Search:

I only ever used #2 pencil to lub the nut +/or saddle notches. Without knowing what's in the lubricant, I'd be careful about getting any on a mandolin finish.

I doubt that there are dogs in the cases!

When I had an Ellis made, I discussed neck dimensions, shape and measurements with Tom - got a neck that feels comfortable like an old sneaker without the odor. Pava mandolins are made in the same...

Martin mandolins are predominantly flat-top with a cant and flat backed with oval sound holes. They tend to have a shorter 13" scale. Overall, they don't project as well as the carved top/back...

Hard to go wrong!

Another day, another mandolin? MAS is hard to control.

When I was in college I bought a new Martin D28 with my summer earnings and was playing in an acoustic group. Had a gig one night in a local Iowa City bar and the car wouldn't start: -10 degrees. ...

Nice etude for the Repentant Shepherd's song!:grin:

Fun tune & great arrangement!

Love a mandolin in any body style! An F5 only looks like it should sound better than an A5, and same for an F2 or F4 vs an A oval hole. I've had my share of them all & I'm down to an excellent A5...

I agree that a mandolin is a whole package, and many times nickel works visually better than gold. However, as somebody with a serious nickel allergy (looks like a bad case of poison ivy), I prefer...

Do we have to list ONLY one?

Sorry to digress from the OP: I remember going to see Martin, Bogan & Armstrong multiple times - lived across the street from the bar/restaurant that would book them. First time I was a bit...

That octave mating of the wound strings was used by a lot of the African-American string bands of the 20's and 30's to brighten up the tonality of the mandolin or mandolin-banjo. Some Latin American...

There is nothing that surpasses that dopamine rush when you first fall in love. I experienced that a couple of times with partners and mandolins. True love with another person requires constant...

I agree with starting out by listening - what you want to play, listen closely so that you can internalize the substance of what you wish to attain in your playing. The few who have taken the route...

Just accept it: Mandolin is Italian for "out of tune". You will spend 3/5ths of your life tuning so that you can play out of tune the other 50% of the time!

Agree with Zach. Practice chop chords, play as many mandolins as you can and find the "best" one for you. An Arch top with F-holes is the best place to start, and don't let your choice be dictated...

That looks like a god 'u. Congrats from the owner of 484.

My first great mandolin was a 1920 refrigerator white A3, but had to sell that to finance a move - always regretted that sale 40+ years ago. Since I re-upped with mandolin in the past 30 years or...

I have been through that same agony, with an Ellis twin point delivered at my office in the middle of a working day. Your patience will be rewarded!

I've bought & sold many times on the Cafe. When payment received (PayPal or check clears), the Cafe gets at least 2% and the instrument is shipped. Like Jill, I've never had an issue with sales or...

In college, I had a friend who would pay $5 to change strings on his Martin D41 and $10 to change strings on his Guild 212. Don't be like that guy!

I seem to remember a luthier on this forum who set up a fingerboard with relatively wide frets up to the7th fret or so, with narrower frets in the upper register.

I was married almost 42 years to a wonderful woman who supported any musical impulse that I had, as long as it didn't break up the household finances. That included listening to countless gigs with...