Help With First Electric Mando Purchase

[Wild Rover Phill]

So after many hours of research I have narrowed down what qualities I want in an electric mandolin.
It needs to be an 8 string, acoustic or semi-hollow (I don't even know if they make semi-hollow 8 strings, but it'd be cool if there were some good ones), and the body type doesn't really matter just nothing too out there (I do love archtop designs though).
The maximum price I could spend at the moment is about $450 and am more than willing to buy used.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
-Phill

[mrmando]

Sounds like a Fender FM62SCE might do the trick.

[Wild Rover Phill]

I had my eye on those, but it's been pretty difficult to find one used. I found one on ebay, but got outbid on it.

[Ben Milne]

I've just bought an AE mando (still awaiting delivery) for ~$220au - I cant find much info on the brand though the RRP was supposedly around the OP's budget. it's an f-hole tele looking emando.

[Elliot Luber]

buy an acoustic mandolin and put in a piezo pickup.

[Jim Ferguson]

Heh there WRP.......check out the Ovation MCS14 or the Celebrity DLX.....both will run you about $450-$500. Both are 8-string electric/acoustic mandos. I played the Celebrity DLX mando at the Guitar Centre awhile back just to pass some time & was pleasantly surprised by the sound. Obviously you'll have to add an amp & gig bag or hard case so that jacks up your cost a few hundred $$$ unless you have these items already.
Peace,
Jim

[Jim Ferguson]

Sorry....that is MCS148 not MCS14...:-)

[DerTiefster]

Just to muddy the waters a bit, there is an opinion in print on the cafe (will wonders never cease?) in this thread:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ig-Shot-Review
in which the writer expresses his joy with the <$40 K&K Big Shot pickup. Now I don't know the O.P.'s particular situation and application, but this is something that I decided to order today, just about solely upon the strength of this opinion. My application is the relatively undemanding technical environment of a church band, and that may make a large difference. The poster did not have a test under any kind of real-world conditions, and that makes a -large- difference.

If the O.P. is adventurous, one can check out the Gold Tone Rigel-licensed mandolins in his price range. Used pricing might put the Gold Tone version of the G110 in his range. Just a thought.

[journeybear]

It would help to know what kind of music you want to play on it, and whether you want an electric mandolin (as you say) or an amplified acoustic one (which is closer to your description).

And welcome to the Café!

[Jim MacDaniel]

buy an acoustic mandolin and put in a piezo pickup.

Ditto - buy a good acoustic mandolin that meets your needs now (e.g., a new Kentucky KM-505 or KM-550, or a nice used instrument), and add a pickup now or later as your needs dictate. You'll most likely get a higher quality and better performing instrument that way, and you can always move the pickup to another instrument when you upgrade later.

[Jim MacDaniel]

I had my eye on those [Fender FM-62SCE], but it's been pretty difficult to find one used. I found one on ebay, but got outbid on it.

There's one at Gryphon strings now for $385.

[ccsm672]

I have owned both the mid-line Ovation (not the Celebrity, though probably very similiar) and the Fender mentioned above. I sold the Ovation and still have the Fender. I feel the Ovation was a higher quality mando, but not by much. I think the Fender SOUNDS like a mandolin, where the Ovation did not. I don't know who makes the pickup for the Fender, but to me it has much more "bark". Horrible bridge design, though, and in general fit and finish seems inferior to the Ovation. The Fender also has a flat fretboard where the Ovations' was radiused (I now realize how much I prefer a radiused fingerboard!) The Fender is MUCH easier to hold in your lap while playing. I think they are both good mandos, but I prefer the sound of the Fender. I would play both for a while and pick wich sounds and feels best for you. Keep watching Craigslist and you will see the Fenders every now and then. But I will agree with the others that have mentioned you can probably do better with a good acoustic and pickup combo. Good luck!

[Wild Rover Phill]

Hey guys! Sorry for my late response, I have had my internet down for quite some time though.
Thank you all for your awesome help!
But to answer a few questions...
Journeybear: I was looking into experimenting with mandolin in post-rock music (as far as I know, mandolins have not yet been used in post-rock) with my band (we are not an exclusively post-rock band but we take a lot of influence form the genre... here is our myspace Recollect:Reconstruct) in which I play vocals and keys. And thank you for the welcome
some examples of post rock bands are
Explosions In The Sky- www.myspace.com/explosionsinthesky
Caspian-www.myspace.com/caspiantheband

Jim: Thank you for the link! That is extremely helpful.

Everyone who suggested the piezo pickup: Thank you for the suggestions. I am seriously thinking about doing that now.

[journeybear]

Hey! Been wondering what was going on ...

Not sure what post-rock is - didn't know rock was over - but judging from the songs you have up at myspace, I think an amplified acoustic mandolin would work best, like on the quieter sections of songs like "Oceans" or "They Will Grow." Once the guitar kicks in and the singer goes balls to the wall the mandolin will get overpowered or just become irrelevant to the song or arrangement. But it could still add some nice textures. I'm inclined to an Ovation or similar instrument designed for amplification that may not sound all that great acoustically, but will cut through in live performance. Getting a nice-sounding acoustic mandolin and adding a pickup and trying to tweak that to work with electric instruments might be more trouble than it's worth. And a solid body electric might not be the sound you want - and the guitarist might feel threatened once you get to the point where you can blow him off the stage.

[Wild Rover Phill]

Thank you for your wisdom, Journeybear.
Post-rock doesn't really refer to the end of rock (like post-romanticism to the romantic music of the 19th and early 20th centuries), but what it really means is rock instruments used in a way that isn't typical of rock music. Our only pure post-rock song is "Oceans", and I can tell you picked up on the post-rock influence in "They Will Grow."
But would you think that the Fender fm62-sce, or the Gold Tone GM-110 is a good choice for that type of music? I haven't been able to get my hands on one to try personally, but I've seen a few videos of them and they seem to be instruments fit for the job.

Thank you so much for your help, it is truly greatly appreciated.

[journeybear]

Someone else will have to advise you on those. I've had no experience with them. I just recall being impressed with the Ovation - plugged in, that is. Unplugged it sounded pretty dead, but it was designed for amplification, and it seemed like the engineers did a pretty good job sussing that out.

[Wild Rover Phill]

I just looked at a few videos of the Ovation Mcs148. It sounds very pretty, but personally the looks of the ovation really turn me off.
I found a decently good deal on a gold tone gm-110. I'm a little wary about getting it though, as it's a bit hard to find reliable reviews on it.

[Jim MacDaniel]

Search the forums here re the GM-110, as there are a few threads with a little first-hand feedback in them -- but the general consensus seems to be that it sounded a little dead or thin acoustically, but plugged in it sounded pretty good.

[journeybear]

I know what you mean about the Ovation. Why not make it look like a mandolin, instead of a scaled-down guitar? Also, the back slips around like their guitars. But there are those that swear by them.