who is your go to mandolin store & why.

[CES]

Thus far, MC Classifieds wins for number of instruments bought. I recently bought a Weber mandocello from Dennis/TMS and the transaction was very smooth. He gave me some great advice/info regarding the mandocellos they had in stock, and also gave me a great price on the Weber. It arrived perfectly set up and as advertised. I prefer to play before I buy, but when I can't I'll absolutely trust TMS with future business.

I've bought a ton of accessories and books from Elderly and also have gotten great customer service from them. That said, I do try to support Mullis Music in town when I can (very good guitar shop, with occasional mandolin smatterings), and I love making the trip up to Lowe Vintage, whose mandolin inventory seems to be steadily growing...

[Capt. E]

I live in Austin Texas, home to Fiddlers Green Music Shop, a wonderful acoustic only shop always with a fine selection of mandolins (Eliis, Pava, Collins, Kentucky, Eastman) as well as guitars, violins, ukuleles, banjos etc. They usually have a good selection of used instruments as well. I have purchased two mandolins from them and they always have given excellent advice and service. While it is not an Elderly, I consider them the premier mandolin shop in Texas, a visit is always recommended when in Austin.

[Phil Goodson]

My mandolin purchases over the past decade have been: 3 from Mandolin Cafe Classifieds, 3 from The Mandolin Store, 3 from individual luthiers, 2 from Gruhn, 1 from Carter Vintage, 2 (long ago) from Ebay.
(Most of those have later been sold or traded through MC Classifieds, Mando Mutt, and Carter Vintage.)

[DHopkins]

I have only purchased two new mandolins. Both came from The Mandolin Store. Never ever, ever had a problem. They have competitive pricing, free shipping, and a well-informed staff.

I'm sort of in the processing of buying an octave mandolin. Eddie Blevins is building it for me. I can't wait. Actually, he needs to drop all of his other projects and finish mine. Maybe not.

[Bob Clark]

1. Todaros Music in Lansdowne, PA. Joe Todaro is a great guy and runs a first class shop. I have bought some really nice instruments from him and count him among my friends. When possible, I support local independent businesses.

2. The Mandolin Store. When I do buy online, it is because I am after something specific that I can't buy locally. Dennis and co are great to do business with and are a real mandolin resource. I like to support businesses like that.

3. Mandolin Cafe Classifieds. I have bought and sold here. It has been a positive experience each time. Scott runs a great operation and I don't worry about dealing here. Besides, we have a lot of great mandolin enthusiasts here so that makes the transaction fun.

[Victor Daniel]

My last purchase was via the classifieds through Mandomutt. The entire experience was delightful. I’m also lucky enough to live a few hours from Greg Boyd’s House of Fine Instruments. He always has some amazing instruments and is very knowledgeable about many different builders. I’ve purchased several guitars through Greg as well as many accessories. I bought my first good mandolin through Elderly and they are still my go to store for strings and tuners. I do think Elderly has some of the best prices on used instruments and consignments. They might not haggle much but they are already very competitive.

[d-dryer]

+1 for Greg Boyd's House Of Fine Instruments and their friendly, knowledgeable staff. I am lucky to have them as a resource.

[Jack Roberts]

I have spent as much time in TAMCO in Brighton as in any mandolin shop anywhere, but I haven't bought anything there yet. Sorry Trevor. Maybe on my next trip. Why? Selection. And Trevor is a fantastic person to talk to. http://www.theacousticmusicco.co.uk

If you make it to Tokyo and you want to see bowl backs, visit Ikegaku in Ikebukuro. http://www.ikegaku.co.jp. My go to just to listen to and play bowl backs and learn about them.

[Sherry Cadenhead]

I'll have to check out Fiddler's Green next time I'm in Austin.

[telecline]

Dusty Strings: http://dustystrings.com/ because they are local and have a good selection of new, used and vintage mandos (and other cool stringed instruments). Although now that I have my mandolin I don't "go to" them very often anymore.

[saxdog]

My preferences if I want to have a hands on experience with an instrument is dictated by what's "local," and the best local spot is about a 45 min to 1 hour drive into Atlanta (only 30 min with no ATL traffic) to Maple Street Guitars. They carry various and sundry Eastmans, Kentucky's and Collings' Mando's… In truth I've only been there once when I bought my Eastman, but it was a great experience and I would go back in a heartbeat (and I am thinking about it).

I have made MANY other purchases from The Mandolin Store and fully trust them with my business. I have also had a good experience with Stew Mac for parts and accessories, though I can say that when I purchased from SM, I was almost automatically hit with a boatload of unsolicited emails… but that was easy to manage by "unsubscribing" to their emails.

Plus one for Maple Street. I bought my Collings from them. Really nice folks but they don't specialize in Mandos.

[Capt. E]

It is a great shop with great people. Always something nice to try out. The last mandolin that tempted me strongly was a 1919 A-4. They seem to always have a Pava or two, sometimes an Ellis, and various other mandolins from small builders as well as a good selection from Kentucky, Eastman, etc
Take a look at their website for current offerings.

[David L]

I'm lucky to live in Lawrence, Ks, so my neighborhood store is Mass Street Music. For sheer numbers of instruments, Bradford and Franzke Fret Shop is just up the road in Kansas City. If I want a custom build, Mike Black lives a few blocks away. That said, I haven't bought a mandolin in over 25 years, nor a NEW mandolin in close to 40. It's a moot point for me.