Eastman MDA315 mandola! Yes!
I had ZERO interest in a mandola. Bigger body, longer fretboard, tone more in the voice range of the guitars, transposed chords and music... The mandolin's bright high piercing sound is one of the reasons I play mandolin. I have small hands, so a bigger fretboard wasn't a positive feature.
Yesterday I made the mistake of grabbing an MDA315 off the wall at the music store. In just a few notes I was smitten! Deep, dark rich resonant tone! All my chord structures worked perfectly fine (just had to remember I was "over a string"). No big issue with the slight change in fretboard size.
A mandola probably wouldn't displace my mandolin for my group music sessions, but for around the house and for solo stuff or for accompanying a singer, WONDERFUL!
Yes, I know I'd probably love some higher-priced mandolas, but I like my MD315 and the price for the MDA315 is right for me for an "extra" piece of kit.
SO, guess what my wife is getting me for Christmas? (Too bad I just missed the slightly lower prices. Looks like everybody is up to $850 now, if you can find a model, anyway.)
Doug Brock
2018 Kimble 2 point (#259), Eastman MD315, Eastman MDA315, some guitars, banjos, and fiddles
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