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FaulcoMando
Dec-31-2010, 9:42pm
I'm looking for my first mandolin, and curious as to where they are made these days. Does somebody have a link to a website that tells where each brand is making their mandolins please?

Thanks

MikeEdgerton
Dec-31-2010, 10:42pm
Unless it's Gibson, Weber, Collings, Breedlove, or a custom builder you can pretty much bet that the country of origin will probably be China. If I missed any I'm sure someone will jump in.

Mike Bunting
Dec-31-2010, 11:03pm
Canada, Australia

Jesse Harmon
Dec-31-2010, 11:11pm
Rigel is made in Vermont

Ed Goist
Dec-31-2010, 11:30pm
Representing for Ohio! (http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/builders/searchdb.cgi?uid=default&view_records=1&keyword=Ohio&submit=Search) 20 strong!

JEStanek
Jan-01-2011, 12:40am
A general rule of thumb is, if it isn't immediately obvious where they come from or there website isn't completely upfront about it, or you can't find a website for it, and it's a recently built mandolin, it came from Asia. In the early 2000s many of the better import brands (e.g., Morgan Monroe, and maybe even Michael Kelly) were manufactured in Korea. In the mid 2000s manufacturing moved to China and a much better product was being produced.

There are several very large plants than make mandolins (and guitars) that have a very wide range of names on the head stocks. These are often very inexpensive mandolins that can occasionally be hits but more often misses. There are also smaller manufacturing facilities in China that are building instruments by hand very well. In my experience Eastman makes a consistently good product from China. The Kentucky/Trinity College (Saga family) instruments are well built in China as well.

If you're talking older mandolins (1980s, 70s, back to the 30s and 40s) you may see them manufactured in Japan (e.g., Kentucky brand), Romania/Eastern Europe/ Germany (Flat topped instruments). Bowl back instruments are a totally different ball of wax I can't begin to speak with any authority on. There are even mandolins being produced in Paracho, Mexico which has a rich tradition of folk instrument building. These inexpensive instruments are often easily identified as well due to the pride in where they come from.

Another hotbed of modern (recent builders for the past 10+years) is the Czech Republic which has a real bluegrass scene and has some very nice mid/high range builders (but these guys are well documented and identified). Some of the most coveted mandolins come from Australia (Gilchrist).

IRRC, all of the imported instruments must have a "Made In XXXX" label or sticker on them, sometimes, these are smaller labels on the back of the headstock that can easily be removed. A reputable dealer won't remove these labels and will be upfront in telling you the country of origin of any mandolin they are selling. If they won't, and they do know where they come from, why would you do business with them?

Jamie

FaulcoMando
Jan-01-2011, 7:08am
Thanks very much for the replies guys. I really appreciate your thoughts. I'm looking for my first mandolin, and thinking seriously about spending some money on a Weber or Collings, but I might have to settle for an Eastman.

Cheers from Downunder (Australia)

Steve

Bill Snyder
Jan-01-2011, 10:33am
H E R E (http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/builders/searchdb.cgi?uid=default&view_records=1&keyword=australia&submit=Search) is the first page of three listing Australian builders if you are interested in getting a mandolin from one of your own countrymen. At the bottom of the page you can click to go on to page 2 or 3.
Peter Coombe and Rob Grant (both on the list) are somewhat active participants in the Builder's section of the forum.

Jim MacDaniel
Jan-01-2011, 10:58am
I can think of a couple of countries missing from this list (Israel, India), but there are builders listed in the cafe's own Builders Database (http://www.mandolincafe.com/builders.html) in the below countries:

Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
China
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Northern Ireland
Norway
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
Peru
Portugal
Romania
Scotland
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
Venezuela
Wales
New Zealand

Tim2723
Jan-01-2011, 11:00am
Just to add my two cents, the Ovation MM-68 is US built, while its two more conservatively-priced versions are made overseas.

UnclePen
Jan-03-2011, 10:56am
Its getting harder to tell where any product is made, and if the quality is good you probably shouldn't care too much. My concern is when they say "hand carved" how do you really know that it is? But there again, if the wood is graduated by a machine and they figure out a way to make it consistently good, why should I care.

The importance of brand becomes very critical in this environment. Otherwise it is really difficult to know what level of quality you are getting.