Where's the mojo?

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's gear upgrade time, so I've been spending the past week browsing online A-style mandos for sale online. I've been picking up mandolin slowly, and it's approaching the moment for me to get real or get lost.

The axes that have gotten my attention fall into two groups: old, beat-up Gibsons and immaculate newer non-Gibsons - Webers, American Breedloves, and a sweet little Pomeroy from Colorado.

What's the path to true happiness?

Are Webers the Taylors of the mando world - built reasonably well, but devoid of soul? Are Breedloves good enough to make up for the weird-looking headstock? Is a Pomeroy worth as much as the seller seems to think? Are old Gibsons the only go-to axes of mando puristas? Will anything else bring shame to my heirs and assigns?

Is mojo in the ear of the beholder?

Help me here. I think I'm going to buy something. And I want it to be the last mando I ever buy!

[George R. Lane]

I have a 2010 Weber Yellowstone and it has plenty of soul. I can't speak for the new ones since Bruce Weber is no longer involved with the company.

[JeffD]

I say ignore the heirs and assigns, and future as yet unidentified buyers. Don't let them have any say in what you want or what you do in the present.

Then, you have to get rid of the idea of "the last mando I ever buy". I mean, you can keep the idea, like Santa Clause, if you want. But the truth is well, different.

I personally purchased the last mandolin I will ever buy, about three mandolins ago.

There have been threads and threads about the reasons for MAS. With no clear conclusion. I spent some time talking about it here and here.

I say go with your heart. What moves you, what tickles your fancy and makes you want to pick up and play. And then backfill a cogent explanation why you believe it to be the best most sensible decision you ever made. And then believe it.

[pheffernan]

I think I'm going to buy something.

Yay! Sounds like fun.

And I want it to be the last mando I ever buy!

Boo! Now where's the fun in that?

Seriously, if I were trying to thread the needle between vintage mojo and immaculate modern -- and I often am -- then I'd be looking at something like this A4 from Mike Black: https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/110128#110128

[MikeZito]

If you want this mandolin to be your mojo and your last, be prepared to take your time and play LOTS of them until you find the one that is 'yours'.

Mojo is not only in the ear of the beholder, but also in the eyes and the hands. Everyone has a different opinion of what the best mandolin should look, sound, play and feel like - and it is a question that only you can answer.

A-style, F-style, two-point or bowl-back?
Jazz, Old-Time, Bluegrass, Celtic, etc.?
F-hole or Oval-Hole?
Flat fingerboard or Radius?
Wider neck or standard?
Sunburst, black, white, or brown-burst?
Satin, varnish or lacquer finish?
Tight woody sound, or big and open?

The questions are endless - and the answers are only yours. Enjoy the hunt!

[F-2 Dave]

You'll know it when you see (hear) it.

[Mike Snyder]

That Black in the classifieds is the real thing when it comes to Mojo.

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . Seriously, if I were trying to thread the needle between vintage mojo and immaculate modern -- and I often am -- then I'd be looking at something like this A4 from Mike Black: https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/110128#110128

VERY nice, but a little beyond my pay grade. Good suggestion, though!

[Mandoplumb]

You ask what's the path to true happiness, the answer is MORE MANDOLINS!

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . .

A-style, F-style, two-point or bowl-back? A-style.
Jazz, Old-Time, Bluegrass, Celtic, etc.? Yes. But I'm mainly a folk and blues guy.
F-hole or Oval-Hole? Dunno.
Flat fingerboard or Radius? Radius would be nice.
Wider neck or standard? Wider would be nice.
Sunburst, black, white, or brown-burst? Yes.
Satin, varnish or lacquer finish? Does it matter?
Tight woody sound, or big and open? I want it all!

. . . .

That's what I know!

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yay! Sounds like fun.



Boo! Now where's the fun in that?

Seriously, if I were trying to thread the needle between vintage mojo and immaculate modern -- and I often am -- then I'd be looking at something like this A4 from Mike Black: https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/110128#110128

Hey - any relation to Jimmy H? I just took some of his classes.

[Mark Wilson]

What's the path to true happiness?

It's in the playing not the beholding. Get the best sounding and playing mandolin your budget allows. Ear of the beholder

[pheffernan]

That's what I know!

For folk and blues on a more modest budget, I'd be looking for a flattop:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/110086#110086

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/109376#109376

Hey - any relation to Jimmy H? I just took some of his classes.

I usually tell people that the name Heffernan is just rare enough that you don't see it very often but just common enough (especially after The King of Queens) that you've heard it somewhere. As I understand it, the clan originated on the west coast of Ireland, County Clare, the city of Corofin, around 1100 years ago, and its members have subsequently spread widely. So I'll claim Jimmy as a relative, albeit distantly. He might feel otherwise.

[Charlie Bernstein]

For folk and blues on a more modest budget, I'd be looking for a flattop:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/110086#110086

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/109376#109376

Good advice. Yeah, I have a Mid-Missouri flattop now, and I like it a lot. But the mids are weak and it's not very loud, so I don't love it. And it could use new tuners. If I find one I love, I'll probably sell the flattop.

Here are some that I'm thinking about:

https://reverb.com/item/4203793-vint...e=Criteo-ads-d (Not sure if it's solid wood.)

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/110070#110070 (He sent me pix. Looks nice.)

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/110159#110159 (Outside my range. Would take some world-class haggling.)

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/109383#109383 (Too cute to shoot.)

https://reverb.com/item/3678489-gibs...e=Criteo-ads-d (Is there an f-hole in the house?)

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/110129#110129 (A little blingy for my taste, but a definite maybe.)

So many mandos! So little money!

[pops1]

Yea, I agree with Jeff. I have my keeper mandolin, think I have around 5 I may sell. I look every day. Enjoy the ride.

[Charles E.]

From that group I would be all over that Weber Gallitin A.

[Charlie Bernstein]

From that group I would be all over that Weber Gallitin A.

A cutie, fer sher. Thanks!

[pheffernan]

Good advice. Yeah, I have a Mid-Missouri flattop now, and I like it a lot. But the mids are weak and it's not very loud, so I don't love it. And it could use new tuners. If I find one I love, I'll probably sell the flattop.

Not all flattops are created equal. I started on a Mid-Missouri M0, and in my experience, that teardrop shape (also featured on a Gypsy Vagabond I owned) imparted more of a lutish, tiny guitar sound. The pancake body -- like that found on a Flatiron, Redline, or Poe -- has more of a fundamental mandolin tone, and its modest construction certainly has a traditional place in the music of folk and blues players.

[Denny Gies]

True happiness, in my opinion, is calling Randy Wood and having him make an A style mandolin for you.

[BrianWilliam]

I say ignore the heirs and assigns, and future as yet unidentified buyers. Don't let them have any say in what you want or what you do in the present.

Then, you have to get rid of the idea of "the last mando I ever buy". I mean, you can keep the idea, like Santa Clause, if you want. But the truth is well, different.

I personally purchased the last mandolin I will ever buy, about three mandolins ago.

There have been threads and threads about the reasons for MAS. With no clear conclusion. I spent some time talking about it here and here.

I say go with your heart. What moves you, what tickles your fancy and makes you want to pick up and play. And then backfill a cogent explanation why you believe it to be the best most sensible decision you ever made. And then believe it.

This is dangerous rhetoric...for my wallet

[colorado_al]

I'd check out that Weber. You may want to see if you can play one like it near you to make sure it is comfortable to you.

If I were in the market right now for an A5 I'd go for a Northfield model M or a Redline A5
http://www.northfieldinstruments.com/model-m-available

https://reverb.com/item/4700388-redl...olin-with-case
https://reverb.com/item/3440342-red-line-a5-mandolin

[sblock]

+1 for the Pomeroy!! These are really great mandolins for the money, and hand-made, not factory made. Better tone, IMO, than nearly all the Webers I've ever played, and WAAAAY better than any of the Breedloves.

[allenhopkins]

If you're asking us, the answers you'll get will be based on our experiences and opinions. These almost certainly differ from yours in significant ways.

Sitting at a computer and looking at mandolins is useful in ascertaining the market, in terms of what's out there, what the prices are like, and what the specs, features, and styles are.

Spending significant money on a "last mandolin I'll ever buy" (yeah, right, heard that before) involves getting away from the keyboard, and out into the world where there are real mandolins to try out. Where are you located? Where's the nearest dealer with a good inventory of mandolins?

Go there, and play everything in your price range. Pick (pun intended) the one closest to your Platonic form of a mandolin. Don't assume it's "'til death do us part." Give yourself a chance to get to know it, from first impression to long-term relationship. Experiment with strings, set-up, picks, maybe even a new bridge or tailpiece. Then, if later on you want something different, either add a second instrument, or trade yours in on a new favorite.

Generalizations about "Weber better than Breedlove, Pomeroys vs. Gibsons, small builder or established manufacturer," etc., can help direct a search -- but in the end, it's the evaluation of individual instruments that determine the decision.

It's not a voting decision -- or rather, there's only one vote: yours. Besides, trying out a bunch of mandolins, as part of a weekend road trip to a reputable dealer, is a soul-cleansing experience. Really.

[Br1ck]

Though I love old Gibsons, I would need to play one before buying it, with the exception being early twenties A 4s. Never played one I didn't like.

Not a week goes by without some great mandolins showing up in the classifieds. Everyone here will have their favorites. Mine is a Silverangel. If you're spending in the $1500 range used, it's a matter of taste. I'd venture you won't find bad mandolins in this range.

[Bertram Henze]

Mojo is not something you buy. It is there or, if it isn't you may be lucky to have it grow on you, but it's independent of purchase in any case.

Unless you spontaneously walk out of a shop with a mandolin that is love at first play, it will be like an arranged marriage that may or may not work.

In other words:
If you love to play the mandolin, it's just usage.
If the mandolin loves to be played by you, that's mojo.