Romainian mandolas - anyone tried one?

[scgc.om]

There's a Romainian mandola on the Classifieds here for only $240. Has anyone here had any experience with these?

Seems too good to be true. Thoughts?

[steve V. johnson]

I haven't seen the one in the Cafe Classifieds, so I might be talking about something else entirely...

I bought one from David Kilpatrick's Troubadour website. I like David and his music and I got the mandola as a gift for a violist friend. He was always working with the Romanians on quality control and design and materials upgrades. Back then, he'd send back a fair number of the ones he got.

I just looked at his site (http://www.troubadour.uk.com/) and I didn't see any instrument prices ... But the instruments look very similar to, but better, than when I bought the mandola.

After getting the mandola I corresponded with some other folks who had other Troubadour instruments, and they said that the instruments responded well to upgrades in bridges and nuts. Some folks had replaced tuners, too.

It's great fun, really. The bad news... after ten months or so the neck bowed a bit, and since it hasn't got a truss rod, it needs a neck set &/or fretboard work to make it straight again. However, my friend doesn't mind the bow and the high action and still plays it, sometimes quite energetically and the sound is full and rich. There haven't been any hardware upgrades done to it, and I believe that it still uses the strings that David sells on the Troubadour site.

I know that there are a bunch of other Romanian instruments out there... I see some on auction, and the little flower designs on the wood pickguards seem characteristic of them... Lark In The Morning carries some, too.

stv

[catmandu2]

I had a Hora zouk. They're built very light and consequently produce good resonance. However, if you compare one next to a step-up like a TC, you'll notice a huge difference. The sound, construction, parts and finishing are very different. The Horas are probably worth the money but, for ~$150 more, the value of a TC, for example, is significanly better.

[Steve Baker]

I had a Romanian mandola for a while. It was very lightly built but had a pretty decent sound, a lot better than the heavier TCs and such. For the money it was hard to beat, but I did wonder about it's long-term survivability.

My $0.02.

Steve

[Rob Zamites]

Well,
I've had a hora OM/'Zouk for a few years, and after having a former Gibson (Kalamazoo!) luthier set it up, I honestly can say that it has a very punchy voice and great intonation.
For the price I paid, it was well worth it -- and since the previous deal fell through, I'll be re-listing it in the classifieds soon.
That said, I think if you just intend on "messing around" with the CBOM family instruments to see if it's something you're going to want to continue to persue, they're a good deal -- I did decide that and am paying off a Brian Dean cittern. You could spend $150-$200 more and get a TC, which, IMHO will sound a bit more multi-dimensional, tone-wise, but then again, you're out an extra amount $$$ if you decide CBOM's aren't you thing. YMMV.

[MandoSquirrel]

The one in the classifieds looks like a newer version of mine, which I've had about 15 years, except it says the scale is 17.5 inches, while mine is right about 16. Since I tried putting Thomastik-Infeld strings on it, I've found it interesting to tool around on. The only problem I've had with it in 15 years is a chipped nut; now it has a new one. Mine seems pretty solid.

If you're looking for something to start on or a "beater", this should be fine.

[catmandu2]

$150-$200 more and get a TC...but then again, you're out an extra amount $$$ if you decide CBOM's aren't you thing.
OTOH, I see the used TCs selling for ~$400. They must hold their value pretty well.