mandolin

[sammyreynolds01]

I was looking at getting into mandolin playing. Any recommendations on a good budget mando for no more than $250.

[xStonr]

My friend is selling this.

 

http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/threads/ventura-mandolin.83645/#post-1449026

[thatsbunk]

There's really not too much out there that's decent at your price point. You're basically looking at an "A" style mandolin from the likes of Gretsch, Washburn, Ibanez, Fender, or Epiphone.

 

I was in a similar situation as yours a few years ago & first went the route of a "no name" special from Ebay for about $100, but it was pretty much firewood. After that one I decided on a Gretsch G-9320 as it was relatively cheap ($220) & is an acoustic electric;

 

 

It was rough playing out of the box, but is passable now after I took it to a local luthier who charged me about $70 to set it up (well worth the $ imo).

 

Mando is a nice tool for the arsenal if you stick with it. Our band's setlist includes about 10 mandolin songs which are generally well received.

 

One word of warning though. Mandolins get expensive quick! I'm currently saving my pennies for a decent "F" style. I'm looking into an Eastman in the neighborhood of $1,500.

 

 

[Freeman Keller]

Do you want an acoustic or electric mando? The problem with acoustic mandolins is they are basically tiny archtops - to sound reasonably good the tops need to be carved out of spruce on both the inside and out - that is fairly labor intense even with a cnc to do the basic carving. There are some decent imports coming in from the Pacific rim - Thatsbunk mentions many of them.

 

I'm not too familiar with electric mandolins (however I'm gearing up to build one) - they come in both 4 and 8 string models with the "mando-caster" probably the most popular. The place for discussions of all things mandolin is the Cafe

 

https://www.mandolincafe.com/

 

Mandolins are really fun instruments and can add a lot of variety to your playing. I frequently take mine as a "travel guitar" on trips - it fits in the overhead bin on airplanes, is moderately quiet to play in a hotel room and forces me to practice.

[gardo]

My wife got m an Ibanez M522S for X-mas. That;s about what she paid when it was on sale. check the specs . You can always look for used

GC has used for $199

[Verne Andru]

First question is - electric or acoustic?

 

As noted above, acoustic get expensive quickly but there are a few on the lower end of the scale that can get you started. In the "solid pressed top/ply body" department are the Washburn M1SDL A-Style and the Gretsch New Yorkers - both descent starters and are great candidates for travel/campfire instruments if you upgrade. Solid "carved top/sides" at the lower end includes the Rover RM-75 and Michael Kelly Festivals. The Loar and Kentucky are also solid makers with lower-end offerings.

 

On the electric side Eastman has their Mandocaster. Goldtone has a number of offerings as does Kentucky. Fender is all over the map and can't seem to get their mandolin act together. Gibson had a cool Firebird electric under their Epiphone Mandobird.

 

I've found very good deals on the used market for both acoustic and electric. It's a big world out there, once you start exploring. Enjoy the journey.

[Mikeo]

I was looking at getting into mandolin playing. Any recommendations on a good budget mando for no more than $250.

 

 

Like everyone has said it's a tough call in that price range. All the good stuff is hand carved, and tuned, labor intensive. You know what the say about time and money.

 

There A models and F models and a few inbetween.

 

The A will have more of a mid range barks, F Model less mid range, and are warmer, but the oval sound hole ones have more bass and more mid cuts than a F style f hole model, you get a bit more focused mid range on the f hole F style mandolin.

 

Putting a pick up in what ever you get, is a whole different ball of wax.

 

I have only purchased 2 mandolins in my life, but I did order a Epiphone MM50 E, when I was looking at F styles mandolins and thought it would be nice to be able to plug in too. I sent that back quickly, as it did not meet my standards. Neither of my mandolins plug in, but I went all out and use a LR Baggs M Radius pick and there Venue pre amp. It one of a few options and nicer pick up systems out there.

 

 

In your price range you might be looking at a used Loar, or Kentucky. An A model Ibanez is under 200, as is the Grestch New Yorker. You will want a case for anything you purchase.

 

All the Breedlove stuff is made in the USA, I believe, but there least expensive mandolin in about 500 buck.

The mandolin is so much fun, that you don't want to out grow, a 250 dollar purchase, in no time flat. Breedlove's are different in tone and have the popular wider fret boards. They toss in a gig bag too

 

 

I hope this helps. I spent about 500 bucks on a Flatiron A model mandolin 30 years ago, and a small fortune on my last mandolin purchase, which was a Gibson F5G. That didn't include being able to plug it in.

 

 

Hope this helped a bit, but if you can up our budget, I think you will be much happier. Loar and or Kentucky, would be my picks for a starter mandolin.

 

 

[Freeman Keller]

I learned why they cost so much when I got the bright idea to build one.

 

 

And of course it had to be an F style with all the scrolls and other impractical stuff, duh.

 

 

And further more, why not traditional inlay?

 

 

And since the wood was kinda pretty, how about a sunburst?

 

 

Yeah, why don't I build a mandolin? One quarter the size of a guitar, four times the trouble

 

 

But it sure is fun to play

 

[thatsbunk]

Beautiful!

[sammyreynolds01]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[gardo]

magnificent

[Verne Andru]

From a sound and player POV there is no big difference between most A-style and F's. The F's just have more bling attached outside but the basic insides are pretty much the same, as can be seen from Freeman's post above ^^. A general rule in mando-land is you get much more mando for the money by going for an A than a F.

 

While an oval hole will sound different from one with f-holes it's not the case that all oval holes will have more bass than an F. My Paris Swing is a case in point - F's sound "tubby" next to it. It's important to try them all and find the one that sounds good to you.

 

I started with a plywood Johnson F-style Musician's Friend was blowing out with a case for $79. It was a POS, but it did get me started. After that I lucked into my Paris Swing, which is a fabulous all solid woods, mandolin that I will never let go of. The Republic mandolian (resonator) is a gas to play and the Fender 5-string is the one I take on the road. I picked up a MK Festival (all solid f-style) when they were being blown out for $199 last fall. I bought all of these for less than the OP's intended budget - either used or blemished.

 

Here are a few that followed me home over the years:

 

 

 

 

Once you get into instruments tuned in 5th's, a whole new world opens up to you. Violin, cello and tenors are all tuned in 5th's. In fact, I love 5th's tuning so much I modded my PeeWee (my avatar) to play in that tuning - Eb Bb F C G D - and it's opened a world of sonic flavors you simply can't get with a guitar.

 

 

 

 

[Phil O'Keefe]

I'll bet doing the finish sanding and buffing around all the scrolls was a PITB. Beautiful work as always Freeman!