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I tried a few inexpensive mandolins and upgraded certain parts to dial in the best tone to my ear. My experience was that, on an Eastman 315, changing the tailpiece to a cast Allen made a big...

+1 on these straps being awesome. I have one on my Collings MF, one on an OM that I’ll transfer to my Clark OM when it’s done, and the third will grace a future Gibson mandolin that I plan to...

I played one of these as well when they had it side by side with a Trinity College mando. Both nice instruments but the RV had a much more balanced tone and sounded much fuller than the (thinner...

I like them as well. I think Eastman lower end instruments are about the best entry level mandos out there, but I think the higher end Eastman’s aren’t as good as the Northfields. Just my opinion....

It’s never a simple comparison, especially with acoustic instruments (IMHO). You can play two of the same model and they often sound different.

It seems like the best advice is to go for a F...

I too put 14-49 mandola strings on my 20” scale OM. I like it!

I don’t have the level experience and expertise thay several of the Cafe members have, but I participate in a weekly BG jam and can convey my experience. There are usually 4+ mandolin players...

The pictures look like crap compared to the ones I’ve owned/seen/played.

If I were a dealer I would have sent it back to Eastman and not tried to sell it. That’s not typical for Eastman even...

Tony would be proud!!

I saw an interview with him once where he described how he was missing two of his fingertips after an accident in a sheet metal factory before he was 18. He fashioned a...

Thanks for the info. Yes I think some of the Weber’s I’ve tried are painfully bright and love the MT for being more balanced. I’ll try a Gibson now that you’ve all peaked my interest

Wondering if anyone is willing to describe what they consider to be the tonal differences between the Gibson F5G and the Collings MF. I have an MF and totally love it, but of course there is...

GC has a used gear policy that says it should have been cleaned and restrung prior to selling. For sure it should have the bridge installed.

I see that you run a shop that's competitive with GC....

No disagreement that GC will likely not do a pro job on the strings or bridge, but if it arrived with rusty strings and he might not want to keep it anyway, it seems like putting that back on GC is a...

Funny... I just pulled several tabs from your site and think they're high quality and really appreciate your site. Have you considered taking song requests? Just as an example I like the version of...

That is my issue as well. My hands tense up when I'm nervous and it starts to hurt like crazy. I'm probably squeezing too tight. Next thing you know my hands stop cooperating and I can't feel my...

Did you return the two damaged ones? Hope so, you shouldn't be stuck with defective mandolins!! That said, if the issue with the second Kentucky is just that the strings were dead and loose enough...

I had this experience as well. I had a 315 and a 614. On the 315 I upgraded the tailpiece because it sounded a little thin and like I got secondary harmonics from the vibration. Maybe it was my...

You know, I've always looked at my Mando and thought... "it looks really cozy in there. Too bad I can't fit through the F-hole." It's nice to know I wasn't alone in this thought. I read that mice...

Glad it worked out. TBH when you said they were out of stock I was sort of questioning my own sanity and thought maybe I had played a mandola instead of an OM and hadn't been able to tell the...

Just played one at Sylvan in Santa Cruz. For some reason they don't have it listed on their website but I'm sure if you call them they'll take good care of you.
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My motivation was (in order of importance):
1) Playing an instrument is a chick magnet (perhaps I'm the exception to the rule though).
2) I liked the sound of guitar/mando and wanted to play it as...

My opinion is that the veneer type might make a small difference but you also might not notice. But the difference between solid vs laminate perhaps makes a bigger difference. And if you go solid,...

I tried to date a Gibson but it threw its drink in my face.

I had the F style and liked it. For the same price I preferred the Eastman 315 for tone and looks, but the Breedlove had nicer ergonomics for my hand (wider nut and more comfortable neck shape). I...

Depending on what strings you use, the bouzouki may also have pairs of octaves for two of the string pairings, which gives it a very rich tone. This thread (below) gives a good basic description of...