Good Mandolas - reccomendations - UK

Subject: Good Mandolas - reccomendations - UK
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 31 Oct 06 - 05:30 AM

Am looking for a Good Mandola, but something that isn't going to cost the earth to buy... Any ideas? Any advice - ones you think are not as good etc... Any advice would be great...

Regards

EWIS>...

Subject: RE: Good Mandolas - reccomendations - UK
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 31 Oct 06 - 06:09 AM

You get what you pay for, which do you fancy, standard mandola or octave mandolin ?

eric

Subject: RE: Good Mandolas - reccomendations - UK
From: MikkinNotts
Date: 31 Oct 06 - 06:11 AM

Hi Ella who is Sooze, I have recently bought a Honer Countryman Otave Mandola. I paid slightly over the odds for it £170. I believe you can pick them up for around £140-£150.
I absolutely love it. I have played mandolin a bit (third instrument after guitar & whistles) and am finding the Octo mando a real joy. They have real good machine heads on them and are solid tops. They have lovely ringing tone. It has the half scale fingerboard so the stretch in the first position is not too difficult. It does not have a pickup it, but I have stuck a bit of velcro on the bottom edge and use a little swan neck pickup into the soundhole and run it through a preamp into a Grafter speaker. I am well pleased with it and am finding it difficult to put it down. I think they are excellent value.

Cheers

Mikk

Subject: RE: Good Mandolas - reccomendations - UK
From: mandotim
Date: 31 Oct 06 - 06:15 AM

Do you have a rough budget? There are some crackers around at mid-price these days. What sort of stuff do you want to play on it? Scale length is something to watch out for; the shorter the scale, the easier it is to play tunes, the longer the scale the better for playing backup and chords for singing. I'd start by looking at Fylde, Buchanan, Freshwater, Hullah, Moon and the like. Second hand examples tend to turn up fairly often on ebay and elsewhere. At the budget end, some of the Eastern European solid woods stuff is good, but I'd play them first as they tend to be a bit inconsistent.
Tim

Subject: RE: Good Mandolas - reccomendations - UK
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 31 Oct 06 - 06:23 AM

Well, I guessed about £150, but would go up a few if it was good one. Mostly to be used for Irish music, and I don't want a big stretch on the boards to get the chords...

Some useful tips thanks guys...

EWIS

Subject: RE: Good Mandolas - reccomendations - UK
From: mandotim
Date: 31 Oct 06 - 12:59 PM

Hi again EWIS; I've just thought; I've got a nice sounding, solid top, short-scale octave mandolin/mandola you might be interested in; I hadn't thought of selling it, but I play mostly mandocello for lower toned stuff these days. Make is Musikalia, made (I think) in Eastern Europe, and imported by hobgoblin under their own brand names. Fairly loud, with a nice ringing tone, it's about 4 years old, but in excellent condition. I could stick some new strings on it, do a setup and let you have it for £125. I you want a pickup, I've probably got one somewhere. PM me if you are interested.
Tim