2-point beater

[Misterbenwilliams]

Question...
I am currently wanting to add a 2 pointer go "go anywhere" mando to my family, and everything in my price range (150-250) is from the 70's-80's. Needless to say I have not found a wealth of knowledge other than random inquiries on the cafe.
The three that are most available to me are a sigma sm3s (early 90's?), Suzuki m-180cherry burst (70's?) or "The Alvarez" a500 (mid 70's).
I know from other posts that the alvarez has solid top and sides
Verdict is out on the other two...

Why a two point? Strickly for the looks. If I'm getting a mando to take with me everywhere regardless of climate and crowd, I wanted an aesthetic that's a little different than the other a's in the price range-
(Although the oval hole that comes with all of these models might be a welcome way to mix it up acoustically)
I also believe I can justify passing over some of the tried and true all solid starter kentucky's in the price range if I can find an older slightly more obscure 2 pointer with solid woods.

Suggestions?

[CES]

Hmmm...I'm a fan of 2 pointers myself...Can't comment on the Suzuki or on any of the mandolin models specifically, but have a brother with an early 90s Sigma guitar (beater) and my father in law has an Alvarez yairi D-28 copy from '77. The Alvarez remains the best guitar I've played to date (including the D-28s I've played that it copied, Taylor models, some Guilds, and one Gallager) and flat out kills the Sigma in craftsmanship and tone. Obviously we're talking apples to oranges, but if I had to choose without seeing/playing I'd go with the Alvarez based on the quality of their stuff, not just from that era but from examples over the last 3 decades I've played.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying Alvarez makes the greatest instruments in the history of the world or anything, but you're probably more likely to get a "gem" from them than the other 2 companies in my experience.

Good luck!

Edit: BTW, Howard Morris out of Oregon is making some nice looking 2 point F-holed mandos for under a grand as of this spring...I know you set your budget much lower than that, but if you can't find something you really like in that budget and decide to save up I'd consider looking at his instruments. They sometimes pop up used in the 5-600 range. Not real flashy but nice looking and good, solid instruments based on the couple I've seen. He was also extremely pleasant to deal with in the inquiry I made on one of his 2 pointers (I ultimately went with a Silver Angel Econo b/c of the adjustable truss rod, which, of course, I haven't touched since I've owned the thing)...NFI.

[Misterbenwilliams]

Thanks for weighing in on the alvarez- It is the only one that I've been able to confirm to have been constructed with solid woods from the 70's...There's even a cool ad from the 70's featuring the a500 in one of the Alvarez threads here on the cafe!

I wish I knew more about the suzuki because I like the cherry burst. (I know that finish is louder than the mandolin itself...)

[EdHanrahan]

For what little it's worth...

My impression (that is, not extensively researched) has been that, while they're related, there's a world of difference between straight Alvarez instruments and Alvarez-Yairi instruments. The former are volume-constructed Pac-Rim instruments (maybe a touch nicer than some others), while the latter are true "luthier-built" instruments. CES' description of the superlative Alvarez-Yairi matches my last playing of one, maybe 10 years ago.

Just because Big Mac and filet mignon both come from cow does NOT make them somewhat similar! On the other hand, if I were looking for "beater" food to take everywhere and stuff down before the interstate toll booth, the Big Mac would be my choice.

[Lee]

I take it that none are available for you to play? If that's the situation, I would personally take the gamble on the Alvarez first. I've played an older Alvarez or two and they seemed solid. Of course at that price point the quality could vary year to year, mandolin to mandolin. I'd venture to guess that Alvarez farmed out their mandolin production and had nothing to do with their line of guitars

[Charlieshafer]

We've had three Alvarezes donated to our fiddle/bluegrass club for kids to borrow and play, and all three are very solid, good sounding instruments. I wouldn't have a problem using one of them as a go-anywhere instrument at all.

[Jim MacDaniel]

For what little it's worth...

Just because Big Mac and filet mignon both come from cow does NOT make them somewhat similar! On the other hand, if I were looking for "beater" food to take everywhere and stuff down before the interstate toll booth, the Big Mac would be my choice.

lol

btw, I find Big Macs a little too messy to eat while driving, with shredded lettuce and special sauce falling and dripping everywhere -- but the new Big Mac wrap does a much better job condiment containment.

[Misterbenwilliams]

Mmmm, big Mac. What were we talking about again?

Played the sigma and wasn't impressed but the strings were rusty which led me to play the "what if" game.(what if it were set up better? What if it had quality strings? Ect) My primary mando is soon to be a Gloucester which may lead me to actually save up for a nicer two pointer or oval hole scroller as my sheltered-non- beater. Supposedly the fullertons a straight up plain-jane workhorse which may leave room for me to splurge for a nicer less traditional mando...

[DerTiefster]

Sorry to have missed this ~10 wks ago. The Sigma SM-3S is supposed to be a solid-topped mandolin. Another cafe member has one and when he looked at its top he could see aligned grain outside-to-inside, indicating solid wood. Another just last night (as of this writing) sold on the auction site and its description included "solid spruce top". These were '80s/'90s as I recall.

There were many similar 2-pointers marketed by Iida, Alvarez, Aria, Guild, Vega, and the venerable Epiphone. Some were plywood topped and some were solid topped. The '70s versions seem were Japanese, with the later ones in the '80s being of Korean mfr. Ibanez also marketed some. You should be able to search for their catalog pages posted on other threads. Stradolin marketed an earlier two-point style, not nearly as sharply pointed, as did Harmony and Vega.

An El Degas branded example shows up in another cafe thread with f-holes but otherwise identical-looking body to the oval-hole Jethro A5 style mandolins mentioned above, and I've seen an (Alvarez A500) [WRONG -- it was an Aria -- see pic below, probably M-300] with f-holes if my memory serves me correctly. I've also seen a Guild Madeira and a Vega VM-30 which had rosewood back/sides and f-holes. Those are the only f-holes that I recall. Sometimes I regret not buying one of those rosewood f-hole examples. They would be visually striking, which is one of the issues in which the O.P. expressed interest above.

[Schlegel]

There's also the occasional Stradolin 2-pointer.

[Jim MacDaniel]

There's an EPI BG-440 on eBay now for a $299 starting price. (From my observations, the EPI's sometimes go for more than the lesser know Japanese/Korean builds, due to name recognition factors I think.)

[Mandolinista]

Hello mrbenwillians I've got one of those Suzukis and it's ok. It is not loud but the tone is good and the finish is bright though it has mellowed in the thirty two years I have had it. It is a tough wee instrument and in my hands in the seventies and early eighties it was asked to go places and in cases no self respecting instrument should: it survived backpacking and mountain bothies in a soft canvas fiddle cover ( I once dropped an ice axe on it in a particularly cramped howff. ) I had a repair tech in Dundee do a set-up and repair to the nut ( work I would now do myself )and he commented on its "pleasant tone and electric guitar like action". I used it for sessions before I began to play tenor banjo and it compred well to many of the Eastman mandolins I encountered. It cost£35 in 1978 - I know Iwuzdun!