Can there be only one?

[James Miller]

After having both the Weber Y2K6 and the Seagull S8 for some time now, I like them both very much. Each one has their own inherent qualities.

Weber Y2K6 has taller frets which makes it easier to play, has a richer more base sound, and resonates very well. One group I play with prefers the Weber as it gets along with them.

Seagull S8 is much more vibrant, enhancing more on the mid & high notes in comparison to the Weber. Resonation is amazing!! Although I wished the frets were a bit wider & taller, I find there there are times when I want a higher pitched (octave?) sound, and something with more punch and loudness - I go for the Seagull.

Am starting to understand this MAS thing, even though I've only had 3. Can there be only one? ~:>

[James Miller]

This Weber has a pickup built into it. Although I have no acoustic amp yet, it can serve that role as well. 2 groups that I play with have their own amps. Even the ukulele church member now has one with her own foot square amp. :disbelief:

When I took the Seagull S8 into a shop, the older gentleman was trying to fix me up with temporary tuning knobs. He very much liked the S8 but said it would of been much better with a a pick-up. Although my purpose for the Seagull was for traveling, camping, and to ride on the recumbent trike. It serves its purpose well. Although I cannot choose between the two.

[Jim Garber]

When I took the Seagull S8 into a shop, the older gentleman was trying to fix me up with temporary tuning knobs.

I don't have a clue what you (or the gentleman) was talking about "temporary tuning knobs".

[Mandoplumb]

For me there can't, I have 6 and am always open for more. Would you want only one shirt, only one chair, only one bowl, etc

[Roger Moss]

You belong to a ukulele church?

[LadysSolo]

No, there needs to be more than one, if you play different styles of music (at least that's my excuse!)

[chuck3]

There can only be one for whatever mood you happen to be at the moment.

So ... maybe somewhere in the 5-10 range?

[James Miller]

Church group plays many different instruments, and by various players. Only the ukulele and my mandolin were the only instruments that were not amplified. But now the ukulele player's husband bought her a uke that can hook up to its own amp. Think mine a couple of new guitar players are the unplugged players - although I do not always get up THAT early to play.

The Madagascar missionary couple I gave the Rogue mandolin haven't been playing it cause the woman's fingers are so tiny that the medium strings are chewing up her fingers. Don't know why they haven't gotten it restrung cause I gave them some light strings that Sweetwater gave me last Christmas.


I play oval holed mandolins. Should of kept the Rogue ... in hindsight. Lesson learned, nice guys need to learn when to not be so generous.

[Jim Garber]

I am not sure what you are talking about. You can electrify an oval hole mandolin. What does that have to do with a Rogue mandolin that you gave away? Confusing.

Oh wait: your Rogue had a pickup?

[James Miller]

For Jim Gerber: Though not sure what he's talking about either. Short, undescriptive...

1. Stating that I cannot pick a favorite mandolin. A few people sent private message a while back asking about the Weber, and which one I liked better. Cannot decide which is better, and may be understanding this whole MAS thing.

2. Playing in different groups: Country prefers the Weber, Church doesn't care really - Weber has the advantage since the one I have has a pick-up put inside it. Me, I like them both. Country group does prefer the barking F holes.

3. Rogue? Was an F holed mandolin. Sort of miss it, although it would not be near the same quality. In hindsight I probably should of loaned it out, not given it away. Guess was elated about the Seagull S8. Still am.

4. Can there be only one (mandolin)? Guess not. Can only play one, at a time.

5. Temporary tuning knob. Guess you must of forgotten when I had one break on the Seagull a few months back. Godin guitars replaced the tuning machine, with a spare. In the meantime I was looking for a temporary tuning knob, you know, to tighten/loosen strings with. Sure beat using pliers.

As for tuning, the Weber hold the strings in tune better, but it had quirks during the winter months. The Seagull has held the strings tight.

Have been trying a new tune: playing up the scale on A & E. whilst reversing on the other side of G & D - at the same time, then reversing. Keep running into the issue of a short pinky. For now it is impossible. Then tried using a bar across the fret board for fun, and made some really odd noises, some almost sickly. However experimentation gains insight at what a musical instrument can really do - outside of the box.

[JeffD]

I firmly believe there is no reason to decide on one. Different instruments for different purposes, different venues, different moods.

[MikeZito]

Instruments are like relationships - sometimes you think you have 'The One', but later find out that you are mistaken . . . .

[OldSausage]

You can only have one mandolin. Beyond that, you find that the mandolins have you.

[Denny Gies]

Yes there can be only one........a Randy Wood.

[Bill McCall]

Single mandolins get lonely, they’re actually pack instruments, much happier in groups. Like beagles.:)

And they don’t howl.

Usually

[Roger Moss]

Single mandolins get lonely, they’re actually pack instruments, much happier in groups. Like beagles.:)

And they don’t howl.

Usually

Mine sounds more like a cat who's tail was stepped on.

[fatt-dad]

yes, you can have only one mandolin and make it perfectly worthwhile for a lifetime. You won't realize this truth until you've owned a few dozen.

f-d

[Br1ck]

Buy something like a Northfield F5S and see how often you want to play your others. See how often others want you to play anything else.

[JeffD]

Can there be only one?

Need there be only one?

[catmandu2]

Acquiring stuff - thinking about acquisition, shopping, comparing ad infinitum - 'want' is one sort of activity that may be ceaseless; it takes time away from music.

On 'inability to choose" - we dont know what we want, because we already have what we need (paraphr).

*I should know. I should know because there's fools in love again (JJ)

[MissingString]

yes, you can have only one mandolin and make it perfectly worthwhile for a lifetime. You won't realize this truth until you've owned a few dozen.

f-d

So true it hurts :)

[farmerjones]

Can there be only one?

Yes, in one's hand at one time. :)

In all seriousness, don't let MAS get you in even luke warm water, let alone hot water.
(save some for fiddles, banjers and guitars) ;)

[Timbofood]

There can be many but, there MAY only be one.
This thread is really odd, I don’t know what’s going on here.

[kurth83]

I have never met a pickup that didn't need a little post-processing, meaning none are completely faithful to the acoustic sound.

My under-soundboard pickup for example (came with the Eastman 605), gives a nice balanced sound, but it rolls off the highs a little bit, so I roll them back on with a preamp-pedal, a little shelving EQ does the trick.

If you get an amp with some EQ you might not need a pedal, but rare is the amp that has parametric and shelving EQ abilities, which as a sound guy, are my gotos when needing to shape an instrument's sound.

I like to start by getting my amped sound to closely match the acoustic sound, then I can tweak it from there as desired. I find this requires a looper pedal so I hear only what is coming out the speaker. The speaker matters too, a good PA is best to mix into, but I guess we are getting beyond a ukulele band here.

So a partial answer to your question is once you get into post-processing, you can sometimes make one mando sound somewhat like another one with EQ. Although EQ isn't a miracle, it can't change a cheap instrument into a good one. If the sole difference is which frequency spectra are favored between two instruments, then EQ can get you pretty far.

But if you just want excuses to buy more mandos then those are free right here on this forum. :-)

[journeybear]

I have a small but considerable collection. Somewhere in the high teens, I think. But I tend to play just the Gibson A currently in her 100th year. Sounds the way I imagine a mandolin should sound. I'll play any genre I wish, and she sounds just fine, taking my state of technical expertise into account. ;) Now, are there better-sounding mandolins and better-playing mandolinists? Sure. But I play whatever I want with this one and am happy about it. Also, I save a lot on strings expense. :grin:

Of course, if I want to rock out, I've got the solid body. One of several, but the Ryder rocks just fine. :cool: If I want to get deep, I've got the mandola. If I want to get seriously bluesy, there's the Triolian steel tenor guitar. If I want to ... hmmm ... maybe I'd better stop right there ... :whistling:

[Timbofood]

You make an excellent point JB! Let the end product determine the equipment. If you want brisket, don’t start with a pork butt! Let the music help determine which one to use if you can. My basic 1975 Alvarez A-700 has held its own for my needs, from sitting in with country or Tejano bands, folky pickers, or whatever. It fits because I have it, I know where it will work and when to sit out. If I had another (other than the one F-5 I’ve gone on about ad nauseum for years) it would be something like an “A” style with a spare nut and saddle for “Carl Martin” octave stringing on the bass courses.
Or maybe a Harmony batwing for the sheer “funk appeal” and maybe to channel some Yank Rachell!
Play what you have as much as you can, if you feel like you need to cull the herd, that’s up to you but, in my experience, they really don’t eat much so, I’d just keep everything and have more options.
Oh, and if I have a stroke of luck and win the current offering from the drawing, I will show it as much love as I can but, first...
I walk into a gig with it in my old case and just spring it on “the boys”!
I would love to do that.
We pulled that joke on my banjo player when he got his first “custom” piece, he just about cried through the entire rest of the night!
That was a fun joke!