Guitar player looking to move over to Mandolins

[bigdave]

Hi Dave here, I've been playing the guitar for years and was looking at getting started with the Mandolin. Anyone got any tips on what would be a great starter Mandolin?

Any advice is much appreciated!

Dave

[Jmccrory]

Any Eastman mandolin would be a good move.

[JeffD]

I would hesitate to recommend any specific brand or model of mandolin. Eastman, of course, is good, and a very popular choice. I would never hesitate to recommend them. Others are real good too.

Being that you are familiar with guitar; to prepare you sticker shock, as a gross generalization mandolins cost about twice as much as a guitars of comparable quality and condition. It is a generalization, there are exceptions to the rule of course.

I would recommend begging or borrowing or leasing a mandolin for a couple four weeks. See what you like, what you don't like, and see how much you fall in love. If love happens, then get the very best mandolin you can possibly afford, and play the potatoes out of it. And if love doesn't happen, you haven't lost anything, which is cheaper yet than the cost of a "starter". Date for a month before you marry.

I am not a fan of thinking in terms of a beginners mandolin or a starter model. There are economy mandolins and expensive mandolins and of course, really expensive mandolins, and in general you get what you pay for, just like guitars.

[Simon DS]

I agree with Jeff D, beginners definitely need a mandolin that as well set up. So action is extremely important, as well as playability for beginners.
I don't agree with giving children ‘beginner’ musical instruments. Life is hard enough as it is.

A style mandolins can be a lot cheaper for the same quality of sound, and some say they are prettier. But that's up to individual choice.
If you play guitar really well, then my advice would be buy a really good mandolin from the start.

[allenhopkins]

Cafe posts have suggested that a useful "rule of thumb" is that a mandolin is twice as expensive as a guitar for the same quality: i.e., a $500 mandolin is equivalent to a $250 guitar, in terms of design, materials, work-person-ship, etc.

Dunno if that's true, but in looking for a mandolin to learn on -- and maybe keep for a while, after learning, rather than immediately seeking to upgrade -- most of us recommend [A] all solid woods, no laminations; [2] carved, preferably hand-carved, construction (if you decide on a carved-top instrument, rather than a flat-top), not heat-pressed into shape; [iii] an "A-model," teardrop shape, no scroll or body points, because it's "more bang for your buck" acoustically.

The other extremely important variable is to get one that's properly set up. Mandolins have "floating" bridges, not glued on but held by string tension, so they can be mis-located. They also, in many cases, have height-adjustable bridges, and one should make sure the bridge feet are properly fitted to the top. More considerations than most acoustic guitars -- although I've seen quite a few of those that could use a better set-up.

You can find all-solid-woods, machine-carved A-model mandolins like the Rover RM-50 on sale for $300 or so. I'd have no qualms about getting something like that to learn on. General Cafe recommendations include the Kentucky KM-150, the Eastman "300" series mandolins, and the mid-range Loar mandolins as good initial instruments, ones that you may keep around after you've learned the basics, and not immediately discard for a $1K instrument.

Good luck and let us know what you choose.

[Mojo]

Dave,

Really depends on your budget and what’s important to you: Some people are perfectly happy with a budget (but good quality) starter like Eastman or Kentucky, while those used to playing good guitars may not be satisfied with the sound and/or playability of the lower priced mandolins. I went through several lesser mandolins and was never happy with the tone or playability of with any of them and found it highly discouraging, to the point where I thought maybe mandolin wasn’t for me. In a last ditch effort I ponied up for a used Collings MT and it was a revelation - all the tone and playability I was looking for and so, well worth the cost as I finally had an instrument that was inspiring to play and hear.

That said, the cost of good mandolins is really disproportionate to that of good guitars, as has already been mentioned, so if you’re used to playing a Martin, Taylor, Larrivee, or even higher end guitar, you may be in for some serious sticker shock if you want to look past the budget starter mandolins. Anyway, maybe let us know what price range you have in mind and you’ll get plenty of suggestions.

Welcome to the Cafe.

[Pier_]

Hi Dave here, I've been playing the guitar for years and was looking at getting started with the Mandolin. Anyone got any tips on what would be a great starter Mandolin?

Any advice is much appreciated!

Dave

hi Dave! I started a couple of weeks ago with a cheap Harley Benton F-Style (149€ here in Europe), and I fell in love with it.

I come from playing the bass guitar professionally, but I also play guitar and other stringed instruments, and I know how to set-up an instrument by myself, because the mentioned Harley Benton had some work to be done:

1) the nut was too high and the first frets were impossible to play

2) I had to lower the action and check the intonation

the truss rod was ok, and I had to oil the fretboard and the bridge that were too dry.

after I solved these minor issues, the instrument is nice to play and I'm falling in love with it, the frets are perfectly smooth and levelled, and it's so fun that I'm playing a lot every day.

consider that the hardest thing is to get used to the different intervals between the strings.

[EdHanrahan]

Most of us came from guitar, and it's easy to fall into common thinking like, "I need a wider neck". But that's not necessarily true, as there are distinct differences between guitar and mandolin. Some of those are:

1) Guitarists generally assign one finger to one fret (yes, lots of exceptions), with each finger reaching ACROSS the fretboard. But mandolin "grip" is closer to fiddle, angled, with each finger assigned to TWO frets, and the fingers mostly extending/retracting along the length of the fretboard.

2) With closer-spaced frets but wider-spaced tuning, mandolin chords are not much like guitar fingerings, so the "wider neck" belief sort of evaporates. PLUS, there are more possible mandolin chord fingerings (note selections) than on guitar, even if there are fewer notes available (4!) at any time.

3) The biggest difference to many, and rarely mentioned or advertised, is the shape/architecture of the neck. Wide, narrow, deep, shallow, round in back, V-shaped, flat fretboard, arched, etc. We wouldn't all wear the same size/shape glove, so somebody else's recommendation could be all wrong for you.

Trying them out is the only way to know (*). Even buying a cheapo, as Pier, above, and I have done, and then working your way thru it can be productive and educational. AND, expect your preferences to change & mature: what you like this year may not hold up in a year or two, and sonic differences that seem trivial now might be huge in five years. But ya never know until you try!

* - Giving your location, even if only general, in your Cafe signature tends to elicit recommendation for shops or luthiers close to you. NOT knowing where you are means that most folks would never mention a favorite shop that might be just around the corner.

A final comforting thought: Any pattern of notes that you learn on the fretboard can be moved to any other place on the fretboard; don't try THAT on guitar! And a magic word to look up several months form now: "FFcP".

[lordrevan]

Your budget and the genre you're looking to play would be helpful to know. ~$500 is the absolute minimum to buy a mandolin and not a "mandolin shaped object." The Eastman 300 series of mandolins is an excellent choice. Do not even THINK about buying a mandolin from Guitar Center / Musicians Friend / Sweetwater, etc. Those guys can barely tell the difference between a mandolin and ukulele and mandolins require their own very specific set ups, especially for a beginner. Stick with Mandolin Store / Elderly / Music Emporium / etc. Basically any sponsor of the Cafe is going to be a mandolin focused shop with people who know what to do.

If you're not looking to do HARD bluegrass all the time, I would recommend maybe getting a flattop? I have two wonderful archtop mandolins but often end up playing my flattops for most celtic, nordic, and classical music. Until Orville Gibson, all mandolins were flattops for something like 500 years. The Big Muddy Mandolins and the Northfield Calhoun offer A LOT. In terms of an inexpensive instrument that you will never outgrow and that will inspire you to play and improve I cannot recommend the Northfield Calhoun Flattop enough.

It is very difficult to find a mandolin player that doesn't also play guitar. So many millions have made the transition before you. It is a weird and wonderful world and quite difficult to escape once you get into it. After 20 years of playing guitar and about 15 years of playing mandolin I have recently made the decision to start referring to myself as a mandolin play first and a guitar player second. It's just the instrument that brings me more joy to play and pursue. Besides, everyone plays guitar.

[LadysSolo]

I came to mandolin from the guitar (since age 12, 44 years ago,) and started with a $200 used the Loar LM 220. I quickly decided the tone was not what I wanted (not bad, but certainly not really good) and within 3 months had upgraded to a Pava and a Weber (yes, I bought both as I couldn't decide which I liked batter.) I still have the Loar as a travel instrument because it's not that bad. But I would recommend starting with a better instrument if you can afford it.

[rcc56]

If you're a reasonably accomplished guitar player, I'd recommend a mid-grade import such as an Eastman 505. Currently $849 new, and perhaps $500 - $600 used.
I had an older one pass through my hands that I wish I had kept. After a minimal amount of set up work, it was good enough to gig with, and better than most Gibson A-50's that I've played.

Or if you're looking for a "folkier" sound, you can get an old Martin style A for $800 - $900. Good for duet and trio stuff, but not good for bluegrass or big groups.

Or, if you want to spend a little more, $1200 will buy one of the plainer old oval hole Gibson models. If you get serious, you may want to budget for a set of modern frets.

[David Lewis]

It’s not a little guitar. It’s a different instrument. When you realise that you’ll get better at both instruments.

[GMorgan]

I'm an old violinist who suddenly felt called to the mandolin. I went around town, including the Guitar Center, and simply played what they had hanging from their walls. All seemed fine, but I did not buy. I got online, learning as much as I could, and finally settled in on Fiddler's Green, which had a good reputation for good instruments and good setups. I thought I would spend about $500 there, focusing on an Eastman 315, but decided the next model up was the right mandolin for me, an F style, MD515. It was about twice as much, but worth it for me. I bought a slew of picks, had it properly setup and really got a lot from that instrument for nearly 5 years. I learned enough from daily playing of my Eastman that when I was ready for the next step, what I suspect has now become my life instrument, is an Ellis F5 Special. When I started, I had never heard of Ellis, or played one, but with years of learning the Eastman, I knew what I wanted and, in that time, had played a lot of different mandolins, including about a half dozen Ellis, and could easily pick the one that was just the right match for me.

As you've been told, if you can, avoid the cheaper instruments as a starter.. Keep asking around and put your hands on as many as possible. I hope you find it as rewarding as I have. Have fun!

[Jim Garber]

The most difficult part of getting into mandolins playing is finding ones to try out. You may let us know where you are geographically to let you know if there are any quality stores near you or within a reasonable driving distance that carry decent instruments.

Also, since you have been playing guitar for years, I agree with many of the other folks here who say you need a certain level of quality in a mandolin. I agree that an all-solid wood mandolin that is well-set-up is what you need. If you buy mail order many of the better quality dealers will in clued proper set-up in the price. You may be able to get a particular model cheaper on Amazon or big box music dealers but you will have to pay someone else to do a required set up.

[ArloG]

Be forewarned, Dave. After 50+ years of playing guitar, I bought a mandolin just for heck of it. That was seven years ago. I have become addicted. As others have said, set-up is extremely important. Knowing nothing about mandolins, I asked Dennis at The Mandolin Store for the mandolin equivalent of a Mexican Strat--something easy to play with reasonably good tone, at a reasonable price. He recommended an Eastman 505. It sounded great new and has continued to open up with many hours of playing. It came perfectly set up and still plays like a dream.

[JiminRussia]

Go for it! OK, full disclosure here. I am a recovering banjo player that found religion and converted to mandolin and then quit playing anything for 20 years. Two years ago I needed something to keep me sane during my self imposed “house arrest” due to COVID-19 (I am highly compromised due to a liver transplant in 2009). I am so pleased with my progress that I have bought a mandolin as well. I have only had it a few days, but my biggest surprise was that I can still feel the remnants of the muscle memory that I had developed 20 years ago. No,I can’ t play any of the tunes I used to pl@y, but I sense that it will come back to me fairly quickly. At least I hope so.

[lenf12]

I have only had it a few days, but my biggest surprise was that I can still feel the remnants of the muscle memory that I had developed 20 years ago. No,I can’ t play any of the tunes I used to pl@y, but I sense that it will come back to me fairly quickly. At least I hope so.

Yes, it will; and it's amazing how quickly 5ths tuning gets integrated into your DNA. Enjoy the trip!!!

Len, B.
Clearwater, FL

[JanKR]

I am currently transitioning to mandolin as a complement to my guitar playing. I am not a great guitar player but have nice guitars. I read comment after comment on here and was changing my mind daily. I interacted with the Mandolin Store, told them my style of music, the tone I had found that I liked from listening to videos, and what my expectations for the instrument were. They were so helpful and recommended three different Eastmans, as that was what I was looking for. I am now awaiting an Eastman MD 604 and can't wait. I live rural so quite the drive to try out instruments. But I knew to order from a store that would provide a setup thanks to those on this forum. Hope all works out well for you and you enjoy the instrument you decide on , as I hope for myself!

[ralph johansson]

A minor point, perhaps, but you may want to decide whether to use a pickguard or not. If you are a flatpicker you are probably used to brushing across the pickguard with loosely curled right hand. That technique readily carries over to an elevated pickguard on a mandolin. Modern pickguards are fairlly small and attach without a bracket. If you find you don't like one it can be removed leaving virtually no trace.

The standard technique on a mandolin without guard is to brush very lightly across the strings behind the bridge (check Mike Marshall's d'Addario video) with a more tightly curled fist. I've found it convenient to master both techniques in case I have to play on a borrowed instrument, but yet today, after 55 years, I still prefer using a pickguard.

Then, of course, there's the choice between an ovalhole and an f-hole mandolin. I may return to that matter.