Subject: RE: Buying Mandolins
From:
Willie-O
Date: 07 Mar 05 - 10:12 AM
Look again GLoux: Mark said Martin A-style, not Gibson. And it's not a bad idea--the Martin instruments, which date anywhere from the 20's to (70's for sure, 80's???) are nice to play but undervalued because they are decidedly not bluegrass mandolins. (They don't "chop".) They are not powerhouses, but have lovely tone and guitar-like sustain. Great for Celtic and other tune-type playing.
There ain't no one-stop shop, Thespionage. And as usual, you can find good ones in the lower price range, but I wouldn't order one sight unseen and expect it to be one of the one-in-ten $200 mandos that are great (i.e., that I like. It's that subjective.)
Those Elvenwoods look like a good deal though, might be worthwhile ordering one of their "A-styles"--Gibson A-50 style to be precise, with F-holes as a cheap go-anywhere festival campfire instrument. (And if it really sucks, you can leave it in the campfire) Parsing their descriptions, though, I am a bit suspicious of the materials. Thier most expensive "Legend", an F-5 knockoff, specifies very clearly that the top and sides are solid, carved spruce and maple. The less expensive A's are described as "Arched spruce top" and "Mahogany back and sides" while the general description of the instrument says "this very solid classic A model mandolin." This kind of wordplay smacks of E-Bay style marketing, where all Ephiphones are made by Gibson and Sigmas are Martins.
It's also clear, as Bee-dubya and others implied, that these mandolins are made somewhere in the Far East, most likely Korea. (Or off-chance, Mexico.) This is made clear by omission, because if they were made in the U.S, Elvenwood would say so. This doesn't mean they are not fine instruments, at least the higher-end ones. Their value to me would be closely linked to how good the company is about honouring its money-back guarantee and warranty programs.
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sj
