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Folkmusician all the way. Not only does Robert sponsor this site, but he is one of the ONLY commercial sponsors on this site that regularly pipes in with accurate information on a wide range of...

Which chords to learn first? Each chord can be played in multiple inversions all over the neck. To start, I would use first position 2 or 3 finger chords. Which actual chords should follow the...

Too bad it's all over. I was told that the Music Emporium is getting a Kimble 2-pointer today...........

Congratulations, BelleHaven. I am not familiar with a Big Muddy, but based on people here who like them a lot, I suspect you will also. I hope you get your new mandolin very soon!

I ordered it and it arrived today. I'll look it over this weekend and update the post here.
BJ

Congratulations!



That might be the hardest part :)

Enjoy!

Well, that should be a real treat in this case, because Mike Dulak is a great guy.

I found my Big Muddy used in excellent condition. They come up from time to time, but these things seem to run in spurts and I don't see any used in the classifieds right now. It is a beautifully...

The one thing more valuable than $$$ is time of your life. Any minute of hesitation is time money won't buy back in the end. If they are all good toss a coin (that's not worse than strangers'...

I love the Big Muddy. I bought an M-11, pictured as my avatar, and I am not disappointed. Its loud enough, has its own wonderful tone, and can do everything I want and more. There is no compromise in...

BelleHaven,
I purchased a Morris flat top A style from the classifieds on this site. I've been very happy with it. I was nervous about buying without laying my hands on it but it has worked well for...

A lightly used Eastman MD505, or one that's got a touch of shop wear, would be in the 500-600 range. That would be a perfect place to start.

All the mandolins you mentioned are top choices at their price points. My seat of the pants advice, would be to lean toward the Eastman, but in the big picture, it probably doesn't matter too much. ...

Hi BelleHaven,

Depending on how far you are down on the Eastern Shore, you might want to take a trip to Todaro's Music in Lansdowne PA (just outside of Philly). If you call ahead, Joe Todaro can...

BelleHaven, I also play piano and have very small hands- I can get an octave but 9 notes is impossible. I have a Loar LM 220, and it is easy to reach. I don't know any of the mandolins you mention,...

Based on reviews, I've had bad luck with Kentucky mandolins: 5 out of the 6 I've owned had twisted necks. Note that all of them have been used.

I've had better luck with the loar mandolins my...

Hi Bellehaven, and welcome to the Cafe'. Regarding music stores, if you don't mind driving for a bit, there are two stores not that far from the Eastern Shore that you might check out:

The House...

Yes! Take a look at the Kentucky KM-900 and if you come into some money to spend buy a pre 1993 Gibson A5L, both are a copy of a 1923 / 24 Gibson mandolin made to order for a female player. If memory...

It should not take a great deal of strength to press the strings down on a mandolin or guitar if it is set up properly. Most people press too hard and it hurts their playing. Making sure your...

Mandolins are small, so your hand size shouldn't be an issue. Also, there are endless ways to voice the same chords, so you'll be able to play comfortably. As far as a recommendation, I vote Eastman.

i've owned the km505, LM 300 and 2 eastmans and another kentucky. I think any of those would be fine, as would a Bovier or Howard Morris or flattop. It's best if you get to pick the one and play it...

If you can span an octave on piano I'll bet you couldn't the first time you tried. You'll have no problem noting anything on the mandolin but it will take some time and work but that's fun and...

An oval hole can be fine for bluegrass. Perhaps not as a primary interest, but certainly can work well. I play some bluegrass with my vintage Gibson A2 oval hole.
Where do you live? Is there as...

I'd just like to second the comment about set-up. Mandolins can be tough on the fingers due to the need to fret pairs of strings at fairly high tension relative to most other strings. The...

I would lean toward Eastman and Kentucky as having better quality and sound, for the same cost. My encouragement would be to get the best A-style you can afford - and look for a demo or slightly...