Worth setting up?

[apotheosis415]

Hey ya'll,

My first thread so be gentle...

I am new to stringed instruments. I have been mainly a trumpet and alto sax jazz man. I have never played guitar for more then a few hours. I just went strait for the mandolin.

I received my first mandolin from my folks for the holidays and it was a Rouge Brand. Not the highest of quality, but to get my chops down, I was stoked with it. After many broken strings trying to set it up on my own, I decided to upgrade with a brand called Revival. Its a mahogany A-style. I had it set up by a great guy in San Francisco and it plays wonderfully.

I work an 8-5 ~o) and usually spend my lunch working cause I really don't like taking an hour off in the middle of my day. But I'd really love to practice on my lunch but I really don't want to have to carry my case around every day on the bus in San Francisco.

Finally my question: Do you think its worth fixing up the treacherous rogue or saving for a month or so and buying another Revival. I got the revival for about 200. The gentleman who set up my revival said he did one a week or so back and said it was terrible. Almost not even worth it he said. But I figure Id ask ya'll first!

Thanks for your time!

[CES]

You may want to let your luthier look at it...he may say he can easily get it playable to the 7th fret with a minimum of work, or he may tell you it's junk...just depends on your mando. FWIW, and NFI, Rover's A style mando, which has a solid top, tends to sell for 129 bucks or so...Saw them for that a few weeks ago at Janet Davis Music...they do a decent set-up prior to shipping, and those tend to be instruments (granted, very entry level instruments, but instruments nonetheless) as opposed to toys (as the Rogues, unfortunately, tend to be, though there are some exceptions). If you're really happy with your Revival, though, there's less risk in getting something you know you like...

[acousticnotes]

Hey ya'll,

My first thread so be gentle...

I am new to stringed instruments. I have been mainly a trumpet and alto sax jazz man. I have never played guitar for more then a few hours. I just went strait for the mandolin.

I received my first mandolin from my folks for the holidays and it was a Rouge Brand. Not the highest of quality, but to get my chops down, I was stoked with it. After many broken strings trying to set it up on my own, I decided to upgrade with a brand called Revival. Its a mahogany A-style. I had it set up by a great guy in San Francisco and it plays wonderfully.

I work an 8-5 ~o) and usually spend my lunch working cause I really don't like taking an hour off in the middle of my day. But I'd really love to practice on my lunch but I really don't want to have to carry my case around every day on the bus in San Francisco.

Finally my question: Do you think its worth fixing up the treacherous rogue or saving for a month or so and buying another Revival. I got the revival for about 200. The gentleman who set up my revival said he did one a week or so back and said it was terrible. Almost not even worth it he said. But I figure Id ask ya'll first!

Thanks for your time!

If your just going to leave it at work (and not knowing how secure your mando will be) I would just get the Rouge set up. If it will be under lock and key than I might look at this in a different way. I will add that a nice playable instrument might be the difference whether you stick with it or not.

Joe

[apotheosis415]

My work is pretty safe. I'm in a small office with 8 to 10 people. I can store it under my desk in a hard case. Heck I got a few extra cables I can even lock it up.

Ill check out those other brands. thanks!

[Laird]

You might also look at Kentucky brand as a good entry-level mando. My first was a used 150 that I got for about $100 several years ago. I think they're only $250 new.

Good luck!

[catmandu2]

Of course, a set-up on the Rogue will cost as much as the instrument itself. Maybe, experiment a little yourself--especially since you have a mando with a set-up for a model to compare with: if the nut slots are high, cut them down ever so gradually to lower the strings at the nut; lower the bridge saddle by turning the adjuster wheels on the bridge; and you may have a functional truss rod to adjust neck relief. You can probably make it more enjoyable to play.

[apotheosis415]

Thanks every one. I really appreciate the input.

I thinking right now I don't really need a new, one just because the idea of where I'm at now, learning and memorizing scales and chords, strengthening fingers etc I just need to practice strumming and getting really cozy with playing strings. Mind you again this is my first stringed instrument so I'm very green to this all.

However my love of music and the ability to pick out sections of instruments in arrangements is pretty good. I'm finding once I get a scale down I can move easily around in a method that is musical and an enjoyable sound, for a beginner that is.

I'm loving this and so glad I went this route. All I can think about is playing when I get off work, but if I could take some edge off by getting in a solid hour or more (hehe) at work, I'd progress, that much more.

Any recommendations on a better than toy mando I can get? I heard Kentucky is good but still needs a good setup anyways. And what Models are good for Kentucky? I basically think right now, and please correct me if I'm wrong cause I really know very little about brands of mandolins, that Kentucky was in the same class as Rogue?

eternal thanks
:grin:

[catmandu2]

Kentuckys are generally about as consistently good a pac-rim as you'll find for the least amount of money. Even their cheaper models...KM-150 and up, can sound pretty good. Here's a recent thread: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53775

[stratton7584]

once you get used to the mandolin i suggest you buying a breedlove,they are american made sound great and only cost around 1200. The breedlove also has a lifetime warranty and it just sounds better with age,trust me I own one.

[rgray]

I'd suggest working on the setup yourself. I did it to a $65 eBay special, Morgan Monroe Bean Blossom, and was pleased with the results. Frets.com has lots of info. Here is a link (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=399)to a post I put on the Newbies group with a few mando maintenance links.

A cheap tool for nut filing is a welding torch tip cleaning kit. I first tried just using a knife and broke the nut. A new plastic nut from Elderly that was pre-grooved only cost me about $2 plus shipping.

One technique I found on the web (now lost) was to press each string at the third and then the first fret using the same finger and compare the pressure required for a clean sound. File the nut down until the pressure feels about the same. Worked for me.

Now I did all of this on a real cheap model that I was prepared to totally mess up. I would never dream of DIY on my Kentucky 505, which was set up by the dealer and then I took to a local luthier for an even better setup.

[John Flynn]

I have successfully done my own setup work before. The torch tip cleaner thing mentioned before works great. I even made my own fret leveling file by epoxying a flat metal file to a block of wood and I also made a "safe edge" triangular file to crown frets. But I still pay for most of my setup work, just because it can be a lot of work, especially if you don't do it all the time, and I'd rather spend the time playing. For $25-$100, depending on what it needs, you could likely have the Rogue playing well, which is cheaper than a new instrument that might still need a setup anyway. Also, getting all the tools you need will either cost you more than that if you get actual luthiery tools, or take you while to make them if you do it like I did. You may or may not be interested in doing all that. Everything is a trade-off.

[Randi Gormley]

I spent $60 getting my rogue set up and it made a world of difference. It still sounds like a jack-in-the-box but it plays easily and I've lent it around to two interested fiddlers looking at mandos and they seemed pleased with the action how it played. I had thought of doing the set-up myself, but I looked at the nut (way too high) and figured someone who knew what s/he was doing ought to cut it down. The luthier not only cut down the nut and widened the nut filing and put everything back together so you can barely tell it's been touched, but he also skimmed some off the bottom of the bridge, something I wouldn't have thought of.
All that was to say I'd have your luthier look at the rogue. you already have it on hand, you might as well see if it can become a working instrument.

[apotheosis415]

I love this website. Best, site, EVER!

Thank you all very much!!

[bobby bill]

I heard Kentucky is good but still needs a good setup anyways. And what Models are good for Kentucky?

I got a K171 from Elderly Instruments a couple years back for my camping mandolin. It is an oval hole A style. There are $295.00 today but Elderly does a good set up before sending it to you at no extra charge. Decent sound and very playable.

[Mattg]

Pile on!!

I keep a beater mandolin in my office for impromptu lunch time practice. TOTALLY WORTH IT (annoying all caps intended. Yes, I'm yelling it)!

The cost of your mandolin matters little in this case. The cost of the setup will either be worth it or not worth it if the luthier can get the instrument into playable condition. The things that matter the most is whether it can be tuned (correct intonation) and whether the action can be made so that it is comfortable to play. Having worked on a few cheapies myself, I find that a quick fret leveling and redressing and bridge height and position adjustments are enough to get something in good enough condition to practice with.

Enjoy!!!

[farmerjones]

This is about the point where crazy farmerjones throws in a link to him playing his $35
Rogue (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1uTqfJhmpA):grin:

Indeed, learn a little setup. Get some J74 strings and roll on!