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Well - if theses things are made in China, will they (are they) now subject to the new tariffs? Do the manufacturers and retailers have a cost structure that can absorb the tariffs without raising...

1) I've been to bluegrass jam sessions that usually had about 25 people playing and I've been to Irish music sessions with usually about 10 playing. The Irish sessions have a learning group meeting...

Is this your Kentucky mandolin? Your's looks a lot like it.

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/133578#133578

Agree 100 percent with this.

All good advice above.

How about time and patience?

Don't over practice. Don't practice if you are tired. Stop practicing if you get tired. A bassist once told me he practiced 10 hours a...

I play guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo (20" string scale) and 5-string banjo. I found (hope) that the change in neck size and sting tension lessens risk of repetitive issues.

Ranking of...

My experiences with USPS and FedEx Ground within the last two weeks.

Received a rather expensive 20-year-old guitar via USPS. It was shipped from east coast to west coast. Not a mark or dent on...

I've owned two American-made Breedlove mandolins - an OF American and one of its Master Class. Do not confuse the USA made Breedlove mandolins with the the Chinese-made versions. A few months ago,...

I'd rather listen to a good player on a Washburn than a bad player on a Fern.

Good advice about Kentucky and Eastman. If you are just exploring, you want to get something that is inexpensive and that you can sell if you decide that the mandolin is not for you or if you find...

Here's what I do. I keep the instrument in its case along with a Herco guitar humidifier and a $4.00 Petco Imagitarium Humidity Gauge when not playing. I remove the Herco humidifier from the case...

Sorry I cannot answer your basic question - but would suggest if you decided to sell and will have to ship the instrument - do so when the weather is neither too hot nor too cold. It will save you...

I'd be more concerned with string spacing than nut width.

Assuming a narrower nut width = narrower string spacing (which may or may not necessarily be the case), a narrower string spacing may make...

MD315 Spruce top; maple back and sides; nitro finish
MD515 Spruce top; maple back and sides; nitro finish
MD815 Adirondack top; maple back and sides; nitro finish

I don't own an Eastman but,...

In the classical/orchestral world, it is not unusual for someone to get a position in an orchestra because of the quality of their instrument. Has this ever been true for any folk instruments? I...

Making ground is your question.

There is nothing wrong in learning to play both the guitar and mandolin. The change in neck size and fingering scale may help avoid many of the repetitive hand...

Suggest researching lyrics printed in Fakebooks before assuming they are public domain. It is a common practice for recording artists to compose original lyrics to public domain melodies. A famous...

An arrangement of a song that is the public domain is considered a derivative work.

"The copyright in a * * * derivative work extends only to the material contributed by the author of such work,...

I'd definitely focus on string scale length. For example, the Weber website has these specs: octaves come in 20" and 22" string scales and their A style mandolas are 17" string scale. Can't...

Two Old Hippies is: Breedlove, Weber and Bedell. I have owned Breedlove and Weber products.

All three are good brands. I've played guitars and mandolins produced after the purchase by Two Old...

A couple of months ago, I played an Eastman 305 octave at a local guitar store that sells a lot of Eastman products. I have owned a Weber 20" scale Octave and can only compare it to this. To my...

There are always trade offs. If strings are narrower at the bridge, then it may be slightly easier to tremolo over double stops with a narrower nut. But a narrower nut may make it harder to do...

For most people, those are the brands that are the "forever" instruments. Some prior comments touched on this, but the best time to buy is after you know exactly what you want (down to the exact...

Your original $2500 budget could get you a new Weber or Collings A-style. The domestically made F-styles are where the prices start going haywire.

If you want an F-style, I'd go with a Kentucky...

"Exploring Classical Mandolin Technique and Repertoire" by August Watters, Berklee Press (2015). Music notation, no tablature. Not for beginners though.

The Greg Horne book is also very good and...