seagullplayer77

Everyone does realize this thread is almost two years old, right?

Depends on whether it has tartanlad's pickguard on it .

Thanks. Except now it's up to twenty-two posts instead of twenty-one. Either way, the fact that we're all commenting on the guitars and/or the suspiciousness of the thread is just feeding the troll's appetite.

So really, we should all shut up .

I guess that might explain it too .

But I like my theory better .

Call me a cynic and a conspiracy theorist, but does anyone else find it strange that twenty-one of the posts in this thread have been made by users with three posts or less? And that people with just a single post bump the thread every so often?

Smells like a troll to me :poke:.

Nope. They're out of business. Check out this thread:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2575675

It's a pretty recent development, from what I gather. I suppose there's a chance that they were gobbled up in a merger that hasn't been announced yet.

Occasionally, you can come up with some closed eBay auctions by just Googling whatever it is you're looking for. It's not the best way, and the eBay results are usually two or three pages in, but it works. And gitnoob is right---as popular as eBay is, they don't have the capacity to store lots of old, expired auctions. They might keep 'em around for a little while, but don't expect to find anything older than a month or so.

Don't quit your day job, man .

That's...umm...very...interesting?

I'm a fan of the Vend-a-Goat as well. And not to toot my own horn, but I kind of like my goat .

My two Seagulls have solid tops and laminate B/S. My Ovation has a solid top and a plastic back. It doesn't have any sides . I'm not sure if it counts, but my mandolin is all solid wood !

I was thinking the same thing myself. The website says that they're "super thin," but from the some of the pictures they had, it looked like they were sticking up off the fretboard quite a bit---relatively speaking, anyway. I'd imagine that the adhesive probably wouldn't respond favorably if you used something like Ax Wax on your guitar regularly, but I don't know that for sure.

Cool concept, and if I ever run across a beater that needs some help visually, I might give 'em a thought. Certainly can't argue with the price !

My two Seagulls have laminate back and sides. I believe it's either a three-piece wild cherry laminate, or a cherry/mahogany/cherry sandwich. Either way, I guess that'd put me into the "other" category.

My Ovation has a plastic back, and since it's an Ovation, it doesn't really have sides .

Yeah...I honestly don't give a hoot. I was going to vote, but then I realized that I didn't know which one to pick . My Ovation has a pinless bridge, but both of my Seagulls have bridge pins. I have guitars with both types, and I don't prefer one over the other just because of the bridge style.

A few weeks ago, I had a similar question myself. Here's my thread:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2340359

As with most instruments, you'll get more bang for your buck if you buy something used. And with mandolins, you'll get a better instrument for the money if you buy an A-style. F-style mandolins look cooler, but the extra work involved in making the curlicue drives up the price and has no affect on sound. You might want to check out Mandolin Cafe, as jamesp suggested. They've got quite a few threads about good starter mandolins and they're helpful folks.

From what I've read, a lot of the PacRim stuff (Michael Kelly, Epiphone, Morgan Monroe, etc.) is hit or miss and you either end up with a good instrument or a lemon. Eastman has a pretty good QC department and I'd say that they're probably one of the best PacRims for the money.

Here's the mandolin I ended up buying:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2349790

They're tough to find, but Mid Missouri/Big Muddy (same company, different name) mandolins will give you the best instrument for the money. They're handmade by a small group of guys in Missouri and they're made of all solid woods. They're not much to look at---no fancy inlays or glossy finishes---but they're quality instruments for the money.

As far as pickups, you're probably better off buying an after-market one and either installing it yourself or having a luthier or guitar tech do it.

EDIT: Btw, I really love my MidMo M-2. It's got a great sound and it doesn't feel like a cheap piece of junk either. I'd definitely recommend it!