Total Newbie Looking for advise

[misterg16]

Hi Everyone,

Let me apologize in advance because this question has probably been posed many times.

I am a guitarist for 50 years and I have always wanted to learn to play the mandolin.

I am just looking for advise on what would be a good starter instruments.

Thanks for your patience with a newbie.

Mike G.

[HonketyHank]

Hi, misterg, Welcome to MC!

Well, there are different kinds of Newbies and with your experience you are the kind that knows in advance that there is a learning curve and diligent practice will yield good results and that there are no shortcuts around that reality. Thus I bet you are much more likely to stick that out and thus thus I am willing say don't buy a really cheap mandolin and call it a "starter". You would quickly outgrow it. I would then call an "intermediate" mandolin a starter for someone like you because you would find it to have tonal quality that is pleasant. With that in mind, I think I would recommend looking at the Eastman line if you are looking for new, or possibly entry level Weber or similar if buying used. I just saw a nice looking used Weber Gallatin A model go for under $1000 on eBay yesterday. We seem to be in a buyers' market for mandolins lately.

Absolute necessity for a beginner's mandolin: a good setup job. You can't make a $100 mandolin sound like a $100,000 mandolin, but a good setup will make it play pretty much as easy. Good guitar luthiers are not necessarily good mandolin luthiers, so you might ask around if you have the luxury of several to choose from. Also Rob Meldrum's free ebook on mandolin setup is great for learning how to do a pretty darn good job with rudimentary tools, all by yourself.

See my signature for how to get Rob's book and also a link to the Newbies social group where we have several recovering guitar players.

[LadysSolo]

I would agree with HonketyHank. I have played various instruments since I was a child, and I bought a "starter" mandolin - a the Loar LM 220, not a bad mandolin (I still have it,) but I quickly became dissatisfied with the sound, and upgraded. Some of the retailers on this site do a set-up if you buy new from them. You will get more 'bang for your buck" if you buy used (much like with guitar.) Good luck, and happy hunting!

[Br1ck]

If in your 50 years of guitar playing, you've developed a taste for fine instruments, be prepared to spend a good chunk of money. How much will depend on if you want an F style.

Lets say you have a taste for Collings guitars, Martin D 28s or heaven forbid, a D 41 or 45. Well you can get a Collings F style mandolin, but the cheapest one is around $4500, the cheapest Gibson is $5200. It goes up fast.

Now if you can live with an A style, there are many fine mandolins in the low to mid $2000 range, and that becomes $1500ish in the used market. If that seems too much , take an Eastman for a spin. They will sound great until you pick up that Collings MT one day. If you've developed an ear for fine guitars, you'll know and want the difference.

$3000 will get you a new Northridge F5S, maybe the best bang for buck F style out there.

Probably the safest buy is a used Collings MT. They just never seem to go for less than $1800 unless there are condition issues. That is probably what I'd do knowing what I know now if I were testing the waters. It would be hard to feel sorry for yourself with one of those. If that's not going to happen, an Eastman 305 or 315 would do. But I'd been playing Martin and Gibson guitars when I got my Eastman MD 505. I upgraded after three months.

[Bob Clark]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the Cafe! This is a really helpful place where you will get lots of good advice.

What kind of music would you like to play? Do you have a favorite genre or style? That information can help us make suggestions on what might be a good choice for you.

Best wishes,

Bob

[LadysSolo]

Well, since Br1ck has made suggestions, I would +1 on the Collings MT, or perhaps a Pava A-style, or a Weber A-style. You can't really go wrong with any of those. But like guitars, you need to listen to them and decide on the sound you want. And just like guitars, you get what you pay for (in general,) and it's more about the sound than the name on the headstock.

[Randi Gormley]

And before you goggle over the price, the usual ratio is a mandolin will cost about twice the price of a comparable guitar. So a $100 guitar will cost you about $200 in mandolin (provided you're not looking at a bowlback, since you can get a reasonably good bowlback for $100). A $500 guitar is about $1,000 in mandolin.

That said, you can get a perfectly good instrument sub-$500 with all solid woods. As a beginner, you may not notice much of a difference in tone between a sub-$500 instrument and a $1,000 instrument, and in that case, you can spend the lesser amount with confidence. The longer you play, the more you'll know what kind of tone you want and can upgrade accordingly.

Mandolins also are affected by small changes that a guitar wouldn't notice -- setup, strings and picks being the biggest -- and it's fun to experiment. You don't need special mandolin picks, but different picks actually do make a difference in sound. There's a traveling pick sampler that you might want to sign up for to see for yourself.

And fretting the mandolin is different from fretting a guitar. Your fretting hand should be at an angle, as if you were playing the fiddle, instead of perpendicular to the neck, which is good guitar technique. I'd suggest you look up Mike Marshall's Youtube video on how to hold the mandolin -- because although there are similarities to guitar, mandolin is NOT a small upsidedown guitar, it's an entirely separate and different instrument with different strengths and weaknesses.

Welcome to the mandolin and cafe, though -- we're all a little nuts over mandolins over here and are always happy to welcome someone new to the fold!

[DocT]

I do not know your budget. I am new as well. You can go far with a Kentucky, Loar, or Eastman and not have to take out a second mortgage. Later you may think about upgrading. Just get the mandolin properly set up.

[Valerie Jestice]

Mike Holmes, the builder of Shawnee Creek Mandolins, still has 2 point for sale for $850. I did play it, and I was impressed! Nice sound, and good playability. I would have purchased it instead of the one I have, but 2 points aren’t really for me.

[Denny Gies]

Depending on your budget there are some good mandolins in the classified ads and also at some of the Cafe's advertisers. The old Gibson A models can be a good buy. If you want to spend a couple of thousand bucks you can get one that will last you a very long time. Good luck and welcome to our wild, wacky world.

[Br1ck]

If you post your location, you might connect with someone who could help you get really hooked. If your interest is focused on Celtic, you'd want to be looking at different mandolins than if Bluegrass were your thing.

Much like guitars, you can play anything on anything, but might focus on very different guitars for Bluegrass or fingerstyle.

[Mandoplumb]

Agree totally with Brick, just to add to that what is the " standard" bluegrass sound or Celtic sound may not be what you want. As you are already a musician and before you spend the money that is being suggested here I would suggest you try to listen to as many mandolins, in the style of music you are going to play,in their natural habitat ( bands in concert). Listen for the difference in sound, what you like, what you don't, then try to find a mandolin with "your" sound, regardless of the name on the peghead. You will be more critical of sound than someone new to music so your search will be more intense. I went through this when I was looking for a banjo ( don't tell anyone I bought a banjo). I had been around good to great banjos, in bands I played in,for years so the typical starter banjos that would have satisfied a beginning musician just wouldn't do. I knew I wouldn't enjoy trying to learn on something I didn't like the sound of. I think you arein the same position, good luck with your search.

[pops1]

I will add, since it hasn't been mentioned. Play some different mandolins. The neck width and depth vary, as well as a C shape and a V shape. All styles of necks are not comfortable for everyone. Find the neck shape for you, then decide what style of mandolin you want, oval hole or ff hole. Now how much you want to spend and you have a better knowledge of what will work for you for a longer time.

Then we can spend your money like no bodies business.

[Paul Busman]

I'd say try to find a used Asian made A style,like some mentioned above,with a good setup. Don't spend a fortune. As shocking as it may sound, you might not care for the mandolin at all and there's no sense buying an expensive one at this point or even ever.You can always sell a decent starter instrument if you do feel the need to upgrade, or keep it as a "beater" to take camping,etc.The setup is the key though. If it's not set up well you probably won't like playing it at all.

[UsuallyPickin]

Yeah … budget … I would suggest looking at instruments costing between 1,000.00$ and 2,000.00$ … in that expense category you will be able to purchase a quality instrument that will allow you to grow into it's capabilities. Yes you can purchase student grade instruments for less money. With diligent searching and some luck and timing you may come across something truly fine at a lower cost factor. That's the luck of the draw. A good investment at this point is to go somewhere to play and hear a large number of different makers instruments. Rob's set up book is a must read for the aspiring mandolinist. Enjoy the process... R/

[Doug Brock]

Something like an Eastman MD505 ($699 new with setup if bought from a good music store) would be a nice option, as it is good enough in solid carved wood and playability to get you pretty far in your mandolin journey, and is popular enough that it would be easy to sell without too much loss or it could be a good second mando when you don't want to chance taking your better NEXT mandolin with you.

I've played Martins a few years (2002 was my HD28. My D18GE followed a few years after that) and do appreciate a good instrument. Something like a Northfield F5S might be coming my way in a year or two, but for now an MD505 and MD315 are performing delightfully.

On the LOW end of options, I actually can recommend Musician's Friend for their Rogue RM-100A for only $49! I recently bought one as a loaner for friends and family who want to dip their toe into the mandolin world. The one I got is surprisingly loud and quite playable. Yes, solid wood will give you a sweeter sound, but there isn't much to lose in trying one of these bargains. (Rob Meldrum has generously provided an ebook with how to inexpensively do your own setup on this very mandolin. https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ighlight=rogue).

[colorado_al]

I'd suggest checking out the Eastman MD-605. Upgraded a bit over the MD-505 with a factory pickup and block inlay.

[Capt. E]

I would go for a US made instrument. That would be Weber, Collins, Pava, Northfield, Passernig, Ratliff etc. Take a look at the offerings at Fiddlersgreenmusicshop.com here in Austin. They have mandolins in order by price which may help you and if you give them a call they will give you fabulous advice and an honest assessment of what they have in stock. Many other shops will do the same for you. As far as pac-rim is concerned, I personally like Kentucky more than Eastman. I think you get more for your money with Kentucky. Of course you could lay down the money for the Ellis two-point they have. It is only $9K. The next thing would be to look through the Classifieds here. Great place to shop.

[Br1ck]

I'm going to restate my opinion that once you have developed an ear and have owned a fine instrument of any type, you will know and want that quality in any future instrument. I have seen guitar players, myself included, buy that starter instrument only to upgrade quickly, so if you can afford a Weber, Silverangel, Pava, etc., and buy used you will have a greater chance of success and recoup most or all of your investment should you choose another direction.

This is all a moot point if you don't have the means, and I'll always say having a mandolin is better than not. I'm also making the assumption after 50 years you aren't playing a starter grade guitar.

[Eclectic1]

From one new player or another, I played guitar for a long time and had amazing instruments Goodall, very nice martins etc. I played 4 mandolins, entry level type, under 1k and “just for fun” picked up a Collings MT. Well that was a stupid move because there was no comparison in sound so clearly I was diving into the deep end before learning to swim...but I am convinced that it was the best move. It’s such a pleasure every time I take it out of the case which is several times a day. I had a mandolin that I someone made from a kit. ...it sat in my house for over 10 yrs , I maybe played it a total of 2 hours in a decade. I think investing in a really quality instrument is the best thing of it’s doable and cheaper, no upgrade necessary.

[Br1ck]

Eclectic1 nails my point better than I did, especially the part about playing two or three times a day. You will just want to play more so you'll progress faster.

[Rob Meldrum]

Here's a recommendation from the opposite end of the spectrum. Long-time guitar players are always looking for a good beater guitar for campfires, boating, etc. Check out www.musiciansfriend.com and search Rogue Mandolin. Then click on the "two-fer" offer. Guitar and mandolin for $99.00. Delivered. NFI on my part, just a guy on a budget.

Order new strings for each instrument at the same time, as they ship with obvious Chinese knock-off strings that aren't good at all. Follow the instructions in my free ebook on how to set up a mandolin. Email me at rob.meldrum@gmail.com and put Mandolin Setup in the subject line.

Set up the mandolin and the guitar, put on the new strings, and have fun. If the mandolin bug bites you, you'll be getting that $1 - 2K instrument everyone's recommending, and you'll have a backup mandolin and guitar for enjoying when you're out and about.

Have fun! That's what it's all about...

Rob