Hi,
After lurking on and off for a few years, I've become more interested in the mandolin. Mostly because I'm finding the fiddle too difficult for me. After 7 years of private lessons, I'm just not at the level I thought I'd be. I love GDAE tuning and know notes and positions, so I was thinking a mandolin would be a logical choice.
I live in France and I haven't found a good place to buy a good brand mandolin. I do visit family once a year in Phoenix and so I thought the next time I'm there I'll stop in the Mandolin Store. I am interested in the Eastman MD515 Varnish. Or I could order a Loar (the cheap one) from Thomann and attempt my own setup. That would be fun but I think the Eastman would be better.
While waiting for my trip to the Mandolin Store, which may be far away due to the virus, I restrung my flea soprano with the Aquila GDAE strings. I have a bit of trouble with the stretch and I'm wondering is the the distance between frets about the same on the uke as a mandolin? They have almost the same scale length (13 7/8" vs. 14"). Maybe the uke neck is wider? Or maybe it just takes time. For example going from a B to a G# is a big stretch, whereas on the fiddle it's fine.
So is it a good idea to learn mandolin with the uke and wait for a good mandolin? Am I on the right track? I still play my violin so there's no hurry.
Thanks
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