my first mandolin

[Minorkey]

This is what I spent my birthday and Christmas money on, a Deacon M100A .
I can find no information on the name Deacon, except for Jim Deacon, who pops up on Google!
Related?
Anyway, some pics...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Dawnrider/20140104_185259-picsay_zpsokgfdyfm.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/Dawnrider/media/20140104_185259-picsay_zpsokgfdyfm.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Dawnrider/20140104_185522-picsay_zpslqpq5qg1.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/Dawnrider/media/20140104_185522-picsay_zpslqpq5qg1.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Dawnrider/20140104_185541-picsay_zps22gwobzt.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/Dawnrider/media/20140104_185541-picsay_zps22gwobzt.jpg.html)

[Minorkey]

More pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Dawnrider/20140104_185617-picsay_zpsxlkydmjd.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/Dawnrider/media/20140104_185617-picsay_zpsxlkydmjd.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Dawnrider/20140104_185555-picsay_zpsarrwjoux.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/Dawnrider/media/20140104_185555-picsay_zpsarrwjoux.jpg.html)


That silver plate just lifts right off!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Dawnrider/20140104_185459-picsay_zpsmjczvc1d.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/Dawnrider/media/20140104_185459-picsay_zpsmjczvc1d.jpg.html)

One more

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/Dawnrider/20140104_185643-picsay_zpsrszajdgx.jpg (http://s.photobucket.com/user/Dawnrider/media/20140104_185643-picsay_zpsrszajdgx.jpg.html)
I just love this thing!

[Randi Gormley]

Looks like it'll do fine. Welcome to the world of mandolins!

[Minorkey]

Thanks
Can anyone tell me the reason for the floating pick guard?

[Brandon Sumner]

Enjoy it!

[Steve Zawacki]

There are several folk who brand what appears to be the same entry-level mandolin - laminated top/sides/back, same pick guard, bridge, tuners (but with different knobs), tailpiece, etc. but different name. I have a Fender 101 which is a mirror image of the Deacon (except for the tuner knobs). Rogue also seems to use the same factory/design. They all are in the same price point. Check out the various manufacturer's page and compare them.

A decent setup will do wonders sound-wise and give your fingers a break as well. The pick guard should have a small felt pad in the underside corner closest to the strings so the pick guard doesn't scar the face. Also, the screw on the brace can get loose, causing unwanted flutter in the pick guard. Gentle retightening of the screw is all that's needed - over-tightening can strip it and be a real headache.

Enjoy! The fun is in making music with the new wooden friend.

[Minorkey]

Thanks Steve. According to what I could find my Deacon is spruce top and maple back/sides.
I tell you for the money its an absolute bargain! Yes the pickguard is cheap (and has no felt under the screw) and the string cover near the tail lifts off completely rather than being hinged but for £100 knocked down to 60 its amazing.
I never would have thought I'd be able to afford a mandolin! 20 years ago you wouldn't have been able to get this quality for such little money. Same with my main acoustic guitar.
I just need time to sit and tune it in properly, and familiarise myself with it.

[Steve Zawacki]

Have a ball with it. Stringed friends are always fun.

[roberto216]

It looks just like a Stagg M20. They seem to get good reviews and it looks like it'll make a great first instrument for you. Enjoy it!

[Minorkey]

It looks just like a Stagg M20. They seem to get good reviews and it looks like it'll make a great first instrument for you. Enjoy it!

Thanks. Lots of similar instruments out there all echoing a certain design. (My entry level fender acoustic guitar is modelled after the Martin D28)
But whereas the Stagg has a basswood top, the Deacon uses spruce.

[almeriastrings]

It is all-laminate, no solid woods. Sold under various names and at various prices. If you order a couple of hundred the factory in China will put any name you want on them. Here's one:

http://www.bandwagonperth.co.uk/site/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=2029&category_id=67&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=64

"Jim Deacon" is just a marketing brand. They appear to offer a "direct import" option to retailers, i.e., no intermediate distributor and offer a full range of low priced electric and acoustic guitars, basses and this mandolin.

The floating pickguard is not a pickguard.

It's a finger-rest ;)

The tailpiece cover of a £5,000 Gibson lifts off too. That's just a standard type of mandolin tailpiece design.

There's only one common 'hinged' design in that pattern, and that is the 'James' tailpiece. Those cost just a bit more than the entire 'Jim Deacon' mandolin.

http://elderly.com/brand/MPT_james.html

Provided it is set up to be playable, it will certainly get you started.

[Minorkey]

It is all-laminate, no solid woods. Sold under various names and at various prices. If you order a couple of hundred the factory in China will put any name you want on them. Here's one:

http://www.bandwagonperth.co.uk/site/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=2029&category_id=67&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=64

"Jim Deacon" is just a marketing brand. They appear to offer a "direct import" option to retailers, i.e., no intermediate distributor and offer a full range of low priced electric and acoustic guitars, basses and this mandolin.

The floating pickguard is not a pickguard.

It's a finger-rest ;)

The tailpiece cover of a £5,000 Gibson lifts off too. That's just a standard type of mandolin tailpiece design.

There's only one common 'hinged' design in that pattern, and that is the 'James' tailpiece. Those cost just a bit more than the entire 'Jim Deacon' mandolin.

http://elderly.com/brand/MPT_james.html

Provided it is set up to be playable, it will certainly get you started.
Thanks for the info!
From that first link you posted:

Soundboard:
Spruce.
Back/Sides:
Maple
But its all 6 and two 3s really. I dont care what its made of, it sounds fabulous!

Thats a lot of money for just a tailpiece!!
Crazy.

[almeriastrings]

In instrument marketing speak:

Spruce = laminated
Maple = laminated
Solid Spruce = what it says
Solid Maple = what it says
Carved = could be carved entirely by machine
Hand Carved - at least touched or finished by a human at some point
If it says neither carved nor hand-carved = pressed into shape, not carved (using heat/steam over a mould)

Same translations should be applied to guitar sales talk too. If something is "solid top, hand carved" they are never reticent about shouting the fact. It is more what they don't say you have to watch for.

They are a very good tailpiece. Very popular with pickers on here. Top quality mandolins, and mandolin parts, are much more expensive that the equivalent range in guitars/accessories. If you think that's bad, £400 for a set of tuners, £300-£800 for a case, and £50 for single pick is not that exceptional in the mandolin world... and mandolins and accessories, in turn, could be regarded as reasonably priced to what violinists have to deal with.

[Minorkey]

Well my guitars are laminates and I prefer that. I dont have to worry about humidity affecting them. My Fender acoustic is made with Basswood but sounds fabulous! Everyone who plays it agrees.
I cant afford luxury items so I make do with what I can afford.

[JeffD]

Enjoy. The fun part is the playing!

[Paul Busman]

Have a great time with your mandolin. It's a blast. I agree that a good setup will make even an inexpensive mandolin play and sound better. You can get information on the forum on how to do it yourself if you're handy and have a few basic tools.
That tailpiece cover can be snugged down pretty easily. The top surface of it curls down and in to hold it onto the part screwed into the mandolin. With a needle nose pliers you can GENTLY bend that curled part in a bit to grip the rest of the tailpiece better. Do it a tiny bit, test, repeat until the cover is snug but not too tight to get off.

[Minorkey]

Have a great time with your mandolin. It's a blast. I agree that a good setup will make even an inexpensive mandolin play and sound better. You can get information on the forum on how to do it yourself if you're handy and have a few basic tools.
That tailpiece cover can be snugged down pretty easily. The top surface of it curls down and in to hold it onto the part screwed into the mandolin. With a needle nose pliers you can GENTLY bend that curled part in a bit to grip the rest of the tailpiece better. Do it a tiny bit, test, repeat until the cover is snug but not too tight to get off.
Thanks. The tailpiece cover is fine, good and tight so far.
Before I start messing with the set up I want to spend time getting to know it. I havent had time to play it yet!

[almeriastrings]

Rob Meldrum (on here) has a very good free book he can email you that can absolutely transform the feel and playability of your mandolin. As supplied by most stores and dealers, the setup is far from optimal. As with a guitar, you need the action at the nut end low enough to feel easy to play, not 'tight', without buzzing, and on the mandolin, both bridge position and height also need to be set just right. To get a copy, just email rob at rob.meldrum@gmail.com with 'Mandolin Setup' in the subject line. The frets too sometimes need checking, tapping down and polishing. As long as it is easy to play, with good intonation, it can take you a long way.

Good luck, and enjoy!

[Minorkey]

Rob Meldrum (on here) has a very good free book he can email you that can absolutely transform the feel and playability of your mandolin. As supplied by most stores and dealers, the setup is far from optimal. As with a guitar, you need the action at the nut end low enough to feel easy to play, not 'tight', without buzzing, and on the mandolin, both bridge position and height also need to be set just right. To get a copy, just email rob at rob.meldrum@gmail.com with 'Mandolin Setup' in the subject line. The frets too sometimes need checking, tapping down and polishing. As long as it is easy to play, with good intonation, it can take you a long way.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Yea I emailed him for the book.
But so far it seems set up fine. Ive had experience with badly set up guitars, I know how it can put you off playing! This mandolin seems fine. Just need to get used to the narrower neck.

[Mark Wilson]

Just need to get used to the narrower neck. Just play it for a month straight and your guitar neck will seem big as a lamp post.:)

Congrats on your first mandolin. Enjoy the ride!

[Minorkey]

Thanks Mark!

[jambalaya]

Welcome to the world of mandolin. Glad you found one you like. "nothin' left to do but smile, smile, smile..."

[Minorkey]

Thanks. In the shop I had an option on soundhole type. Oval or ff. I opted for ff

[CSIMelissa]

Enjoy your musical journey! You may want to have someone check the setup of the mando. I had to with mine and after the luthier raising the action a bit, repositioning the bridge and hammering down some uneven frets it sounds like another instrument entirely. Just a suggestion since you are new to this. (Like I am!)

[Minorkey]

Enjoy your musical journey! You may want to have someone check the setup of the mando. I had to with mine and after the luthier raising the action a bit, repositioning the bridge and hammering down some uneven frets it sounds like another instrument entirely. Just a suggestion since you are new to this. (Like I am!)
Thanks. Yea Im well aware that it needs a setup, you're like the 100th person to say so ;)
I may be new to this forum and to mandolin Im not a newbie to musical instruments ;)

[CSIMelissa]

Thanks. Yea Im well aware that it needs a setup, you're like the 100th person to say so ;)
I may be new to this forum and to mandolin Im not a newbie to musical instruments ;)

:grin: