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Thread: British or American

  1. #1

    Default British or American

    Hi folks
    I’m new to the site.
    I’m looking to buy a mandolin to replace my Blue Moon. Preferably in I’d like to buy something made in the UK or US, at a reasonable price. I’m still only a learner!
    The Seagull S8 looks quite good, as does the Kentucky 150. However I think the latter is no longer made in the US. Are there any others?
    I’m based in Devon, UK. I don’t mind buying 2nd hand!
    Cheers
    Martin

  2. #2
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    Just to complicate things: Seagulls are Canadian.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  3. #3
    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    Also, the Kentucky mandolins were never made in the US, they were made in Japan, and then in China.

    What is your budget? It would be easier to suggest some possibilities if "reasonable price" were defined for folks.
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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    "Reasonable price" and "mandolin made in the US or UK" are hard to reconcile. Asian makers have pretty much taken over the entire entry-to-mid-price range, at least as far as new instruments go. Would help if you told us what you consider "reasonable," as Jill M points out.

    Thinking you'd better consider a used instrument, from a reputable source. A bit harder to obtain in the UK, but with a bit of digging...
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  5. #5
    Registered User Simon DS's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American


    I assume when you say American you mean North American, including Canada but excluding Mexico?
    And British? Ha, ha, don’t make me laugh!

    But in answer to your question, I have an Ashbury Octave E32 that I absolutely love. Ashbury is the label owned by Hobgoblin (Very British Isles, you could say) and my instrument was made in Vietnam. Which is lucky because I love the Vietnamese too.
    Some of Hobgoblin’s instruments are made in China, lucky again for me at least, because I love the Chinese as well.

    If you want an entry level instrument completely built in the UK then it will probably be very nice looking, with a beautiful tone but a long wait, and quite expensive.

    https://hobgoblin.com/fretted-amp-stringed/mandolins
    The second hand section is a bit limited at the moment though.

    Good luck!

  6. #6
    Likes quaint instruments poul hansen's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    When Germany started making goods after the war, it was Nurnberg junk, when the Japanese started it was considered junk, some people still consider Chinese made goods as junk, even when a great deal of their items in the house is Chinese made. The east inluding Japan, China, Vietnam and others do produce high quality instruments these days, so leaving out these countries gives you a much smaller and more expensive choice.
    I have also bought cheap but amazing quality instruments from Romania, also considered a low quality country. I bought a mandolin at 130 euro to test the waters and I kept it and ordered a mandola and an octave at the same price range and quality.

    PS: Do they produce any stringed instruments in Britain except one man luthiers?
    Here's my beautiful looking and sounding Korean Richwood:



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    Last edited by poul hansen; Dec-31-2021 at 5:20pm.
    Kentucky KM-805..........2 Hora M1086 Portuguese II(1 in car)
    Hora M1088 Mandola.....
    Richmond RMA-110..... .Noname Bearclaw
    Pochette Franz Janisch...5 Pocket............Alfredo Privitera pocket
    Puglisi Pocket 1908........Puglisi 1912.......Puglisi 1917
    3 Mandolinetto ..............C.Garozzo
    1 Mandriola...................Cannelo G. Mandriola...Böhm Waldzither 1921
    Johs Møller 1945............Luigi Embergher Studio 1933
    Marma Seashell back......Luigi Embergher 5bis 1909

  7. #7

    Default Re: British or American

    Fair comments. Thanks.
    My budget is up to about £250, circa $300.
    Yes, I realised that Seagull was Canadian.
    Thanks folks.

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  9. #8
    Worlds ok-ist mando playr Zach Wilson's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    Quote Originally Posted by MartP View Post
    Fair comments. Thanks.
    My budget is up to about £250, circa $300.
    Yes, I realised that Seagull was Canadian.
    Thanks folks.
    I afraid that, sadly, that is not enough zeros for an American built mandolin unless you buy used or broken with issues.

    I guess some American flattop style mandolins could be found around there...

    A Big Muddy Primitive comes to mind.

    Happy hunting! Also, have a happy and prosperous new year!!

  10. #9
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    Default Re: British or American

    Stick a nought on the end of your budget and you might find something built in Britain.

  11. #10
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    By the way, many people like the Seagull S8, though the Forum's judgement is mixed. See, for instance:
    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...-Owners-Thread
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  12. #11
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    Default Re: British or American

    In your budget, about the only US made instruments that I can think of that would qualify would be lower end instruments made by Strad-o-lin, Harmony, or the like. And most of the ones available in that price range would probably need repair work to render them playable.

    To do better, you'll either have to find a way to earn and save a lot more, or settle for a decently made used Asian instrument, such as an Eastman 305 or the equivalent.

  13. #12

    Default Re: British or American

    Thanks guys
    The Seagull S8 looks to be a significant improvement over my Blue Moon. I’m an inexperienced player & so won’t benefit from anything better. My reservation with it is the non adjustable bridge. I don’t know if that’s a problem.
    Appreciate your thoughts.
    Cheers

  14. #13

    Default Re: British or American

    Quote Originally Posted by MartP View Post
    Thanks guys
    The Seagull S8 looks to be a significant improvement over my Blue Moon. I’m an inexperienced player & so won’t benefit from anything better. My reservation with it is the non adjustable bridge. I don’t know if that’s a problem.
    Appreciate your thoughts.
    Cheers
    Unless you find one secondhand it would be outside your budget.
    The plain one is just £385 the others over £400.
    Looking at them on Thomann (most out of stock) the reviews are a bit mixed.
    I am looking for a first banjo within your price range and though S8 looks tempting outside what I wish to pay for now.
    FWIW re the bridge - only going by comments made here - many seemed to have shaved it to improve the action.
    Last edited by NickyD; Jan-01-2022 at 9:31am. Reason: Typos

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    Default Re: British or American

    You could certainly find a factory made European instrument in your range if you look around, like the APC instruments from Portugal, Gewa from Germany or various Romanian instruments under different labels.

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  17. #15
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    Default Re: British or American

    There are some smaller and less known UK makers advertising hand made instruments from about £750 up. Finding one used is not so easy, though, people tend to keep them. If anyone doubts they exist, you'll find one maker near or in the town of Reading advertising on Ebay and Gumtree. Don't know anything about them, but they're there. There's also one in Cornwall who makes good instruments advertising mandos on his site 'starting at just under £1000', or similar wording. At that price it may be very plain, but there's nothing wrong with that. Google them.

    Used instruments on websites don't tend to be good value currently in UK, people are asking too much compared to the discount prices you can buy the bigger names for - but you might get lucky.

  18. #16

    Default Re: British or American

    Hi Paul. I've only seen photos of these. Is this a pressed top? Although it says all solid wood, it seems a bit cheap and I wondered if it was a compressed sound in any way.

    Regards

    Jimmy Powells
    UK

  19. #17
    Likes quaint instruments poul hansen's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    Quote Originally Posted by jimmy powells View Post
    Hi Paul. I've only seen photos of these. Is this a pressed top? Although it says all solid wood, it seems a bit cheap and I wondered if it was a compressed sound in any way.

    Regards

    Jimmy Powells
    UK
    Hehe I don't know what a compressed sound is. I like it but just now it's tuned as a balalayka, as I have many mandolins but I sold the balalayka

    I see they have it on Thomann now, so it's easy to get in the UK. I bought mine in Holland.

    Just buy and try it. Thomann has an impressive return policy.
    Kentucky KM-805..........2 Hora M1086 Portuguese II(1 in car)
    Hora M1088 Mandola.....
    Richmond RMA-110..... .Noname Bearclaw
    Pochette Franz Janisch...5 Pocket............Alfredo Privitera pocket
    Puglisi Pocket 1908........Puglisi 1912.......Puglisi 1917
    3 Mandolinetto ..............C.Garozzo
    1 Mandriola...................Cannelo G. Mandriola...Böhm Waldzither 1921
    Johs Møller 1945............Luigi Embergher Studio 1933
    Marma Seashell back......Luigi Embergher 5bis 1909

  20. #18

    Default Re: British or American

    Davey Mandolins, Cornwall. They’re just down the road from me. I’ll check them out. Thanks!
    Although not British or American, the Eastman MD 305 looks really nice.

  21. #19
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    Default Re: British or American

    Martin - there's quite a lot of info about the Eastman 305 on the forum here. It has a lot of character, different from some competitors in a number of ways, the only common complaint is that some (not all) 305s have very stiff tuners.

  22. #20

    Default Re: British or American

    I was in Maks guitar shop last week and he had a B stock Eastman 305 for £449 about a ton under normal price and said nothing really wrong with it ...he played it and sounded great.
    https://www.maksguitars.co.uk/
    But still over my budget alas!

  23. #21
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    Default Re: British or American

    Shame, that's a good price - I suspect 'cosmetic second' is a tag sometimes used to shift stock at a discount.

  24. #22
    Likes quaint instruments poul hansen's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    OR do as I did: Buy a Kentucky KM-805 with a broken neck, for 120£(new was 1200£) and glue(12£) the head back on.

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    Kentucky KM-805..........2 Hora M1086 Portuguese II(1 in car)
    Hora M1088 Mandola.....
    Richmond RMA-110..... .Noname Bearclaw
    Pochette Franz Janisch...5 Pocket............Alfredo Privitera pocket
    Puglisi Pocket 1908........Puglisi 1912.......Puglisi 1917
    3 Mandolinetto ..............C.Garozzo
    1 Mandriola...................Cannelo G. Mandriola...Böhm Waldzither 1921
    Johs Møller 1945............Luigi Embergher Studio 1933
    Marma Seashell back......Luigi Embergher 5bis 1909

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  26. #23
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    Hobgoblin advertises several solid wood (or at least solid top) mandolins in your price range.

    However, many are apparently Asian-made; the catalog copy keeps referring to "Senna Siamea a locally sourced wood in Vietnam," which is a clue to the instruments' origins.

    Others are advertised as "European made," which I would guess could mean a Romanian maker like Hora, or perhaps a Portuguese firm.

    Here's a link to Hobgoblin's mandolin page. Would these be better than your Blue Moon? Don't have enough experience with the brands to definitively answer that.
    Allen Hopkins
    Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
    Natl Triolian Dobro mando
    Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
    H-O mandolinetto
    Stradolin Vega banjolin
    Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
    Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
    Flatiron 3K OM

  27. #24
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    Quote Originally Posted by MartP View Post
    Fair comments. Thanks.
    My budget is up to about £250, circa $300.
    Yes, I realised that Seagull was Canadian.
    Thanks folks.
    If at all possible, I would suggest to truly upgrade from your current mandolin, to start saving for something substantially better. I would imagine that if your budget were doubled to about £500 you could get something much better.

    In the meantime, I would ask: what is wrong with the mandolin you have now? What don't you like about it? Perhaps it needs a set up to make it easier to play. Are you taking lessons? If so, ask your teacher. If not maybe find a decent store to have some adjustments made. And get that cash together to make a real upgrade. Just my £.02.
    Jim

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  29. #25
    Registered User Simon DS's Avatar
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    Default Re: British or American

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...n-Set-Up-Guide

    I tried this one three or four years ago, here in France, really nice tone and about 370 euros. Much more expensive now, and I saw a demo vid that wasn’t really the tone I remember.
    https://hobgoblin.com/gr31026-ashbur...-oval-soundhol

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