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Thread: Beginner Mandolins

  1. #1
    Registered User PDGotro's Avatar
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    Default Beginner Mandolins

    Yet, another question about a few select mandolins for a beginner to play bluegrass music. Would like opinions on a few I have chosen & open to any new suggestions: a new Kentucky KM150 Standard A Style all solid, a new Washburn M1SDL A style, a used 1970 Sigma SM1 F style. Also, any suggestions on a Loar A style mandolin. Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    Just my opinion, start with the Kentucky. I'd choose it over the others you've mentioned. A "cheap" starter instrument like that will be fine to begin on. If you fall in love with mandolin, and learn to play it, you may want to spend more money on an upgrade in the future.

    If you can inspect one in person as opposed to just ordering online, you'll be ahead of the game. A good setup on a new mandolin is even more important than the brand you choose, so be prepared to learn all about how to do a proper setup or at least how to make adjustments like bridge height, bridge fitting and bridge placement for intonation - or be prepared to find a good mandolin luthier and have this done right away. Some of the sponsor sellers here at the cafe offer a setup when you buy their instruments, be sure to ask about this. And even if you buy a mandolin from any dealer who does a setup, it will pay for you to learn the things I mentioned earlier, as setup is a personal thing to get the feel, comfort and sound you want.

    Another thing you can do is search here for past threads on each of those instruments.

    Consider joining the Newbies social group here as well, see link in my signature.

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  4. #3
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    +1 for the Kentucky.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    The two recent KM-150's I have seen have been really, really good. Frankly the nicest 'starter' instruments I have ever encountered. Buy one with a decent setup and you are good to go for quite a while...
    Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
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    Registered User jpugh's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    thanks for this, very Useful info. I'm a beginner also (from guitar background) and purchased abused MK legacy Festival F used for a pretty good deal i thought. After weeks of struggling I took to (highly regarded luthier around Bham,Al) who basically said it was setup pretty well, (My Martin Dread not so much&#128533....anyway, this MK just ain't doin it for me so I'm shopping for a low$ A style. Was thinking Eastman or Loar, but this Km-150 keeps coming up in threads. Is the pickguard easily removed? Also, if one spent a little more than
    km-150 $ is there a better option? Is for playing BG btw, only thing I really want is all solid wood.
    Thanks.
    Last edited by jpugh; Nov-06-2017 at 1:40pm. Reason: Mentioned my Luthiers name and then wondered if it was in good taste to do so

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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    #2 on Kentucky !

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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    I have never played a Kentucky km150, I started with a used the Loar LM 220, it was IMHO a good starter instrument, although from reading recent threads, the newer models may not be as good.

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    Registered User Ausdoerrt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    Quote Originally Posted by jpugh View Post
    km-150 $ is there a better option? Is for playing BG btw, only thing I really want is all solid wood.
    Thanks.
    Some people swear by the Eastmans. A friend of mine has the 505, and it sounds good, though I never liked playing it all that much. I have The Loar 220, and it's a good instrument at the price. It did take some setup and a lot of playing & experimenting with strings/picks to get it to sound good, but it's decent out of the box, too.

    Something else to keep in mind: Eastmans have a radiused fretboard, compared to the flat of the lower-end Kentucky/The Loar. The Loars tend to have v-necks, while the Eastmans and the Kentuckys tend to have rounded necks.

    In any case, I'd watch the Classfields here as well as maybe check ebay (with care) to see if you can find a used mandolin, or maybe a blem. That way you can get a slightly better model at a fraction of the cost. I bought my The Loar as (barely) used, and it saved me around $100-150.

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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    Quote Originally Posted by Ausdoerrt View Post
    Some people swear by the Eastmans. A friend of mine has the 505, and it sounds good, though I never liked playing it all that much. I have The Loar 220, and it's a good instrument at the price. It did take some setup and a lot of playing & experimenting with strings/picks to get it to sound good, but it's decent out of the box, too.

    Something else to keep in mind: Eastmans have a radiused fretboard, compared to the flat of the lower-end Kentucky/The Loar. The Loars tend to have v-necks, while the Eastmans and the Kentuckys tend to have rounded necks.

    In any case, I'd watch the Classfields here as well as maybe check ebay (with care) to see if you can find a used mandolin, or maybe a blem. That way you can get a slightly better model at a fraction of the cost. I bought my The Loar as (barely) used, and it saved me around $100-150.
    Thanks! I was wondering about the radius fingerboard vs flat, and to what extent folks prefer one over the other.
    The MK I have now Is flat. May need to play something w a radius, thx again.

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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    I have mandolins with both radiused and flat FBs. I prefer the radiused boards, but that doesn’t keep me from playing the mandolins with flat boards. It doesn’t take much adjustment at all to go back and forth.

    That said, there are those who prefer flat FBs. Gibson has only recently (within the past couple of decades or so) started offering some mandolins with radiused boards (other than custom builds). Iirc, the Jam Master was the first production model to come with one.

    KM 150s are very good mandolins (the newer models). KM 500 and 550 may give you a slight step up in quality and tone, and KM 900/950 are excellent mandolins that you won’t outgrow quickly. They pop up used occasionally in the 700-800 range. I have an Eastman 315 I bought on clearance for < 500 dollars to use as a beater. It serves that purpose well, but I wouldn’t hesitate to play it in church/on stage. The tuners and tailpiece are cost savers (but functional), but the neck and box are very well done. I have other options, but would be pretty happy if the Eastman were the only one I could keep.

    See if you can find an Eastman or Kentucky to play to get a feel for their necks, scour the classifieds, or check with one of the cafe sponsors. Used saves you some cash, but you can sometimes find new ones on sale. Can’t beat the service from TMS!
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    Quote Originally Posted by jpugh View Post
    thanks for this, very Useful info. I'm a beginner also (from guitar background) and purchased abused MK legacy Festival F used for a pretty good deal i thought. After weeks of struggling I took to (highly regarded luthier around Bham,Al) who basically said it was setup pretty well, (My Martin Dread not so much��)....anyway, this MK just ain't doin it for me so I'm shopping for a low$ A style. Was thinking Eastman or Loar, but this Km-150 keeps coming up in threads. Is the pickguard easily removed? Also, if one spent a little more than
    km-150 $ is there a better option? Is for playing BG btw, only thing I really want is all solid wood.
    Thanks.
    I would venture your luthier is not well versed in mandolin, and using the same standards as you would for guitar. If you search for the "All solid 199.00 mandolin" thread, you will see how good results can be had from the MK mandolins. They all need fret leveling, and will not provide a god setup without it. They can be as good as the KM 150s I've played. Now you may not have a competent tech to do this, or want to spend the money on your MK, so I'll add my vote for a Kentucky provided you buy it from one of our Cafe sponsors or a well respected dealer such as Gryphon, Elderly, etc. Setup is everything. I did not reach satisfaction with my MK until a lot of fret was filed off in the 12th fret area. I can understand why you would be unhappy with yours.

    I'll pick a nit with the term beginner's mandolin. It implies the beginner is not worthy of a nicer or pro level instrument. It has been my experience that the single thing a beginning mandolin player can do is buy the best possible instrument, preferably used. If it doesn't work out you won't loose your shirt, and the fact it sounds really good and plays better makes you want to play, which accelerates the learning curve. I just don't like people thinking they are not worthy. You are. If you can spend $1500, do it.
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    Capt. E Capt. E's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    One more vote for the Kentucky KM 150
    Jammin' south of the river
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    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    my capo notices the radius more then my fingers. Wait! We're not supposed to use capos!

    The KM-150 seems a fine starter. There's a also a KM-180 and KM-250, further up the line. I think the KM-250 is all solid wood and the top is carved. I'm not sure the KM-150 has a carved top - likely pressed to shape.

    You'll enjoy all of them. Mandolins are fun and you'll likely head towards an all-solid, carved instrument if you stick with it!

    Have fun!

    f-d
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    Registered User almeriastrings's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    Quote Originally Posted by fatt-dad View Post

    The KM-150 seems a fine starter. There's a also a KM-180 and KM-250, further up the line. I think the KM-250 is all solid wood and the top is carved. I'm not sure the KM-150 has a carved top - likely pressed to shape.
    The KM-150 is a solid, carved top and solid back/sides too.

    The KM-140 also has a solid, carved top but laminated back/sides.
    Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    Quote Originally Posted by almeriastrings View Post
    The KM-150 is a solid, carved top and solid back/sides too.

    The KM-140 also has a solid, carved top but laminated back/sides.
    The current "being sold today" KM-140/150 does not have a carved top. So shoot me.

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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    Quote Originally Posted by Erok View Post
    The current "being sold today" KM-140/150 does not have a carved top. So shoot me.
    I don't shoot people. However:

    https://www.folkmusician.com/blogs/m...m-150-mandolin

    + One example I worked on less than 3 months ago certainly did have a carved top that was very evident when examining it internally to fit a K&K. It was not pressed. Some router marks were very obvious.
    Gibson F5 'Harvey' Fern, Gibson F5 'Derrington' Fern
    Distressed Silverangel F 'Esmerelda' aka 'Maxx'
    Northfield Big Mon #127
    Ellis F5 Special #288
    '39 & '45 D-18's, 1950 D-28.

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    Registered User Ausdoerrt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    OP, FYI, there's a Kentucky 252 on the Classfields: https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/117323#117323

    You could do a lot worse for that price.

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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    I just got a The Loar 310F from a local big box music store for 299.00. I'm far from a mandolin expert, but I've played quite a few of the imports and I'm happy with the tone and playability of this one for the price.

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  26. #19
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    Quote Originally Posted by Br1ck View Post
    I would venture your luthier is not well versed in mandolin, and using the same standards as you would for guitar. If you search for the "All solid 199.00 mandolin" thread, you will see how good results can be had from the MK mandolins. They all need fret leveling, and will not provide a god setup without it. They can be as good as the KM 150s I've played. Now you may not have a competent tech to do this, or want to spend the money on your MK, so I'll add my vote for a Kentucky provided you buy it from one of our Cafe sponsors or a well respected dealer such as Gryphon, Elderly, etc. Setup is everything. I did not reach satisfaction with my MK until a lot of fret was filed off in the 12th fret area. I can understand why you would be unhappy with yours.

    I'll pick a nit with the term beginner's mandolin. It implies the beginner is not worthy of a nicer or pro level instrument. It has been my experience that the single thing a beginning mandolin player can do is buy the best possible instrument, preferably used. If it doesn't work out you won't loose your shirt, and the fact it sounds really good and plays better makes you want to play, which accelerates the learning curve. I just don't like people thinking they are not worthy. You are. If you can spend $1500, do it.

    Thank You Br1ck, (and others) for your reply, and sorry I did t see this for a bit. I'm still playing what I have for now, and truth be told, there's truly nothing wrong w it, but grass is always greener��....I was about to buy either a Kalamazoo or a flatiron a, when I stumbled across a deal on a redline guitar, that I couldn't pass up. (I don't "need" another guitar����)....that said, I do already know how to play them to some extent, and I'm STOKED on this one showing up today! J-45 clone, sunburst!
    At that point, ill likely be selling off a "nice" guitar, so should have some $ free for a Mando soon,....
    In the meantime I'll keep working on these scales n chop-chords! (That chop-g was rough on me at first! It's all been downhill from there so far though!)
    This site has been a terrific resource for me, and I'm super excited on to keep learnin Mando and be able to take it to some jams/festivals this spring/summer. One of the reasons I wanted to learn something new, was there's so many guitars at all the gatherings, need some diff instruments, AND, I find the lil things so d@mn cool!
    Thx again to errbody for the words!
    Cheers,
    jp

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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Mandolins

    Quote Originally Posted by Br1ck View Post
    I'll pick a nit with the term beginner's mandolin. It implies the beginner is not worthy of a nicer or pro level instrument. It has been my experience that the single thing a beginning mandolin player can do is buy the best possible instrument, preferably used. If it doesn't work out you won't loose your shirt, and the fact it sounds really good and plays better makes you want to play, which accelerates the learning curve. I just don't like people thinking they are not worthy. You are. If you can spend $1500, do it.
    This.

    If your lust for mandolin is still in its embryo stage, rent or borrow a mandolin for a week or a month and get a feeling for it. If you bow out gracefully you have spent close to nothing. If your addiction gets fully formed, you might also be able to justify spending a bit more on your first mandolin, because you know you are going to like it.

    In general there is not really such a thing as a beginner mandolin. There are mandolins available at all price points, and the one you chose has more to do with your budget than with your experience.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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