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Thread: Budget Mandocello

  1. #1

    Default Budget Mandocello

    Looks like the choices are the Pango/Afanti or the Gold Tone. Eastman's are out with that huge nut width. If I buy a cheap old archtop and convert it, I'd still be stuck with the wide nut. Any other budget mandocellos I'm missing? 2K or less.
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  2. #2
    Registered User Dave Wrede's Avatar
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Doesn't cost too much to get the nut & saddle reworked.
    I have an Eastman and had the string pairing & spacing tightened a bit and now it's eminently playable.
    I think it cost me $50 & a trip to a music store in Helena.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    The Gold Tone is generally under 1K but has a pretty wide fret board.
    I got mine shop worn from Elderly and it turned out to be a good one.
    So I think they are decent for the price.

    Oh an watch the tuning buttons, they tend to crack and fall off, worth asking for a spare set or metal tuners.
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Also I thought I saw Morgan Monroe had a guitar body style Mandocello, it was in the 1K range, not sure how prevalent they are.
    Eastwood makes electric.
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  7. #5

    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Thanks. I don't think I will play it enough to warrant a high $ one. I have an octave and a mandola that don't get played nearly enough already. I've been thinking about doing some mando family quartet recordings again. Maybe the octave will go low enough.
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  8. #6

    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Montana Lutherie has sold 2 used (2003 & 2006 builds?) Weber Montana Build Flat Top Tamarack Mandocellos in past couple of months for $2K or less.

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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    I haven't done any traditional or classical quartets (mando, mando, dola, cello) but I have used it with octaves and dolas.
    my tendency is to simply double the dola part sometimes or chords only when mixing mandocello and other mando instruments.
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  12. #8
    My Florida is scooped pheffernan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by Don Grieser View Post
    Any other budget mandocellos I'm missing? 2K or less.
    The $2K mandocello market seems to leave you choosing between factory import archtops and domestic flattops. scatmanjack has already identified the Weber Tamarack as one possibility:

    https://www.woodsysmusic.com/product...f48f8b14&_ss=r

    I’ve also seen options slightly above budget from Cafe regular Joe Mendel and Y. Stair:

    https://reverb.com/item/7644166-mend...o-2017-natural

    https://reverb.com/item/59120974-y-s...-amber-shellac
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Is Wishnevsky still building? I know he used to make a funky looking but reasonably well regarded MC for $600, but I seem to recall that he lost his shop in a fire and a quick google search didn’t turn up much recent info, though I admittedly didn’t spend a lot of time on it…

    Caveat: I’ve never held or played one, and a $600 MC is likely to sound like a $600 MC…
    Chuck

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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    OP, a cheap mandocello will be cheap for two reasons: (a) the low C only goes "thump" instead of producing tone, (b) it has structural problems. If you do not care about tone of low C string, you might as well use an octave mandolin. If you only need something low-sounding for recording, look into octave-down effects. (Giggers and buskers use octave doubler pedals all the time these days).

    As example, I have a very nice Japanese made mandocello with a structural problem - no truss rod in the neck. to keep action playable, it has a dwarf bridge, about 3mm tall. compared to it's normal bridge, it lost 50% of the volume and the low C string now only does "thump". I got it for about $1000 and I regularly see them for sale at about $1000.

    Now I tell everybody - must have an adjustable truss rod and must have a floating bridge. (to avoid fun with funky intonation).

    With these two requirements, plus "low C must have good tone", cheapest price may float up above $2000 easily.

    If I were on the market for "cheap" mandocello, I would look at the Bruce Weber built mandocello first, Ovation mandocello second, commission custom f-hole guitar conversion third.

    If I were on the market for "good" mandocello, I would head to Lawrence Nyberg (local for me), or to Gibson vintage (with understanding that it will need major $$$ work sooner or later, inevitably).

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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    I have a very not cheap 1912 K4, but I do not want to risk taking it on a plane to CMSA Conventions. I was very pleased and surprised with an approximately $700 Thomann mandocello; I use it as my "travel MC." My cello section colleagues at the convention were equally surprised at the tone and playability. I did have around $150 work on it to adjust action and some frets, but still under 1K. And the low C is is respectable, although of course no comparison to the K4.
    In the next level up, one of my colleagues just got a Dammann 10 string mandocello (or liuto cantabile) and I think in the 2K range.
    I had a very bad experience with a cheap guitar conversion, but I imagine there are decent ones.
    I did not see these options in the posts so far.
    Last edited by Jim Imhoff; Dec-29-2022 at 10:05pm.
    Jim

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  18. #12
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    The correct name for "Y. Stair" is actually Yair Stern; website www.ystern.ca. Current price for one of his 'cellos is $2499 USD.

    I find his instruments to be attractive, and though I have never had one in my hands, I'm tempted to take a gamble and order an octave mandolin from him, perhaps this spring.

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  20. #13

    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Jim, I had no idea about those Thomann cellos. Thanks for the tip on those. It will take some time for me to come up with the $. Wish I still had my Santa Cruz mandocello. While it was more guitar like in tone, the C string was huge and the playability far exceeded the K-1s I had.
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    My Florida is scooped pheffernan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by Don Grieser View Post
    Jim, I had no idea about those Thomann cellos. Thanks for the tip on those. It will take some time for me to come up with the $. Wish I still had my Santa Cruz mandocello. While it was more guitar like in tone, the C string was huge and the playability far exceeded the K-1s I had.
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  22. #15

    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    If it was priced like the one I had 10 years ago, I'd buy it back in a heartbeat.
    2010 Heiden A5, 2020 Pomeroy oval A, 2013 Kentucky KM1000 F5, 2012 Girouard A Mandola w ff holes, 2001 Old Wave A oval octave
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  23. #16
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by Don Grieser View Post
    If it was priced like the one I had 10 years ago, I'd buy it back in a heartbeat.
    But then you’d have to give back the money that you made selling all of the other ones.
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  24. #17
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by Don Grieser View Post
    Jim, I had no idea about those Thomann cellos. Thanks for the tip on those. It will take some time for me to come up with the $. Wish I still had my Santa Cruz mandocello. While it was more guitar like in tone, the C string was huge and the playability far exceeded the K-1s I had.
    Thomann also used to sell the Suzuki MC-836 for around 850 Euro, but their site now says this is no longer available, I suspect because of CITES restrictions on the rosewood used in this model. You may still be able to get the Suzuki for around that money second hand, although I'm not sure they ever had a US distributor. I have their older MC-815 model, which has much the same specifications.

    I haven't played Thomann's own brand mandocelli -- they have three different models, all pretty similarly priced. Jim: which of these is yours? The two longer-scale models look like they may be by two different makers.

    Martin

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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Jonas View Post
    Suzuki MC-836, MC-815 model
    I have an MC-815, it has no truss rod, the neck bends with string tension, I say "do not buy". The MC-836 also does not seem to have a truss rod.

    The best I can tell, these instruments were intended for school orchestra use and were not expected to have long life time.

    Other than that, the MC-815 has amazing woodwork, as good as the best we see made in Japan, amazing tone and is a pleasure to hold in my hands. If I can find a local luthier, it will get a truss rod retrofit, no question.

    As for "not available", sadly it seems they are out of production in Japan, the international page only shows mandolin and mandola (https://suzukimusic-global.com/10hol...cts_cate_cd=31), ditto the japanese site (https://www.suzukiviolin.co.jp) and the 2020 product catalog (https://csj-concierge.com/suzukimusi...1e555f4a81.pdf). And here we were about to celebrate a mandocello revival...

  26. #19

    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Anyone have any experience with Paul Hathway instruments? He makes a flat top mandocello in my price range. The problem would be getting it from the UK to the US.

    https://www.paulhathway.com/mandocello-2/
    2010 Heiden A5, 2020 Pomeroy oval A, 2013 Kentucky KM1000 F5, 2012 Girouard A Mandola w ff holes, 2001 Old Wave A oval octave
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Jonas View Post
    I haven't played Thomann's own brand mandocelli -- they have three different models, all pretty similarly priced. Jim: which of these is yours? The two longer-scale models look like they may be by two different makers.
    Martin
    I can't find a model number on the instrument, Martin, and I bought it a few years ago while in the UK (mailed from Germany). It has ever so slightly larger frets (length and width, but maybe only a couple mms) than my K4 so a slightly longer neck. Rose round hole insert. It was listed as a "Thomann," so I assumed they made it, but again it was a few years ago so not certain.
    jim
    Jim

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  28. #21
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Imhoff View Post
    I can't find a model number on the instrument, Martin, and I bought it a few years ago while in the UK (mailed from Germany). It has ever so slightly larger frets (length and width, but maybe only a couple mms) than my K4 so a slightly longer neck. Rose round hole insert. It was listed as a "Thomann," so I assumed they made it, but again it was a few years ago so not certain.
    Thanks, Jim. I don't think Thomann make any instruments themselves -- they are a large distributor and their own-brand instruments are rebadged from generic suppliers (although they may well be exclusively made for Thomann). They have two mandocellos in proper (CGDA) tuning, both with 650mm (25.6") scale and both fairly similarly priced. The headstock looks much the same on both, so they may be by the same maker after all. @mandocello8 will be pleased that they have truss rod covers on the headstock.

    The slightly cheaper one is the Standard C Model which sells at 549 Euros and has a round soundhole. Solid spruce top, sapele back and sides (not solid, presumably). This one says "Made in Europe" on the listing.

    The slightly more expensive one is the Artist C WMN model which sells at 619 Euros and has a laser-cut rosette soundhole. Solid spruce top, walnut back and sides (again, presumably not solid). No mention of country of manufacture.

    A mandocello with the same headstock and very similar specifications (although with a different rosette design) is listed by an Italian seller on Reverb for about the same price, with a label saying made in Portugal by APC (Antonio Pinto Carvalho), so I strongly suspect both Thomann mandocello models are also made by APC, for Thomann.

    Martin

  29. #22
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Thanks Martin, I should have gone back and checked their site before responding.
    My Thomann has the rosette soundhole, slightly different from the one pictured. I have heard good things about affordable Portugese mandolins; Laura Norris uses them in her Mando for Kids, an el Sistema-type program where the instruments are provided for children who learn beginning to advanced (as they grow) classical music.
    Since I play my K4 for both fun and orchestra, I will let my Thomann rest until it's travel time. Also trying to learn beginner Calace pieces on my new 10 string/5 course cittern/liuto from Jo Dusepo, another surprising quality at a modest price.
    The cool thing is that people are talking about different makers, price ranges, and qualities of mandocello; a far cry from "What kind of guitar is THAT??" I used to hear. I am slightly annoyed when I see questions about the MC and people reply with "Nahh--too hard, get an octave." Long live the low C.
    Jim

    Dr James S Imhoff
    Boston University
    Oregon Mandolin Orchestra

    1912 Gibson K4 Mandocello; Thomann Mandocello; Stiver F5; American? Bowlback; Martin 00016; Dusepo Cittern/liuto cantabile

  30. #23
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Speaking of 10-string cittern/liuto type instruments, I have been thinking about getting the Ashbury Style E cittern -- that's a Hobgoblin house brand instrument, designed by Phil Davidson and made in Asia. Even better, for Don or other interested US cafe members, Hobgoblin have a US website and shop, selling them for $799, well within Don's budget:

    https://www.hobgoblin-usa.com/local/...ern-10-string/

    I've seen these at the Hobgoblin stall at a music festival and it looked very nicely made and large/sturdy enough to take CGDAE tuning, although I think they sell it set up in open G tuning. I should have bought it then, as it is about 200 Pounds more expensive now.

    Martin

    Edit: Looking at the specifications, I now wonder whether this is the same instrument I saw -- this looks more like a bouzouki body whereas the one I saw had a significantly larger body than their zouks, making a low C plausible. Also, only 22.5" scale, which is short for a mandocello. Need to see in person.
    Last edited by Martin Jonas; Jan-03-2023 at 12:09pm.

  31. #24

    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    Tell you what Martin, I'll pop my 58cm 10 string in the car next week and you'll be able to hear why the shorter scale isn't ideal. I use custom wound heavy core Headways on the low C and it's still a bit of a "thunk" sound.

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  33. #25

    Default Re: Budget Mandocello

    That's Newtone strings.

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