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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 396
| Now, I'm not much of a mando player. I bought one a few years ago and every now and again I play it. I bought a fairly good first mando, a Breedlove OF because I wanted no excuses for why I did or didn't get into it. Today I was at guitar center. They had some good pricing on some fine guitars, several very buyable Martins at good prices, that were actually in tune. Spotted only one American O, but several celebs were in the house and I saw a guy buy one while I was there. The salesman was actually pro ovation from what I heard him saying.
Anyway here's the point. I played 3 or 4 cheap mandolins (epiphone and fender) and I was stunned at how poor they sounded. A cheap guitar $200 to $400 can still sound like a guitar and not a toy. The cheap Mandos didn't have the ring I love in a mando and no sustain. Even at my low-level mando skills, I came home and plucked a few Breedlove strings and man what a difference. Any other mando players find this to be the case? Is finding a decent inexpensive mando like finding a diamond in the rough? |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | There are some great-sounding cheap mandolins out there. There's a handful of Gibson Army/Navy style copies which are excellent. The problem with mandos is that the benchmark sound that everyone wants to hear is produced by a carved spruce top and that style of construction is not cheap. Most of the cheap F and A style mandos have pressed laminated tops, and that's why they sound like crap. If you want a cheap mando that sounds good find one with a solid spruce flat-top and preferrably a fixed bridge. There's a UK brand called Ozark who do a killer Army/Navy style. Not sure if they are exported to the US. Giannini make some Celtic-style flat-top mandos that sound really good, but can be a little rough in the finish and attention to detail |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4044
Location: Utah | My son bought himself a mando, so we drove around and tried out everything that was in the local stores. The cheapo stuff really did sound bad. He ended up spending about $400 or so to get an all-solid A-style instrument. It sounded so much better than the plywood stuff.
The one he liked the best was over $600 and was an F-style with an oval center hole and no f-holes, like a regular guitar. He just couldn't afford the more expensive one. It had a fuller sound and more sustain. |
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OT Cheap mandolins
