I made the first step to Electronic. Now what?

[Cosmic Graffiti]

I am so excited I just ordered a Sea Foam Green Mandocaster. I cannot wait for it to get here. I have been watching videos of Don Julin playing jazz on one and its amazing.



I have never owned an electric instrument so....what else do I need.

Amp? I want to mostly play jazz and blues. Any amps that favor that sound?

Pedals? Know idea what to even ask on this one?

Cables?

What else?

Thank you.

[Jim Bevan]

I'd say that the next step is to read all the threads on the Cafe about what to do next.

[Cosmic Graffiti]

Jim, I am sure that is very good advise but I would like my own thread with my own questions with my own interaction with other human beings as opposed to a research through old threads. But thanks for the tip. If we always revert to that simple answer to what some would consider a simple or evident question then the forum may as well close and just be used as an archive.

[Jim Bevan]

Sorry, no offence meant, just that I've answered that question too many times now to want to spend the time answering it again. I'd rather practise.

Anyways, short list: get a Fender Blues Junior, and put a Celestion Blue speaker in it.

[Cosmic Graffiti]

Yes, and I am sure that you have helped a lot of people out. Now its your turn to sit back and watch the people you helped answer the questions and look upon them with a proud eye as the help an electric beginner learn a few things. Mentors make mentors and now its their turn to help out as in turn I will be sure to do my share when the time comes.

[MiG-19]

I have the same thing in tobacco burst, but I really like the sea foam green. Great looking mandolin. Have fun!

[Cosmic Graffiti]

Thanks MG. I am waiting the UPS truck now but its looking lost in transit. Oh no I am so bummed. I really want the sea foam green and it was the only one I could find I am keeping my hopes up that she finds her way to me.

[darrylicshon]

I've had a few packages seem to get lost or just disappear for a bit when i have looked at their tracking but sofa they have arrived but a day or two late. Wishing you luck, I've put a few bids on some but haven't won yet. Have fun with yours

[Cosmic Graffiti]

Thanks Darry, I am keeping positive thoughts. Its either meant to be or not. Fate will decide. I am going to take to local music store this week (if she makes it) and try amps and peddles. I will let you know what I end up with.

[Travis Wilson]

CG, has it arrived yet?

[Dave Sheets]

Hi CG- Hoping your mandolin turns up!

There is a huge range of amplifiers out there, all kinds of choices. Tube amps tend to be "warmer", since tubes have "nice" characteristics as they start to be overdriven. Tubes can add slight amounts of distortion in a very musical way that a lot of guitarists really like. One the other hand, good quality solid state amps (like Rolands) are very reliable and offer excellent "clean" tones.

If you haven't played an electric before, try to borrow an amp from a friend, or go play through one for a while at somebody's house, just to get a feel for it, see what works for you, what sounds you like.

A lot of the smaller solid state amps have a lot of "effects" built in, things like reverb, delay, chorus, tremolo and distortion, so you don't have to buy separate pedals, although they often don't have the range of adjustments that pedals allow you. If you want to experiment with effects a bit, one of these amps is an economical way to do it. The Roland Cube series amps are nice for this, there is also a small Vox guitar amp that's nice.

You don't need massive power to practice with, or even play with small bands, but many "practice" amps are too small to sound right, they start to sound good at roughly 20 watts for a tube amp, and 30-40 watts for a solid state amp.

Have fun!

[Joel Glassman]

...get a Fender Blues Junior, and put a Celestion Blue speaker in it.

Hey--this is good advice. I'd also suggest playing though this [or another] rig for a while before buying effects. Get used to the different gain sounds you can get. My effects are a compression rack mount unit by DBX, a volume pedal and a Tubescreamer. The DBX smooths things out a bit and adds a legato effect. The Tubescreamer is used to push the amp into overdrive, not really to dial in a distorted sound by itself. I also have a multi-effects unit but tend not to use it much. Finding an online electric guitar gear discussion group would be valuable. Enjoy. I play a single string instrument, so your value may vary. Playing rhythm in jam sessions taught me a few things. I found the Bluegrass chop or Celtic rhythm styles are basically useless, if you're trying to play roots music jam sessions in most other styles. Soul music, contemporary Pop and Rock, Surf, for example. Niles has some things to say about this. Have fun

[CES]

Roland Cube 20 or 30 watt will get you started. I'm enjoying a Red Dirt Road Overdrive pedal of late. Adds some crunch/nastiness without adding too much distortion...I'm playing a Mandobird 4 string, by the way, and am just beginning to head down this Pandora's box. Enjoy the journey, brotha!!

[zedmando]

Some good amp suggestions above--I would check out different amps if you are able to--or if it's a viable option--rent some & test them out.
As for pedals--See what the amps are like first.
But I have used Octave, distortion, wah & volume pedal with my Mandobird--and liked them all.

[Martin Ohrt]

I like the Laney VC15, a 15 W tube amp, and the Fender "Tweed" Bronco, a small solid-state amp. Both are able to provide nice jazzy sounds while still being affordable.

[mandroid]

There are Multi Effects pedal board Pre amps .

[Don Julin]

Here's what a Mandocaster sounds like through a current (2015 version) Fender Deluxe Reverb. The amp is a replica of the early 60's blacktop design. About 20 watts, one 12" speaker.

[mrmando]

I am loving the Quilter MicroPro 200 8-inch amp. Lot of great jazz tone from a small box. Can't imagine why it's been discontinued, but in theory that could mean you can save some bucks on one.
http://www.quilterlabs.com/index.php...micropro-200-8

[Cosmic Graffiti]

Hi Guys, Yes she showed up! Great story of Karma. UPS lost the package. Off the radar completely gone. I was giving up hope when the UPS truck accidental delivered a wrong package to me the day before Christmas Eve. Similar address but across town a few miles. I was going to send it back to UPS but was concerned that it might be for someones Xmas present so decided to just deliver it myself as it was just a 15 minute ride. The owner was so happy and told me it was her husbands xmas present. Had I sent it back to UPS it would not have made it until after Xmas.

So I was happy to help and then the very next day I was going out to get the mail and my mandolin was waiting for me at the door! Instant Karma. Pretty cool.

I went and got a Fender Blues Jr amp, the vintage tweed. Its a pretty rad set up. I am having a very hard time getting it to sound the way I want. I think I will be working on that awhile.

Also....me E strings sound soooooo weak compared to the other strings. Its a hugely notable difference. Is this normal or could I have a problem?

I will now read the above responses, been super busy all holidays playing.

[sonic]

Week E string is a common problem, most seem to change the pickup eventualy. Almuse http://www.almuse.co.uk/mandolin_pic...ndocaster.html are a good choice.
http://www.moongazermusic.com/mdeinpawilut.html if you're in the states.

[Cosmic Graffiti]

Thanks Sonic, I need to look into this right away. I am not even playing the e strings right now because I cannot get an even dynamic out of them. G, D and A are all in great range....E drops off.

[Travis Wilson]

Congratulations on getting your mandolin, CG!

Another pickup option is Steve Ryder. He makes superb custom mandolins complete with his own hand-wound pickups specifically voiced for the electric mandolin. I used to have one of his instruments, and the sound was perfectly balanced across the strings. (I really liked it, but I had to sell it because I wanted a 5-string. The wife said I already had too many mandolins.)

http://www.sjryder.com/pickups.html

[JeffD]

Its a different world.

I had trouble with my e string on my Fender MandoStrat. I learned that my amp was an acoustic amp, for vocals and acoustic guitar mostly. I went to proper electric guitar store and got a proper electric guitar amp, and there were no e string problems after that.

I am still figuring it out. I play it at home and still mostly play nice music loud and make funny sounds. Nothing wrong with that.

[Cosmic Graffiti]

Thanks everyone. I am in communications with Steve Ryder to get a new set of pick ups.

This is my first Electric instrument and wow its sooooo different. I thought generating good tone would be easy as I thought the instrument would do most of the work. Turns out I was wrong. I have a new respect for electrical musicians.

[sonic]

I've got a Vox VT40+ amp with 30 amp models X that with the options of lipstick coil in the neck and humbucker bridge with coil cut and a three way switch. You soon add up the combinations, however I tend to stick to one or too amp models and the coil combinations. Start adding pedals then the fun really begins.