Ortega Mandolins

[clfallis]

Hi everyone,
I'm new around here. Picked up the mandolin a month and a half ago, my boyfriend has a Stagg that I'm currently using to learn on. (It's pretty terrible to be truthful) I've found Ortega mandolins online and wondered if any of you have had experience with them? I'm looking at the Ortega RMFE40SBK F-Style in particular. But any background information on the brand/quality will be appreciated.

Also can any of you hook me up with a mandolin teacher? Preferably one that will be wiling to teach via Skype.

Many thanks,
Claire

[mrmando]

Where do you live? Any shops near you that carry mandolins you can go and try out?

Ortega is a German company with a Spanish name ... it looks as though they build their guitars onsite, but I'm guessing they buy their mandolins "in the white" from an Asian factory somewhere and finish them up in their own shop.

The particular instrument you mention is plywood ... it very helpfully says so right there on the product page.

http://ortegaguitars.com/product-fin...sbk/rmfe40sbk/

If you're looking for an improvement in tone over the Stagg, you'll want to stay away from plywood and get something made with solid woods and preferably carved, not pressed.

These Ortega mandolins must be fairly new, because I've never heard of them and haven't come across any discussion about them until now.

[crisscross]

Hi Claire,
at the Thomann website, you can read some reviews about the Ortega mandolin.

Der Akustikklang der Mandoline ist sehr dünn, wenn sie nicht verstärkt wird. Sie klingt ausgewogen, aber mit wenig Bass. Ich hatte vorher ein Einsteigermandoline von Harley Benton. Diese klang viel voller, das ist aber auch Geschmacksache und bei mir vielleicht auch Gewohnheit, da ich die Harley Benton schon fast 10 Jahre habe. Verstärkt ist diese Mandoline allerdings der Hit. Der Piezo Tonabnehmer klingt sehr schön natürlich. Also 3 thomann Sterne für den Akustikklang und 5 Sterne verstärkt, also vier Sterne.

Just in case you are not from Germany, here's what it says in a nutshell:
The electric sound is phenomenal, the acoustic sound is average.

So, if you want to play your mando predominantly at home, I' d get an all solid woods A-style like the The Loar LM 220.
https://www.thomann.de/de/the_loar_lm_220_vs.htm
Only costs 10 Euro more and probably sounds much better!
But if you only like black mandos, hey that's a different story...

[Glassweb]

We sell Ortega mandolins, ukes and guitars at the music store here in Bellingham where I work/teach mandolin. For "entry level" instruments they are set up extremely well and sound quite good for the money. They are NOT of Eastman quality but they are certainly set up as well as an Eastman and better than the Kentucky mandolins I've played recently. We have a plain A model for $200 bucks that sounds "decent" but plays very easily. I imagine their higher end products are a big bang for the buck...

[mrmando]

Good to know. They do have some instruments listed as being made with solid wood.

[almeriastrings]

I get to see Ortega mandolins fairly regularly. I have not been impressed by any of them. Note that even the "solid" wood ones do not claim that the top is "carved", merely that it is "solid". I'd rate the Kentucky KM-150 higher than any of the examples I have heard, acoustically. The 'higher end' Ortega's do look quite nice, though. As far as I know, they are all built (and finished) in China, at least that is what the sticker on the box said on one I did a setup on a few months ago.

[clfallis]

Thanks for all the ensssge everyone. I went shopping on Saturday and now have a lovely Eastman MD315. It's a beautiful instruments, and sounds great.