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Thread: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

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    Default Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    I have been searching for mandolas that aren't flat top and above 1000$ but I couldn't find anything. Besides Eastman, of course which has a specific model. But what I mean is that I understand that there is a lot more demand for mandolins of this type, but it doesn't make sense to me having no arched top mandolas under 1000$. Have you guys found anything, any maker (e.g. Kentucky) that make mandolas like that?

  2. #2
    Registered User Freddyfingers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    A while back i looked as well. I first got a Big Muddy, which is a flat top, but i thought a Big Bang for the buck. I eventually got a Eastman , not the higher priced one, and it plays well. Had k an k installed, and it came in a decent gig bag. I got it from elderly I believe, and at the time it was significantly under 1000. Other than that there are a few small builders that make them, but there are not enough of them out there to get a good feel for how they play and the build quality. With a little set up the Eastman is decent. I would like to try the higher end version they make, but it will never be in a store anywhere near me.
    Its not a backwards guitar.

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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Who are these small builders?

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    Registered User Freddyfingers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    You could check out Mia at Clarinda’s mandolins. Arkansas. There are mixed reviews on her work. Some praise what you get for the price, others say you get what you pay for. I got an octave from her. It beats some entry level imports, but is not a super high end instrument like webers etc. mine is blue. Only person i knew that would make a blue octave in a somewhat affordable range. She makes mandola and mandolins as well.

    Every now and then a few builders post a hand made mandola and octaves. If you can play first, all the better. But not always possible with these sizes.
    Its not a backwards guitar.

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Shawnee Creek Mandolins shows on their website an A-model, F-hole mandola just sold for $1050. Hand-carved, all solid woods, made in "the Heart of the Ozarks," as they say.

    No personal experience with the company, so can't review their work. Looks nice, anyway.
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    Shawnee Creek Mandolins shows on their website an A-model, F-hole mandola just sold for $1050. Hand-carved, all solid woods, made in "the Heart of the Ozarks," as they say.

    No personal experience with the company, so can't review their work. Looks nice, anyway.
    Looking closely at the photos you can see the workmanship is……shall we say, not at a high level. The OP would likely be better off with an Eastman.

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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by Freddyfingers View Post
    Every now and then a few builders post a hand made mandola and octaves. If you can play first, all the better. But not always possible with these sizes.
    Such as...? What builders should I be checking?

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by Freddyfingers View Post
    You could check out Mia at Clarinda’s mandolins. Arkansas. There are mixed reviews on her work. Some praise what you get for the price, others say you get what you pay for. I got an octave from her. It beats some entry level imports, but is not a super high end instrument like webers etc. mine is blue. Only person i knew that would make a blue octave in a somewhat affordable range. She makes mandola and mandolins as well.
    My friend Jeff has one of Mia's mandolas and may be willing to sell. Not sure how much he'd want for it. Send me a PM.

    Carving a mandola is a lot of work; most small shops that make one will want more than $1,000, and I doubt there is enough demand for mass production. When mandolas are mass produced, they tend to be flattops.
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    I heard my name! Thanks Martin. Yes, I actually have two mandolas for sale. Will PM.
    Last edited by Jbrumley; Feb-28-2022 at 12:06am.

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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Will Kimble has made some mandolas. I got to play a really nice one at TME in Boston a couple of years ago…but it was more like $5000

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    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    My opinion/advice is to look at the reality of the market. I believe (based on my experience) that there are at least 1000 guitar players for every mandolin player (acknowledging the significant overlap caused by many of us who play both).

    I also believe there are 100 to 1000 mandolin players for every mandola, OM, 'zouk or mandocello player.

    You're looking for a real niche-within-a-niche instrument, laboriously built with a carved top and back, assembled and finished for under $1000 US? If the builder got just $15/hour and was able to get all the materials (wood, bridge, tuning machines, tailpiece, etc.) for just $300, and could ship the finished product to you for $50 (I doubt that's possible) that leaves them about 40 hours to build your instrument. And we haven't even mentioned rent, utilities for the shop, tool wear, etc.

    Let's ask the builders on this forum if that is reasonable at all. I don't believe it is.

    We consumers have been programmed by Wal-Mart, cheap third world labor and globalization to expect prices to drop for everything forever. Now we have pandemic inspired labor and supply chain shortages. A guitar I bought new for $950 less than two years ago is now $1200. Another guitar I bought for $1800 used in 2020 is going for up to $3k now.

    I think its easier to find a unicorn than a quality built carved top and back mandola for $1000.

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandobart View Post
    My opinion/advice is to look at the reality of the market....I think its easier to find a unicorn than a quality built carved top and back mandola for $1000.
    But you can find a bunch of Eastman MDA315's for sale under $1K -- not much under, like $969, but a quick Google search will turn up several sellers. Are we saying that MDA315's aren't "quality built carved top and back?"

    OP seems a bit dismissive of Eastman's "specific model," but as one who's owned a number of Eastman instruments, including an MDA615 which, at the time I bought it, was somewhere in the $8-900 range discounted, I've found them good quality.

    I understand Mandobart's point; no individual builder's getting rich making sub-$1K hand-carved mandolas. But there are fully carved solid wood 'dolas in Eastman's basic "300" series instruments.

    Good idea to keep searching, especially the used market, but don't despair of finding a decent quality mandola at an affordable price.
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    Registered User Marcus CA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    For the reasons that others have described, any arched-top mandolin under $1K is going to be made on the western shores of the Pacific. The Shawnee Creek model made in Missouri that Allen mentioned comes the closest to the $1K threshhold, but its scale length is only 15 5/8", which is pretty short for a mandola --- meaning that that C string is going to sound pretty floppy.

    So far as I know, Kentucky and The Loar don't make mandolas. Trinity College does, but I don't think it's arched top. That's why Eastman pretty much has the field at that price point.

    The lowest end of the American market is probably Girouard and Collings, but you're probably looking at $3K and climbing for those these days.
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  17. #14

    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandobart View Post
    My opinion/advice is to look at the reality of the market. I believe (based on my experience) that there are at least 1000 guitar players for every mandolin player (acknowledging the significant overlap caused by many of us who play both).

    I also believe there are 100 to 1000 mandolin players for every mandola, OM, 'zouk or mandocello player.

    You're looking for a real niche-within-a-niche instrument, laboriously built with a carved top and back, assembled and finished for under $1000 US? If the builder got just $15/hour and was able to get all the materials (wood, bridge, tuning machines, tailpiece, etc.) for just $300, and could ship the finished product to you for $50 (I doubt that's possible) that leaves them about 40 hours to build your instrument. And we haven't even mentioned rent, utilities for the shop, tool wear, etc.

    Let's ask the builders on this forum if that is reasonable at all. I don't believe it is.

    We consumers have been programmed by Wal-Mart, cheap third world labor and globalization to expect prices to drop for everything forever. Now we have pandemic inspired labor and supply chain shortages. A guitar I bought new for $950 less than two years ago is now $1200. Another guitar I bought for $1800 used in 2020 is going for up to $3k now.

    I think its easier to find a unicorn than a quality built carved top and back mandola for $1000.
    Let me clear myself. What I wonder is not why luthiers don't sell at 500$ a piece. I can't expect them to cover their expenses of building an arched mandola with selling at the price points I can afford.

    This understanding, however, doesn't mean that I am able to pay that much, while my monthly pay is about 1/7 of those 3000$ mandolas.

    What I am asking is whether there are mandolas from companies who make arched mandolins for under 1000$. These are not hand-built (I don't mind that), they are not top-quality (I don't mind that, either), but still, there are tons of them. If they don't make cheaper arched mandolas, as they do make cheaper arched mandolins, that's ok, we can all live with that. But that was what I was looking for, getting a lower quality arched mandola, just as people with lower salaries buy lower quality arched mandolins for a lot fewer dollars. I was definitely not trying to make a luthier give me their instrument for 1/10 its worth.

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by dimitchatzik View Post
    ...What I am asking is whether there are mandolas from companies who make arched mandolins for under 1000$...
    Yes. Eastman MDA315. For under $1,000.
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    Yes. Eastman MDA315. For under $1,000.
    Besides that.

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    My Florida is scooped pheffernan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by dimitchatzik View Post
    Besides that.
    The short answer is no. Kentucky did but doesn’t, and I don’t believe The Loar ever has.

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    Barn Cat Mandolins Bob Clark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    To me, that Eastman is a good value. I wouldn't expect anything more for that money. If I was in the market in that price range, I'd buy one. Just my opinion, YMMV.
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    In the meantime I found that McBrides makes an arch top mandola for about 400€.

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    Registered User Marcus CA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    If this is the one you're looking at, I don't think it's an archtop.
    https://www.waltons.ie/home/products...-body-mandola/
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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Want to take a chance on one that may need some neck work, but is about half-price under what you're looking for?

    Bernunzio's here in Rochester has a small-builder, all sold wood mandola, carved top, based on the Gibson H's, shown here for $495 on sale. Bernunzio says that it was made without a truss rod, and the neck has thus either warped or pulled forward a bit, so the action is high.

    Dunno what a repair shop would charge to work on the neck; there are several strategies, such as heat-pressing it back to straightness, inserting larger frets (the current ones are small) that would force the neck to re-curve, or pulling the fretboard, planing the neck flat, and reinstalling the fretboard. Alternatively, the "high" action may be within your tolerance.

    Just a thought. I've dealt extensively with Bernunzio, and he's usually quite honest in how he represents his instruments. Might be worth a phone call, anyway.
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  26. #22

    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by Marcus CA View Post
    If this is the one you're looking at, I don't think it's an archtop.
    https://www.waltons.ie/home/products...-body-mandola/
    No, I'm taking about this. https://www.waltons.ie/home/products...tage-sunburst/
    It was 100€ less a day ago.

  27. #23

    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    Want to take a chance on one that may need some neck work, but is about half-price under what you're looking for?

    Bernunzio's here in Rochester has a small-builder, all sold wood mandola, carved top, based on the Gibson H's, shown here for $495 on sale. Bernunzio says that it was made without a truss rod, and the neck has thus either warped or pulled forward a bit, so the action is high.

    Dunno what a repair shop would charge to work on the neck; there are several strategies, such as heat-pressing it back to straightness, inserting larger frets (the current ones are small) that would force the neck to re-curve, or pulling the fretboard, planing the neck flat, and reinstalling the fretboard. Alternatively, the "high" action may be within your tolerance.

    Just a thought. I've dealt extensively with Bernunzio, and he's usually quite honest in how he represents his instruments. Might be worth a phone call, anyway.
    I have seen that, though last time I checked it was at the original price. It will take about 100$ to fix, but it can be done gradually. This mandola seems to be there for a long time. Maybe with EU import taxes it'll go up a lot, but still, it seems worth a try. Aesthetically very beautiful, indeed.

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  29. #24
    Registered User Marcus CA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    Yup, that's a carved top mandola! It's astounding that the price went up over 20% in a day. Such are the times, I reckon.

    Even at its new price, you won't find anything else that cheap. Since I've played Eastmans but not McBrides, the question I can't answer is whether the Eastman MDA315 is worth the additional euros.
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    Registered User meow-n-dolin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Arch/carved top mandola under 1000$?

    I have the "current" Eastman mandola. Previously, I had the "top-end" (815? 915?) Eastman, which was lost in a fire. It was very nice. That being said, I am not disappointed with the 315 at all. Much like the "lower in the line" Eastmans (I have the MD314 oval-hole F style), the workmanship is excellent, and the sound more than satisfactory.

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