I want to buy my first mandolin

[Artmusic]

Hello everybody,

I would like to start playing the mandolin and would need some advices please.

First of all, I live in a small village in France, so it’s a bit difficult to find a mandolin in a shop.
I will certainly buy it online and try to find an online shop that offers the setup if possible.

I play the harp (celtic harp), the piano, and a few month ago, I started playing the ukulele and the guitar. I love the sound, the shape, everything about the mandolin, so I think it’s time for me to try it.

I usually play and sing and have a loudbox mini amp.

Having an electro-acoustic mandolin would be great but if not it’s ok since I can get a mic.
I want to play, mostly, irish music and traditional music.
I would like to be able to play with other instruments :-), so I may need an instrument with a good sustain.

I have a budget around 300/350€( approx 350/400 USD) for my first mandolin.
I read on the forum, great comments about the Kentucky KM 150 but I can’t find it in France…
If I want to upgrade my mandolin in a year, I will be able to get one from friends coming back from the US. But right now, I don’t really want to wait for a year .

So I looked for mandolins in my budget and would be grateful if you could give me your advices on them :

http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and...-Mandolin/183G

http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and...-and-Case/1LLN

https://www.thomann.de/fr/the_loar_lm_220_vs.htm

If you have any other recommendations, please tell me :-)

I read not so good reviews on Gretsch, Epiphone and Fender Mandolins.
I was wondering about the Washburn mandolins because I have a good parlor Guitar from them but I am not sure their mandolin are all solid body.

Thank you in advance for your help,

I am looking forward to becoming a mandolin player :-)

[Br1ck]

It's hard for us in the US to give specific information because we don't know the market in Europe. Your budget would buy you a solid all wood mandolin here. Your interest in Celtic would tend to steer you toward an oval hole instrument, but nothing is cast in stone. These have been discussions regarding this recently and you should look to the comments you will get from our UK members.

To me you should be looking for a solid A style with little ornamentation. Spend your money on quality materials. There are many cheaper Pac Rim instruments that are pretty, but poor quality mandolins.

Every time this subject comes up I am glad I live in the US where things seem quite a bit cheaper, but I loved visiting France.nthere are very many great things about living there. Life is full of trade offs.

The Loar will be a brand well thought of here.

[MikeZito]

I would simply add that The Mandolin Store has a great reputation for doing nice set-ups on all of their stuff, and they have a number of 'affordable' oval hole mandolins on their website. Worth checking it out.

[Jill McAuley]

Welcome to the Cafe!

Of the 3 mandolins you listed links for I would lean towards the Loar meself. I've played a few of those and if they're set up well they are grand to start out on.

[Doug Goodhill]

<Removed by Moderator. Please limit commerce to the classifieds.>

[Artmusic]

@Br1ck : Thank you for your answer ! We have a lot of choices here if we Want to buy a guitar or a piano, a mandolin, not so much. The Loar seems to have a good reputation. In term of esthetic, I would prefer the "vintage" wood look like the Barnes & Mullins one but I also prefer the better sound.

@MikeZito : The Mandolin Store have great instruments and I really love the look of the Kentucky KM-156 but even if it was in stock it would be much more expensive with international shipping cost, taxes and duties.

@Jill McAuley :Thanks a lot for your feedback !

@Doug Goodwill : I would prefer to buy a mandolin in France. From experience, when we add shipping cost and from time to time, duties, it is the same price as new. But I my be wrong ?

[multidon]

Of the ones you name, your best bet is going to be the Loar 220. It will be all solid carved maple and spruce. The Barnes and Mullins probably has laminated back and sides, because they use the word "solid" for the spruce top, but not for the rest. The D day mandolin is made of white ah, an unusual choice of tonewood for a mandolin. And the "nyatoh" neck is a terrible choice. Sounds like more of a collectable thing than a serious player. Of those three, the Loar, definitely.

[Artmusic]

Thanks a lot for those information multidon !!!
No D day Mandolin for sure, and I think the Loar seems pretty good :-)

The Barnes and Mullins is solid top, back and sides but it's weird because in the french website it's Solid spruce top and solid spruce back and side and on the same website but for english customers, it's written, solid spruce top and solid maple back and side...

[multidon]

If the Barnes and Mullins really is all solid wood, it could be good. I just am not familiar enough with the brand.

[HonketyHank]

Well, I vote for the only one of the three that I am familiar with: the The Loar 220. It was my first mandolin, too, and it compares well with the Kentucky 150 among folks here who know the Kentuckies.

[almeriastrings]

You could also contact Moloney Music in Ireland. They have a good range of mandolins in your price range, including 'The Loar'.

It is worth knowing that while Thomann offer excellent service and prices, the instruments will not be setup at all. They will require some adjustment to make them play easily.

[Artmusic]

Thank you Almeriastrings !!!
Just visited their website and even the prices are lower 😊.
I think it is a great idea !
The shipping cost is only 20€ !

I really like the loar so all is good.
I also checked out the eastman mandolins since there are lots of talk about it and it was love at first sight with this model : https://m.woodbrass.com/instruments-...5-p173114.html

Not the same price range but i could try to find a solution.
It's not available yet on moloneymusic website and I suppose woodbrass have the same politics as thomann and offer no set up, but I was wondering if with this eastman mandolin, it would be already set up (like when you buy a Taylor guitar, even if you buy it online, there is no need of a set up) ?
Since, it is a more expensive instrument and it seems to be a higher quality than the loar.

Maybe I shouldn't have checked it out 😁.

I also saw some seagull mandolins and was wondering if there were any good. I like their guitars.

Ok, so as you can see, doing some more research can confuse me.

[Hany Hayek]

Maybe you want a bowl back and don't know it yet
Check this out. He is in France. http://www.mandolinluthier.com/mandolins_for_sale.htm
What kind of music do you intend to play?

[Artmusic]

Thanks for the link :-).
I think there are very good looking instrument !!! And I'm sure it would be a perfect second mandolin. My only fear is that it's not very pratical / easy to play because of the shape but maybe i m wrong. Even with the ukulele, I find the pineapple shape difficult to position when playing.
But i will keep this link for another buy :-D.
Thanks a lot

Just saw he was also making mandolin with «flat back».
I m a bit worried about getting my first madolin from a small mandolin maker because I had aTo bad experience with a harp and a banjolele (I found them not easy to play)

[crisscross]

I have a Loar LM 220 that I ordered from Thomann. It felt and sounded OK from the start.
Here's how it compares to my Breedlove FF:

[Eric F.]

I bought an octave mandolin from Moloney Music and it arrived set up perfectly. Kieran was very responsive to emails and it was a smooth transaction at a very good price, even with shipping across the ocean. I see he is out of stock on the Eastman you fell in love with. It might be worth emailing him about it. Whatever you decide, good luck.

[Kalasinar]

I'd like to second the recommendation for Dave Hynds over at http://www.mandolinluthier.com. He made my Pocket Mandolin for me last year (pictured next to my Eastman in my avatar) and this year I purchased a very lovely restored Neapolitan bowlback mandolin from him. Really nice chap and a reliable luthier. I am extremely happy with both mandolins I've purchased from him.

Out of the three mandolins you were initially looking at, I would lean more towards The Loar. If you have to buy online though, I would try to look for a dealer who will provide a setup. If you're interested in an Eastman, I bought my Eastman MD 504 from http://www.eaglemusicshop.com who provide a free setup on all their instruments. Great customer service and I'm still stoked with the Eastman which I've had for almost a year now. They ship worldwide but I think you'd have to contact them for specific prices.

[Artmusic]

@ crisscross : thanks a lot for the video. I have to say that the LOAR mando is pretty good !
I really like it but I am hesitating with the eastman. I think I prefer the sound of the eastman...

@Eric F. I will contact Moloney Music. I already contacted the mandolin store for the Eastman but it is the same price as in France with the shipping cost + duties. They have a lovely Kentucky Artist mandolin but I didn't ask for it because of the Rosewood Regulation.

I found the Eastman with the setup in France for 600€ ( 690 USD).
Thomann sell the LOAR LM 220 for 363€ (415 USD) and the LOAR LM 400 that I have just discovered à 444€ (510 USD. There is no setup in this case.

Moloney Music sell the LOAR much cheaper and they have a LOAR LM 290 MS That i find very nice (299€). Do you have info about this one please ?

@Kalasinar : Eagle music shop is much more expensive than in France...

At the end, I prefer the Eastman for the sound and the esthetic side. But is it worth it ? I mean it's almost twice the price than the LOAR. And I read somewhere than the Loar was easier to play. And the LOAR LM 290 seems nice.
I'm used to C neck and I think both are V neck.

I have not a lot of choice in fact but it's hard to decide.

[Pup]

Hi. I just thought I'd jump in here and add my two cents. The OP mention sustain and Celtic. My mind is immediately drawn to an oval hole model. Eastman has these in the "affordable" range. Then there's the fingerboard. If you have smaller hands or prefer a radiused fingerboard, again Eastman is your choice. For that reason, most of the people I know preferred Eastmans in terms of comfort and playability.

Again, we are all different, but there are some general conclusions that we can draw over the years.

Also, I would add, so that you're not disappointed, that it isn't uncommon for instruments in this lower price range to come from the factory with finishing flaws like drips, messy binding, unfinished areas, etc. This isn't always the case again, but it would do you good to see and play some instruments before you decide. I know that's impossible sometimes, but many places will allow a trial period. It is worthwhile. You may discover that you really love an oval hole instrument with the radiused fingerboard. You may not enjoy the sound of f-hole mandolins. Who knows.

[Kalasinar]

Eagle music shop is much more expensive than in France...

Oh dear, I just looked at their pricing, indeed they are more expensive. More expensive in fact than when I bought mine!! I guess over the past year they've increased their pricing. That, or I was extremely lucky...

I'd say if you're enamoured with the Eastman and you can get it in France set up for a good price, go for it...

[Artmusic]

@Pup : very interesting info, thanks a lot ! I am going to do some research on the eastman MD 304 !
I have long fingers. for the ukulele, I prefer the concert size (to the soprano or Tenor) but I don't know it gives any indication.
I couldn't find any shop to try some mandolins even in a 2 hours drive area.

@Kalasinar : yes the Eastman or the Loar 400, I don't know anymore...

[almeriastrings]

You are correct, no setup from Woodbrass.....

I have not played any Seagull mandolins that I liked very much. I really would suggest staying with Eastman, Kentucky or The Loar in this price range. If your musical style is more Celtic or folk oriented, then an oval-hole could be a good choice. The Eastman MD304 always gets good reports.

[Mandoplumb]

Artmusic, you haven't even bought your first mandolin and sounds like you have MAS. There is no cure--- treatment is buy two mandolins and pick them in the morning.

[Pup]

Don't let MAS consume you!!! Now lemme get back to browsing... gotta have a two-point. 😃

[rfd]

kentucky km-150 for an A and the loar lm-310f for an F.

buy just ONE.

get it a GOOD setup for playability.

play a LOT while you mess around with testing picks and strings.

play even LOTS MORE.

then MAYBE think about getting another mando ... or just enjoy what ya have.