My Morgan Monroe your opinion hope not too bad :-)

[Marco Mancini]

Hello there to everybody from Milan Italy

It could seem strange to you but there's not a proper f-style mandolin culture in Italy so i bought a mandolin in the Usa through ebay , well i know that is made in china but as soon as it arrived into my home i came to love it to bits ! as Im a starter of this instrument i would like to have some tips from you about this mandolin and how i can improve the quality of it in the near future .

A) how do u rate this instrument from your experience ?
B) What kind of strings do have to buy for it and the gauge ? i ve read that a heavier gauge keep the instrument more in tune is that the case ?
C ) As a beginner i noticed that it tends to get out of tune when i took back the instrument the next day
D) Which tuner do i have to buy for it ? i ve got one for the guitar but it doesnt seem to work well on the madolin
E) what do i have to do to improve the instrument ?

As a beginner my impression all in all is good despite the fact that was made in china
i payed it 400 € here's a pic of it , thanks to everybody for your tips

kind regards

https://imgur.com/a/r2nNE6u

[Tom Hart]

Hello Marco,
I have Morgan Monroe MDM 1, and love it. It will be a great 1st mandolin. As for E), you'll realize what the instrument needs for improvement as you improve.

[Roger Moss]

Is that a guitar tuner or a chromatic tuner? Most dedicated guitar tuners "look" for lower tones than a mandolin makes. A decent chromatic tuner like a Snark will do fine.

[ukenukem]

I find these very handy.

http://www.accessories.daddario.com/...4-4c829b1e0273

One member here offers a pdf setup document but I forget his username. Maybe someone will post that. It helped me greatly in understanding the mandolin.

[EdHanrahan]

C ) ... it tends to get out of tune ...

Yes it does! Archtops respond more to temperature and/or humidity change, expanding & contracting, than the typical flat-top guitar does. Some have said that "mandolin" translates to "I'll be in tune shortly!"

+1 on the NS Micro tuner. Not at all expensive, and sometimes available in a 2-pack at a hefty discount (maybe a Guitar Center special?). I use 5 or 6 of 'em from mandolin to bass.

[MikeZito]

Ciao Marco, benvenuto!

A) I played a Morgan Monroe about 20 years ago, and it served me very well. I did many recording sessions with it, and never heard a complaint about the sound. As long as you are happy with it, enjoy it!

B) As a general rule, thicker strings will give you better tone and stay in tune better, but you have to be careful about putting thicker strings on a lower-line mandolin that may not have a very strong neck. Personally, I would start with a medium gauge - see how you like it, and how well your mandolin holds up, and then you can move on from there.

C) Most new instruments have new strings on them, so it is very likely that they will fall out of tune for a few days until the strings are stretched and broken in - after that, you should be okay for a while.

D) I use a chromatic clip-on tuner for my mandolins and have never had a problem.

E) At this point you have a mandolin that you love, so I wouldn't worry too much about 'improving' it - a simple set-up should be all that you need to get the best playability out of your instrument. My advice would be to put your maximum effort into improving your playing, before you worry too much about improving your instrument. Yes, a better instrument may help you to improve a bit faster; but as a beginner I would put much more work into learning than anything else.

In bocca al lupo!

[Roger Moss]

You can email Rob Meldrum at

rob.meldrum@gmail.com

to get that ebook on mandolin setup. Put "mandolin setup" in the subject and be sure to mention that you got it from Mandolin Cafe.

[Roger Moss]

BTW D'Addario EJ74's are an excellent choice for strings. Very well regarded around here.

[Marco Mancini]

Thanks guys very helpful tips from all of you , for sure I need to improve so the jury is still out as far as a fair judgement on my end about this instrument but at least your tips reassured me on my doubts and above all over the quality of this instrument which I admit I fall in love with .
Thanks again for your help