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 The Steel Guitar Forum
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 Mandolin Players?
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| Author | Topic: Mandolin Players? |
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Michael Johnstone Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA |
posted 05 June 2004 03:56 AM
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A guy loaned me a decent A-style Martin last week and I was amazed how satisfying and easy it was to pick out melodies and chords once I got the hang of the tuning and now I can't put it down.I've decided to work it into my act eventually but I need a louder instrument. Question: What's the best F-style Jap,Korean(or whatever)mando for around half a grand? Are there any with built-in electrics like there are on a lot of acoustic guitars these days? -MJ- |
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David L. Donald Member From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand |
posted 05 June 2004 04:16 AM
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Mike, put a Fishman bridge w/carpenter jack on you A-model. That should be fine, also the Fishman platinum DI box with eq and a touch of compression is great with it. That's what I have on my 1912 A-model Gibson There is a spanish luthier who makes the best F-style I have ever played ... [This message was edited by David L. Donald on 05 June 2004 at 04:17 AM.] [This message was edited by David L. Donald on 05 June 2004 at 04:17 AM.] |
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George Crowder Member From: Richmond, VA, USA |
posted 05 June 2004 04:58 AM
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Mike, I have a Fender FM63S (made in Korea) that I like a lot. IMHO this is a good looking F style mandolin with a nice tone and it cost me less $500 new. |
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Chuck McGill Member From: Jackson, Tn |
posted 05 June 2004 05:11 AM
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Michael the best inexpensive mandolin by far is a Michael Kelly. I sell them and swear by them. |
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Joey Ace Sysop From: Southern Ontario, Canada |
posted 05 June 2004 05:52 AM
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Mando is an adictive litte instrument. I find it to be a nice change from the complexity (and weight) of the PSG. I've been using a Godin A8 live. It doesn't look traditional, but has a great traditional sound thru the PA, and excellent feedback rejection. I kick off "Remember When" with it, and switch to Steel in time for that great solo. Check the discussion boards at http://www.mandolincafe.com/ Forum Brother John McGann has excellent Mand credentials. He even wrote a Mando book. [This message was edited by Joey Ace on 05 June 2004 at 05:53 AM.] |
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Steve Frost Member From: Scarborough,Maine |
posted 07 June 2004 06:11 PM
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David- not trying to put you on the spot- so I will assume that there was a typo, re the "1928 Loar" mando- because the Loar era only lasted from 1922-1924. You probably know this , but I don't want anyone else getting an Ebay "deal" on a '28 Loar!  |
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Jerry Hayes Member From: Virginia Beach, Va. |
posted 08 June 2004 05:00 AM
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Michael, I've doubled on Mandolin for years while playing steel and always had trouble with pre-amps and all that crap. A year or so ago I bought a new Fender A-style mandolin which has a magnetic pup just like a guitar and a volume and tone control right on the front of the thing. All I have to do now is just pull the cord out of my steel and plug it right into the mandolin or use an A/B switch and it works great with no feedback. The best thing is that they only cost about $230 total. I have an old pre WW2 Gibson F style that I use for acoustic and another old Epiphone A style which has a great unplugged tone. The good thing about the Fender is I can crank it up to a volume level to compete with the electric guitars and it doesn't feed back. In a live situation this is the only way to go. All the major music stores carry these of they can get them. They're also in the Musician's Friend catalog....have a good 'un..JH ------------------ |
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Joey Ace Sysop From: Southern Ontario, Canada |
posted 08 June 2004 06:01 AM
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I use to use a Samick with electromagnetic pickups. It always sounded like high notes being played on a 12 string guitar to me. That's why I switched to the Godin with transducer saddle pickups, and a built in preamp. Much more natural sounding. [This message was edited by Joey Ace on 08 June 2004 at 10:16 AM.] |
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Michael Johnstone Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA |
posted 08 June 2004 10:04 AM
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Over the next couple days I'll be checking out a Godin and an electrified F-style Michael Kelly. Do the cheap little Fenders play worth a damn? I'm also realizing that to truly scratch my itch,I may eventually have to break off 2 to 4 grand on a Breedlove,Weber,Phoenix or Rigel.... I like this one: http://www.folkofthewood.com/page1530.htm -MJ- |
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Emmett Roch Member From: Dripping Springs, Texas |
posted 08 June 2004 01:47 PM
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The cheap little Fenders I've played have all been just fine. My mando is a no-name with "Dec. 1939" rubber-stamped on the inside. I put a cheap transducer on it and replaced the tailpiece with one I made of brass that allows me to use regular ball-end guitar strings on it. I hauled it around on the road for almost a year and it never let me down. I saw the same mando in a 1939 Montgomery Ward catalog and the asking price was $2.98. I'm sure they're worth twice that now. |
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Andy Volk Member From: Boston, MA |
posted 08 June 2004 06:39 PM
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I paid $15 in a little shop in Denmark for my mandolin back in 1974. the interior is lined with conact paper, it's been repaired with plastic wood and tightbond glue over the years but it still tunes to pitch and has a fast, low action. I'm thinking of upgrading to a $75 mando. Speaking seriously, I also had a great little Flat Iron mando that I regret trading in on a lap steel. It was Flatiron's update of the 1914 Army/Navy mandolins. It had fabulous tone. |
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Jay Fagerlie Member From: Lotus, California, USA |
posted 09 June 2004 09:34 AM
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I have a '70's Bruno Conqueror from Japan. It has a distintive shape, single pickup and a pickguard. Sounds great both acoustically and plugged it. Plays real nice, even for me, a guitar player....I think I got it for about $150.00. I see them from time to time on eBay for around the same price. Jay ------------------ |
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Ben Slaughter Member From: Madera, California |
posted 09 June 2004 09:48 AM
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Played a little fender the other day that played good and had a pickup. The simplicity of it IS a nice change of pace. |
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James Morehead Member From: Durant, Oklahoma, USA |
posted 09 June 2004 08:03 PM
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So, Gibson mandolins not in todays market? Are they too pricey? Maybe too pricey for the working man? I need a history lesson here. Why aren't there more players using Gibsons? I sure like my 1916 A-jr. for tone and playability! It sure is ugly, though!(previous owner blotched a refinish job!! [This message was edited by James Morehead on 09 June 2004 at 08:04 PM.] |
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Daryl Stogner Member From: Yuma, AZ (next to nowhere and north of been there) |
posted 09 June 2004 08:44 PM
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I have a 1949 Gibson mandolin. Sent photos of it to Gibson and the history rep filled me in on it. Those old boys can tell you alot about your Gibson stuff, even down to what store it was orginally sold from. ------------------ [This message was edited by Daryl Stogner on 09 June 2004 at 08:45 PM.] |
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Michael Johnstone Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA |
posted 10 June 2004 12:59 AM
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Yeah sure - Everybody wants an F5 Gibson but a new one is $5K - $20K. I've seen old scratched up ones for $20K and much more! If you can live with an A model you can cut those numbers in half but they're still not what I call cheap.That's why a chump change havin' chump like me is gonna have to go Korean. And you thought a new steel was expensive. -MJ- |
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David L. Donald Member From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand |
posted 10 June 2004 05:44 AM
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Mike this Spanish guy does make them and I asked for a price as of last July, it was 2,250 € befor tax. That comes out at around $2,800 and as good as any I have played, strong but clear bass, and clean bright highs, a great chunk sound. Not strident, and well balanced across the neck. I compared it to the VP of Mandolin Brothers personal Lloyd Loar, which I have played on stage several times, He normally makes other instruments, lutes, and guitars, since there is less demand for mando's, I will look for his card. If I hadn't built my 6 string electric mandolin this winter, |
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Jerry Hayes Member From: Virginia Beach, Va. |
posted 10 June 2004 06:24 AM
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I've just been to the Epiphone website and saw a solid body electric mandolin that looks like a Firebird guitar. It's called the Mandobird. I might try one of these as they're pretty cool looking. I didn't note this on my previous post but as far as tone, volume for both of my acoustic mandolins, the Epiphone A-style which is about 25 years old is better than my old 30's vintage F Style mandolin. I've used the A style in the studio but for live acoustic gigs the old Gibson is just so dang pretty so I play it mostly for that. When I was in the Army in '61 or '62 I was coming home to California and I had a Martin mandolin in the pawnshop in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I only had it pawned for $25.00 but I elected to just leave it and come on home. What a mistake, those little mandolins sounded great. It was the little spruce top, mahogany side type with the oval sound hole that Martin made. I think I'd only paid $35.00 for it from some GI so I didn't think I'd be losing much. Oh Well.. Have a good 'un..JH ------------------ [This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 10 June 2004 at 06:25 AM.] |
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David L. Donald Member From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand |
posted 10 June 2004 07:39 AM
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My A-jr records much better than many others I have played and smokes my friend's Fender F model into the weeds. He groans almost every time he picks it up. I found the Spanish guy : Sedo Luthier Construccions, Reparacions C/.Rui, Num. 11 ( Can Nofre ) - 17832 Vilert ( Girona) email sedoluthier@yahoo.es He speaks no english, passable french, and of course perfect spanish. What he lacks in english , he makes up for with great luthier work [This message was edited by David L. Donald on 10 June 2004 at 07:41 AM.] |
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Michael Brebes Member From: Northridge CA |
posted 10 June 2004 08:02 AM
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I agree that the Fishman bridge pickup is the way to go. It's built into the bridge and has a connector that attaches at the tailpiece. I use an L.R. Baggs Para DI with mine and it sounds great. Most of the time I just plug it into the PA like a mic because it will run off phantom power. Otherwise, I've got a JBL powered PA speaker that I plug the Para DI into. I've got an older Washburn F style that I picked up years ago. Jethro Burns used to play them. |
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Joey Ace Sysop From: Southern Ontario, Canada |
posted 10 June 2004 12:04 PM
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I have an A Jr. also. (Purchased used in 1975 for $125) I agree it records great, in a proper booth with a high quality studio mike. There is something basic about the sound it produces that transfers well to "tape". For live performances it looses it's edge to the more modern instruments. |
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James Morehead Member From: Durant, Oklahoma, USA |
posted 11 June 2004 06:29 AM
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Joey, that looks just like my Ajr, except mine has the wide headstock. Michael, yes you are right, Jethro played a Washburn. Jethro married a gal who had a twin sister. The other twin married Chet Atkins. You will find Jethro (and Homer) as back-up on many of the early Chet records. Homer and Jethro, besides being crazy comedians, were both tremendous musicians. |
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Jim Eaton Member From: Santa Susana, Ca |
posted 11 June 2004 01:45 PM
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I have a "Made in Korea" Johnson MF350 F-5 knock-off that is just fine for acoustic stuff and an Ovation MM-68 for "plugged in" with a band things. JE:-)> |
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Bill Carpenter Member From: Austin, Texas, USA |
posted 11 June 2004 03:12 PM
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Check out Musicians Friend at www. musiciansfriend.com. They have a Fender acoustic/electric for $239.00 and a Rouge for $179.00 |
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David L. Donald Member From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand |
posted 12 June 2004 01:20 AM
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I though y'all might like to see my 2 units. Right , is the 1912 Gibson A-jr with Fishman, similar to Joey's. And left is my newest unit. tuned at this time one octave down but also possiblly C G D A E B The .007 won't get to B at full pitch at the regular mando pitch, Hot Rod Jr. pick up in parallel, series, and out of phase. Will be adding a coil out switch for the parallel setting to get a single coil sound. Body is shaved like a Strat to fit me. Locking nut and micro tuner bridge. There is a Shadow midi converter there also, for doing accordian and such, for the mando/zydico thing. [This message was edited by David L. Donald on 12 June 2004 at 01:38 AM.] |
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