Ortega Mandolins Opinions

[JCDWV]

Hi Everyone,

I was scanning through Reverb and ran across a listing for an Ortega new for about half the price I have found it on other sites since it has a blemish in the finish. I have read a previous thread about them that is several years old and thought I would ask if they have gotten better and whether the price was worth it for a beginner mandolin.

https://reverb.com/item/31561276-ort...-top-blem-xz99

[Charles E.]

Not sure about the mandolin but I do like their salsa.

[JCDWV]

Not sure about the mandolin but I do like their salsa.

Lol

I know even a $200 instrument is a budget unit, but I figure for half that, it is pretty much a disposable one if it gets damaged and would be one that I wouldn't be upset if something happened to it

[rickbella]

Mahogany tops can be very quiet -- almost muted-sounding -- depending on the instrument.

[JCDWV]

Yes they can be. When I was guitar shopping I was considering a mahogany top very seriously, but liked the brighter sound of the spruce. Plus at the time, the mahogany version was sold out everywhere I looked.

[allenhopkins]

Eighty-five buxx for an all-mahogany-plywood mandolin. Presumably not set up, at that price. You're not risking too much, but don't expect much, either.

[JCDWV]

Exactly, I figure if I didn't like it, for that price compared to what they are asking for them without blemishes on amazon and ebay, I should be able to get close to my money back out if it. I have only recently started playing and had partially restored my grandfather's 1940's-50's Penn mandolin. It isn't an expensive instrument either, but it is solid sapele and sounds good. I like the sound of the oval holes, which it is, but I wouldn't mind an f hole as a kick around one to play in places I wouldn't want to chance damaging my pap's.

[JCDWV]

I sent him an offer to see if he would go $100 total with shipping. That's only $13 less than the total now, so I guess I will see if he bites.

[JCDWV]

He accepted my offer, it isn't bad for a cheap instrument. It doesn't sound or play bad. I may end up getting the action adjusted since it is just a little higher than I would like, but it doesn't sound bad at all. I like the sound of my old oval hole better though

[NickR]

You could try sticking with that higher action for a while as sometimes a challenging (as opposed to an unplayable!) action can be good for your progress. However, if that is not the case, you might try stringing it up with lighter gauge strings first and this will probably help.