New guy looking for a good mandolin

[Arkantex]

Hi guys/gals. My name is Jeremy and I am new to the forum and mandolins all together. I have been playing the bass for about 17 years and have decided to try and pick up the mandolin. Found this place searching the internet for info on mandolins. So I was wondering if I ya'll could recomend a decent accoustic/electric mandolin to start out on. I am wanting that isn't bottom grade. I am looking for something in the middle of the range as far as quality goes. SOmething that I can play for a good long while without getting new gas (new gear aquisition syndrome).

Looking forward to learning alot from everyone. Thanks

[Mando Tristan]

Welcome to the forum Jeremy! Any particular reason you want an Acoustic/Electric mandolin? Unless you perform a lot, the electronics add needless expense. You can get a better acoustic instrument for the money than you can with a/e.
-Tristan

P.S.- you'll find that MAS (mandolin acquisition syndrome) is a common and often unavoidable disease around here

[Arkantex]

Well I do perform on a weekly basis with my bass and will probably be using the mandolin on occasion. Do they make aftermarket electronics you can put into the mouth of the body of an accoustic mandolin like you can on an accoustic guitar? That way I could possibly buy the aftermarket electronic pickup later on down the road?

[Grommet]

Hi AT-
Middle of the road is such a grey area here. Best to pic a price range and find a middle that will suit. Example $49 Rouge vs$200,000 Gibson Loar Era. Middle of the road not so comfy. $20,000+ Gilcrest, Nugget, Gibson MM vs $350 Kentucky, Eastman etc. Still a rough patch at the middle of the road. There are alot of great F5-type, US luthier made mandolins in the $5000 ballpark, but half that is alot for a 1st mando. Pro level US made A-style mandolins like the Collings, Weber, or Breedlove might range from $1500 to $2200 and make a good high end target to compare with decent imported starter mandolins in the $500 to $1200 range. Some good economical mandolins that are often mentioned favorably here are the Kentucky, Eastman, and The Loar imported models which come in models from about $250 and up. Some really popular ones include the Kentcky KM 505 and the comparable Eastman model (both A-styles) for around $500-$600. The Loar LM-400 (about $550) and Kentucky KM-900 (about $900) A-styles are both often praised here. There are F-style bodied mandolins from those makers for $500 to $850 that are also well liked but as you've no doubt already heard, you'll get more instrument per $ if you stick with an A-style. The Kentucky KM 150 is one of the least expensive models that gets pretty consistent good remarks. Used Rover R-75 F-Style is also a way to go. Do buy from a dealer with a great rep for mandolin set-up, like one of the Cafe sponsors to assure a good experience. Play as many as you can before buying if possible and enjoy the ride! I second the suggestion for playing miked, or after market electronics rather than A/E.

Scott

[Randi Gormley]

Welcome! You've come to the right place. You'll find that the more you know about mandolins, the more your ideas change of what you want.

however, a lot of discussion has included information that most a/e instruments are pretty underwhelming musically -- if you're looking for a good acoustic sound, you should buy a good acoustic instrument and add electronics separately. If you're more into strictly electronic, that's a different consideration. I'm not a gearhead, but there are a bunch of people here who are, and if you wander over to the gear section, you can see what the concensus is on outside electronics and the best electronic instruments. just a thought.

[JeffD]

I think you would do better quality wise (i.e. better for the same dollar), to get an all accoustic that you mic, or an all electric, depending on the predominant sound you want. Many accoustic/electrics (and folks please correct me with exceptions if I am wrong), are a compromise at both ends, mandolin tone on the accoustic side, and quality electrics on the other. (The tone is eh, but thats ok you can play it loud.) The feeling I get is that some of these are not even built with the mandolinner in mind, someone who would want first and foremost a good mandolin, but they are marketed to guitaristas who are going into mandolin and haven't sussed out exactly what mandolin qualities they want.

[michaelpthompson]

These guys are right about buying an acoustic if you're going to play bluegrass and such, but if you mostly play plugged in rock and roll, they can be a pain. An acoustic mandolin sounds best through a mic if you're amplified or recorded and that can really lead to feedback in a loud rock situation. You can get pickups for mandolins, and even some pretty decent ones, but then you're just adapting an acoustic into what you really wanted in the first place.

So yeah, acoustic mandolins are generally better quality instruments for the money, but consider how you'll use it. In my opinion, if you're mostly playing in a loud rock band, an A/E would be better, since it's made for that, not adapted afterward. The Ovation MM-68 (the one made in Connecticut, not the newer Korean-made one) is a good choice for a couple grand, though I get by with an Ovation MCS-148 that can be found for $5-600. I've also heard good things about the Godin A-8, but no actual experience.

My opinion anyway, I'm sure somebody will disagree.

[Arkantex]

Well you guys have talked me into an acoustic. I can always add pickups later.

[Mike Bunting]

I assume that you want an A/E because you want an acoustic sound loud enough to play in an electric band so a good sounding acoustic is the foundation here. I would think that aftermarket electronics are of superior quality. I don't know of a high quality acoustic mandolin that comes with built in electronics so the pickups in an A/E won't be all that great either. If you are playing rock all the time then I'd say get a solidbody electric like a Mann or Ryder.

[jstout]

The classified adds here are full of quality mandolins, I think if I had your task I would find me a preowned Collings Weber or Gibson not necessarily in that order and stick one of these in it.
http://www.kksound.com/mandolintwininternal.html
good luck

[Phil1580]

I started with a Kentucky 150, and it is a fantastic starting point, all-solid A style. However, if you have the funds and want to avoid or delay the MAS, I am in love with The Loar LM500 I just received. Love love love it, plays great, and no more scroll envy! The Loar 520 is cheaper than the 500 for only little cosmetic reasons, I understand it is the exact same playing mandolin.

[Wolfboy]

Well you guys have talked me into an acoustic. I can always add pickups later.

Wise decision. FWIW, I have a Fishman bridge pickup on my 1920 Gibson - it's a good bridge so it doesn't hurt the acoustic tone any, and I've found that I can plug it into a Baggs Para DI and crank it as high as I like with no feedback. Holds its own against drums and electric instruments just fine. Nice amplified tone too.

Can't really add anything to the sage advice you've already received here, other than to say that if you could name a more precise budget range you might get even more specific recommendations. (As Grommet says, "middle of the range" means whatever you want it to mean.) You've come to the right place for mandolin knowledge, that's for sure!

[jman72]

For less than $10, you can make your own piezo pickup for your acoustic mandolin. If you have VERY basic soldering skills, you can pick up the parts from Radio Shack and build one in 15 minutes. I've made these for my mandolin, fiddle, and banjo, and they sound just as good as the $200 aftermarket piezo pickups you can buy. I use these when I play with my band (we play a mix of everything from bluegrass to rock) and you can get great amplified sound with them. Here's a link to a site showing you how to do it:

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/scienc...sic_p005.shtml

You'll be flat out amazed at how great they sound!

[fatt-dad]

a Collings MT is a great mandolin that'll last you a lifetime ($2K)

I guy at work has a great Eastman mandolin (0.5 to 2 K)

I've played a lot of Kentucky mandolins that I've liked (0.5 to 2K)

Many folks love flat-top mandolins. I'm one and love my Flatiron 1N. You can also look for Big Muddy/Mid Missouri flat tops too ($500 to $800 bucks)

F-shaped mandolins don't sound much (any) different from A-model mandolins. Best value in the mandolins is the a-model, 'cause the scroll costs money.

Oval hole mandolins sound different from f-hole mandolins.

good luck in your journey.

f-d

[Dave Weiss]

I could be wrong, but all of the new Eastman 600 series appear to be A/E. I've no experience with them, just an observation...

[Arkantex]

Well we bought us one this weekend. We ended up picking up a made in china savannah sa-120. It is a bowed front a body with solid spruce top and solid maple sides, bottom and neck. It sounds and plays well. It will be a good learner for me. I am really enjoying it! Now I just need to learn all these chords!

[Ron McMillan]

Well we bought us one this weekend. We ended up picking up a made in china savannah sa-120. It is a bowed front a body with solid spruce top and solid maple sides, bottom and neck. It sounds and plays well. It will be a good learner for me. I am really enjoying it! Now I just need to learn all these chords!

I tried a Savannah 120 in a store last year and was pleasantly surprised by how nicely it played (considering the budget, entry-level price). Be sure to throw away the strings that come fitted to the mandolin - they are the cheapest fence wire the makers can source, and the single biggest barrier to enjoying the instrument right away. Fit decent mediums from D'Addario or Martin and you'll be off and running.