Advise me on the best Mandolin I can afford!

[MusteredCourage]

Hey Guys,

I have been looking to buy my first mandolin for about a year now and was wondering if I could get some opinions. I do like a good sounding instrument and I have a decent guitar collection. I have a very low budget so am very aware I'm not going to get an 'amazing' instrument for under $1000. In saying this I would like to know what you guys think.

I have recently been playing the Kentucky KM620 here in AUS which is retailing for $750.00 which I don't mind and think is reasonable for the price. Obviously when I played the Kentucky KM1000 it blows it out of the water - there is a second hand one in the shop for $1800.00 which is still a little out of price range. Obviously I would love something like the KM 1000 for closer to $1000 if there are any brands or small makers I dont know about!

I am wondering what your opinions are of the cheaper mandolins between $600-1000.
I have also played Eastman which I dont mind.

How do the cheaper Loars, Fenders and gibsons compare to the cheaper kentuckys and eastmans?

Being in Australia there is not a great deal of choice for me that is easily accessible to play before purchase.

I can either

A. buy a kentucky or eastman that's in the shop
B. order something online OR
C. get my friend to pick me something up in Nashvillewhen he heads over there this month.Some hidden gem of a nashville brand that is a relatively unknown but an amazing instrument - I just don't know what to look for or where to look for it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated? :))

sonicbids.com/musteredcourage
(aussie bluegrass)

[Theo W.]

Well The Loar 600 and 700 VS are great little guys for the price. Eastmans sound very nice. It really depends on what type of mandolin you want. You could get a used Weber or Breedlove for $1000 if that's what you're looking for. J Boviers are also a nice pac-rim alternative. My advice would be to just keep trying them and get your favorite. There are a lot of things to look for that vary including: neck shape, radiused fretboard or flat fretboard, wide nut, different fret wire, F-styles, A-styles, flat tops, woods... It goes on forever! Just get one that doesn't make you regret not getting the next one up! :)

[Markus]

I would be hesitant having a friend pick out an instrument for me, if I value the friendship highly. Instruments are personal taste [like wives] and I would hate to have that kind of money/judgement in a friendship ... why possibly add something negative?

As for which mando ... the one that feels great to your hands, whose sound you like the best.

There's a variety of neck widths, flat vs. radius fretboard, scrolls vs. not ... all personal differences which make some brands more/less appealing. I personally don't love flat fretboards [rules out some], don't like particularly narrow fretboards [rules out some more] .... it's my hands that are going to play it 30,000 hours in the next decades - personal fit is important.

[allenhopkins]

Shopping around Nashville with $1000 Australian -- about $1068 US -- is unlikely to turn up anything other than what you might find in Australia or order on-line. Exception might be a vintage Gibson A-model; your current KM-620 is a laminated-wood F-model, so would you find a Gibson A or A-1 an acceptable upgrade?

Plus, unless your friend is really tuned into your musical preferences, he might come back with something you found disappointing. And also, think about customs duties, import restrictions, and all the other pitfalls.

I'd get one I could play first, which apparently for you is Kentucky or Eastman. For the price you quoted, you can get all solid woods (a step up), carved top and back (another step); you may be looking at the Kentucky "800" series, or the Eastman "500" series. Also, consider a used instrument, if you can find a dealer with a decent stock.

[birdman98]

Strongly consider:

1) Buying USED.

2) A-Styles

[draino]

Obviously I would love something like the KM 1000 for closer to $1000 if there are any brands or small makers I dont know about!


KM 900 -- the a-style cousin to the KM 1000. All reports are that its just as impressive as the KM 1000 (which is, indeed, head and shoulders above the other Kentucky f-style models) but at under $1000.

[Capt. E]

A style is the way to go and used will of course get you more mandolin. I'll also suggest the Kentucky KM 900, though I did try out a Kentucky KM 550 recently at Fiddlers Green Music Shop here in Austin, TX that I thought was very nice and is priced considerably less.
I wonder whether you might want to contact some of the good shops that advertise here on the Cafe and see if they would ship to Austrailia.
By the way, my favorite hats are made by Akubra. I've been buying their fine Austrailian made hats since the 1970's

[Jill McAuley]

Pretty sure that The Mandolin Store ships to Australia and Dennis stocks Eastman, Loar and Kentucky, plus always has a nice range of used mandolins as well. Keep your eyes peeled as he sometimes gets in used KM-1000's in your price range.

Cheers,
Jill

[yankees1]

Mandolin Store is a great place to buy with great service!

[Capt. E]

There is a nice Kentucky KM 550 for sale right here in the classifieds. Good description in the ad.

[Jill McAuley]

Or what about this, NFI on my part, just seems like a good deal:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=48582&query=retrieval

Cheers,
Jill

[peter.coombe]

Buying something from the USA is not really an option unless you can get someone to pick it up for you for free, so helpful suggestions from USA based residents to buy a mandolin that is currently in the USA is not so necessarily helpful (especially if the seller won't ship international). Shipping costs to Australia, plus the Lacey Act paperwork and cost hassles will almost certainly blow your budget and make the experience unpleasant. Not only that but you don't get to play it until after you have bought it and then it is impractical to return it if you don't like it. I agree with the previous suggestions, i.e. buy here in Australia, and an A will get you a better sounding mandolin in your price range. If you decide on a vintage Gibson, then it may be worthwhile buying from the USA because they don't come up for sale very often here. However, count your lucky stars. There is much more choice at the lower end of the market nowadays now that Eastmann has a distributer, and some of the best mandolins ever made are made right here in Australia.

[MusteredCourage]

Thanks to everyone so far!

A few points to reiterate -

- My friend is willing to pick up the mandolin and bring it back on the plane to Australia for me FOR FREE!

- I am happy with a USED instrument
- I am quite happy with an A style.

I like the sound of the KM 900

[allenhopkins]

...My friend is willing to pick up the mandolin and bring it back on the plane to Australia for me FOR FREE!...

And pay the duty? Or, alternatively, try to BS his way through customs...? Your budget of $1000 won't go significantly further in the US than it would in Australia, as far as I can see. As I said above, he would have access to some instruments you won't find in Oz, such as flat-tops like Big Muddy, and older Gibson A-models which can be bought for less than $1K US. If you think they might meet your needs, "long-distance" purchasing through your friend could make sense -- assuming he's a good surrogate for your tastes and preferences.

Otherwise, playing instruments available in Australia will give you hands-on experience and information on which to base your choice.

[Mandobart]

There is a fine luthier who lives near me in Oregon, Sonny Morris. He has built hundreds of fiddles and mandolins, and has shipped to customers all over the world (Russia, Japan, Europe). He is a great guy to work with and will build to your spec on fretboard radius, choice of woods, etc. I have played about five of his instruments and they were all great, as good to my ear as any of the handful of Collings and Weber's I have played. Better sounding than the Eastmans I've played, IMO. You can get an A-style from him for under $1000 US. I think an F would run around $1500 US. Check out the social group here on the Cafe (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/group.php?groupid=174)and one on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Howard-Morris-Mandolins-Fan-Page/106825996051274) He doesn't have a web page, but I will send you his email if you like. I have no financial interest; he is a great builder and a friend of mine. It took him about 6 weeks to build my F4 last fall.

[Capt. E]

I have heard stories of more than one musician bringing an inexpensive instrument with them into the US and trading it for something they really want, avoiding the duties by going home with the same number of instruments they came in with.

Regardless of such tricks, I agree that you may be better off buying in Austrailia. I have an accordionist friend who has 3 Austrailian made accordions that are incredible instruments http://www.concertina.info/hydeaccordions/about.htm

[Folkmusician.com]

I ship quite a few mandolins to Australia. If you keep the total price under $1000aud, there are no duties or taxes. It runs under $100 to ship via usps. If you are pretty sure of the model you are after, it will most likely be cheaper to order it from the US. :)


If your goods arrive in Australia by mail and have a declared or assessed value of A$1,000 or less, the goods may be imported free of duty, taxes and Customs and Border Protection charges, unless they are alcohol products or tobacco products"

[peter.coombe]

If your goods arrive in Australia by mail and have a declared or assessed value of A$1,000 or less, the goods may be imported free of duty, taxes and Customs and Border Protection charges, unless they are alcohol products or tobacco products"

That is quite correct, my apologies, I forgot your budget was for less than $1000. If less than $1000 AUD then you should not have any problems with Aussie Customs, nor need to worry about the Lacey Act paperwork nightmare in the USA, and USPS should be fine. I get mandolin cases from the USA and the postage is around $100, so that sounds about right. Just be wary of the exchange rate if it is getting close to $1000 AUD. The value will be declared in US dollars and it is easy to get caught if the AUD drops overnight.

[mandobassman]

Check this out on the MC classified.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=48561&query=retrieval

I have one and love it. And, I paid around $200 more than this.

[Mike Bunting]

Why not contact someone in Australia like Peter Coombe the builder. Although he is out of your price range, he might point you in the right direction.
http://www.petercoombe.com/

[jazzman13]

Hi mate,

I believe I've been through a pretty similar process to you - living in Perth, WA, there's really nothing around with mandos (especially used ones).

My first purchase (after upgrading from my cousin's granpa's damaged Kentucky flattop) was a 1980s Japanese Kentucky KM650 that I bought from the classifieds on this site. I've had it for about 9 months now, I guess.
When I got it, I had it set up properly and it plays ok and sounds ok - good for what I needed it for.

MAS kicked in about a week ago and I'm looking at getting something a bit nicer (also, my band has just started taking off, so I feel I can justify an upgrade).
I've been looking at getting an A5 style - after having an F5, I realised there's nothing special about it and I'd rather spend the extra money on tone rather than looks. That's my first recommendation.

I'm of the opinion that you can get more bang for buck by buying from the US. There was a Kentucky KM700 that I played in a music store today that I was very unimpressed with (sound was weedy, fit and finish were atrocious). The price tag was $1599.
If you keep an eye out on the classifieds here, you can get a really good mando for around $1000 - Morris, Flatiron Montana or Nashville (very occasionally), KM900, The Loar, Gibson A50 (occasionally) etc.
The only downside is that you don't get to play the instrument, but really, living in Australia, you're not going to get to play it anyway most likely.
Shipping will cost around $100 with USPS (like the others said) and if it's $1000 or more, you need to add 10% gst to the cost.
The Aussie dollar is so strong at the moment that it pretty much cancels out the GST, though and if you stay under $1000 - even better!

So anyway - hope this helps you out - to summarise, buying from the states will save you a bit of money and open up your options (in my opinion) but you don't get to play the instrument... I think most sellers on this site would be willing to give you a fairly frank appraisal of the sound of the mando anyway.

[John Kinn]

Used Gibson A9 or Jam Master (wider neck) can occasionally be had for around 1K. Great bang for the buck, and it keeps it resale value if you change your mind later. Just my 2 cents.