Mandolins - what's a good one to pick up for a dabble?

TimmyO

I know nothing of them - but Hayseed Dixie were awesome at this folk festival we are at, as are the more
folkie lot, so thought I'd have a dabble generally.

What am I looking for or avoiding?

ta

AliGorie

depends how much ya wanna spend - I always think it’s best to get as good an intrument as u can - no excuses then.
U could go for something like this -
http://www.eaglemusicshop.com/prod/All-Mandolin-Family/eastman-md305-handcrafted-mandolin.htm

or a second hand Eastie would be more affordable.

also look at mando forums -
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?47-General-Mandolin-Discussions

Epsilon

Eastman mandolins are very high spec for the price point, however I ended up selling mine because they have very narrow nuts. Chords could be a bit of a squeeze even with fairly thing fingers. Therefore I'm not convinced they're the best option for a guitarist crossing over.

I would however recommend Breedloves as an introduction to the mandolin world. They're not as high spec but much more playable in my opinion.

Go for an A-style mandolin to start with. F style (fancy scrolls) don't have a hugely appreciable difference in sound but cost a lot more.

JCA2550

Will you be playing plugged in or just dabbling acoustically?

TimmyO

Mostly acoustic I reckon. But one never knows...

Bidley

To start with I'd just get the cheapest one you can find.

You'll find there's barely any mid-range with mandolins; you either buy a cheap plank that's barely playable, or splash the cash on something more 'serious'.

Saying that though, you can probably get a decently-priced Gretsch or Tanglewood on eBay. But unless you're spending upwards of £500, they'll always need a setup.

If you want to have a go at setting one up yourself, then 9 times out of 10, sorting the action out at the nut will do the trick.

JCA2550

Hobgoblin has some reasonably priced  mandolins they'll probably have something secondhand too?

jonnybradford

Probably a bit pricey for a dabble, but I played some great Paul Hathway mandolins in Hobgoblin London. The large body mandolin was particularly nice.

I would probably have got one, until,  after exchanging some emails with Mark at Small Strings, he invited me to visit his workshop to try a couple of mandolins he had in stock. These were wonderful to play and sounded great.
I am just deciding on what woods I want to use and whether to fit a pickup before commissioning a new flat back mandolin.