Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just realized (whilst posting in another thread here, as you may have seen) that we haven't discussed mandolin here too much, or even at all, have we?

I was lucky enough to have my order placed when RIC did their recent 5002 run. I've been playing the snot out of my new AFG 5002. I also got a cheap acoustic for $50 from a popular catalog. I have been taking weekly half-hour lessons for a little over a month now and am getting a lot out of it. Starting June 8th I go to full hour lessons; I need more!

My instructor (Mike Godwin, Modern Music Workshop, St. Pete, FL, USA) has been giving me a good education on the background of bluegrass and lots of insight into useful techniques specific to the mandolin. I was, and continue to be, surprised by how different it is from guitar. It's easy to simply think of mandolin as a tiny guitar with funny tuning, but it's so much more. Apparently, the way I understand it, the mandolin evolved as a folk "replacement" for the fiddle/violin. I never knew that.

Anyway, I'm at work and can't waste too much company time posting right now, but I think I might try to shoot video of myself on the 5002 tonight, so everyone can have a good laugh.

Stay tuned, and please share your own experiences. I know several of you got some of those new 5002's and I'd really like to compare notes here with you.

Yo.

Sounds cool! But..............I was kinda hoping for something more like

Man, Jdog, I never knew that's what a Ric mandolin sounded like. I never knew that's what your voice sounded like, either! Cool vid.

Thanks Jake!

Jeff, you stinker. pm sent re: video

Yeah, good sound. And it sounds like a real mandolin, too. (a slight dig at Tiny Moore's sound.)

JimK

Here's the one that I can't get out of my mind.

Love me some mandolin (as can be seen in the preceding post ). It started when I first heard the Zep tune "Battle of Evermore" and has carried over to this day. I "learned" the instrument (aka figured out most of the chords ), then taught it to a friend, who now plays it in our band. Would love to take some serious lessons someday, or at the very least find a book with some good old-timey tunes in it.

Here's a quick webcam vid of me doing a little playing, and showing off my current mando:

Wow, John, I couldn't put your voice to your face, either. I should try to stop guessing people's voices.

Cool vid, though, dude. You've done well for teaching yourself. I'd like to learn the mando, I'm sure it would be fun. I really need to break out of the rhythm guitar stage.

Yeah, mandolin is kinda fun. Once upon a time, I swore I was never going to learn to play it. Somebody asked me if I was interested in joining their band, because they were looking for some one who could harmonize, and play several instruments. And oh, by the way, could I play mandolin, too? So I thought the gig sounded like fun, and learned to play mandolin.

JimK

Here's an old photo of me with my very inexpensive Gibson Flatrion mandolin. I bought in 2001 at the Gibson factory which is located inside of Nashville's Opry Mills mall.
Unlike JB in the above Big Muddy video, I do play left-handed.

wmthor wrote: Unlike JB in the above Big Muddy video, I do play left-handed.

D'oh!

Here are my two favorite mandolin players.....

Great posts everyone! Thanks!

That sounds nothing like a guitar; I thought people were saying it sounded like a guitar! No, that sounds like pure mandolin to me. Great stuff.