Re: What Mandolin Did I Get From the Thriftstore?
I would never suggest a good luthier isn't worth their money, but if you're handy at all, fitting a bridge to an $18 mandolin is hardly worth taking up their time. What a great opportunity to practice a little tech work with virtually no risk! You're doing nothing invasive, and if the thing snapped in half when you tightened the strings, worst thing you're out is the price of a good dinner and a little time. OTOH, most likely you end up with a playable mando and some valuable experience.
I bought one of those $70 no-name mandolas on eBay with the idea of making it into a playable OM. In the end it was too cheaply made, and no amount of work would fix its issues. But in the process I learned quite a bit about setting up an instrument, and I installed a cheap pickup as well, which went smoothly and looked great. It gave me a lot of confidence that if I had to do my own setup on one of my good instruments, I could do it.
-- Johnson MA-100 Mando
-- Eastman MDO-305 OM
-- 3 Seagull Merlin dulcimers (2GDG, 1DAD)
-- 1952 Harmony Roy Smeck guitar
-- Ortega Lizzie Ubass
-- Leigh Campbell electric violin
-- Pfretzschner violin
-- Glaesel viola
-- Ibanez acoustic/electric guitar
-- Misc: a cello, 2 cigarbox guitars, charango, djembe, slide dulcimer.
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