My bad mandolin

[IrishRover]

heres my mandolin, its bad quality but its better than nothing http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[berkeleymando]

Ahh.. it can't be so bad. It does appear to be made of wood, after all. What is the make? I can't see the text on the headstock or in the sound hole.

[Pete Braccio]

Hey, I've got one just like it in my cube at work. Sounds and plays OK.

Pete

[Keith Miller]

looks like Stagg to me, some of these have solid tops, some laminate.
Keith.

[IrishRover]

hi, yes its a Stagg ME50 i belive, it doesnt play well but i cant complain, it was cheap!http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

i will hopefully make one soon.:D

[MrTidy]

Your stagg looks exactly like my Rogue. Almost certainly made in the same factory. Maybe I'll buy 1000 of them and put a "Tidy" sticker on and in it... instant collectable! Suddenly I'm a luthier!

[dan@kins]

. . .love your mandolin.. . . dont' be too hard it on it.

Everyone has to start somewhere. You gotta get your 'chops' on something (pun intended).

Play that thing! Thats how we get better!

I'd rather hear a great player on a 'more inexpensive' mandolin than an OK player on a $5000 rig! ANY DAY!

Thanks for posting. . .

[ira]

looks like it has 8 strings, a bridge, nut, peghead, body and neck- you're good to go!

[IrishRover]

Dont get me wrong i loves my mandolin, i just no it isnt great! just like me! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Ther is no such thing as a bad mandolin. Just some are better then others. I have an old A that looks similar but has another name. I dont play that A much but it brings back the memories when i first started pickin.

[Daniel Nestlerode]

IrishRover,
I'll bet it could use a good setup. Get it to a luthier who can do a good job on that for you, and you'll be thrilled with the results.
If you want to spend some more money on it, think about a new bridge, new tuners, and a cast tailpiece. That will help a great deal with tone.
I had an early Epiphone MM-30 (A style, solid construction). It was such a dog that I actually stopped playing mandolin for a couple of years. Then I changed of the hardware and the bridge and got it set up properly. Darned if it didn't turn into a real mandolin. The downside? I spent $175.00 on a $250.00 mandolin and later sold it for $200.00. But I was playing that mandolin happily until I could afford a better instrument.

Daniel

[JEStanek]

I have to agree with everyone else. My Bad Mandolin is a Johnson Oval Hole. I really like it. I'm no Dave Grisman now, but after I took it to my local luthier and lowered the nut so I could fret the first position on the E strings instead of split my fingertips, I was much happier. This was a $40 well spent to adjust and restring. She stays in tune pretty good. I can take her to festivals and not worry about it. And she sounds good enough for a beginner.

The best thing about my "bad" mandolin is I can let my 4 year old daughter and 2 year old son beat on it and have family music time. She is just starting to get to the point where she can learn a chord. He just loves to strum... infront of the bridge, behind the bridge, above the nut.. wherever.

Jamie

[om21ed]

set up can make a world of difference. 20 years ago my wife gave me an A model Washburn as a wedding present. Due to graduate school, 2 kids and 10 years on the guitar it hardly ever got played. But over the course of time, due to breakage I've replaced the nut,bridge and tailpiece and now that I've taken some lessons, it sounds pretty good--although it still needs me to continue with the lessons

[IrishRover]

hey guys, well im hopefully starting a guitar making & repair course soon and i belive i can make and work on mandos as well so i can mod and set it up soon, and proberly build a new one:D