Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

It may seem to some inappropriate to post this thread, but I'm sure there are many multi-talented people out there who may be able to help.

I've long had a desire to learn how to play a mandolin and I've decided jump in and have a go.

Just in case my ability and patience is less than I anticipate to pick this up, as a first time instrument, can someone offer advice on a good but relatively inexpensive one to buy - or at least what to stay away from?

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

The best thing to do is to go to a store, and ask, try out a few, and look around and see what's for sale in your price range. There are several models made by Kentucky Mandolin for under $300.00 US. Or, if those are not to your liking, there are some others made by Trinity College for around $500.

A lot has to do with your budget. How much are you willing to spend?

JimK

That's funny. I just got mine out today to learn a song on. I have scarcely played it since I bought it a couple of years ago. I decided that I wanted to use it on Warren Zevon's "The Hula Hula Boys" to suggest the sound of a Ukulele, and it seems to be a great candidate (3X 2-finger chords with a repeating chord structure.)

Mine is a Michael Kelly F without body binding (I don't think they make this model anymore.) Nice looking and it plays fairly well (I lowered the action by a bunch, just to keep a chord in tune and be able to play at all, but I haven't deepened the string grooves in the nut- that might help a bit too.) IIRC, it was about $700. It seems good at that price. A lot of the cheaper ones I checked out didn't seem to intonate or play well. A little more would have gotten me into a better instrument, and less money could have snagged me a better used Tacoma or maybe even a Breedlove, but not where I bought it.

As James says, it really depends on your budget. I think intonation and playability should be in your mind when you check them out. Of course it should sound good, but you have to be able to tune it and hold down a chord to find that out.

I should have noted guys that I don't live in the land of plenty - I'm in Oz, hence the request for guidance.

Budget, is an important starting point that I neglected to include, but I don't want to be spending in excess of $400 - $500, when I don't know whether my fat fingers are going form chords.

Just to know what to avoid, and good features on others would be a big help. (ie. extra wide neck at the nut - only joking!)

I bought an Epiphone Mandobird (4 string) to learn on while waiting for my 5002 to be made. It's decent for the money, but the first couple of frets kind of fart out on you. Stay above fret #3 and you're good!

Very cheap, too. Mine here in the US was about 120 of these %^&* "Bush Bucks." (Is that the proper nomenclature in Oz?)

When I finally laid hands on a mandolin, the first thing I tried to play was Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore" and I know I'm not alone there.

Big chunky fingers can play mandolins, it's just a different feeling to get used to. More difficult is becoming familiar with the tuning, assuming you are used to standard guitar tuning.

Definitely one of the most fun-to-play instruments. I can't wait to get my 5002 and I KNOW i'm not alone there!

When I started out, I didn't feel like learning how to essentially play upside down guitar, so I just cheated and played a left handed mandolin righty style. I don't recommend this, as it somewhat messes up your technique if you ever decide to learn the honest way.(and the g and c chords are the only ones that are really easier to play this way.) Coming from banjo/ukulele background, the thin neck wasn't too hard to get used to, although I don't know what it is like for people who are only guitar/bass players to start out. The neck shouldn't be that bad if you play with arched fingers using the tips of the fingers to fret the notes.

My brother is pretty heavily invested in mandolins (two Epi Mandobirds, a Godin, two custom John Manns, a little Telecaster-styled one that I built from a kit, a Jetglow 5002 and a couple old acoustics). For something in the $200 range, the Mandobirds are very nicely made and pretty cool - but the factory set-up is almost always horrible. A good luthier, a new nut and a proper set-up will do wonders for them. The 5002 is worth the wait guys. The little silver case and the tiny gold TRC alone will knock your socks off before you even get to play it. He happened to call up Elderly a year or two ago and they actually had it in stock! He also had a Mapleglow on order from Elderly but recently got a note from them that they had lost their dealership due to some dispute with RIC. I guess he's still got an AFG 5002 ordered from POTR if they ever get some. Fender has some pretty decent looking mandos, but I haven't ever tried playing one.

I have a lefty bottom-of-the-line Gibson Flatrion. It's a fun instrument. Sometimes, I find myself trying to play mando riffs with my 360/12 CW.

I've been playing mandolin for about 12 years now & love it. If you want a good starter at a reasonable price look at an A style mando. Washburn makes a fantastic one w/a solid spruce top called the M1SDL here http://www.washburn.com/products/bluegrass/mandolins/astyle.aspx
There's also talk of it in the Washburn forum under Bluegrass instruments.

Thanks a lot for your help guys, I finding out I'm not the only one who thinks playing a mando could be a lot of fun, by the responses.

It sounds like the Epi and Washburn might be the ones to try and track down for a try.

Appreciate all the comments and keen as ever to get this a whirl.

Does anybody have an opinion on built in pick ups? Most with pu have this volume/EQ control sliders placed on the rim. Would this affect the acoustic sound severely?

Rich, i've done the same - a capo at the 12th fret of a Rick 12 makes for a fun Mandolin facsimile!

I absolutely cannot wait for my 5002. I've been lucky enough to play 'em on occasion and they are just the coolest.

Cool Washburn Bill!

Well seeing I started this thread I thought I'd let those who offered their help the outcome, (if they were interested).

I finished up with a Washburn MS1, probably the bottom in their range but for a learner quite a nice little unit. And for my first song learnt, Steve Earl's Copperhead Road, and I'm hooked!! As others have said what great fun to just hammer along to music. In my case the music I've chosen to play along with, to get the hang of this, would have never been considered for a mandolin but I've still got my "L" plates on so what they hey!

The weirdest thing I've found after persevering for a couple of hours, learning new chord patterns and finding something to play along to, was picking up the guitar to try and work out a couple of chords I needed for a song to play on mando - the neck seemed sooooooo long!

Anyway, again thanks a lot to those of you who took the time to help me out, it's really appreciated. It's rather nice to be able to say I can play a couple of instruments now, albeit pretty poorly LOL