Where to buy a good quality mandolin in the UK

[Mandolin Cafe]

I suspect that the UK list is somewhat inaccurate/out of date and needs to be read with caution. To take three examples; Crafter - a UK “builder”, really? Gremlin - didn’t they go out of business over a decade ago? The link takes hou to the US version of Hobgoblin - NK Forster - great instruments but he moved to a Australia several years ago. There are probably others.

You left the other 70 builders out. Did you mean to do that before pronouncing this all unfit for use?

Crafter has a web site and says they are a UK based company. What should we take from that? We've always listed the business owner from the country, not where they're made. Have no idea where they're made, doubt in UK. The question is about buying an instrument in the UK. Is their web site up to date or out of date? Impossible to tell.

https://www.crafterguitars.uk.com/gu...ndolin-series/

Welcome to the official home of Crafter Guitars in the UK.

Here you will find all the latest news and product releases by Crafter Guitars plus dealer information and support for your guitar.
You can also join the Crafter Community by following us on Facebook and Twitter where Crafter players from the UK and around the world share photos and videos with their Crafter guitars.

So make yourself at home and discover a Crafter today.

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Saying an entire resource is invalid and inaccurate when you're not even sure yourself... smacks as a cheap shot. There may well be errors in that. I've never maintained it's entirely accurate because it's virtually impossible. People leave the business for years and leave websites in place. About all we can guarantee is that there's a web site at the end of the link, and sometimes more than one of those change daily out of the 600+. Sometimes people move and we don't find out. When we do, we make the appropriate edit.

[Dagger Gordon]

I don't think anyone would regret going to Hobgoblins in London. You can obviously check out what they have in various stores online, but its like walking in to a magic den of instruments. I remember a wall of mandolins, but am not qualified to say if you'd find what you want. You might buy something else, though....

Indeed. It's a few years since I was in the London shop, but I remember at least one member of staff being knowledgeable about mandolins and doing something with a Paul Hathway 10 stringer when I came in. Hathway - a London builder (note, not Hathaway) sells a lot of his stuff in their London shop and I would say is worth considering.

I think the Canterbury Hobgoblin shop might be the biggest. Was in there once and nearly came out with an oud!
You will enjoy this video of Tim Edey trying out an Ashbury octave mandolin in Hobgoblin in Canterbury.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn6IuIAkirY

[Ray(T)]

You left the other 70 builders out. Did you mean to do that before pronouncing this all unfit for use?

Crafter has a web site and says they are a UK based company. What should we take from that? We've always listed the business owner from the country, not where they're made. Have no idea where they're made, doubt in UK. The question is about buying an instrument in the UK. Is their web site up to date or out of date? Impossible to tell.

https://www.crafterguitars.uk.com/gu...ndolin-series/

Welcome to the official home of Crafter Guitars in the UK.

Here you will find all the latest news and product releases by Crafter Guitars plus dealer information and support for your guitar.
You can also join the Crafter Community by following us on Facebook and Twitter where Crafter players from the UK and around the world share photos and videos with their Crafter guitars.

So make yourself at home and discover a Crafter today.

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Saying an entire resource is invalid and inaccurate when you're not even sure yourself... smacks as a cheap shot. There may well be errors in that. I've never maintained it's entirely accurate because it's virtually impossible. People leave the business for years and leave websites in place. About all we can guarantee is that there's a web site at the end of the link, and sometimes more than one of those change daily out of the 600+. Sometimes people move and we don't find out. When we do, we make the appropriate edit.

No, I’m not denouncing the list, simply saying that if someone is looking specifically for a UK based builder; Dagger says specifically “There are some good instrument makers in the UK.”, not every entry on the list is one of them.

I simply quoted examples from the list which immediately struck me as either being non-UK or no longer in business. (According to their website, Crafter are based in Yang-ju, South Korea.)

Sorry if I’ve caused any confusion.

[Simon DS]

I know what you mean, Ray, I lived around Northampton in the late 1970’s.
Hard times again it seems.

[Paul Cowham]

We all miss TAMCO in the Uk (hi Trevor!).

A quick search on the two local (to me) music shops that have stocked some interesting mandolins in the past, shows that brands like Kentucky and Eastman are easily available, but it sounds like you are after something a level above - not to knock the quality of those two brands.


I guess it also depends on what sort of mando you want. Mike Vanden is a very highly regarded Scottish builder for top quality carved top mando's as played by Simon Mayer.

A local builder to me who isn't on this great website's database, makes gibson oval hole style instruments and flat top mandos (he used to work for oakwood)
https://davidlim-uilleannpipes.com/lutherie/

Maybe second hand is the best way to go. Good luck!

[danjec]

I’ve started idling towards a second mandolin, and there does seem to be a real dearth of choice in the UK.

I’ve spent a couple of hours playing what was available in the Brighton Hobgoblin, and my hope to pick up something ‘cheap’ just hasn’t really worked out. I blame picking up an Old Wave from Trevor’s final sale…! When I played against the mandolins available, there was no comparison in sound.

Weirdly, seems there are no Hathways to be had in Hobgoblin at the moment (stock appears zeroed across the board). I’ve eyed Cas Davey’s mandos for a while, but on Instagram seems his book is looking at 2024 builds. And I really should close that Fylde Touchstone tab on my browser…

There is a beautiful oval holed Old Wave on Reverb which Bob should buy so I stop looking at it…! 😂

Good luck in your hunt, Bob W.

Missing TAMCO! Hope you’re doing ok, Trevor?

[Iain Allen]

Have you tried Eagle Music up around Huddersfield?
They sometimes have good used instruments for sale.

https://www.eaglemusicshop.com/used-mandolin-family

[hubrad]

I've just bought that very mandolin.. after a day of trade wine tasting!
Needed 11s rather than 10s, plus some setup tweaks and a fret dress, but it was already singing to me, and having now taken it to a bluegrass session I'm even more enamoured with it.
The folks at the shop in Manchester said it came in a job lot from someone's estate. Being High Peak, don't suppose you'd know any more, Ray(T)? It's obviously been well played but also well looked after in its 26+ years.

[Johnny60]

Hubrad - looking forward to seeing it soon! Enjoy!

[Ray(T)]

I've just bought that very mandolin.. after a day of trade wine tasting!
Needed 11s rather than 10s, plus some setup tweaks and a fret dress, but it was already singing to me, and having now taken it to a bluegrass session I'm even more enamoured with it.
The folks at the shop in Manchester said it came in a job lot from someone's estate. Being High Peak, don't suppose you'd know any more, Ray(T)? It's obviously been well played but also well looked after in its 26+ years.

Are you talking about the F4 (?) oval hole which was at Eagle Music? If so, I’ve no idea, not seen it, there are several large and currently snow covered hills between me and them; and don’t tell the folks there that you think their shop is in Manchester - it’s actually in Yorkshire! Dave Hanson might know something, he’s not that far away from there.

[hubrad]

Are you talking about the F4 (?) oval hole which was at Eagle Music? If so, I’ve no idea, not seen it, there are several large and currently snow covered hills between me and them; and don’t tell the folks there that you think their shop is in Manchester - it’s actually in Yorkshire! Dave Hanson might know something, he’s not that far away from there.

No, I know where Huddersfield is, having grown up in Holmfirth.
The A5 that was, until recently, in Johnny Roadhouse in Manchester.
There can't have been 'that' many seasoned players that died around Manchester in the last few years, even allowing for the obvious pandemic. I'd love to find any history on it, plus if it had been me then quite possibly my family would like to know it'd gone to a very appreciative home.

[Ray(T)]

Sorry, never spotted that one - not been into Manchester, except to get a bike recall sorted, since before the plague.

I’ve not had much to do with the Manchester scene for getting on for forty years. You might ask Cafe member Paul Cowham.

[Vegafan]

No, I know where Huddersfield is, having grown up in Holmfirth.
The A5 that was, until recently, in Johnny Roadhouse in Manchester.
There can't have been 'that' many seasoned players that died around Manchester in the last few years, even allowing for the obvious pandemic. I'd love to find any history on it, plus if it had been me then quite possibly my family would like to know it'd gone to a very appreciative home.

hubrad, you might be interested in the recent exchange between me and JohnW over here in the Vega Cylinderback discussion

https://mandolincafe.com/forum/threa...-numbers/page2

Clearly our two Vega Cylinderbacks were part of the same group of mandolins at Johnny Roadhouse Music in Manchester.

If you do find out anything about the previous owner, I'd be very interested to know a small part of my mandolin's history

[jimmy powells]

I think the Lebedas probably both originally came from bluegrasser Arthur Robinson who died a few years ago. Arthur used to travel to Czek and bring in Lebeda, Krustifek, Holoubek etc. I know one of the A5s had 'King Arthur' or some similar inlay on headstock.

Johnny Roadhouse (Hobgoblin I believe) had them for a good while.

[ukmando]

If anyone is still on the lookout, I have an Eastman MD805/v that I'm going to be advertising for sale on the cafe soon. located in Norfolk, Uk
cheers

[Dave Hanson]

Eagle Music is a great shop, a few miles out of Huddersfield heading towards Holmfirth if I remember rightly, all the staff [ well last time I visited ] were all musicians and well qualifed to work in a musical instrument shop.

Dave H

[rumpystumpy]

I went to see a 2003 shippey 10 string recently, £1600 with lovely case and Baggs pickup. Great instrument and probably worth the money to somebody, just not me. I'd forward you the details but the listing has gone.

Gumtree is generally worth a look but you've got to do it constantly with very slim chance that something decent comes up once a month or so. Theres more listings on FB marketplace but its more of a pain to filter out the irrelevant listings like something listed in John O'Groats 6 months ago.

As others mentioned Hathway and Fylde are findable but there more top end of intermediate IMO rather than Pro. Eastmans are much more available over here now and I wouldn't discount them. I have a complex relationship with Ashbury - I owe them a huge amount for the great instruments they do in the sub £500 range, and if it weren't for Hobgoblin I'd never have discovered this world. However I find their more aspirational ranges just that, aspirational (I own an Iona octave Mando).

I spoke to Paul Shippey, he has a 3 year waiting list. I drooled over some Sobells, they were so precious I'd have to keep them in a glass vacum
In the end I decided that a upper midrange instrument and a lot of dedication would serve my sound best.

[Simon DS]

Just visited Hobgoblins, 24 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1JA. Looking for my mandolin.
Here’s one little beauty I played there. They also had a lovely 3 course baglama (6 string), great tone, in the photo.
Both made by Paul Hathway. Nice!