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kww
Apr-28-2006, 6:40pm
In my quest for an inexpensive mandolin (defined as inexpensive *after* shipping to the Netherland Antilles) I got the bright idea of looking southward ... after all, South America is only 20 miles from here.

I found this shop Bolivia Mart (http://www.boliviamall.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=23_405)

which has some inexpensive 12-string mandriolas, and this site:

Bandolins (http://www.brazilianpercussion.com/english/instrumentos/Tipos.asp?Tipo=92)

which has some reasonable bandolins.

Any clues about other sites? Any experience with the general quality of the South American mandolin relatives?

P.S. The listings on the Mandolin Cafe luthier page and "inexpensive" do not go together.

Potosimando
Apr-29-2006, 6:58pm
Just my personal experience: #On four different lengthy trips through Colombia, Equador, Peru, Bolivia, and northern Chile, I was always on the lookout out a good-quality mandolin (both for the thrill of finding one, and to buy one if it was inexpensive). #All I ever found was junk. #I am sure that there are wonderful mandolins down there (afterall, the Brazillians sure can produce fine mandolin music).

So, yes, ask first as to where to look. #I doubt you will have much luck just thrashing around down there as I did--from my experience, you just won't stumble across a decent mandolin in South America.

Good luck. I love South America, and am envious of your proximity to the place.

kww
Apr-29-2006, 8:23pm
I'm feeling encouraged, but I'm not whipping out the Mastercard yet. My experience with Ebay has humbled me.
Giannini (http://www.giannini.com.br/eng/home.asp) and Rozini (http://www.rozini.com.br/) are both featured on the Eye Candy page, and have promising websites. Rozinis are available at www.brazilianpercussion.com.

The Rozini RB22 is not plywood free. I think the Giannini GBSM3 (http://www.music-center.art.br/loja/produtos.asp?produto=607) is, and pretty reasonably priced. Their GBSM5 (http://www.music-center.art.br/loja/produtos.asp?produto=630) is handmade out of solid wood, and is pretty reasonably priced for such a thing (about $750 US before shipping). Unfortunately, the GBSM5 is out of my price range. I'd love to hear from the owner of a GBSM3.

On the other hand, Lark in the Morning offers this tricordia (http://larkinthemorning.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MAN036_A_Tricordia_E_) which I would buy if I had any idea of its build quality.

MartinD_GibsonA
Apr-29-2006, 10:28pm
My wife was born in Chile -- she's a US citizen now -- and I've been to her home country three times now. #I've yet to see a mandolin that didn't look like it was built by an 8-year old. #On the other hand, you can buy excellent charangoes all over the place. #The best ones seem to be made in Peru and Bolivia.

Don Smith

kww
Apr-30-2006, 9:36pm
I keep seeing those charangos. Any chance they could be tuned to roughly mandola tuning? They have a 37cm scale length vs. the mandolins 33.5 and short-scale mandola's 38. Seems to me that CGDAE should be achievable without much effort.

MartinD_GibsonA
Apr-30-2006, 9:53pm
Any chance they could be tuned to roughly mandola tuning? #Seems to me that CGDAE should be achievable without much effort.
No idea -- never tried it. #Charangoes have five pairs of strings; standard tuning is GCEAE. #The middle pair has a high E and low E; they're an octave apart. #Tuning this pair down to D wouldn't be such a big deal. #However, tuning a G to C and a C to G, either up *or* down*, seems like a stretch to me. #Maybe the pairs could be reversed to put the C in the 5th rather than the 4th position; if you did that, you'd have a mandola-mandolin combination since mandola is CGDA and mandolin is GDAE. #I just might try that; if I do, I'll let you know how it works out.

Don Smith

kww
Apr-30-2006, 10:43pm
Sounds like my "extended mandola" and your "mandola-mandolin" are the same thing: CGDAE. Bottom four courses act like a mandola, top four like a mandolin. I would appreciate hearing about the result, because, like you say, nice charangos are readily available around here. It would also resolve any doubts I might have about whether I should buy a mandola or a mandolin ...