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Thread: ball park value of this mandola?

  1. #1

    Default ball park value of this mandola?

    I bought a mandola with case several years ago that was sold as a "wall hanger" When I got it home, I tuned it up and it sounded OK, but had a couple of high frets and the bridge insert was plastic, so when tuned to pitch it would bow.

    I recently decided to donate it to the orchestra I play with, so I replaced the bridge with a mandola bridge from Cumberland Acoustic, and replaced the original tailpiece (which was shaped like a butterfly, and made it difficult to change strings) with one from Stewmac.

    I just got it back from a local luthier, who strung it up as an octave mandolin.

    Action is not bad, sounds pretty good, he took care of the high frets and now it plays in tune all the way up the neck. He noted that it has a hump at the area where the neck joins the body, and the back has a seam that has shrunken, probably due to exposure to heat, or just dried out.

    I don't see any label or serial number. I was told it was made in Viet Nam.

    I paid ~ $300 for it, another 100 for the bridge and ~ 20 for the tailpiece.

    Ideas on value?
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  2. #2
    Registered User BoxCarJoe's Avatar
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    Default Re: ball park value of this mandola?


  3. #3

    Default Re: ball park value of this mandola?

    Thanks! That's it. Although they advertise it as a mandola, mine has an 18.5 inch scale, so I think it will work well as an octave mandolin.

  4. #4
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: ball park value of this mandola?

    Yeah, that's a lulu all right.

    Setting it up and making it playable doesn't increase the value. Still worth about $300.
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  5. #5
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: ball park value of this mandola?

    Quote Originally Posted by mrmando View Post
    ..Still worth about $300.
    ...If that. Wise move, shedding the original tailpiece; the "hardware" on some of the Vietnamese "bling" instruments is not good quality. Beware of the inlays detaching, and check your string tension calculations if you're putting octave mandolin strings on it.

    It'll be a really short scale for an OM. What string gauges are you using?
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  6. #6

    Default Re: ball park value of this mandola?

    string gauges: .012 - .022 - .032 - .046
    If I were keeping it, I'd probably put some tuning machines on it too, but for a beginner, I think it will work well as is. I also donated a trinity college tenor mandola and I think that style (flat top a model) will hold up better/ be a better student instrument.

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