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Location: Converse, Texas | I want to expand my horizons and learn to play the mandolin. I know Ovation makes a mandlin. Can anyone there tell me anything about it? Also, how is the mandolin tuned compared to the guitar? |
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Location: Pensacola,FL | I recently purchased a MCS-148 ovation mandolin on eBay (got it at a VERY good price, I might ad :D ). A mandolin is tuned the same as a violin
G D A E (bass to treble). Tuning it to itself is accomplished at the 7th fret (as opposed to the 5th on a guitar). I have found that I really enjoy the sound of this mandolin, both straight acoustically and plugged in. It has nice onboard electronics for shaping the output sound to whatever you like in the "mandolin sound". I highly recommend an Ovation mando ;) |
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Location: Converse, Texas | Thanks, OGL1. Does the Ovation Mandolin have a built-in tuner like some of the guitars? |
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Location: Scotland | The USA mandolins are killer, great acoustic sound
and totally hassle-free plugged in. Mine has an OP24 pre but I think they now have an OP24+, but definately no onboard tuner, which after getting used to the Optima on my SMT is a miss. The Korean versions have identical electronics to the USA versions
The only problem I have is finding ball-end mando strings in the UK.
Paul
[ July 01, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Location: Converse, Texas | Paul: How do I know if it's USA or Korean made? |
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Location: NJ | read the label mm 68 is the usa model number and the Korean model says well eh "made in Korea" on the label |
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Location: Pensacola,FL | Here's another way to tell the difference:
Model Style Colors List Price Sale Price
MM68 Acoustic/electric 8-string mandolin
4, CCB List 1499.00 sale price $1049
MCS148 Celebrity acoustic/electric 8-string mandolin
RRB List 619.00 sale price $439
(some of us "poor folks" cain't afford no US model :( )
[ July 02, 2002: Message edited by: OGL1 ] |
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Location: NJ | ogl1
check my website |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Al
I have checked your web site for mandolins, and I haven't been able to find them on the site. What am I doing wrong?
I have to admit, You have some very interesting guitars.
Bailey |
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Location: NJ | when you search instruments the 4th option on the top is mandolins |
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Location: Chicago | I also have an excellent condition (American made) MM68 that I would sell for a reasonable offer. Excellent sound/ fingering. One owner.
Black.
E-mail: swrdfsh53@aol.com |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Al
I see an active word "guitar" in the upper right hand area of the screen when I am in the guitar listing. are the other choices to the right of this? If so, they are off my screen. Maybe it's my version of Explorer, which is 4.0.
I'm going to look one more time.
Bailey |
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Location: NJ | the options are directly on top of the page not to the left |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Hi Bailey, here is a link right to Al's Mando list if you have not already found it!
Wayne
Al\'s Mandolins |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Wayne
Thanks, whatever the problem, that worked, I added it to my favorites, so I can go there at will.
Hizzoner
I am a mandolin player, and I must say that quality mandolins are expensive, I haven't played an Ovation so I won't give an opinion, but I see no reason that they wouldn't be fine from what I have heard from those who have. One area where they may have an edge is the built in pickup, many of todays mandolin players are sticking things like barcus berrys etc. on our mandolins so we can be heard in certain venues. I'm guilty, I have a BB jr. on one of my mandolins and I traded an old old Washburn roundback mandolin (I saw the Sons of the Pioneers playing one of these in a movie, sounded just like it!) for a Martin preamp with tone and volume control. (I played "Cool Water" for days on that old Washburn, imagining me and Roy and the boys around the campfire)
Bailey |
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Location: Scotland | If you need an electro Mandolin you're not exactly spoilt for choice. The Cheapos with magnetic pickups at the end of the neck sound horrible, the solidbodies sound too electric. The cheap (Crafter?) Ovation mando rip-offs are just about passable plugged-in but look hideous and are poor acoustically. Istalling a pickup on decent F or A stlye mandolin is a pain, the soundholes on most mandolins are too small to get a bug-type transducer inside in the right place. The other options are a Fishman piezo mandolin bridge or an Ovation. I went through every possibility before buying my Ovation mando, I've never regretted the choice.
Paul
Paul |
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Location: Converse, Texas | Thanks Paul. What about a Godin mandolin? |
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Location: Scotland | I wasn't aware of these, but I've just checked the website and they look very cool. I had a Godin Acousticaster a few years ago, which is a similar design & was a great guitar. Bear in mind that these mandolins are intended for amplified use only, they are essentially a solidbody, so if you need primarily an acoustic mando which you can plug in, go with the Ovation.
Paul |
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Location: Zion, Illinois | A quick E-Bay search turned one up...
Ovation Mandocello
Something to look at.
Bradley |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Bradley
Just to let you know, a mandocello is not a mandolin but the equivalent of a cello (the tuning of which I can't remember). As a mandolin player I would not reccommend buying a mandocello on Ebay, as it might not fit your idea of a mandolin when you get it. Much of the appeal of the mandolin is its high register, that of the violin, the lower register of the cello has its place but it is not used in popular music very often. In string heirarchy, the bass does the bass, the guitar fills the middle and the mandolin or violin is the completion of the spectrum of the human audio range that makes music catch your ear and seem right. When you hear all three and one stops you will notice that something is missing.
Bailey |
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Location: Zion, Illinois | And Ovation makes one of these?
I never heard of a mandocello before. I saw it on e-bay, wondered what it was, clicked that Ovation link in the ad, and it took me to the Ovation web site where the called it a Mandolin/Mandocello. Guess you learn something new everyday.
I wonder if Ovation makes a dulcimer?
Bradley |
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Location: Scotland | No, but if they did an electro "walkabout" style dulcimer, maybe based on their soprano uke bodies I'd have one! |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Bradley
I guess I sounded a little didactic in my posting and I didn't mean to sound critical. I wanted to make the point that all of us should, if possible, check out an example of any instrument that we buy. The danger in Ebay type buying is the auction frenzy, followed by the realization that there is seldom the opportunity to return an instrument that is wrong for the use intended. I also wish that people would use their local guitar stores because if the catalogs and auctions take over, where will you go to actually see or try out an instrument. There is a trend toward going into the local store and saying "Could I look at this guitar that I saw in the catalog for $50 less, I'm thinking of ordering it but I wanted to try it out first". Too much of this and the store will close the door and sell his inventory on Ebay, and when you need a pick or a set of strings, sorry.
Bailey |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Uh... "Too much of this and the store will close the door and sell his inventory on Ebay" you say it like it hasn't already happened. I know two stores within 20 miles that the "online" world has directly impacted. One Vintage shop (a rather famous one) is closed. At last I heard he was selling boutique billiard equipment in a small store, but I think even that is gone now too. The other, has a niche of a Music School and also does school instrument rentals for many schools in the area, but I believe that most retail sales are online. The third store is of course Guitar Center, which is just a storefront for Musicians Friend. It used to be a Veneman Music store, of which there used to be two locations. This is just one small area in Maryland USA. If this is any indication of the rest of the country (or world).. The music store as we know it, already IS a thing of the past. |
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Location: SoCal | Is Guitar Center owned by Musician's Friend? |
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Mandolin
