Checking out a new mandolin - What to look for?

[cap217]

If you are buying a new/used mandolin, what should you look for? With acoustics, string height, saddle height, nut, neck angle are things (neck angle the most important). But with a mandolin what can you reall check since everything is a moving part?

[Folkmusician.com]

This is a tough one and somewhat depends on the deal you are getting.

String height, saddle, nut and relief (assuming working adjustable truss rod) all fall under setup. Even uneven frets are not that big of deal if the mandolin/deal justifies the work.

Now neck issues past improper relief should be avoided. A bad setup can hurt tone, but setup won't make a bad sounding mandolin into something great.


General rule: If buying new at street price, then you should expect that the mandolin is playing well and sounds good (for the price range).

If you are buying new (without setup) at a good discount... High or low action, buzzing , poor intonation, etc... wouldn't necessarily mean you were making a bad choice. You just need to have it setup.

Someone with a lot of mandolin experience can rate an instrument in seconds. Especially someone that has worked on them and recognizes that buzz being from a high fret that is easily fixed, etc..


Someone with limited experience here may not be able to tell and is usually best buying from a reputable dealer.

[Roger Moss]

A spur of the moment opportunity is one thing, but if you are looking toward making a purchase, research is invaluable. The more you know about a model in advance, the better prepared you are to asses it's condition. This applies to both new and used instruments. Beyond that, everything Robert said is useful for all mandolins.

[UsuallyPickin]

Well ... taking along a friend that plays mandolin when you go shopping for your first one is a good idea if possible. Research as pointed out by RM is invaluable in any new purchase. Tone, touch, which is playability, and condition, does it need work beyond adjustment and a set of strings lastly materials and workmanship need to match up to the asking price. Download Rob Meldrum's mandolin setup book here on the Café and you will gain a good knowledge base to start . R/

[Hudmister]

One basic thing to look at is the bridge adjustment height as compared to the action (height of the strings above the fretboard). If the bridge is adjusted all the way up and the strings are still too low above the frets it's a problem. If the bridge is adjusted all the way down and the strings are still too high above the fretboard it's a problem. In either case continue your mandolin search.

[Br1ck]

First thing I do, forgive me for stating the obvious, is listen to the tone. If it has setup issues, you can improve upon tone, but not to the extent you change the character of what is there. If I'm buying used, I sight down the neck and check that the bridge has adjustment up and down.

Of course I'm going to have higher standards if I'm buying a more expensive instrument, but there is always exceptions to condition if the price is right. And if it's something like frets, which I can do myself vs. structural cracks which I haven't tried yet, I'll take that into account.

But the best thing to do if you don't have skills is buy fron a reputable dealer. They often buy instruments owners don't want to pay to fix. They get them cheap, have the means to repair, and a place to sell them at a profit. I've seen many well repaired vintage instruments that I considered good deals even with challenging cosmetics.

But in the right store, one with a repair department, anything on the sales floor is in top condition. No need to evaluate anything other than tone and playability. In my area none of the good shops will put a guitar or mandolin up for sale that is close to needing a neck reset.

There is a store in my area that sells only used instruments and many were cheap to begin with. Buyer beware.

[Mandoplumb]

Check that the top isn't sagging, neck is reasonably straight. Anything else can be fixed fairly inexpensive. Now listen for the sound you want, someone said take another picker good idea- a mandolin sounds different from the front. The tone and the sound you want is most important IMO.

[rcc56]

Make sure that the shape of the neck feels comfortable to you. Necks vary considerably in shape and size, and what fits one person may not fit another.

[Jim Garber]

If you are buying a new/used mandolin, what should you look for? With acoustics, string height, saddle height, nut, neck angle are things (neck angle the most important). But with a mandolin what can you reall check since everything is a moving part?

Mandolins structurally are not all that different from acoustic guitars (I assume that is what you mean when you say "acoustics". Frankly, if you are just starting to get a mandolin and really don't have much of a clue, I would buy from a reliable dealer who will set it up properly for you. You may pay more for it than buying on eBay or craigslist or your local classifieds but you will already have a playable instrument. You may find a real bargain but then end up paying someone hundred of dollars to make it playable.

Really the only thing that is a moving part on a mandolin vs. a flattop acoustic guitar is the bridge. A neck set for a mandolin will orobably cost you about the same as one for a guitar. Same for fretjobs and crack repair.