Mandocaster or Mandobird.

[TonyEarth]

Ok, so i now you must all be so annoyed with my electric mandolin threads, because i made quite a long one before. And, sorry, but i'm just very unsure about which to get. But i need to make a final decision. I also know many threads have been made about this. I think i have read them all. Im between a Mandocaster or an eight string Mandobird. I want you to tell me which one would give me better sound, more versatility(from mandoliny sound to rock) and is better built. So which one is better in general. And also, which one you would get. (if its the same then o.k.). Also consider upgrades from Almuse (i hear both can be turned into better instruments with upgrades from there). Im more leaning towards a mandocaster, but i want to make a final decision. I also know there's better instruments out there, but i am a beginner with electrics, and i wouldn't say i'm great at playing the mandolin, I just enjoy it a lot. Thank you, and i promise ill make up my mind and this will probably be the last annoying thread from Tony about electric mandolins. Except possibly a review of the one i get. :D

p.s. size of bridge or chunkiness doesn't matter, i think i have big hands.

[Cliff D]

Tony: I went on a similar journey weighing up the VIII bird against the mandocaster - you may have read the thread. What I was unable to do was play either instrument before purchase - not the ideal situation. I opted for the mandocaster (not least because it looked more capable of being left on a stand without tipping off!). What I think clearly emerged from comments made by cafe members & my own experience is that the Eastwood/Alden/Harley Benton needs a bit of tweeking from the off, whereas the 'bird possibly a little less so. In the UK there are not many VIII birds to be found, but you maybe in an area where there is a healthier bird population!

[TonyEarth]

i meant bird vIII against mandocaster i probably have, ill look for it again, but i just want an opinion to try and make my decision, ill see if your thread helps though.

Edit: Same here, i cannot play any, because there are not many shops around where i live. i've heard that too, but i don't know if the tweaking would be that much of a problem, and i like the idea of the two pickups and the three way pickup selector switch. but since i cannot try it out, i might just be speaking blindly, without knowing.

[Cliff D]

You will have wind back to about March 2008: the thread was titled Mandobird vs Mandocaster (or something very similar) under this same subject head.

[roscoestring]

I've had my Mandocaster about 2 weeks now. I couldn't be happier. I've never held a bird though.
I first played the Mcaster through a Line 6 amp and it seemed they didn't like each other. I did just get the Line 6 too though and have not learned it yet. But the 'caster plays much better through my Fender amp. I swapped out the neck pickup, built a new pickguard and moved the switches back as far as I could. The three way toggle switch gets in my way when picking. I'm a modder at heart and will not leave anything alone. My 'caster will be changed again, but for now I'm happy. It is very well made, has a very nice finish (I chose black), and it was set up very well when I recieved it.

[TonyEarth]

what do you mean "moved the switches"? did you have to do any drilling or cutting or anything like that? and i've heard it can get in the way of your hand too. could a good guitar repairman tweak it like that for me if i got it? Oh and what kind of neck pickup did you replace it with?

[TonyEarth]

also, has anyone tried an electric mandolin through a vox da5 (which is the amp im considering buying, because it is relatively cheap and has some effects), or any other effects? like to get a rock guitar solo sound?

[roscoestring]

I did have to drill holes but that was no problem since I made a new guard. There is not a lot of room for moving the switches around in the route underneath the guard but I did get them moved as far as I could. I really enjoy the sounds I get from the effects on my amps. I've never tried a Vox. But I can get that rock guitar sound. The neck pickup that I used is a Dragonfire Telecaster Rails rated at 12.2 ohms. www.guitarpartsonline.com. I got the pickup in a trade. It's a little shorter than the stock p'up. It gives a cleaner IMO look. And it sounds a lot better/cleaner than the stocker to me. I'll eventually swap out the bridge p'up too. The stock bridge p'up in my Mcaster was jammed right up against the wall inside the route. It was actually leaning. I changed the angle to be in line with the neck p'up. Just a cleaner look to me. Here's a picture after the work was done.



There will be other mods in the future. Definately another bridge pickup. I can see maybe a different bridge or modification of the existing bridge. I'm not big on the one piece saddle setup, although I have experienced no intonation problems with it. I'm thinking individual saddles or at least two saddles. The pickguard will most likely have something done to it to make it look not so white and the toggle switch will get a black tip.

[TonyEarth]

cool!

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Nicely done Roscoe!

Tony,
Both the -caster and the -bird will require some setup work. All factory made electric instruments do.
The question then becomes, which of the two has the better Quality Assurance people. If you ask me, Eastwood does. I've seen more issues in general with Epiphone than I have with Eastwood. But that's just me, and definitely not a scientific survey.

Daniel

[mandroid]

Did basically the same thing with my 8 string fender FM61, bought a small sheet of plastic from Stew Mac.

replaced the Pickup , Jack, and got a 2 in one concentric double Pot
so I could eliminate the V knob as it was in the way, where it was.

[rico mando]

you should try to buy one used off this site. you will probably either get one that is set up well and the person wants to up grade or you will get one cheap that never was set well and can use your savings to have it set up for you. try posting in the wanted section. and don't forget to donate a little to the site

[TonyEarth]

bit of a problem just came up. my father (yes, im just a highschooler, but i try to not talk about age or name or location as much as possible on internet, and i try to be as independent as i can with mandolins, but its about time you all know, i think i trust you all enough now, not that i didnt trust you guys before, but i just like to be cautious) has told me maybe we (we both pay for the instruments, i play them ) should get a better quality electric instrument, since he knows i love playing the mandolin. and as much as i would LOVE this, i dont know if its really worth it. i like playing chords better than picking though im fine at that too, and i know about 10 songs well, and can improv a bit on many others with guitar chords or mandolin tabs i find here and there. most better electric mandolins ive seen (jbovier, mandoblaster) are single stringed, dont know how different the sound is. ive never played an electric before, and dont want to regret any decisions. should i just get a mandocaster and get a better one later, or get a better one now? or what? and out of this context, anyone ever played a jbovier els emando? they look cool. :D

[roscoestring]

I have a 4 stringer and an 8 stringer. I prefer the 8 strings over the 4. Most musicians that I know are never completely satisfied. They will all buy (or trade for) different instruments the entire time they play. I'm cheap and look for cheap instruments and have found that they satisfy my cravings for a while without breaking the bank. I would love to have a $5000 instrument but I would still play my $100 ones.

Another thing I do is constantly modify my (electric) instruments until I get the sound I'm after. I've taken a many an electric guitar that cost $100 or less and swapped out the electronics, necks, bridges, etc. in search of the perfect sound. Naturally there is no perfect sound but it keeps me from getting bored and I learn in the process.

[TonyEarth]

well im not talking 5000 just a few hundred, like 600 or something. but i understand you. if the instrument is good, it doesnt matter what it costs, and you can always mod the instrument. so im guessing you think i should stick to the 'caster?

[roscoestring]

Well, not say that's what you should do. Just saying that's what I'd do. I sometimes get as much or more pleasure out of modding something as I do playing it.

[Tom Wright]

I bought a semi-custom axe from Steve Ryder, whose designs started, at the time, from US$ 750 or so. Models include 8-string, four, and five. He winds his own pickups, will use the frets of your choice, and so on. Too bad I didn't know what I wanted, would have chosen smaller frets, not the fat ones he liked. I chose a few options, like fancy wood, double pickups. I specified placements identical to a Stratocaster bridge and middle pickup, so the neck pickup really is located at the distance from the bridge as Strat middle. I wanted the bridge identical also, and he got it wrong on the first try, forgetting to use my plan (tilted, not too close). He made good, though, cutting a new pickguard and I remounted the pickup.

Pickups required pushing down the strong poles (A, mainly), and raising the E string end. No surprise there.

Pickup tone is very sensitive to location. This placement produces the Hendrix split-pickup sound when using both.

Fantastic axe, 5-string CGDAE, normal mando scale length. He might have a sound clip of it at his web site. My avatar is the Ryder mando.

[rico mando]

if you buy an 8 string electric you can remove some strings if you want hear 4 string. if you buy low end you can upgrade your pick up,tuners or bridge later which will make them better.on another note there is a andrew jermain blue 8 string at emando that looks super sweet.

[TonyEarth]

yes ive seen that. looks awesome. but i had a long conversation with my dad. and seeing as im a beginner to electrics, im getting a mandocaster and possibly upgrading or getting a better one later if i want. i think its the best and safest thing to do for now. and since in my family theres a tradition of not buying or gifting unless its a holiday or birthday, im going to have to wait till christmas to buy it. sighs. i could get it now, but heck it kinda ruins the fun of the long wait

[rico mando]

the mandocaster is a fine start. glad you have come to a choice at last. i am getting a airline electric mandola from the same company, eastwood guitars. rock on and have fun
so what colour do you want?

[TonyEarth]

i've seen airline mandolas too, they look and sound great. and about the color, i like them both (eastwood has it in black and sunburst) but i think ill get it in sunburst. i'm more used to that color.

[roscoestring]

I really liked the look of the sunburst better than the black, but I chose black because I'm a modder and I figured that black would be easier to work with when modding. I think you are making good choices though. I'm getting all excited for you. Once you get it let me know what you think of it so that we can compare notes.

[TonyEarth]

sure!