Fender Mandolins. Ibanez Mandolins. Mahogany Acoustic Electric Guitars. Acoustic Mandolins. What are the common styles of mandolin? Mandolins are broken into two common style types. They include: A-style: These symmetrical mandolins have a neck and a teardrop shape at the bottom.
They look like the classic lute from which the instrument was derived. F-style: These instruments offer an asymmetrical body at the top. F-style mandolins have an embellishment on one side of the body as it attaches to the neck. They have scrolled sound holes on the side for a deep tone.
What factors can you consider when buying mandolins? They include: Wood type: Different woods offer different tones. Its rare to have non-wood mandolins. Sound holes: Oval, central sound holes are common in A-style while F-style will offer a pair of S-shaped sound holes on either side of the body. Construction: Dovetailed, fitted instruments offer a different tone than glued wood instruments Finish: Some believe the type of finish on the wood can impact the sound.
Points: Mandolins may have two-point or three-point designs. These dont affect tone, but some musicians may have preferences as to which style is easier for them to play. For many, it is simply a matter of preference. What are some high-end mandolin brands? Browse by Brand. Rover ricambio originale. Gold Tone. Bruce Wei. Michael Kelly. Jay Turser. Morgan Monroe. The Loar.
Dean Guitars. Oscar Schmidt. Trinity College. Johnson Musical Instruments. Recording King. More To Explore. Octave Mandolin. Antique Italian Mandolin.
Mandolin Chord Chart In Mandolins. Banjo Mandolin In Mandolins. Mandolin Made In Usa. Handmade Mandolin In Mandolins. Besides the obvious sense of privilege, getting the other sellers hopes up for a sale only to face a return after the trial period, standing behind the protection of Paypal, etc.
Plus, imagine trusting these boneheads to carefully pack the "rejects" for their return trip home I've said it before, and I love the internet, especially Mandolin Cafe and youtube, but I do think instruments were happier when they stayed in their own hometowns!
Mar, pm 7. Re: Buying online Well, if your in a quandary I guess join the club. I've bought every mando 6 total all on line every one a winner except a used Gibson F model advertised as "pristine" when I opened the case it looked like it fell off a truck and had crack in the neck joint where it met the body It sounded great though, but I paid top dollar for it so I sent it back, Reverb had to step in to get my money back.
Just buy from a known store where you get a trail period or a site where you have buyer protection and you'll be fine. I'm batting about. Good Luck if you end up hitting that buy button. Mar, pm 8. Re: Buying online My problem is I am picky about strings, and I am tending towards non-mainstream instruments oval holes and octaves.
Even at decent stores those options are slim pickens, and often what's in the stores is ruined by bad strings or just different strings than I would put on it. So it's like buying online even if I do get to play on it first. Tried in vain to find one anywhere, turns out to be a remarkably rare beast. Davey Stuart tenor guitar based on his 18" mandola design. Eastwood 4 string electric mandostang, 2x Airline e-mandola 4-string one strung as an e-OM. Mar, am 9.
Re: Buying online I think as we become more experienced we get to better understand what we like in terms or tone etc.. Mar, am Re: Buying online Evaluating the seller can be as, maybe more, important than evaluating the instrument. My string of "good luck" seems mostly due to asking questions even if I didn't really need an answer.
Sellers that were enthusiastic, eager to reveal all including the warts, and maybe sounding a bit like a proud parent, turned out to be trustworthy. Hey, even got invited to jam sessions!
The annoyed, secretive, or unresponsive ones I passed on. Originally Posted by kurth My problem is I am picky about strings, and I am tending towards non-mainstream instruments oval holes and octaves. Eric C. Haven't been disappointed in any of them. My latest was a Northfield and couldn't be happier. Of course, I've played many Northfields before purchasing and they are as consistent to me as Collings as far as knowing what it will sound like.
Re: Buying online Interesting, but after having the Collings consistency ingrained into my thought process, I recently played two that put me off. Both were Adi tops, both probably would open up very nicely, but the third sounded good from the get go. I mean, they were just exhibiting a tightness I'd never experienced before, but north of six grand, would not tend to want to pay for potential.
Had I gotton one in the mail, probably would have been very happy, and happier as time went by. But like the recent thread by a gentleman whose custom build came alive after a week, it could be a good thing to put your trust in a builder. Now Northfields have been very good, but being able to hold one in your hands is invaluable, particularly being able to decide for yourself weather to buy the more expensive Big Mon.
But truth be told,having either an F5S or a Big Mon arrive would be a pleasure. It's a quandary, also a first world problem. Mar, pm Re: Buying online All of mine were bought online or after I had had hands on to an example or two from the builder I commissioned with. When buying online new or used not really an option on customs I always recommend a 48 hour approval period where I'm only out shipping both ways if the instrument doesn't work out.
I'll also add that my playing skill level shouldn't dictate my pickiness about tone yet. Set up, sure, and that can be adjusted. Of course we also have folks here who bounce around in the quest for THE mandolin like steel balls in a Japanese Pinball Machine and never are happy. I'm lucky, I'm very happy with the two mandolins I play.
There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. Re: Buying online I have no problem buying any instrument online from a reputable seller.
As long as it comes with a 48hr approval time in writing or a no questions asked return policy from the big box stores. Re: Buying online I buy instruments online more often than in person because here in central Maine it's hard to find anything but Chinese and Korean instruments. I'm not a gear gourmet, so I don't disappoint easily.
If it's as-represented, I'm usually happy. The following members say thank you to Charlie Bernstein for this post: Russ Donahue. Re: Buying online I've bought 3 instruments long-distance without playing them or seeing them ahead of time.
I had no problems with either once they had a good setup, although I wasn't a fan of the Kentucky and eventually sold it. The other instruments I picked up in person. I don't know if I'd spend a lot of money on a mandolin untested, but all my experiences online have been good ones. I've developed a sense of trust in what each of these shops tell me about a particular instrument and I've never been displeased with what I receive. Both shops have a return window that is more than adequate I would never purchase, from a shop or individual, without a right to return for any reason.
I think I've returned 1 mandolin out of a couple, because I didn't care for the sound. Re: Buying online Almost all my purchases are online. Some I've loved, some I never bonded with but all were good. You do your research and roll the dice I guess. It's cheaper to buy online and then sell online rather than travel across the country in search of the one perfect instrument.
I live just outside a metro area with 3. Plenty of intro level mandolins but a search for mando I could play today in the k range turned up one Collings MT and used Phoenix Bluegrass. I used to be able to go to The Podium and play multiple mandos in that price range in one stop. No more. The Cafe, Reverb, and individual store websites have all been good for me. I do wish I hadn't seen that Phoenix bluegrass though Shops near me are good, but they can't afford to stock too many instruments, so there isn't a lot of variety.
I'm not a fan of returning a perfectly good instrument, that arrives in the condition as described by the seller, just because I don't love the sound, or because the setup isn't to my liking or whatever. If the seller accurately described the instrument and it is not damaged in shipping, it is yours even if you don't like it so much.
I think you need to be ready to take a bit of a chance on the instrument that you're interested in trying. If you love it, awesome! Keep it. If not, resell it. You might incur a bit of a loss turning over used instruments like that, but I look at it as the price of an education into what I like in instruments.
Re: Buying online I have bought all of my mandolins on-line. There are NO mandolins in a less than 3 hour drive one-way from where I live. My starter mandolin and all of my bowlbacks came from eBay, and my better mandolins came from TMS and one I don't remember if came from the classifieds or Reverb as I was looking at several of the same mandolin at the time. I have not been unhappy with any of them, maybe I've been lucky or just run into honest sellers. I buy primarily online, through the MC classifieds, or Reverb.
The following members say thank you to Chuck Leyda for this post: pheffernan. Re: Buying online I have returned one mandolin because the sound was not to my taste. But that was after discussion with the seller before the sale that I did not know how to describe the sound I was looking for and he agreed to give me 48 hours after receipt to evaluate the sound and either keep it or send it back for a full refund minus shipping.
I have to admit that I hated having to return it but was glad that we had discussed the possibility before agreeing on the sale.
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