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I usually think of Smakula as banjo-centric; nice change of pace.

I'm on my way to Canada, that cold and dreary land,
The sad effects of slavery I can no longer stand.
I've served my master all my days, without a dime's reward,
And now I'm forced to run away, to...

Yeah, as a TL owner, I was impressed by the "Master Model" label inside. One reason I resist the temptation to have it converted to a mandola -- want to preserve its originality, even though the...

Recently, I'd say "largely," although there have also been innovations in mandolin amplification that may have been designed to meet the needs of rock musicians as well. The dominance of the carved...

Find any of the 1951 recordings of the Virginia Trio, Jim and Jesse McReynolds with Larry Roll. Just mandolin and guitar, lots of breaks. There are several cuts from Sacred Songs of the Virginia...

My old bluegrass band, the Flower City Ramblers, did a bluegrass version of this song back in the 1970's. Worked pretty well; included the modulation and all.

Now the question is, how did a JBovier knock-off get to Dallas TX? There's a story there, one that we'll probably never know.

Yeah, the ad cuts out just ten seconds before the mandolin player shoots the spoons player. No jury would convict him...

Any differences of A-model vs. F-model, gloss finish vs. matte finish, binding vs. no binding, and other basically non-acoustic features, are insignificant compared to the differences among...

In my experience, two factors cause instruments to go sharp: increased humidity and increased temperature, both of which can cause wood to expand and stretch strings out a bit more. I keep most of...

If you can forego the esthetic lure of the F-model scroll, many Cafe-ers have been quite satisfied with the Eastman MD305 A-model. Bernunzio has just received a case of them, priced at $509 each. ...

Unscrupulous types who counterfeit paper money, don't make $1 or $5 bills. They make $50's and $100's. That's where their profit is.

I'd expect that a "mandolin counterfeiter" would build a...

Replying to a 2012 post may be a bit beside the point, but I just traded in the 1954 F-5 I owned for 44 years, and it gave me good service all through that period. Each instrument is an individual,...

I've gotten a lot of mileage out of Strad-O-Lins that were "ugly ducklings" compared to some of my fancier instruments. Ditto for a whole bunch of Regal run-of-the-mills that did the job -- uke,...

Mike, not sure that your solution completely addresses Tim's problem. Shrinking the cavity of the winder will prevent the tuner knobs from slipping around inside it, burt won't reduce its outside...

You have a bargain luthier if he gave it a complete re-fret and will sell it for 100 buxx. Maybe he just replaced first-position worn frets.

Harmony mandolins were cheap instruments. The ones...

You guys are cruel, CRUEL!

Every instrument has its place, somewhere.* I played my Vega Little Wonder MB in a klezmer band, on certain tunes; it held its own with clarinet and accordion. I...

Gold Tone makes a decent one, the MB-850. Goes for around $640 US new. There are many many used ones all over the market; you can pay a lot for an old Gibson or Paramount, or a few buxx for a Bruno...

I've built cases for a National Triolian, a Washburn bowl-back mandola, a bowed psaltery and a Polk-A-Lay-Lee. I would be embarrassed to show any of them to Cafe members. Definitely "heavy boxes,"...

Vernon Derrick wrote Arab Bounce when working with Jimmy Martin & the Sunny Mountain Boys. I think I learned it off a Martin LP, 'way back when.

What "resonator?"

The manufacturer just drilled a bunch of "screen holes" around the perimeter of a cheap mandolin. The "resonator" Blue Comets at least have a body that looks like it has a...

Elderly used to sell a little wire rack called the Harp Handle; I bought one and have used it for over 20 years, and Dunlop still makes 'em. It's light and simple, and if you keep the wing nuts and...

As an ex-banjo player, you may play a bit of bluegrass (excluding Dueling Banjos, which only got popular in bluegrass when it got into the Top 40 courtesy of Eric Weissberg -- although the Dillards...

Speaking as a long time harmonica-ist:

Marine Bands are good harps; they've been around for a century or so. Only drawback I've found is that the wood dividers between the holes can get moistened...

And just to add confusion and complexity (always my forte), I purchased a Weber Gallatin "sopranolin" that's tuned CGDA, an octave higher than a mandola. I guess the violin equivalent would be the...