Epiphone mandobird - viii

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I just sent for an Epiphone Mandobird - VIII
This will be my first electric mandolin.
Do any of you have one and if so what do you think of it?
I could only afford to just send for it now but I will get the amp and the rest of the stuff next month.
I would like to get an amp that does not cost to much and that has a jack for a mic also, do you know of any?

[Dan Krhla]

I have the Mandobird IV, love it, lots'a fun! Make sure you ckeck out the electric forum here at the cafe, lots of good info there. There are also a couple great e-mando-centric sites if you are interested.

There are a couple amps that can do mic and 1/4 input. Most amps calling themselves "acoustic" amps have them, but there are also knock around mics that come with 1/4 jacks. I have used these a couple times, not the world's greatest but they are definitely more than acceptable in most situations.

Congrats. I wanted the sunburst Mandobird, but the first 2 Musicians Friend sent me were black, so I took it as a fate hint and kept the black. Wish I tried a third time to actually get what I ordered, they look sharp

[SnapCut]

Make sure you ckeck out the electric forum here at the cafe, lots of good info there. #There are also a couple great e-mando-centric sites if you are interested. #

Where is the electric forum here?
I would also like to check out those other sites.
I'm planning on getting a Behringer ULTRACOUSTIC AT 108 Acoustic Combo Amp. I ask my teacher and she said that it would work with the mando that I sent for.
I will also get a mic so I can sing and play at the same time. OHHHHH NOOOO, LOOK OUT!

[mandroid]

yo message board , like a Menu where the Drinks part would be,
look down on the bottom. or see forum jump right here, "four five and eight string electrics"

off the HOME page there are Links provided too.
happy websurfing

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Thanks, I found it, now is there someone who can move this thread there?

[Mattg]

I have one. I use it for quiet practice at home. The pickup really lacks. I think it could be juiced up with a new pickup and maybe the addition of a small lipstick pick too.

It feels a little bit different than a regular mando. The action is kind of mushy. I had to move the bridge to get it to intonate correctly. It was way out. If you rub the pick guard, you can hear a crackle over the amp. It looked like it was grounded correctly but who knows.

[Trip]

I have a 4 string and I love it.....best bang for the buck of any instrument I have ever owned..........mine was preowned, and had an amazing setup....definately plugged through a preamp/effects surfboard for great results(to overcome the weak pickup).......I just can't figure out what I would do with the 8 string model......I have a Fishman bridge on my FlatIron if I want to sound like a mandolin

[eadg145]

I have a Mandobird VIII, and I really love it. It was a gift from a friend. (!) I keep it out and handy, at the end of the couch. It's my casual "go-to" mandolin for random playing. I use it like one would use a "beater", although this is in perfect condition. I've real a lot of reviews of these, and despite what I've read I can say that my particular Mandobird VIII has outstanding fit and finish (sunburst). The neck feels a tiny bit thinner than my acoustic mandolin (a Breedlove Cascade model). Oddly enough, practicing a tune on the Mandobird VIII makes it very fluid on the Breedlove.
The pickup is a bit weak on the treble side. I mitigated that a bit by restringing with nickel strings. I mostly play it acoustically, as a quiet practice instrument. However, occasionally I plug in, hook up to a Korg Pandora, add distortion, and "rock out." (I made a very nice Hendrix-like recording of the Star-Spangled Banner on July 4th, to send to the aforementioned friend. )
I am somewhat interested in the Bartolini replacement for the stock pickup, and may eventually go that route. But like I said, usually I'm just sitting on the edge of the couch, playing Whiskey Before Breakfast on it acoustically.
I think the Mandobird VIII is a tremendous value considering what you get for the price. It also travels quite well. Good luck with yours!

cheers,

David

[Greg H.]

I just got an 8 string mandobird last week. I actually went to GC to buy an electric bass and saw this and well. . . . Surprising for guitar center the setup wasn't bad, just required some minor tweaking to get the intonation squared away but not much else. My son's into playing electric guitar and this seemed a great route for some additional father/son time (where neither of us are mad or grumpy ) It's lots of fun. I've been running it through an old tube amp with a fair amound of gain and it sounds pretty good for old blues stuff.

[James P]

I found a really clean VIII for well under $200 a couple weeks ago. #

Someone mentioned on an earlier thread that MandoBirds are basically a cheap way to find out whether you'd want to buy a nicer electric or not. #I'd agree with that. #Before getting it, I'd always thought I wanted an eight-stringed electric, but now I think I'd prefer a fiver.

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Thanks everyone for the input
Well today is Friday and I sent the order in on Monday for it so I'm hoping to get an email notification some day soon that it is on its way.

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I just got an email shipment conformation so my MANDOBIRD VIII is on it way!