What do you guys ( and Girls ) know about Mandolins ?

gilded

Senior Member
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
3,479
Reaction score
197
Location
texas
I have had a few. In fact, I have three right now, two Gibson oval hole A models from 1920 and a Tele-style solid body.

If I were gonna start all over, I would join the Mandolin Cafe and read the forum threads about Best Mandos for $500, $1000, $1,500, $2,000, etc.

Then I'd go to youTube and listen to those mandolins and see if they sound good to you. Look up Ovation Mandolins and see if you like the way they sound.

Other sound searches could include Gibson A, A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 models, Gibson F5 model, Eastman, Kentucky, Collings, stuff like that. There are hundreds of boutique builders, too, but take it one step at a time.

A lot mandolins have skinny necks at the nut (1 1/16th, or 1 1/8th( and some don't (1 3/16ths, 1 7/32nds). I can't play the super skinny mandolin necks any more, so a wider neck is a necessity for me. People who come to mandolins from the guitar often like the wider nuts, but some don't. It all depends on your hands!

Figure out what kind of music you want to play. In bluegrass, a mando often performs the job of a snare drum in an ensemble and you need a mando that has a 'chop' to it when you hit hard with a pick. That usually means an F-hole mando with parallel bracing. As much as I love the old Gibson oval hole mandos, you can't get much of a chop with them (the chop turns into a boing!).

Look for used stuff that has a good re-sale value, because if you really dig the mandolin scene, you're gonna wind up with more and more expensive mandos (you can get a professional grade mando for $2,000.00 or, spend $10-12K for a brand new world class mando that will rock your world). Some mandos go for over $100K, even. I'm not advocating big expenditures, I'm just trying to tell you can drop a lot of dough in a hurry if you get the bug.

Whatever you do, make sure that your instrument is well set-up. If it's not, it won't be any fun at all.

Edited: Oh, lessons, look for Mandolin lessons on youTube. Brad Laird seems to be a pretty good teacher. Check out his free lessons along with other teachers and look for a style that seems to fit you.

In closing, remember that mandolin is just like guitar playing, only upside down and backwards. Play mando for a few months and tell me if that doesn't make sense to you....... :)

Best of luck, Harry/gilded
 
Last edited:

killdeer43

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
21,848
Reaction score
111
Location
Northwest Washington on the Salish Sea
I'd say go for it, John. I've had a few and it was always fun to pick one up and plink away. I gave one to my son-in-law for Xmas a few years ago and still have visitation rights.
I'll agree with all that Harry said and encourage you to handle that itch.

Fun awaits,
Joe
 

silverfox103

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
1,738
Reaction score
524
Location
Littleton, NH & St Simons Is. GA
I have had a few. In fact, I have three right now, two Gibson oval hole A models from 1920 and a Tele-style solid body.

If I were gonna start all over, I would join the Mandolin Cafe and read the forum threads about Best Mandos for $500, $1000, $1,500, $2,000, etc.

Then I'd go to youTube and listen to those mandolins and see if they sound good to you. Look up Ovation Mandolins and see if you like the way they sound.

Other sound searches could include Gibson A, A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 models, Gibson F5 model, Eastman, Kentucky, Collings, stuff like that. There are hundreds of boutique builders, too, but take it one step at a time.

A lot mandolins have skinny necks at the nut (1 1/16th, or 1 1/8th( and some don't (1 3/16ths, 1 7/32nds). I can't play the super skinny mandolin necks any more, so a wider neck is a necessity for me. People who come to mandolins from the guitar often like the wider nuts, but some don't. It all depends on your hands!

Figure out what kind of music you want to play. In bluegrass, a mando often performs the job of a snare drum in an ensemble and you need a mando that has a 'chop' to it when you hit hard with a pick. That usually means an F-hole mando with parallel bracing. As much as I love the old Gibson oval hole mandos, you can't get much of a chop with them (the chop turns into a boing!).

Look for used stuff that has a good re-sale value, because if you really dig the mandolin scene, you're gonna wind up with more and more expensive mandos (you can get a professional grade mando for $2,000.00 or, spend $10-12K for a brand new world class mando that will rock your world). Some mandos go for over $100K, even. I'm not advocating big expenditures, I'm just trying to tell you can drop a lot of dough in a hurry if you get the bug.

Whatever you do, make sure that your instrument is well set-up. If it's not, it won't be any fun at all.

Edited: Oh, lessons, look for Mandolin lessons on youTube. Brad Laird seems to be a pretty good teacher. Check out his free lessons along with other teachers and look for a style that seems to fit you.

In closing, remember that mandolin is just like guitar playing, only upside down and backwards. Play mando for a few months and tell me if that doesn't make sense to you....... :)

Best of luck, Harry/gilded


Well it's good to know we have a mandolin guy on board on LTG......another weapon in the arsenal!

Tom
 

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
I have a lovely 1920s Martin Style A mandolin. It was just a throw-in on a trade I made many years ago but ended up being the best part of the deal. No-one in the mando community seems to have much regard for (or, maybe more to the point, experience with) Martins, so they fly under the radar and can be had at very reasonable prices for finely crafted vintage instruments. They're not voiced optimally for bluegrass use, but if that's not your thing as a player you don't need to be restricted by it.

-Dave-
 

JohnW63

Enlightened Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2012
Messages
6,293
Reaction score
2,216
Location
Southern California
Guild Total
4
I doubt bluegrass will be my goal with it. It's just curiosity about another guitar like fretted instrument. I find the simple round shaped or tear drop shaped mandos boring to look at. The curvy F style would be best, to my untrained eye. I like the Ovation multi sound hole design, so their construction would work for me, and I figure they would REALLY fly under the RADAR, if the Martin ones do.
 

txbumper57

Enlightened Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
7,577
Reaction score
58
Location
Texas
One of these days I will Buy me a nice Weber Mandolin but until then I am quite pleased with my Breedlove OF-VS Crossover. It does have the "A" body style shape with 2 F holes but it is just a bit larger than a regular "A" style mando. They call it the "OF" style body. It also has the wider Radiused fretboard and a fretboard extension which I love. They are made over seas but it is one of their top overseas models with a solid Spruce top and solid Maple back and sides. My local shop had one in stock new so I went down to try it out and immediately I realized it had a far better tone and playability than other mandos in the same price range. I bought mine New with warranty for around $450 from my local mom and pop shop with a nice gigbag, full setup with new strings and a few Mandolin books. They can be had used for around $300 if you choose to go that way but I liked the tone so much I wasn't taking a chance on finding a used one that I hadn't tried. Best of luck in your search and here is the specs on the Breedlove Crossover. They also make some nice "KF" style Crossover mandolins for just a little bit more.

http://breedlovemusic.com/mandolins/of-vs

image_f196b12c-ee90-4be4-8b39-8e7b57b7805e.jpeg


TX
 

davismanLV

Venerated Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2011
Messages
19,196
Reaction score
11,811
Location
U.S.A. : Nevada : Las Vegas
Guild Total
2
Wow!! What a beautiful mandolin, TX!! I think Breedlove makes amazing instruments. My next guitar may be one..... :encouragement:
 

JohnW63

Enlightened Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2012
Messages
6,293
Reaction score
2,216
Location
Southern California
Guild Total
4
I visited the site. I like the look. It doesn't seem any have pre-amps. That would be nice to have.
 

kakerlak

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
2,354
Reaction score
128
Location
Oklahoma
Hey Harry, remember that Vega Whyte Lady (or however the intentional misspelling went) mandolin banjo my dad had for a while way back when?
 

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
I learned to play the mandolin after I had heart surgery, it hurt too much to try to wrap my arms around the guitar. My friend brought me an old mandolin to play, and I've been playing the mando ever since, for 20 years now. I'm the mando player in our Bluegrass band. I found a used Washburn A-style at Guitar Center several years ago that really barks, I'm still playing that one. I like "A" styles because the necks are not s thick as the "F" styles/ Whenever I go to Elderly Instruments I hang out by the mandolins for a while, I love the sound of the 1920's Gibsons, really woody and resonant. I've seen some nice A-2's and A-3's for around $2K, someday I may pull the trigger on one. I've also played the new Collings mandolins which are outstanding but not cheap!
 

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
I was at Elderly last week. No Gibson A mandos in stock but they do have a very nice Lloyd Loar at $135K, which I didn't get to see. Also a Martin A very much like mine, which I did strum a bit.

-Dave-
 
Top