Recommend me a pancake!

[thx712517]

I've got the mandolin bug but no money at the moment, so that means reading about them and asking all sorts of stupid questions! I'm a tenor guitar player who loves the sound and sustain but can't stretch my fingers far and fast enough like I can on a mandolin.

I play a bit of Celtic music now and plan on playing more in the future. So from what I've read so far, that points me toward an oval soundhole. I don't need all the extra fiddly bits of an F, and honestly prefer the look of the A type mandolin.

And yes, I'm intrigued by this pancake Army/Navy body style. I think it looks cool and have no greater justification than that. Having said all that, point me at some mandolins or tell me I'm utter barking mad!

I'm a new daddy working a flexible but low low low paying job so maybe keep that in the back of your head.

[soliver]

Look for a Flatiron 1N... I just bought one for $400 on my local CL just a week ago... it's a little worn, but it sounds outstanding.... often you can find them on the used market for substantially less than the average bear. I researched them for a while before I realized what a good deal the Flatiron was and just bought it (with a lot of encouragement from the gang here).

From what I've read All of the pancakes on the market are great (barring the post Gibson acquisition Flatiron models which are considered super cheap knock offs) and I can definitely attest to the greatness of my 1N. Usually the most affordable is the Flatiron 1N, but the other Flatiron pancake models (2M and 3M, 3MB, or 3K) are typically very affordable as well. The small shop luthiers are usually more expensive but all are in the same range between $400 and $700 used and up to $1000 new.

Last I saw there were 2 Cumberland Acoustic Traveler Mandolins on Reverb for sale. 1 used for just under $600 and the other new for around $900. The other well known builders of Pacakes are Crystal Forest, Sawchyn (called the beaver tail) and as I mentioned above, Cumberland Acoustics (Traveler)... I'm sure there are others out there, but those are the ones I looked at most. ... if you can save up, Terry at Crystal Forest sells his base model new for $695 plus shipping.

Another builder of Flat top Mandolins is Big Muddy, very similar but a different shape... they are supposed to be really great, but the shape is very unattractive to me. They typically go in the same price range used.

[pheffernan]

And yes, I'm intrigued by this pancake Army/Navy body style. I think it looks cool and have no greater justification than that. Having said all that, point me at some mandolins or tell me I'm utter barking mad!

This one: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...Mandolin-value

[colorado_al]

Or this original Gibson Army/Navy
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/114576#114576

[mrmando]

Buckwheat short stack at IHOP.

[CES]

Another vote for a Bozeman made Flatiron...

[BrianWilliam]

Buckwheat short stack at IHOP.

Mmmm, maple syrup

[nickster60]

There is a post of someone who has a Flatiron 1n recently