Hi everyone,
I have been giving away the free setup ebook for nearly four years now, and I thought you'd be interested in some observations I have. First off, if you want my free ebook on how to set up a mandolin, just email me at
rob.meldrum@gmail.com and put Mandolin Setup in the subject line.
I've given away nearly four thousand ebooks! That's a pretty good sample size to make a few observations. The average person requesting my book is male (over 95%), over forty years old (85-90%), very polite (99%), new to mandolins (65-70%) and trying to make the best of an economical purchase (65-70%). "Economical purchase" is any mandolin with a retail price of under $350.00.
Depending on the time of year 50-75% of the requesters come from MandolinCafe, 30-50% from seeing my YouTube videos, about 10% from MandoHut, and the rest from random Internet searches.
On the Rogue as an introductory mandolin front, many requesters consider the Rogue, find my YouTube videos, and then buy the Rogue. After completing the setup they are happy players. I have yet to hear from a person saying their Rogue is a mess and they are bummed out. In the past four years the quality control of the Rogue has steadily improved. The last couple of instruments I have bought needed very little work.
For a polite group, surprisingly few requesters (5-10%) post a thank-you or comment on this site. Many email me a personal thank you. I would prefer a thank you here only because it "bumps" the thread and makes it easier for a newbie to find. I attribute this to two things. First, newbies frequently join a site and then don't participate. More importantly, the users here tend to be very passionate. Any time someone posts a positive experience about a Rogue or other inexpensive mandolin there will be a chorus of experts laughing at the "firewood," "plywood," "wall hanger" that the newbie bought. Based on most of the threads here one would think that a rank beginner should never spend less than $500 for an entry-level mandolin.
I think because of our average age and income level most of us forget what it's like to think a $100 purchase is a pretty big deal. In my real job I am an insurance agent and I see lots of people living paycheck to paycheck. If their child wants a guitar or mandolin they usually budget around $100. I like knowing that for $100 (and a free setup book) they can get a playable instrument. In a year or two they will know whether their child is a committed player and deserves a better instrument or the mandolin is collecting dust in a closet or attic.
Oh yeah, the last statistic. Most luthiers know a lot about woodworking and finish work and not a lot about setting up a mandolin. I base that on the comments I get from luthiers after they read through my book.
I've had a few good suggestions about beefing up certain areas of the book and have decided not to take the time to do a re-write. The income (zero dollars) just doesn't justify the effort!
Since writing the ebook I have gotten involved with a guitar-oriented band and spend 99% of my time playing guitar, so my mandolin picking skills are still very weak. But the people on this site make visiting here a real treat.
Mandolin players are a special lot. :-)
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