Vegan mandolins?

[Jim Rowland]

I have a nice Celerly mando which might fill the bill...if I remove the ivory nut and the Rhino Horn bridge.Changeing the strings is a hassel,though.
Jim

[Jim Garber]

Tim, if you want to go that far, even your plastic mandolins were made largely from petroleum which could have been a product of animal carcasses from millions of years ago. In all honesty, I doubt our OP is willing to go that far but it is a very interesting problem.

[fatt-dad]

I think this is an interesting post. I just have nothing quite to contribute. . .

Inlay materials seem easy enough to avoid. Binding can be wood. That dang glue though. . .

I met a guy that used CA for gluing. That stuff may be vegan?

For your budget, you may want to call Big Muddy and see about ordering a mandolin with wooden inlay (rather than shell materials) and ask about the glue. Nothing wrong with an ebony nut either. My Flatiron 1N (pancake) started out with a wooden nut and it was good enough for me for quite a few years.

f-d

[JEStanek]

In an essentially closed system, our little blue ball spinning through the void, we/it are all recycled bits from other bits and likely from living things. That argument is a ridiculous extension. Short of going with the Big Muddy/Mid Mo I can't think of another in your price range that doesn't have pearl/shell.

Jamie

[brunello97]

In an essentially closed system, our little blue ball spinning through the void, we/it are all recycled bits from other bits and likely from living things. That argument is a ridiculous extension. Short of going with the Big Muddy/Mid Mo I can't think of another in your price range that doesn't have pearl/shell.

Jamie

Right on, Jamie. Like the Temptations said: It's a Ball of Confusion.

Save up un poco más dinero and go Big Muddy. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Mick

[wildpikr]

[QUOTE=Bertram Henze;1064501]Carbon fiber, yes, or aluminum:





I wouldn't want to put that under my chin after it sat a while in the sun...

[MikeEdgerton]

In thinking about this there are mandolins that historically could get part of the way there with no problems but they can't get all the way there. The 20's Martin Style A mandolins used clay dots on the fretboard, a decal or nothing on the headstock, and an ebony nut but I'm sure they were using hide glue for the construction. The Gibson F9 would cost more and would be fine as it didn't even have fretboard dots but they did use an inlay on the headstock. The Eastman mandolins used a fiber headstock inlay but still had the inlaid dots and some had bone nuts. Other than the Ovation (and I'm taking that one on faith, I've spent very little time with them), this one is hard to come up with an answer on from the get go at the price point. I agree with fatt-dad, it is an interesting question.

[SGraham]

Maybe the OP's scruples will require him to stay with his present low-priced mandolin. Sort of a vegan badge-of-honor.

[Ed Goist]

What about getting a nice kit, and then discarding and swapping out any items that are suspect?
I'd say this is your best bet. Plus, by building the instrument yourself, you will not be left with gray areas or questions about the glue, etc.
Good luck. Keep us posted.

[journeybear]

I wonder if there are builders in this price range who would be willing to produce an instrument with no fretboard dots or headstock inlay? That's actually less work. Then you'd just have the nut (and the glue) to worry about, and it seems some reasonable alternatives have been proposed.

As a proud owner of a fine 1917 plain A, I will attest to its appearing a bit unadorned - ok, plain - and hope to have it inlaid someday so as to display The Gibson proudly. Until then, its blank black appearance is the essence of simplicity.

[MikeEdgerton]

Questioning why someone feels the need to do this really doesn't fit into the nurturing nature of this commmunity.

[MikeEdgerton]

What about getting a nice kit, and then discarding and swapping out any items that are suspect?
I'd say this is your best bet. Plus, by building the instrument yourself, you will not be left with gray areas or questions about the glue, etc.
Good luck. Keep us posted.

At this price point an excellent suggestion.

[greg_tsam]

Actually, finding a mandolin that is vegan friendly may be near impossible since anything with petroleum products (plastics) were once dinosaurs that eventually turned to oil and made into tuner knobs, nuts, saddles, materials for the case. Maybe the Amish make something for that?

[oldwave maker]

Out of the stated price range, but some folks offer both the vegan and the lacto-vegetarian options......

[Jim Garber]

Questioning why someone feels the need to do this really doesn't fit into the nurturing nature of this commmunity.

Actually, I think all the posters on this thread are honestly trying to figure out the solution to this problem. I don't see anyone not being nurturing. For me, it just seems like an interesting puzzle to work out as a community.

It is funny, but I also thought of a kit just as I noticed Ed's post. That might be the solution and within his price range. Excellent!

[brunello97]

…. just as I noticed Ed's post. That might be the solution and within his price range. Excellent!

Well, there has been a bit of what I think you Yankees call snarkiness around the edges…

But leave it to Ed. Good man, good idea.

Mick

[MikeEdgerton]

Actually, I think all the posters on this thread are honestly trying to figure out the solution to this problem. I don't see anyone not being nurturing.

There are at least three that fall way outside that. Carry on.

[MikeEdgerton]

Out of the stated price range, but some folks offer both the vegan and the lacto-vegetarian options......

I never noticed the UPC truss rod cover on the watermellon before. That's perfect.

[JEStanek]

Look at Howard Morris as well. He can build you something with no inlay or no animal origin inlay dots for under $1000 in an archtop arch back instrument.

Jamie

[John Flynn]

I think that in the OP's price range, the good news is that the least expensive "ingredients" will have been used, which probably means plastic instead of animal. Even the MOP is likely to be actually, as the saying goes, "Mother of Toilet Seat." The bad news is that it may be hard to get an accurate accounting of what materials have been used, so you won't know for sure. In that range, the instruments will have been generally made to spec in Asia and the spec may not have included a breakdown of whether animal products were used. One approach I might take is to send emails to to the bigger brands in that price range and ask them. I'm thinking of Kentucky (Saga), etc. They might have enough control of their specs to be able to tell you.

I also like the suggestion of building a kit. That way you know for sure what's gone into it, besides wood and metal.

[fatt-dad]

I think it's important to realize the vegan community (which I don't speak for in the least, but somewhat familiar) avoids animal husbandry and to the best of my knowledge the killing of animals (i.e., no husbandry in hunting). As such buying a kit that relies on exploitation of animals (i.e., the MOP) would be no good, even if you threw away the MOP. I'd think plastics (or petroleum derivatives) would be o.k. for vegan principals.

I just don't know about glues. I think the tuner buttons (all metal), binding (plastic, wood or other non-animal derivatives), and inlay (wood or stones) are easy to deal with. It would require custom work though. I also think a factory order would be risky as who'd tell you about the glue?

We just need a builder to suggest effective adhesives that are not animal based. Then again, Dr. Dave Cohen has a great mandolin that he's assembled with screws (back, top and neck joint), but there's glue in there for the fretboard, etc.

f-d

[Jim Garber]

Look at Howard Morris as well. He can build you something with no inlay or no animal origin inlay dots for under $1000 in an archtop arch back instrument.

IIRC Howard's flattops are around $600 and the carved tops are around $1000 -- much more than the OP price ceiling. Mike Dulak/Big Muddy is also in that same range for the flattops.

Perhaps the best kit for the OP would Don Kawalek's since he puts them together himself and can prob tell him what is involved. And the price is definitely in his range.

[billkilpatrick]

cigarbox mando' - 'nuff said

[billkilpatrick]

carbon fiber mando' - 'nuff(er) said:

http://new-mad.com/

[PJ Doland]

I understand the desire to keep philosophical concerns out of this thread, but they're really essential to getting a good (and respectful) response for the OP, for several reasons that come readily to mind:

Is the removal and replacement of parts made from animals on a ready-made instrument acceptable to the OP, as the original purchase contributes to the demand for the killing of animals (even if the parts are replaced)? Should kits be viewed the same way, even if the manufacturer is willing to ship the kit without the offending parts?

What constitutes an animal for the purposes of defining what needs to be avoided? It may seem like an odd question, but that was at the crux of my point about MOP and oysters, as some ethical vegetarians and vegans disagree with one another on this issue (due to an oyster's inability to feel pain).

And what of the use of animal products during the manufacturing process which do not become part of the actual instrument?