Should a beginner buy electric mandolin?

[s11141827]

I also restrung it w/ ultra-light 7.5 gauge strings.

[s11141827]

From doing alot of research Electric Guitars have become the new beginners Guitar due to their easier action:https://www.theguitarlesson.com/guit...for-beginners/ as far as Barre Chords are concerned, & also to remove the disadvantages they cost half as much as Acoustic Guitars, plus many of them now have a built in amplifier, & they're in way better shape, the same goes for Electric Mandolins cause they're fretted too. To make your Acoustic Mandolin feel & play like an Electric that's known for its gentle touch, you can actually restring it w/ either Saverez 110R Ultra-Light Strings or even softer these Aquila Red Nylon Mandolin Strings:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uivniw6pP1g

[s11141827]

I've played acoustic and electric guitar for over fifty years. I absolutely agree that students should start on acoustic. The reason isn't about tone or technique, though. Acoustic guitars force you to develop much stronger fingers. So switching to electric is a May breeze. People who start on electric often never master acoustic, simply because it's "too hard."

The sounds of acoustic and electric guitars are so different than a player naturally uses them differently. (Hand me an electric guitar and I'm suddenly belting out Chicago blues.) But the technique remains the same: You put your left fingers behind the frets and press. You hit the strings with your right thumb or fingers or nails or pick or picks. Out comes the sound. And that's what it's all about!

Actually that was then, this is now because w/ all this advanced technology switching from Electric Guitar to Acoustic Guitar is now the easiest thanks to Taylor's Acoustic Guitars which play like Electric Guitars due to their slightly smaller size, super light gauge strings, skinnier neck, & easier action. You can make your Acoustic Mandolin feel like & play like an Electric w/ gentle touch by restringing it w/ Super Light gauge strings, such as Thomastik Infeld Light Tension Precision Mandolin Strings, Saverez 110R 7.5 Gauge Ultra-Lights, or even better Aquila Nylon Mandolin Strings which make playing even easier because they're made out of Nylon which is easier to play:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uivniw6pP1g There's a reason why beginners actually start out on a Nylon-String Acoustic Guitar because the Nylon Strings are easier for the fretting hand which in a way makes it feel like an Electric Guitar. You can also make your Acoustic Mandolin feel like an Electric just by tuning it down to a lower tuning. Mandolins typically have a 14 in Scale but this Resonator Mandolin's scale is an inch longer than that at 15 inches:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6E60hAch2s so Jake Wildwood tuned the whole thing down a minor third from Standard tuning just like Yank Rachell & Pete Seeger both did, so instead of GDAE it's EBF#C# which also makes it easier to play in Guitar friendly keys of E & B w/o having to use a capo or learn new fingerings.

[s11141827]

Yeahbut -

Guitar players who start on electric have a really hard time switching to acoustic. Players who start on acoustic switching to electric with ease.

You know what Charlie, that's not always true, because some Acoustic Guitars have Nylon Strings instead of Steel Strings. The biggest advantage of a Nylon String Acoustic Guitar (aka Classical/Flamenco Guitar) is that the Nylon Strings are much easier for the fretting hand so they in a way feel like Electric Guitars:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtGIVy5tMtU & it explains why lots of beginners opt for Nylon Acoustic Guitars. Good thing lots of companies make them. An Acoustic Mandolin that feels & plays like an Electric Mandolin would indeed have to be strung w/ Nylon Strings:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfufR48N6bk

[Jim Garber]

This is a thread about electric mandolins. I think you have made your points about electric guitars. We get it.

[s11141827]

This is a thread about electric mandolins. I think you have made your points about electric guitars. We get it.

Yes your Mileage may Vary. What about a Nylon-Electric Mandolin? That could be even easier for beginners cause w/ Nylon Strings you only have to play lightly.

[Charlie Bernstein]

You know what Charlie, that's not always true, because some Acoustic Guitars have Nylon Strings instead of Steel Strings. The biggest advantage of a Nylon String Acoustic Guitar (aka Classical/Flamenco Guitar) is that the Nylon Strings are much easier for the fretting hand so they in a way feel like Electric Guitars:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtGIVy5tMtU & it explains why lots of beginners opt for Nylon Acoustic Guitars. Good thing lots of companies make them. An Acoustic Mandolin that feels & plays like an Electric Mandolin would indeed have to be strung w/ Nylon Strings:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfufR48N6bk

I started on a nylon-string guitar. It was too hard to play, because the strings rolled out from under my fingers whenever I tried to bend them. So I switched to a steel string guitar. It made bends a cinch.

But you're right, I'm assuming that Mobi is wondering about steel-stringed instruments (and Mobi can correct me if I made an ass of u and me).

And since mandolin strings don't get bent very often, it's not a bad suggestion.

[Zach Williams]

If you have the money and want one.....sure....why not

[s11141827]

Electric Mandolins cost about half as much as Acoustic Mandolins nowadays (maybe less) so they're the most beginner friendly mandolin, & w/ the super light gauge strings & lower action kids can play lightly.

[s11141827]

Eastwood Guitars even makes a Copy of the Fender Mandocaster that you can get.

[s11141827]

Bending on Nylon Strings would typically be easier as they have less tension & are thicker to prevent sharp indents

[Martin Beer]

Yes and no. In terms of how far you can displace them laterally, yes, nylon strings are easy to bend. But because of their increased elasticity there's much less pitch change than on steel strings, so bending isn't very musically useful on a nylon string guitar.

[Richard500]

Not to pile on, although tempting, but I had wondered why solid body electric guitars are so massive, when they obviously could be made quite light. Apparently, the weight is thought to have positive sonic virtues or might relate to the athletic mode of rock play, requiring inertia. Lore about preferred wood is also mysterious, but that’s my physics showing; apologies.

[Mr Fingers]

Back to the OP, and mandolins: What kind of music do you want to make? This forum includes everyone from die-hard arch retro-traditionalists (great!) to singer-songwriters (ditto), classical players (ditto), jazzers, rockers, etc. I would definitely get an electric if I wanted to explore amplified and effected sounds. If my goal was to learn and play conventional "mandolin tunes" then I wouldn't do that. I would ignore the debate about the best way to learn -- acoustic, electric, whatever -- because the truth is that the best way to learn is to be motivated and excited by music (not equipment, whihc becomes a distraction and hobby in itself) and pick up whatever instrument furthers that goal. I find that playing my electric instruments carries over nicely to expand what I can do on acoustics, and the reverse is equally true. Don't worry about it.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Bending on Nylon Strings would typically be easier as they have less tension & are thicker to prevent sharp indents

They're slippery, so they roll out from under your fingers. Steel strings cling to your fingertips.

You won't find many people playing blues on a classical guitar.

[maxr]

If you get an electric, I'd watch out for a trap that catches many players - it caught me when I got my first electric guitar. That is, the possibilities of an electric instrument are almost limitless with the range of effects pedals and amps available. So, there's a great temptation to spend your time fiddling about with pickups, setup, effects pedals and amps, because it's easier than learning to play the thing. That temptation isn't so great with acoustic, you run out of options fairly quick

[Gan Ainm]

Most of the time for most of the music I play, acoustic mando is the instrument(s) I love. But I also love the Electric styles of a Mark Knopfler, Richard Thompson, Steeleye Span etc. For me melodic electric mando or guitar is different thing and beautiful in it's own right. So I have a cheap-ish Kentucky electric 5 string that is fun to noodle with in the right mood or setting. Most of the time I much prefer an all acoustic sound. So remember this is (for many of us) all a hobby, or more than that- a personal aesthetic and fulfilment that is hugely individual. Maybe YOU will discover/invent a way to use the instruments a bit (or a lot) unconventionally that will make you happy, maybe even famous. (OK, probably not). Try it all, make your own mistakes, backtrack, have moments of frustration and enlightenment and communication with another musician or the cosmos. It's all good. Well, as long as you practice. : )

[Zach Wilson]

So remember this is (for many of us) all a hobby, or more than that- a personal aesthetic and fulfilment that is hugely individual. Maybe YOU will discover/invent a way to use the instruments a bit (or a lot) unconventionally that will make you happy, maybe even famous. (OK, probably not). Try it all, make your own mistakes, backtrack, have moments of frustration and enlightenment and communication with another musician or the cosmos. It's all good. Well, as long as you practice. : )

Well said! Cheers to the musical JOURNEY

[Gan Ainm]

Well said!.....

Thanks. Just want to let you know I am in intense competition with you for that "worlds most OK-ish mandolin player." What a view from the top of that Bell Curve!

[Zach Wilson]

Thanks. Just want to let you know I am in intense competition with you for that "worlds most OK-ish mandolin player." What a view from the top of that Bell Curve!

Haha! Yes, indeed. What a view it is.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Not to pile on, although tempting, but I had wondered why solid body electric guitars are so massive, when they obviously could be made quite light. Apparently, the weight is thought to have positive sonic virtues or might relate to the athletic mode of rock play, requiring inertia. Lore about preferred wood is also mysterious, but that’s my physics showing; apologies.

The jury will never be in.

They often are "quite light." There are plenty of hollow- and semi-hollow-body electrics around — Gibson's many jazz boxes and ES series, for instance. And most popular solid-body guitar models have chambered (hollowed-out) versions — Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls, for instance.

Solid-body players often like lighter wood. If you look at parts websites, like Warmoth or USA Custom Guitars, you'll see that lighter-weight alder and ash are popular.

Ads for used electrics often state the weight of the guitar, because lighter instruments are sought-after.

Getting to your question, it does take a certain amount of wood to achieve resonance. So yes, the mass, material, design, and finish all contribute to an electric guitar's sound, just as much as they matter to acoustic instruments. Then electronics multiply the variables.

But there's no consensus on what mass (or anything else) is most desirable. Which makes for lively eternal debates. Would you rather play an anchor-heavy Les Paul or a butterfly-light Strat? Pine Teles are in vogue now. Maple Teles might be in style tomorrow.

I have two Strats and a Tele. They all have ultra-light (less than four pound) bodies. I love 'em. I've had a couple of semi-hollow ES series Gibsons. Didn't do a thing for me. Does that make them bad instruments? For me: yes. But they might be great for you.

I'm not a pro, I've just been playing a long time. I'm sure other folks can say more about electric guitar acoustics.

[Charlie Bernstein]

I have always thought it would be cool if posts over a year old turned yellow, and posts over five years old turned brown.

. . . and posts over six got composted!

[MandoMack]

yes

[David Lewis]

Boy some of you overthink. If you want to play an electric mandolin, buy one. If you want to play an acoustic, play it. I’m certain the organ piano debate is t 'oh he wanted to play organ so we bought him a piano so he could 'learn proper technique".


Play the music you want to play with the instrument you want to play it on.

[s11141827]

Boy some of you overthink. If you want to play an electric mandolin, buy one. If you want to play an acoustic, play it. I’m certain the organ piano debate is t 'oh he wanted to play organ so we bought him a piano so he could 'learn proper technique".


Play the music you want to play with the instrument you want to play it on.

The Electric Mandolin was played by no other musician than the great Yank Rachell:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfYMsRzVFXQ