Mandolin top collapsed

[akkida]

i have a Dean f-style mandolin. I am not a mandolin maker or repairer but thought I would ask for advice. The top has collapsed. No cracks or anything, just gone flat as opposed to slightly rounded and now , different frets buzz. I have raised the bridge but still the A string buzzes on the 5th fret and the E string snapped because of the high tension. it looks like the top was quite weak, ie can't withstand too much tension. i have seen this problem with this mandolin in reviews for it ( after i bought it) and in a forum. Is there any hope for it? can it be fixed relatively cheaply does anyone know? I have only had it for just over a year. I bought it in canada but i live in wales so can't return it... thanks in advance

[billhay4]

You really owe it to yourself and the builder to communicate with him over this issue. A respectable builder would make this right if it's his fault.
Could be an involved repair best done by the original builder.
Bill

[akkida]

i bought it from a music shop in Montreal. do you mean get in touch with the Dean mandolin company?

[allenhopkins]

Dean mandolins are imported Pac-rim plywood instruments, at the low end of the price scale ($199-399). You can contact the Dean Guitars web-site (if you can sit through the heavy metal soundtrack), and see if you can find an address to send the instrument for repair, or a list of authorized repair facilities (how many will be in Wales?).

Or, you may have to write it off to the unreliable quality variability of low-end instruments. Check other threads on this site; there are lengthy discussions aimed at finding the best inexpensive instruments. Many good things are said about Fullerton mandolins, for example (check this thread).

Restoring a collapsed top, as stated above, is a time-consuming and expensive procedure, if it can be done at all to a laminated, pressed top. If the manufacturer won't repair it for your shipping costs only, I think you'll find that restoration would cost more that the mandolin is worth.

Later: I realized that you might have an instrument from one of the "Deans" who are independent mandolin builders. My opinion above surely doesn't apply to them, as I'm sure, if you contact the one who built the instrument, he'll stand behind his work. I was assuming you had one of the mass-produced Pac-rim instruments. Please accept my apology if I jumped to the wrong conclusion.

[Bill Snyder]

I assumed he meant the Dean that is a line of reativley inexpensive mandolins not unlike Johnson. However there is a custom builder named Dean.
Which is it?

I see I was posting at the same time as the above.

[sunburst]

Am I correct in my recollection that the "Dean" is a "bargain brand" pacrim instrument? We're not talking a quality hand build like Brian or Neal Dean, right? (Those guy's would surely stand behind the product.)

If it is, in fact, a pacrim, there's a good chance it's a "throw away" instrument when something like that happens. If the manufacturer will stand behind it, they'll probably replace it rather than repair it because a proper repair (new top) would cost too much compared to a replacement. It might even cost more to fix than to replace.
If the manufacturer isn't willing to work with you to fix the situation, you're probably looking at buying a replacement instrument or supplying a project for an aspiring luthier, because a pro repair is probably too expensive for the value of the mandolin.

EDIT

So, how many people can post at the same time?

[otterly2k]

There are two custom builders named Dean... Brian Dean (who is in Montreal) and Neil Dean (not sure where)... I have no doubt that either of these two Deans would make this mando right if it is one of theirs. However, my guess is that this is a factory-made mando with the brand name Dean-- in which case, try the store you bought it from and/or the company which made (imported) it.

[sunburst]

Four...going once...do I hear five??

[akkida]

No it isn't a high end mandolin i don't think. paid 600 CDN for it so assumed it would last. it is dean brand not one of the other deans. Very good sound and action though and disappointed to probably have to write it off. i'll try and get in touch with the company. Thanks for all your replies, I will check out the fullerton also.

[akkida]

speaking of brian dean, i met him in montreal at an irish music session just after i bought my (other) dean mandolin. he showed me one of his mandolins, it was VERY nice! coincidence?

[jim simpson]

If it ends up not being worth repairing, don't toss it. They can be fun as projects to re-top. I'm going to be starting my 2nd re-top project as I now have all of the needed components.

[Rick Turner]

This is exactly why on some other forums I rant about it being poor economics to buy instruments that are not worth repairing. Once they go bad, all the dough you put in is gone. So you buy another one...and in a few years your "investment" in that one is gone as well. Ad infinitum. On the other hand, if you buy something decent and worth repairing, you'll get years of use out of it, and when you pass it on to your kids, it will probably be worth more than you paid for it and it's upkeep...and you'll have gotten years of music out of it.

[Paul Hostetter]

If you bought this thing new, send it back and exchange it for a new one. A replacement will cost much more than the post both ways to get a replacement, or the post one way to get a refund. Maybe the glue that holds the braces that keep the shape of the top will hold on another. Then again, maybe it'll #### out too, so maybe it's better to make the best of this mess and simply get a better one. I'd contact the shop you bought it from before you do anything. They sold you this dud, and they may propose something that will help set things right.

[billhay4]

Neil Dean is in Vermont. Brian Dean is in Montreal.
For 600 CDN, this is probably a Pac Rim, but it could be another builder's flat top, or a used instrument from someone else.
Given this was bought in a retail shop, I'd deal with them first as suggested. They should at least be able to identify the manufacturer and point you in the right direction if not actually replace the instrument itself.
Bill

[allenhopkins]

Don't forget Mr. Akkida is dealing across the Atlantic, from Wales in the UK to Montreal in Canada -- not easy to communicate or make arrangements.

[Paul Hostetter]

With phone calls at 3 cents a minute and email (and Skype) virtually free, the communication is the easy part.