Best F5 mandolin for the money?

[guitpic1]

Hello All,

Just a question of curiosity.

The criteria would include, hand carved, solid wood, non-Asian(pacific rim etc)...if there's better criteria that's fine as well.

I haven't checked mandolin prices for years or done much research. I'm seeing some made in north America mandos going for as little as $3,500 to upwards of $25,000 and more.

Any thoughts on the best bang for the buck?

Again this is just a question of curiosity.

Take care.

[dcoventry]

I'm up early, so I'll go first on this.


The Great Answer is................It depends........on you.

Sorry, but it's true. The absolutes are really hard to find. Statistically, if you buy a $20K Gil/Dude/Heiden/Gibson etc., you will prolly really like it. But maybe not.

I LOVED my LM700, but it was not right. I LOVED my Brentrup, but the neck made my index finger hurt. I LOVED a few Webers, but moved along. For me, my G5 is just right. It's WAAAAYYY to weird for some folks, but dang it's got it all going on.

So, enjoy the spiritual musical journey to finding your own inner F5. Go forth and play as many as you can. When you find one that speaks to you, put it down and get some medication because mandolins shouldn't be speaking.

Namaste.

[Tobin]

It's really difficult to give a "best F-style for the money" without pinning it down to a price cap. The best F-style for the money in the sub-$3,500 category is going to be a different one than the best F-style for the money under $30,000.

But it's often said that once you reach a certain level of price/quality (usually upwards of $10k), it's no longer really about what's "best". It just comes down to individual preference.

Buy the highest quality mandolin you can afford. That's the best bang for your buck.

[loess]

Play a whole bunch of 'em. Listen to other people play a whole bunch of 'em. Talk to people who build 'em. Go through ownership of a few mid-level or pro-level A-style mandolins from knowledgable and reputable luthiers or companies. Learn to see and hear the characteristics of different woods, different bracing techniques, and the subtle nuances of carving and such that differ wildly from one mandolin to another, and you'll start to discover where your tone preferences sit, what your aesthetic preferences are, and the little playability thingies that are highly subjective like string materials and gauges, pick materials, high vs. low action, radiused vs. flat fingerboards, and whether or not there are pieces of dead rattlesnake tumbling around in your instrument. I don't mean to get too philosophic here, but in the land of mandolins there are no direct flights to "best", and if you're truly in it for the long run, the pathway to find your own answers comes with a little bit of luck, a lot of patience and just the right amount of risk and trust to make it all worthwhile. Just jump on in, the water is fine and the Cafe is ground zero for a dizzying array of helpful information, the dangerous land of mando lust (aka the Classifieds) and tons of friendly advice from the folks.

[Tom Coletti]

42.

Wait, wrong all-encompassing answer...

Basically it's too subjective and there's too many variables involved to find one F5 to rule them all.

--Tom

[buckhorn]

Best for the money ? look to the small time hobby builders...many are selling for less then $2000...the sound and playability are the most important and can make a lower cost mando worth while to the buyer....my mandolins , Buckhorn , are all hand made from solid wood and are improveing with every build...no two are exactly alike , be it color or shape but the sound has become pretty much the normal goal...I have been childed because of my prices being less then the normal and therefore not a quality instrument....but please don't discount us small builders before trying our mandolins............

[Wolfmanbob]

Watch the classifieds for any used Flatiron from the 80's - 90's. They're the most underrated killers in the herd. Tone and volume are up there with the top, and I mean ANY! You can often find them for about 2500 - 3500. If you see one, grab it, no question.

[sunburst]

[JEStanek]

Welcome to the Cafe. I will also suggest you play a bunch of them and buy the best playing, best sounding one you can afford. Different builders have different sounds and feels. They may all sound like mandolins but they all sound a little different. The neck profile and bling levels vary as well.

I'm afraid there isn't a simple answer to your question. Some folks are hesitant to go private builder, some folks prefer that. Others will recommend what they are currently playing. Just because famous player X whom you really like plays brand Y doesn't mean you'll sound like him or her.

Your real education if you want to spend several thousand to teens/twenty thousand, will be to go to jams and get some hads on time.

Jamie

[William Smith]

Well just let your ears do the talking for ya!, Like others have said each mandolin will be different. If you buy quality it'll be easier to get your $ back in the future if you decide later on you don't want it anymore. My mandolin story on how I got mine is this. I wanted something that sounded like an old Gibson F-5 so I new I couldn't afford one so what to do? I found an old 30's F-7 that was already converted by Randy Wood, he put a F-5 scale maple neck on the old body. The person that had it at the time said it sounded like an old Loar, I was skeptical so I drove over 3 hours to try it out and it was a lot of $ for a kid like me so after 2 hours of playing it I was taken with it and its been my main horn for over 11 years or so, I've had it up against Loars and its just as good, not the same but as good.and many have came and went in the meantime but old battle axe has stayed with me.
I've bought mandolins without playing them first "based on makers reputation" and if I didn't like em they went down the line.
It depends on what you want and how much you want to spend.

[Rex Hart]

Gibson

[Rex Hart]

But if not a Gibson, a Collings MF would do nicely.

Don't pay attention to the previous post, I was just doing a little Gibson baiting

[Mike Bunting]

but in the land of mandolins there are no direct flights to "best", and if you're truly in it for the long run, the pathway to find your own answers comes with a little bit of luck, a lot of patience and just the right amount of risk and trust to make it all worthwhile. Just jump on in, the water is fine

That is why it is all so much fun.And plays lots.

[Frank Farley]

I really like the New Northfield with the satin finish,they are really a good mandolin for the money but by no means the only good bargain out there.

[pefjr]

I LOVED my LM700, but it was not right.

Interesting. I happen to play a Loar 600 today and was shocked and impressed. Can't forget it, may have to go down to Guitar Center and buy it. Off the shelf. Only one mandolin that I have played can beat it, that is my A4 teen.

[dcoventry]

Interesting. I happen to play a Loar 600 today and was shocked and impressed. Can't forget it, may have to go down to Guitar Center and buy it. Off the shelf. Only one mandolin that I have played can beat it, that is my A4 teen.

Let me clarify: Robert Fear set my LM700 up within an inch of it's life. It sounded GREAT. It chorded exceptional well, and did single note runs fairly well. I just could not get over the physical imperfections. That's it. The neck was a thing of beauty, too.

I just wanted the G5, and finally got one!

[mandroid]

some where there is a data graphic where resonant sound satisfying the player, is one line .

and price required to own another line (doubtless,sweeping upward ), intersect .


but its like looking for anything you misplaced,

once you find something good enough you stop looking..

I got a Lebeda F5, it seems good enough..

Peter Mix's Carbon fiber A5 is nice, have one.

he said they got the mold better, on the F type.
slimmer neck.

[bjewell]

The bias againts what you call "Pacific Rim" mandolins does you no good. My Kentucky KM-1000 Varnish is a stupendous mandolin for the $$$ and will also hold its own in much more expensive company. Northfield mandolins are so off the charts, they cannot keep up with production despite a few price increases. Their owners love them. If you are looking for tone and playability first I'd keep the prejudice at bay; if you are looking for something to flash to your friends, get a Nugget or a Dudenbostel or a Loar-era Gibson F-5. They sound stupendous and cost as much as a good house. Gilchrist mandolins are made in Australia which is in the Pacific. Is that a "Pacific Rim" mandolin as well?

[aardbark]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with all of you. The fact is that there IS one best mandolin for the money. It is a....uh...you know, it's one of those... oh what do they call it? Rats, I've forgotten the name of it.

[bjewell]

aardbark, yer all wet. Those things aren't what they used to be way back then, I heard that on the public radio. These days it's the other one, you know, that one. All the big guys are playing them now. What's-his-name, guy with the white plastic boots, yeah that guy, was buried with his I heard it on the teevee. Last night. While I was brushing my teeth.

[mtucker]

There truly are great $2,500 mandolins, and there are great $25k mandolins. A good mandolin, is a good mandolin. That's just why you need to play as many as you can...

There is no, 'best for the money' mandolin, it's completely a matter of personal taste/preference and your comfort level with making that ATM withdrawal. Tone is very illusive, and most folks really never get to the bottom of it ... you chase it forever ...

[fatt-dad]

consider Larry Muth. He's in the builder's database.

f-d

[mandroid]

like asking what is the best boy..

[bjewell]

What the heck is a "best boy???"

[pefjr]

consider Larry Muth. He's in the builder's database.

f-d

There's a beauty that keeps popping up in the Classifieds, no takers so far.