Silk purse from a sows ear?

[bobmeredith]

Hi Folks,

New here, been lurking on and off for quite a while. Got many questions, I hope you good folk may be able to answer.

Bought a cheap Chinese mando with potential and would like to improve it for a small outlay.

In my research here it would seem that a tone guard, an arm rest, and the right set of strings are going to be the things that make the biggest difference.

Plus lots of playing to open it up, of course.

WOULD THIS BE A FAIR ASSUMPTION? ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?

I started on a cheap tourist toy A style from Russia that wouldn't play past the 7th fret, but was enough to get started on.

I recently bought a Washburn M-120 Ritchie Owens (perhaps not much of a step up I know) for US$630 with K&K pickup and a Brekke bridge. It has the potential with a few tweaks to do what I need it to do, considering I already play Guitar, Bass, and Sax for a living.

I see myself using this instrument in a Union Station kind of style rather than in a bluegrass or celtic role. Love David Grisman but don't expect to be able to play much in this style for a long while.

I will probably use it mainly in an amplified context with a Baggs PADI.

Mandolin choice in my price range in Oz is pretty poor, even the best stores may only carry one example of a model and with import duty they are far more expensive than just the US$ to AUS$ conversion would seem.

My rational for buying the Washburn is that it's a brand a lot of people know and may be easier to sell later on, and it was about 1/2 price; for a fully solid Mandolin. The slightly wider dimensions also appealed to me.

http://www.washburn.com/acoustics/m-120/

I'm hoping the wood is good enough quality to open up with a lot of playing.

It will eventually need some fret work done in the 15+ fret area but realistically I won't be playing up this area in the near future and will work on it in stages.

I don't ever see myself spending $4000+ on a mandolin, (my USA Strat Plus is only worth 2k although my Bass and Saxes hover around this value.)


As a serious hobby Mando player would this instrument ever be worth a replane and refret, or should I just stick to the removable options previously mentioned and trade up in 12 months time. (or keep this one as a beater)

Thanks for any advice.

Bob

[Josh Kaplan]

Bob, you are going to get a lot of advice, but I think I can sum it all up in advance.

You have what you have. It's not going to change. You can learn something from playing around with tweaking it, but it is not going to turn what you have into something else.

Time will answer all your questions. The best thing you can do right now is play your mandolin. When you outgrow what you have, you will know. But thinking about things like re-frets right now is likely to be a distraction. Just enjoy the music you make.

You are going to buy another mandolin in the future, and you won't need to spend anything close to $4,000.

And don't think that you have to rely on what other people tell you. You will figure this out as you go along. Your instrument is not likely going to change much over time, even if you play it a lot, but you will.

Josh

[Miked]

To be honest, I'm not familiar with the Washburn mandolins. I've never been a huge fan of their guitars, but that's another story.

Getting a professional setup from a good luthier will help tremendously. He can spot all sorts of things that may be issues like reseating the bridge, adjusting the neck, crowning the frets and so on. A tonegard and armrest will also help.

If you're looking at moving up later on and want to get the most mandolin for the buck, you might want to consider an A model. Look in the Cafe Classifieds and you could find a great deal on something like a used Gibson A-9 for around $1,000.

Enjoy the mandolin adventure!

[Darryl Wolfe]

That model appears to be fully adequate for your needs. It has solid woods and should perform well until you decide if you wish to step up. Overall set-up is critical on this type of mandolin.

[sunburst]

+1 for set up.
The mandolin will perform near it's potential if it is well set up.
Don't expect a lot from "opening up" or hot-rodding (arm rests, tonegards, etc.). The most likely piece of equipment to give you a noticeable sound improvement is a good quality bridge, but only if it is well fit to the top (part of a set up) and only if the bridge you have is not good quality already.

[JeffD]

A good set up will really really help. As will good strings. And there are many picks out there that improve tone measureably. And the three combined cost a whole lot less than $4000.00

The opening up will probably happen, it has for me, but its not to be counted on. With set up, strings, and pick, I bet you can get it sounding a lot better than you expect.

[Capt. E]

another vote for Good Set up, first: which may include new nut, re-seating the bridge, leveling frets, trussrod adjustment, etc. All of this will do much more than a tone-guard, arm rest etc. In fact a tone-guard and arm rest may not be necessary depending on how you hold the instrument. Bill Monroe never used them. Also, weave a strip of leather through the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece to get rid of possible harmonics. Next, start saving your money for a good quality used A style (as little as $400). Put away $10 a week and you will have it within a year.

[smedley]

another vote for Good Set up, first: which may include new nut, re-seating the bridge, leveling frets, trussrod adjustment, etc. All of this will do much more than a tone-guard, arm rest etc. In fact a tone-guard and arm rest may not be necessary depending on how you hold the instrument. Bill Monroe never used them. Also, weave a strip of leather through the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece to get rid of possible harmonics. Next, start saving your money for a good quality used A style (as little as $400). Put away $10 a week and you will have it within a year.

Speaking from my experience with a pac-rim insturment, I 'll tell you that the bridge is very important. My $600 mandolin sounded just like any other mandolin from across the pacific until I replaced the bridge in order to amplify it. The Fishman bridge made all the difference in the quality of the sound it produced. The luither that set all of this up for me was just as amazed as I was. He played and played on it until I had to ask for it back. He also loosened the strings enough to slide a narrow piece of leather under the strings where they come out of the tailpiece. That was a neater looking way to deal with excess string ringing.
Hope this info helps, and by the way, Im not trying to sell you any products.
Only relay my experience with a similar insturment. Probably any good bridge, professionally installed would help. Good Luck, and happy fingers to you!

[Santiago]

Take it to a good fret person and have them set it up, perhaps with upgraded strings they might recommend. Then, just play the heck out of it and change strings. Use a good pick. The mandolin will open up a little over time if you keep playing it. It really does help. The key to good sound will then be up to your technique.

[bobmeredith]

Thanks for the advice folks,

I'll go as far as an armrest, (as much for comfort as anything) and just play it solidly. There are some good luthiers out my way who could do a set up and fret dress if required. It plays fine at the moment, and it looks like the consensus is to trade up rather that invest too much money into it. Thanks once again for the interest everyone.

[EdSherry]

Pick choice is probably the single most important factor.

Depending on how you hold the instrument, a ToneGard can be the next best single investment in improving tone. If you hold the instrument away from your body, it won't make a lot of difference. But if you tuck it into your body (like I do), a ToneGard can make a vast improvement in overall tone and volume. I've been using one for nearly 20 years now, and I'm sold.

Armrests are nice, but much less significant in my experience. (I use both.)

A good set-up (as always) is important.

[mandroid]

You have some good Mandolin builders in Australia, I don't know their price list in AU$,
but at least you can share a few pints with the folks when you pick it up.
and talk over some options before they start on it, on the Phone..

may be one nearby to help you sort out your set up, too , see the Builders list link at the top of the page,
there's a sorting according to country.