on EM-200s and I'll soon be the best emando player out there because everone else will stop.

    I love the emando personally. I'm not sure if I love it any more or less than acoustic. They are just different instruments. Esp 5 stringers (which I'm hoping will be my christmas present to myeself.) I dont really think anyone thinks that electric guitars are played the same as acoustics. Sure they are tuned the same, but their usage and character are quite different.

    The band I play in is really shifting away from folk and towards funk and blues and I think the emando fits wonderfully in those genres. I'm super excited to try out a 5 string. I have feedback problems with my acoustic that the only way around is to turn it down and play too hard, or to cut out so much that it just doesnt sound good any more. With electric, I dont have that problem, plus I have sustain. Its weird playing a mando with sustain, but I like it.

    I think instruments are tools to make sounds. Some sounds work better with other sounds. I dont think you'll want an emando sound in bluegrass, but that same emando sound can fit perfectly with a funk song. I think MrMando might have gotten it right.
    Gotta start sometime, might as well be now...

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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    We'll just have to make Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, and all of Western Swing music more popular.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    UnityGain -- what kind of 5-string are you looking for ...?
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Well, I suppose Terry Bales recently stopped trading online ... pity. I always fancied one of his mandola scale electrics.

    Any updates on Terry Bales status as an emando builder, mrmando?

  15. #15
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Turns out Fender still has the FM52E listed. They discontinued their better e-mandos and kept the lousy one.

    This ain't the first time Terry has quit, you know. When he started up again a couple years back, it seemed he couldn't make them fast enough. Kept saying he wanted to send me one to review, but he couldn't get ahead of his list in order to make that happen.

    That doesn't mean he was making enough profit to keep doing it, however. My guess is that he found something to do that pays better.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Were they ever THAT popular to begin with? Even among mandolin players, they're sort've a niche. That being said, I'd realy like to pick one up sometime soon.

  17. #17

    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    You guys always confuse me when the topic becomes "electric" mandolins. To me electric mandos are usually solid bodied mandos with magnetic pckups that can only be played thru an amp and sounds like an electric mandolin. I don't consider an acoustic mandoln which will produce sound w/o any amplification, but equipped with a piezo or mic type pickup to produce an amplified acoustic sound to be an electric mandolin. I believe that they are two different animals and to lump them together only confuses the issue. Hope I'm not too anal here but good communication requires clarity. This particular thread seems to refer to"electric" mandos, but the links lead to mandos with acoustic style pickup, i.e. the Mix mandos (which are great btw, heard one at the mandocam). Peace.

  18. #18
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Fair point. It's up to the OP to clarify what he's talking about. I'd consider a Rigel, Ovation, Crafter, or FM62SCE to be an electric mandolin, even though they use piezos, because they were designed with amplification in mind.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

  19. #19

    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    But to me they are trying to imitate an acoustic sound. For electric I think of Paul Glasse. Tiny Moore, Johnny Gimble, Randy Elmore and the like.

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    I figure any mandolin you can plugin is an electric. Some have solid bodies, some don't.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Semantics. You say tomato, I say chicken noodle.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    This particular thread seems to refer to"electric" mandos, but the links lead to mandos with acoustic style pickup, i.e. the Mix mandos

    Good point. That aside, I still believe there are more solid body electric mandolin makers out there, than ever before. Or maybe they were always out there, but I'm now aware of them because of the internet?

  23. #23
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Quote Originally Posted by mrmando View Post
    Semantics. You say tomato, I say chicken noodle.
    Pretty much.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Seriously, there are only a few quality big name manufacturers, that I know of, which have regular production runs of electric mandolins. Fender maybe? Brian Moore - don't know how many P5's they make per year? Godin - but by some peoples definition they're amplified acoustics? Bruce Herron seems to churn out a good. and regular supply of Mandoblasters.

    Most other emando makers do small runs, or build custom orders. However, the fact remains that many luthiers do make and promote them (many of them online), and that suggests a fairly healthy demand. Emando.com surely bears witness to that?

  25. #25

    Default Re: Electric Mandolins Are They Dead?

    Being the only guy in the US that makes electric mandolin bridges for solid body instruments, I can say that my sales to small builders has dropped significantly since the middle of the summer. The few builders that I talk to on a regular basis, who are in the $500-$1000 price range, tell me that they have seen a decrease in inquiries and sales in the last couple months. I would echo that sentiment, as I have a couple sitting in cases at home, and I've never been able to keep one longer than a week.

    I believe the economy is really taking a toll on the lower end instruments, less than $600, because people have less disposable income. Historically, that price range tends to have been driven more by impulse purchasing than anything else. The people that I am now selling instruments to tend to be gigging musicians who are earning some sort of income with their instrument. On the flip side, I have taken in more trades in the last couple months than I ever have which has given me the opportunity to play a range of instruments, so in the end I'm still having a ball. Now, if I could just get caught up then I, and a couple customers, would be happy.

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