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I used to own one I actually bought from Ted Eschliman of Jazzmando and Cafe moderator fame. Blueburst. Very, very cool. Agree they’re good, inexpensive plug and play mandos (I bought mine for praise...

I know I've played a couple of the Johnsons and I think I played a Recording King at some point a few years ago. IMHO the RM-1 is a far superior instrument wrt build quality, tone, all the boxes....

I’ll throw another vote of confidence for Silverangel as well. I played an Econo model for 8 or 9 years before I bought the Kelley, and there are certainly times I miss the SA. It was my first “real”...

I got some from BB a few months ago after watching David Benedict's epic pick comparison YouTube video. I like the feel, but they're just not a slick/quick off the strings like my Bluechips, Wegens,...

This is an arena I've been reluctant to dive too deeply into for some reason, though probably because my first amp (Roland Cube 30W) had EFX. While not great they did enough for my meager needs.
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I forgot to mention that mine is the Walnut with antiqued finish. Looks great!

I agree with Jim about the TP but actually like the wider nut. I think 1 and 3/16 is probably my true sweet spot, but...

Yep, someone saved me from that one. Decided to "sleep on it" since I don't really "need" one, and the mando universe confirmed that, lol...

I have a Skip Kelley A-5 that I bought new from...

It’s the most dynamic instrument I own. It can go from very soft to peeling the paint in a pick stroke. And, while it does sound very “mandolinney” for a reso, it’ll get nasty with a slide…

I...

OK, that analogy makes sense to me, and I readily admit I was thinking about the tuned string’s pressure in this case incorrectly. Appreciate the redirection. But does 2 wraps vs 4 really make a...

It just seems to me that the tension/risk of breakage is created at the string bend at the tuning peg, and I don’t see how more wraps reduces that. I’m not arguing that those claiming that are wrong,...

My wife got me a really beautiful Ochre F-style mandolin strap that’s really beautiful. It’s a bit stiffer than my Lakota Leathers braided and unbraided straps, but I think it’s going to be really...

You don’t end up with 6 or 7 wraps because you don’t leave that much slack. Pull it tight before wrapping around the post. Doesn’t take much to tune to pitch, because there’s not much slack to take...

Your mandolin will support medium or even heavy gauge strings just fine. The ones you have be careful of are those designed for lighter strings (Flatiron 1N, for example, which require D’Addairio EJ...

Awesome story, and glad Darren’s the next care taker. He’ll put some honest wear on it, but he knows what he’s got there…

Definitely not Michael Kelly. They made an occasional gem but overall were overbuilt, though they do look pretty. Kentucky’s upper tier models are well regarded, but, again, wouldn’t consider them...

I totally get that. I primarily play acoustic mandolin, and if I could only have one instrument it would be my Kelley A-5, but it is fun to just wail on the emando from time time. Before the world...

Agree that Eastman 305 and Kentucky KM-150 are great places to start. For a slight step up the food chain Eastman’s 510 and Kentucky’s 500/505 models may be near your range used. I’m a big Chris...

Once you have them strung up, tuned up, etc, take the leftover length, do a wrap around the post and pull all the extra through the hole on the tuning peg. Pull it tight-ish and snip off the extra....

And, William, can’t wait to hear how your 1934 turns out (I like weird stuff, but I do have a healthy respect for the classics)…

Duuuuuude. That F-5…if I hadn’t just taken my post work COVID shower I’d go take a cold one. Absolutely stunning. I know it’s not traditional, but I couldn’t care less. That’s a gorgeous mandolin...

After looking at my Weber Bitterroot I see what you mean about the nut and binding. If you paid used Asian prices you probably ended up with a great deal…if you paid used US prices based the TMS’s...

This could be a problem with any instrument that’s not well set up and should be remediable if it happens. I wouldn’t let that deter you from the GT. A bigger consideration, IMO, is that the GT was...

I have a McPherson Touring carbon fiber guitar that I love. Not a tenor, of course, and not cheap, but pretty much impervious to everything but serious blunt force trauma. I can leave it in the...

I played a Girouard 20 inch GBOM right after playing a 22.5 or 23 inch scale NF GBOM (pretty sure both were spruce and maple) at TME just before the world shut down back in 2020. I’d previously had a...

Love it!