Price Tag

[zdub]

Why are some builder so much more expensive? I look at some of the smaller builders and their stuff is amazing and look at the high end and they are beautiful too. I am trapped in the world of wanting a custom mandolin but can't decide who to go with. Heres what I am narrowed down to: Ratliff (F5), Lamb (F style), Nicholos Road (F style), Sloan(F style), Girouard(2 point). Playing american mountain music and cover stuff. These are all great guys. How the heck do you decide? My budget is $4000 max

[zdub]

Why are some builder so much more expensive? I look at some of the smaller builders and their stuff is amazing and look at the high end and they are beautiful too. I am trapped in the world of wanting a custom mandolin but can't decide who to go with. Heres what I am narrowed down to: Ratliff (F5), Lamb (F style), Nicholos Road (F style), Sloan(F style), Girouard(2 point). Playing american mountain music and cover stuff. These are all great guys. How the heck do you decide? My budget is $4000 max

[MikeEdgerton]

I merged these threads, you really don't need to post it in different sections.

[ivancook]

$4000 will get you a GREAT instrument! You have a lot of very good options in that price range. Pricing will depend partly on a builder's reputation and recognition in the market. Some small builders that have been at it for decades will be able to command higher prices because they have the history and awareness to support it. For some, their post-sale service and the resale market is a relatively known quantity so buyers feel that they are able to make a solid investment. Newer builders may produce excellent instruments, but the lack of a solid history introduces risk so they might be willing to sell for less to establish their reputation.

[buckhorn]

A lot of us small time builders are happy to make and sell a few mandolins a year.. When you are a one man shop, the pressure is to make a quality product and keep it at a very reasonable price.. But what if Ricky picked up my mando???? I would like to do more, but how much more and still be a "hobby builder"????

[Frankdolin]

There are wide price differences in everything we buy. What's for sure is that 4k will get you a great instrument and a likely bargain as luthiers, like musicians, are grossly underpaid. Just do the math. Divide the price by an houly rate ,minus sellers piece , and they make less than most mechanics. Don't forget to look at the Pava !

[Franc Homier Lieu]

Just remember...

[Bob Buckingham]

At $4000 an accomplished single maker is just making it. There is a considerable amount of time in each build, not to mention the prices for hardware, the better woods they tend to use. Some, like one I communicated with this past week, find making guitar and ukes more profitable in their one person shop.

[CES]

Because they’re usually worth it

Joking aside, price is a function of quality of the work/aesthetics, tone/dynamics, playability, rep/experience of the luthier, and demand. I used to be frustrated with how expensive quality instruments can be as well, but as I’ve moved up the food chain, so to speak, each one has been better than the last. As I’ve played better instruments in shops and via my own purchases, though, I’ve also come to appreciate how good some of the more affordable options can be (Eastman, Kentucky, Silverangel, Ratliff to name a few).

Best of luck making your decision! You’re choosing from an excellent list of luthiers!

[Jim Garber]

Everyone seems to hate when we say this but your $4000 ceiling will get you a very nice F-model but you move into a much higher echelon with an A-model and can certainly get the same quality tone as that maker's Fs. Of course, if you are absolutely in love with the scroll and points then take that into account—you are paying extra for the look of the instrument. Unfortunately these days you can rarely sit in a store and play a bunch of different ones to compare and find out the sounds you like. Personally for me, I would prefer an excellent sounding A model vs. a decent sounding F. The looks are not as important as the tone and playabiity.

And one other thing to consider is to look for previously-owned mandolins. Lots of excellent ones these days in the classifieds and elsewhere.

[Pittsburgh Bill]

We are living in a very fortunate time to have so many good or even great small builders offering quality instruments within or near your budget. Often times people are willing to pay a premium far above your budget to acquire a name on the headstock. This happens very frequently with a company that still offers some high quality mandolins (that I would love to own even if they are generally F styles)at a cost several times your budget but feels their reputation for mandolins of yore will bring in the do re me for their less than stellar mandolins that still cost double your budget.
This is not to contradict any responses you have received.

[yankees1]

Why are some builder so much more expensive? I look at some of the smaller builders and their stuff is amazing and look at the high end and they are beautiful too. I am trapped in the world of wanting a custom mandolin but can't decide who to go with. Heres what I am narrowed down to: Ratliff (F5), Lamb (F style), Nicholos Road (F style), Sloan(F style), Girouard(2 point). Playing american mountain music and cover stuff. These are all great guys. How the heck do you decide? My budget is $4000 max

Girouard !!!

[zdub]

Sorry about that.

[zdub]

I merged these threads, you really don't need to post it in different sections.

sorry

[grassrootphilosopher]

Just remember...

This is about the best post in this thread!!! My daughter would probably not aprove though. She loves the real thing...

On the other hand: The price is determined mostly by availability and desireability. The plague is rare but nobody wants it (shortend George Gruhn quote).

There are instruments that are fairly inexpensive yet very, very good (check my - and others - HoGo thread for example).

There is a guy called Jürgen Richter, living in Germany. He built mandolins. They are quite good. They are not too pricey. Have you ever heard of him. If you live in Germany... probably. If you anywhere else, quite probably not. So the price of his instruments are low compared to what an equally nice mandolin would cost you, were it made in your country.

There are Lebeda, Janish, Holubek etc. instruments in the Czech republic. At some time they were very much less expensive than respective instruments in the US (or elswhere). This is due to the fact that money would get you a boatload more value in the czech republic than in your country.

If you are looking at the price and value of instruments in the US like Ratliff vs. Northfield (although Northfield mandolins are made in China and setup in the US if I am not mistaken), vs. Summit... you will not really get a proper answer.

You have to compare the sound in relation to the price. Even if I sound like a broken record... my Strad-O-Lin gives most higher priced instrument a hard time when it comes to value.

[onassis]

Value is a completely relative concept. And the relationship of increased price to increased quality is usually geometric - you pay a lot more for each level of increase in quality. Pros typically play higher echelon for a reason - these instruments have the sound and feel that they're looking for. And while the buy-in is steep, these instruments also tend to hold value or increase in value over time.

As to why some builder charge so much - I imagine it's because they can. They should obviously charge as much for their work as the market will bear. And they've worked hard to build a reputation that they can bank on.

[EdHanrahan]

Just because your buddy Jake built a sports car that's just as beautiful, fast, loud, and sexy as a Ferrari ... don't expect folks to pay Ferrari-level prices for the next one that he builds. Reputation, history, and "pedigree" all factor into the price folks will pay for high-end items, of every type.

In the stringed instrument world, the price goes up almost in direct proportion to each additional year that you're willing to wait for the quality, reputation, and/or pedigree that you might be seeking.

FWIW, I recently met a full-time classical guitar builder out here in northern NJ who has "only" a 7-year waiting list, for which folks pay dearly, and gladly.

[JeffD]

In general it works something like this:

So say someone is an good builder, makes a decent mandolin at a decent price. His/her skills increase and the mandolins become excellent. So excellent that more and more people are wanting them. The builder manages to optimize his building process, and maybe get some CNC machines for some of the rough work, gets friends and family to do the paperwork and book keeping. His luthier talent, though, keeps improving, and his mandolins are getting better and also more reputation.

The builder cannot work any more hours, and already has a significant backlog. Folks are waiting for orders for a year or more. He/she is already working for about $5.00 an hour at the prices he charges, and he/she of course refuses to compromise on quality. So he/she responds to the great demand and great wait time by raising prices. He/she raises them until the demand is manageable and the wait time is reasonable.

[JeffD]

How to decide which great luthier to go after. Well play a bunch of mandolins, at shops, at festivals, at jam sessions, and see what you like. Then, I would recommend checking out the cafe classifieds.

And by the way, as you probably suspect, it never stops. The mandolins I really really want are always just out of reach financially. As my budget for mandolins has increased over the years, my appreciation for what is great in a build has increased as well.

[Zach Wilson]

Why are some builder so much more expensive? I look at some of the smaller builders and their stuff is amazing and look at the high end and they are beautiful too. I am trapped in the world of wanting a custom mandolin but can't decide who to go with. Heres what I am narrowed down to: Ratliff (F5), Lamb (F style), Nicholos Road (F style), Sloan(F style), Girouard(2 point). Playing american mountain music and cover stuff. These are all great guys. How the heck do you decide? My budget is $4000 max

There are many great mandolins in your price range. Picking just one is really difficult and I know I would be frustrated or perhaps anxious to pull the trigger, considering how much you are willing to spend. I'm sure you want to get the most out of your hard earned money and don't want to experience any buyers remorse.

My suggestion would be to email the builders you are interested in with questions and concerns you may have. Be very descriptive about the music you intend to play and the sound you want, which can be tough because we all describe sounds differently. This may settle some anxiety or may open up a myriad of other questions. It's all a process... but a fun one! Also, talking with the builders will give you a sense into who they are and if you want to commission them. Are they pleasant, easy to communicate with, prompt, etc. This will certainly help you in your decision.

Have fun and enjoy the buying journey!

[buckhorn]

Just because my name isn't in the top ten (or even twenty) of famous builders, don't overlook what I can do.. There are many of us "hobby builders" that make a fine sounding and looking mandolin.. A lot of us are not chasing a big lifestyle and just like making mandos.. And yes, sometimes it seems that I am making $5 an hour for my time spent, but I'm not quitting .. If you get the chance, try us "little guys" out and you might be shocked with what you find.....

[A-board]

Because they’re usually worth it

As I’ve played better instruments in shops and via my own purchases, though, I’ve also come to appreciate how good some of the more affordable options can be (Eastman, Kentucky, Silverangel, Ratliff to name a few).

Not sure that comparing volume builders Eastman and Kentucky to one man shop Silverangel (Ken Ratcliff) is appropriate, other than the fact Ken builds a great sounding mando for a very reasonable price. I’ve had good experiences in buying select used instruments.

[pheffernan]

Why are some builder so much more expensive?

As with most items in the marketplace, the economics of supply and demand operate with mandolins as well. The more demanded a builder’s work, and the smaller the supply of available instruments, the more expensive the mandolin.

I am trapped in the world of wanting a custom mandolin but can't decide who to go with.

The struggle has been apparent, as it seems like you have started a thread a month since August, searching for different mandolin styles (at first F-style and then later a two-point) at wildly different price points ($1500/$1000/$3500/$4000)! Many of us can relate and sympathize, though I think it’s become clear at this point that the answer is not outside of you.

How the heck do you decide?

In my own case, it is the intersection of opportunity (i.e. a mandolin becomes available) and ability (i.e. there are certain points in my fiscal year where I’m more likely to have some found money to afford one). Otherwise, the only advice that I’d offer you at this point is — unless the mandolin you want otherwise does not exist in nature — to buy used. Mandolins are one of the few things in life often believed to improve in quality as they depreciate in cost. In that manner, you can recoup your investment should this mandolin not be your last one (and they rarely are).

[Lucas]

How the heck do you decide?

In my case, my decision was based on the geographically location of the builder. I chose a builder who was within reasonable driving distance in case I had to take my mandolin back to his shop for things like repairs or periodic maintenance. This turned out to be a good decision because two months after I bought my mandolin, I dropped it on a hard floor and destroyed the bridge/saddle, and had to take it to the builder for repair because there were no mandolin luthiers near my home who could fix it. My builder was the closest person.