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Thread: Saving for an octave

  1. #1

    Default Saving for an octave

    I went back to community college for music. I am part time because I have a full time unrelated career, and multiple kids in multiple life stages. So I'm YEARS from graduating.

    I started myself a change jug. I have half a gallon of cider's worth of coins since Sept. I think by the time I graduate, if I add it to the money my elderly relatives gift me for Xmas and my birthday (they're sweet - I'm a way grown *** adult almost 50 and they still give me presents like I'm a kid) I can either get myself a new flute or an octave mandolin.

    You know when they hand you a magazine and ask you how you want your hair cut and you think you see a good one, but it's just a super hot model and when they're done cutting you look about the same as before? yeah - well same psychology - thanks to Sarah Jarosz I have it in my head I want a guitar-body octave mandolin.

    So on a humble budget - is it worth saving for a guitar body octave or will I get more bang for my buck by considering the models that look more like bouzoukis?

    Unrelated to either of those - opinions on the Eastman octave?

    And for no reason other than I love her and could listen to her all day:

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Having gone through four OMs in 6 months: you're on the right track with a GBOM. If that's the sound you want, nothing else will get it for you.

    But, you won't really know if you enjoy playing the instrument at all until you try! Picking up an Eastman, Trinity College, Gold Tone, etc. on the used market will get you a test drive on an OM at minimal cost. None of them will sound "right" but that's OK.

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  4. #3

    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    I have a similar scale, intro-quality, tenor guitar that I enjoy.
    When I look for bargains I find things like this - and to be honest - I don't even know if this is wrong - but I was a physics major the first time through, and my uninformed gut is telling me you can't slap a clunky bluegrass banjo bridge on a flattop wooden soundboard.
    Am I just being paranoid?
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  5. #4

    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    A follow up question is this... I have never played an electric instrument but I like the sound of electric 8-string hollow body octave mandolins (and to a lesser extent mandolas).

    Right in line with Melt_in_the_Sun's sage advice to try before I buy, I would definitely want to at least play around with the electric guitars and basses my husband and kids play to see how I really feel about it before adding an electric to my consideration list - but are electrics a cost-conscious way to dip my toes in the octave-scale pool? With no personal experience with electric instruments other than "Hey that was cool how did you do that?" whenever I hear my husband or kids do something neat - I can't figure out from dealer/manufacturer demo videos what is due to the instrument itself, and what has to do with other price-tag-building considerations.

  6. #5

    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    I picked up a Pono GBOM here on the classifieds and liked it so much that GBOMAS kicked in and I picked up a converted Eastman guitar-turned-to-octave for even less, also on the classifieds here. The octaves get 80% of my playing time now.

  7. #6
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    To get a good quality, solid wood (not laminated) carved arched top/back guitar bodied octave is going to cost some bucks.
    A good quality, solid wood (not laminated) flat top guitar bodied octave can be considerably less expensive. The sound is different, but hey, you might like it!

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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    I remember playing a Northfield GBOM (cutaway) at Grey Fox and being very impressed but they are generally 4-5K

    not sure of Eastman pricing but its probably a little lower than Northfield.

    I recall two booths, one had the Northfield, one had the Eastman GBOM, the Eastman was nice - had good volume, but I liked the tone and "playability" of the Northfield better.

    I friend of mine recently got an Eastman Octave MD0305 and its not a guitar body but it was I think just under $900. I was able to get to play it recently and I really liked it, so if you just want to test the waters, its not a bad option.

    Clark, Weber, there are many smaller high end builders out there but you generally are in 5K + range there.
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  9. #8

    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Heady, if you can in any way visit Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, CA I would strongly advise. I was there last fall and played Eastman, Northfield and KR Strings (Mandolindo/Octalindo) models. From that I zeroed in on the one I felt the best about, a KR Strings F-model Octalindo Artist It has a EI Rosewood back and sides and spruce f-hole flat top. As mentioned, these "guitar bodied" OMs are not inexpensive ($3.5k for mine, and over $5k for the f-hole carved top Northfileds). I thought that the Northfields were more guitar sounding than the Octalindos. YMMV.

  10. #9
    Registered User Marcus CA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Quote Originally Posted by Heady View Post
    So on a humble budget - is it worth saving for a guitar body octave or will I get more bang for my buck by considering the models that look more like bouzoukis?

    Unrelated to either of those - opinions on the Eastman octave?
    If you are saving up gradually, with occasional high-octane bursts from celebratory gifts, I'd recommend going with the Eastman, because ...

    * whenever I've gotten a first instrument, I generally go low-price, in case it's not as much fun as --- or way more difficult than --- I thought it would be.

    * in general, Eastmans OM's are better than those from the other PacRim companies. Right now, the Mandolin Store has one for $920, which is probably as cheap as you're going to find one these days.

    * as others have mentioned, those GBOM's are generally at least $2,500, so it will take you about 3X as long to save up for one as the Eastman. If you buy an Eastman OM and fall in love with it, then you can start saving for an upgrade.

    * The last I heard, Sarah Jarosz was playing a Fletcher Brock GBOM, which would run way more than any other instrument that people have mentioned on your thread.

    * The GBOM's have a significantly different sound than the A-model, bouzouki-looking OM's. You play them the same, but they have a totally different tone. It's totally a matter of personal taste which one you'll like better.

    * Since you're "almost 50," you have plenty of time to think in terms of upgrading.
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  11. #10

    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    It's not so much the guitar body that adds the cost, it's more the carved vs flat top. You may need to look a bit more but if you want a guitar body then go for it!

    I found a guitar to octave conversion. I can't vouch for it personally but it's in your price range and worth some research. I had a guitar bodied octave and I played a few Eastman octaves. In my opinion it's a very different sound.

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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    I bought a cheap, cheesy octave made out of really soft, cheap (sub $100) woods and no set up. It was all I needed to convert me.
    Now, I have it (modded) and a custom 4 string electric LP and wouldn't let either go.
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    I’ve got an Eastman MDO305 OM and it works well for me. The scale is 21”, slightly shorter than some others. It’s got a sound described by some as nasal. I think of the sound as being a mandolin family analogue to a parlor-size guitar; not great for everything but a standout when you match it to the music and venue. I haven’t yet seen/tried the new MDO605 but I’ll expect the feel to match the MDO305 with a more refined sound and extra bling.
    A couple years in, now, and still learning!
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    my "starter" OM was a harmony tenor guitar (wish I kept it). you can try same. the recording king tenor guitar is very nice at an unbeatable price. you will like the 4422, 5533, etc style "5" chords impossible on double-strung mandolins and octaves.

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  17. #14

    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Thanks - lots of good ideas here.

    And Marcus... "Sarah Jarosz was playing... run way more than any other instrument" It's celebrity haircut syndrome like crazy - I'm in heaven listening to her - she and I could trade instruments - not even the one I normally play but my starter mando (the ubiquitous $60 Rogue for people with poor impulse control who think they want to play the mandolin, but also think they don't want to be divorced) - and you would still be able, blindfolded, to tell who was who lol. It's not thousands of $$s standing between us as much as thousands of hours of practice. I don't have the thousands of dollars either - just saying, that's not the real limiting factor.

  18. #15

    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Let's be honest, playability has a lot to do with how one approaches an instrument. The resulting sound that is emitted from an instrument will also encourage the player to pick it up more and more. There is nothing worse than struggling with an instrument, especially when you learning to play. That's why, sometimes a teacher will advise the student (and said student's parents) to purchase a better instrument at some point. I have a friend who went on to become a touring musician (going on thirty years) whose teacher at NEC told her flat out that if she did not return for the new school year (she was a freshman at the time) with a better instrument that she would no longer be her instructor. Cruel? Yes, in a way, but it motivated her to busk most of the summer out on the West Coast to generate and save enough money to buy a professional level instrument.

    So, at a certain point, the quality of the instrument does matter.
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  20. #16
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    If you're looking for something akin to Sarah's tone, I think you need to save for an archtop GBOM. I have a flattop Northfield GBOM with a spruce top & walnut back/sides & a Pono GBOM with a spruce top & rosewood back/sides and enjoy them both but they don't sound like an archtop. The Eastman, though a great OM for the price, doesn't sound anything like a GBOM in my experience. I had one as my first OM & it enjoyed it though pined for a larger body with more low end. Personally, I think flattops sound more guitarish & archtops sound more celloish. I'm hoping to get an archtop at some point but I also want a cutaway which is even more expensive so it'll be a bit. Though Northfield is the most common archtop GBOM, you do occassionaly see other smaller builders' archtop GBOMs at similar prices like the Arrow currently at the Music Emporium.
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  22. #17
    My Florida is scooped pheffernan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Quote Originally Posted by urobouros View Post
    Though Northfield is the most common archtop GBOM, you do occassionaly see other smaller builders' archtop GBOMs at similar prices like the Arrow currently at the Music Emporium.
    With a 24.9” scale and 16” lower bout, I’d be tempted to call that one a K5 and string it as a mandocello.
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Quote Originally Posted by pheffernan View Post
    With a 24.9” scale and 16” lower bout, I’d be tempted to call that one a K5 and string it as a mandocello.
    Agreed! I much prefer 20"-22" for an OM.
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    Registered User Carl Robin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    My guitar body octave mandolin became my favorite right away because of the deeper tone, and that it's more comfortable to hold. I started with an A-style Trinity bouzouki as an experiment, and transferred seamlessly from mandolin. I was happy with it for a number of years. Both instruments were marketed as Irish bouzoukis, but always used by me as octave mandolins. My philosophy is that the music, and developing as a musician, matters far more than owning a delicate and pricey instrument. Having said that, it is crucial that the instrument is without defects, has new strings, and is set up properly. Good luck, whatever you decide to purchase.

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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    I went to Carter's a while back and they had between a 1/2 dozen and a dozen octave mandolins to check out. It wasn't till I crossed the $7-8k price barrier that I heard something I really liked. Needless to say, I left Carter's without an octave mandolin that day. Way back I bought a Gold Tone flat top octave mandolin that lasted less than 5 minutes before I put it back on the market. Then I spent $2k+ on an "F5" shaped, Chinese made octave mandolin that, by appearance, should have delivered the goods...but no dice. I have about given up. As a professional musician, I cannot justify $7000 for an instrument with which I will derive maybe 5-10% of my income. I nearly had myself talked into a Clark octave mandolin...then I came to my senses...
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    My Eastman MDO305 is a far better instrument than the TC and GT versions I have played. It does not have the refined tone of a higher end instrument but it does everything it needs to do. I would recommend keeping an eye out for a used one in the classifieds. If you love it, save up for a better one. If you hate it, relist it. Either way you will get back what you paid for it. And they're fun to play- good luck!
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    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Above all you get yourself one way or the other to a store that has a few OMs or if you have friends who have then to try. I know at least a few seasoned mandolin players who get excited about the sound of an OM but then realize how it is a very different instrument from the mandolin in terms of fingering and use in an ensemble situation. They are wonderful but that is my caveat.

    BTW the Eastman MDO305 has a solid carved topped with laminated back and sides but would be a good choice for a starter to see if this is a good idea. Don’t get me wrong I love my Trillium but rarely play it. And there are some folks who play mostly OM.
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  29. #23
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    BTW the Eastman MDO305 has a solid carved topped with laminated back and sides but would be a good choice for a starter to see if this is a good idea. Don’t get me wrong I love my Trillium but rarely play it. And there are some folks who play mostly OM.
    I was mistaken. I thought the Eastman MDO305 had laminated B&S but their site says solid maple. I thought they came out with the 605 OM for all solid woods. Or is it possible that the older 305s have laminated?
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  30. #24

    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    Jim, I don't believe that any of the Eastman mandolins have laminated sides, backs, or tops. I think what sets the models apart is the aesthetics and the hardware.
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  31. #25
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Saving for an octave

    I realized I must have confused these with another brand and posted above. BION the only Eastman instrument I have ever played was a mandocello.
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