Where to from here?

[jazzphil]

I apologise for the slightly rambling, and predictable, question, but I've been banging my head for a month and haven't got any further.

Before I start I should explain I am primarily (35 years) an old time banjo player. I own one mandolin, a Lebeda J4 strung with JM11's, which is great and seems to get better everyday. I'm also in the UK a two day 500 mile round trip away from anywhere that stocks a good range of quality mandolins.

Now I've just sold a couple of instruments and have some money to spend. I'm thinking about a second mandolin. When I've bought a new banjo in the past it's always been easy to choose because there are clear differences; fretted or fretless, tone rings, head size, nylon or steel strung etc.. With mandolins I'm struggling to understand where I should look. I know people talk about sound differences and such but as a relatively inexperienced mandolin player with no mandolins around to compare to other than my own would I really recognise the difference between a Gilchrist and an Eastman (not that I could afford a Gilchrist).

Currently there are two secondhand mandolins being sold slightly closer to me than the two day round trip, one is a Lebeda F5, and the other is a two point Rigel. Having played the Lebeda for a while am I better having a second Lebeda, as my hands are used to the neck etc., or would the Rigel bring something new to my playing? Alternatively, there's a new new Summit A5 available(cheaper than the Lebeda and the Rigel) Unfortunately, to see all three would require me to tour whole of the UK so I have to make some choices before heading to see any.

So I guess my question is, will I know the difference between these 3 mandolins without being able to play them side by side, or, would I be happy with any one them, or any other coming from a good quality maker.

Any advice gratefully received.

Phil

[Willie Poole]

I believe your question is unanswerable, you might get 50 different responses here as to what mandolin is the best but everyone has different tastes...While I am sure that all of the mandolins that you mentioned will sound different who is to say one will sound better than another one....I understand that being where you are living that it will be a hard task for you to do a real good search of mandolins...I for one like to play and hear anything that I buy, getting a sound video might be of some help but not always a true sound as mics differ and they can be fed through an EQ to get a certain sound just to try and sell the buyer to purchase one....

I wish you a lot of luck on what ever you do purchase......I don`t think you can go wrong by purchasing a popular brand Americam made mandolin but there are a good number of imports that do sound great...In my experience Eastman has never knocked my socks off and I have played about 20 of them, BUT, I am a bluegrasser myself and I admit I am hard to please when it come to a mandolin....

[mandroid]

How about a Banjo-Mandolin? if the one mandolin you have is an Oval hole ,
then an F hole A type will be a good compliment.

The come hither nature of that scroll is seductive, but an A style body has the same Music in it..

[jazzphil]

I think you are right Willie, that's why I've spent a month thinking about it without any conclusion. I must admit I don't find trying out instruments in shops really settles anything for me, the surroundings don't give me the feedback I am familiar with. I also find you need to live with an instrument sometimes. From the start I always liked one particular banjo, which I imported untried, but it took 12 months and a bridge change before I realised just what a great banjo it is and it became my favourite.

Mandroid a banjo mandolin for a banjo player is considered spawn of the devil. I started out thinking A5 but the Lebeda F5 is only a a couple of hundred pounds more than the Summit so it is a temptation.

I guess in the end I'll make my choice and sell it on if it doesn't work out.

[resophil]

It might be time for you to take a bit of a trip to the continent...

Since you have pondered and waited this long, I urge you to take a bit more time to research some of the great builders that are to be found in Europe these days. Lebeda, Capek, Prucha, these are all quality builders and I think you will find something you like with any of them.

http://www.capekinstruments.com/

http://en.pruchabanjos.cz/mandolins.php

http://www.mandolins.net/lebeda/lebedamandolins.html

With air fares being relatively cheap, it might be worth a trip to Czechoslovakia... Trouble is, you will then be complaining not about a shortage of mandolins, but of having to listen to too many of them... :)

[Randi Gormley]

Any chance someone could play them for you over the phone? Don't know if it would help, but it might give you some idea before you buy any tickets.

[jazzphil]

I'm already a Lebeda owner so I don't need any confirmation of their quality.

I currently have a J4 and after this discussion my favoured option is to add a Capek a or a second Lebeda. There is a secondhand F5 Capek and a F5 Lebeda within 100 miles or so (different places but same general direction) which I think is the way for me to go. Their prices are better than I can get an American made instrument for of the same quality.

[John Kinn]

Is Tamco in Brighton too long a trip? Quite a selection there.

[mandroid]

what Music do you want to play that your Mandolin is inadequate?

J4 is no longer on Lebeda website so I don't know what it is..

I got a 2nd hand Lebeda Jazzica, Not a model kept on, either, so that's nothing unusual..
mine is my token F5, but not a Gibson quotation look exactly,
[ the headstock is a different look and the lacquer is not sunburst.]
a nice dark Cognac with tortoise-oid binding..

National RM1 is another instrument entirely
a Biscuit bridge resonator set in a very nice wooden body mandolin.
owners say it's loud but not harsh ..

then there are the other voices in the mandolin family,
corresponding to the Viola~ Mandola , and Cello~ a mandocello

and another GDAE voice, an octave down ~ octave mandolin + Irish tuned tenor banjo
and Irish Zouk there too, longer scale..

[kymandolin59]

i,ve played a capec and lebeda both f style; i,d go with the lebeda; also krishot is a very good mando, joe hymas with the morris brothers plays one and it is killer;

[jazzphil]

A J4 is a two point oval hole. I think Lebeda still make a J5 which is the f hole version.

There's nothing I play that my mandolin lacks for, it's certainly a better instrument than I'm a player. It's simply that I sold a couple of instruments and rather than watch the money disappear into household expenses I'd like to reinvest in a new instrument, so a second mandolin came up as an option.

John, my Lebeda came from TAMCO but a two day 500 mile round trip isn't my favourite option, plus my past experience is playing in a shop doesn't really help me choose, I find the atmosphere too alien.