Hi,
Would anyone have any suggestions as to a good mandolin to buy for an intermediate player- someone who hasn't played for a while and is looking to get back into it. As it would be for a left hander, a scroll model would be out of the question unless it had been made for left hand playing. Any really reputable dealers that can be dealt with on line? All suggestions appreciated. Thanks
Concertinaplayer, if you could give us a sense of the price range, musical styles (You can play just about anything on an arch top, but bluegrass doesn't work so well on a flat top), and location of your friend we might be more help.
The mandolincafe.com website is the best source of information. One of the regulars there (Trevor) runs the Acoustic Music Company in the UK and is a good and reputable mandolin dealer. Elderly Instruments and Gianna Violins in the USA are very good mandolin dealers who do some level of set-up work on the stuff they sell. Elderly carries a very wide range while Gianna, I believe, focuses on Eastman and Kentucky.
You might think about going after a mandolin specifically made for a lefty, because at least some mandolins will have different bracing for the bass side than they would for the treble side, and wouldn't sound as good or be as stable if you just flipped the strings, bridge, and nut. Anything that is X-braced should be symmetrical, though.
The Eastman mandolins are made in China, but they're still hand carved. They can be decent, and they make oval hole models in both A style and F style. They do make lefty models, and they can be found in your price range. I had one for a while, and it was OK, but not great. I have one now from Herb Taylor (http://www.herbtaylor.com/instruments/mandolin/) that I love, but you'd have to have him build you a lefty.
Irish players seem to gravitate toward A style oval hole mandolins in general. But it's useful to play one before you buy it. And even more useful to be able to play it with other players to see how it blends. If your friend (you?) is in Ireland, it might be worth making the trek to Clarenbridge to Tom Cussen's shop. He had quite a range of mandolins when I was there last year.
Just a mention: The strategy that has worked best for me is to decide the maximum amount to spend and shop for the absolute best you can get for that price. That approach limits the confusion by eliminating both the too expensive and the stuff that's not up to quality. The various copies of the Gibson Army-Navy model, like the old Flatiron 1N can be very good bargains, because the design is simple but excellent. Loud and good sounding despite their small size.
Intermediate mandolin
Intermediate mandolin
Hi,
Would anyone have any suggestions as to a good mandolin to buy for an intermediate player- someone who hasn't played for a while and is looking to get back into it. As it would be for a left hander, a scroll model would be out of the question unless it had been made for left hand playing. Any really reputable dealers that can be dealt with on line? All suggestions appreciated. Thanks
# Posted on May 22nd 2008 by concertinaplayer
Re: Intermediate mandolin
Concertinaplayer, if you could give us a sense of the price range, musical styles (You can play just about anything on an arch top, but bluegrass doesn't work so well on a flat top), and location of your friend we might be more help.
The mandolincafe.com website is the best source of information. One of the regulars there (Trevor) runs the Acoustic Music Company in the UK and is a good and reputable mandolin dealer. Elderly Instruments and Gianna Violins in the USA are very good mandolin dealers who do some level of set-up work on the stuff they sell. Elderly carries a very wide range while Gianna, I believe, focuses on Eastman and Kentucky.
Good luck.
# Posted on May 22nd 2008 by Steve L
Re: Intermediate mandolin
Yes, Steve, sorry about that. It's for Irish trad and I suppose you'd have to 500 - 1000 Euro to get anything worthwhile.???
# Posted on May 22nd 2008 by concertinaplayer
Re: Intermediate mandolin
a jimmy moon basic would set you back £575, a great wee mandolin.
http://www.moonguitars.co.uk/moonhome.html
# Posted on May 22nd 2008 by molloy
Re: Intermediate mandolin
You might think about going after a mandolin specifically made for a lefty, because at least some mandolins will have different bracing for the bass side than they would for the treble side, and wouldn't sound as good or be as stable if you just flipped the strings, bridge, and nut. Anything that is X-braced should be symmetrical, though.
The Eastman mandolins are made in China, but they're still hand carved. They can be decent, and they make oval hole models in both A style and F style. They do make lefty models, and they can be found in your price range. I had one for a while, and it was OK, but not great. I have one now from Herb Taylor (http://www.herbtaylor.com/instruments/mandolin/) that I love, but you'd have to have him build you a lefty.
Irish players seem to gravitate toward A style oval hole mandolins in general. But it's useful to play one before you buy it. And even more useful to be able to play it with other players to see how it blends. If your friend (you?) is in Ireland, it might be worth making the trek to Clarenbridge to Tom Cussen's shop. He had quite a range of mandolins when I was there last year.
# Posted on May 22nd 2008 by Reverend
Re: Intermediate mandolin
Just a mention: The strategy that has worked best for me is to decide the maximum amount to spend and shop for the absolute best you can get for that price. That approach limits the confusion by eliminating both the too expensive and the stuff that's not up to quality. The various copies of the Gibson Army-Navy model, like the old Flatiron 1N can be very good bargains, because the design is simple but excellent. Loud and good sounding despite their small size.
# Posted on May 22nd 2008 by justjim
Re: Intermediate mandolin
Thank you all
# Posted on May 22nd 2008 by concertinaplayer
Re: Intermediate mandolin
Check out Tacoma mandolins. Mine plays great, plus they smell wonderful!
# Posted on May 23rd 2008 by rob_handel