First post.. expensive mistake.

[Eclectic1]

First let me thank this group. You have no idea how many people are not members but read and learn for months and months and the experience and knowledge here is just fantastic. I have read almost every post on necks and i am so inexperienced that I need to bounce this around a bit for feedback. I have been playing strings for a really long time, guitar forever (30 yrs ) and ukulele. I have had a 100 dollar mandolin that someone made from a kit for about 8 yrs. I liked it actually ! I am starting to add mandolin to some small groups i play with because there are too many guitars and it adds so much to what we are doing. The kit mando sounds pretty rough so i decided to invest. The issue is that i am a fake mandolin player.. i am a chord strummer so I don’t know what the heck I’m doing. There are very few mandolins for sale down here, 8 to 10 I think between two shops and. I had money in one shop and ended up with a Collings MT.

The skinny V neck is killing me. I have adjusted hand position which has helped some but my chords are not clear and i find it difficult. I visited another shop and played a Weber Gallatin and found that i hit chords cleanly and over all it was more fun. There is no comparison in sound. The MT is more responsive, more articulate and gorgeous. Eyes closed i choose the MT. The Gallatin is more mid range and bass and not as much volume but easier to play, I actually liked the warmer tone even if it was not as sparkly. It may be easier to sing with. The MT has been played for a total of maybe 5 hours. I think i may need to sell it and buy the Weber but based on what i am reading, people love the V neck. With my guitars I much prefer a smaller profile neck,. It’s faster and more comfortable. Anyway... I feel some tendinitis setting in.. what am I doing wrong because this is supposedly a great neck and because I don’t play very sophisticated stuff, maybe I am doing wrong but i feel inclined so sell this ASAP as its brand new and just buy the Weber. I am wiling to take a financial hit vs tendonitis. I may have made a rather expensive error. What the heck am i doing wrong and why do I hate a neck that all real mandolin players seem to adore ? I really want to love this thing but it’s not happening.
Thanks for the feedback

[Timbofood]

Sell it, get the other, you will never look back! If the neck is not comfortable for you, it’s just not going to be comfortable ever! You might get used to it but, it won’t be comfortable. The Weber has a more comfortable neck, you will simply enjoy it more, it’s like a pair of good boots, if they don’t feel good the first try, they will be miserable for a long time and not kind to your feet!
You have two hands and the associated muscles and frame to carry them, putting undue stress on them is not wise.
Let alone the fact that you simply like the other one better!
Now, don’t tell your wife I said anything about buying the other Mandolin at all, I will deny it!

[MikeEdgerton]

Feel free to post the item for sale in the Classifieds and take a moment to read the posting guidelines.

Tim, you're making an assumption that might not be true.

[Eclectic1]

LOL. This response is priceless on so many levels. Surely someone is going to want a brand new MT at a discounted price. I have to buy the other one fast though because i need to get together a bunch of songs in a hurry. Meanwhile That was the first time i laughed about this so thanks for that, i needed it. I am actually a female music maker and my significant other was so not on board with me doing this so you nailed that one too (he is also a musician - a much better one than I)

[itstooloudMike]

You are not alone. I am a long time guitarist, who has spent the last several years learning to become a mandolin player. I found out some years ago, that the typical Gibson-F5-style neck (narrow, sharp V-shape, flat fret-board, skinny frets) will not work for me at all. I owned a Gibson A5-L and an Eastman 815 that each had this design, and they both caused my left hand to cramp after playing only 30 minutes. I also had trouble fretting notes accurately. I didn't keep either. I almost gave up mandolin, until one day when I got to play a Weber Bitteroot. The neck was wider, and rounded on the back. The fret-board had a radius, and the frets were much wider than the typical Gibson type. This was instantly better for my left hand, and I knew I had to have this type of neck. I have since owned two Bitteroots (an A and an F), and now own a Summit-F, which has a neck very much like a Weber. I've never played a Collings, but I know that I cannot live with a neck that has a sharp V-profile. If you are having trouble with hand pain, don't try to "play through the pain". It won't work. Get a mandolin that works for you. Webers are great mandolins, and seem to work very well for guitar players. If you don't hear the tone you are looking for, you might consider a bridge upgrade. When I had Steve Smith install a Cumberland Acoustics bridge on my Bitteroot, it sounded much louder, with better "bark". But I don't really like a bright sounding mandolin, so that's to be considered. I wanted a Gibson F9 sound, with a Weber-style neck, which is what I get from my Summit.

[MikeEdgerton]

LOL. This response is priceless on so many levels. Surely someone is going to want a brand new MT at a discounted price. I have to buy the other one fast though because i need to get together a bunch of songs in a hurry. Meanwhile That was the first time i laughed about this so thanks for that, i needed it. I am actually a female music maker and my significant other was so not on board with me doing this so you nailed that one too (he is also a musician - a much better one than I)

We actually do a pretty thorough job of vetting new members. In most cases we know the basics but now the Posting Guidelines come into effect and it looks like you're looking for a buyer and we limit commerce to the Classifieds.

Feel free to start another thread discussing what you are having problems with regarding the neck.

[Mark Wilson]

First few months of constant playing can cause fretting hand issues. I thought i was done early on. A different neck profile may or may not help until you get your hand used to mandolin.