I Need Your Help with Research for a Novel

[mrkrgr]

I bought my first decent mandolin in 1983 it was a Ibanez 517. I still have it and play it. It was purchased in Kailua, HI the bluegrass capitol of the islands.

[Jill McAuley]

Hows about having her play a Flatiron pancake?

Cheers,
Jill

[Capt. E]

Perhaps a Strad-O-Lin because she saw one played by Paul Prespotino of "Peter Paul and Mary".

[Jill McAuley]

Ooh, yeah, that's a good one too - a trusty Strad-o-lin that she found in the pawnshop!

Cheers
Jill

[mandozilla]

Carolyn
"Alvarez" mandolins, mostly F- style copies, were a pretty common sight in the late 1970's early 1980's in SoCal Bluegrass circles...Japanese made. But I gotta tell you that in my neck of the woods back then, mandolins hadn't become real popular...yet...everybody and his dog was taking up the b**jo back then. The variety of mandolins, foreign and domestically built, at that time was relatively small, As someone mentioned used Gibson 'A' models were fairly common and relatively inexpensive and as, or more, popular the the foreign built copies available at the time.

Best of luck with your novel Carolyn...I look forward to reading it.

[victor seal]

My first was a Flatiron flat back and top. I bought it at the Music Mart in either Marrietta or Smyrna, Georgia. That was in 83 and they were new to the market.

[300win]

Why not have her given a good F-5 copy by some banjer picker that really liked her alot, lots of them back then. And then you could have her getting real good on it really fast and him wanting it back because she took a liking to the young guitar player in another band that they both knew, and her refusing to give it back because it's a pretty dang good mandolin, and she can play "Rawhide" faster then the banjer picker can and he of course is jealous of that fact and..........., oops, sorry got carried away there on the story line. Whenever you get the book finished let us know, I'm sure it'll be a goodun'.

[fatt-dad]

In the early '70s, I had a Kay mandolin given to me (still have it).
In the mid '80s, I bought a 1920 Gibson A3 for $75.00.
In the mid '80s, I also bought an Aria Pro II F-style knockoff for $175.00.
I was a beginner throughout this phase of my life.

Just for some perspective. That said, I'd give your character a Flatiron Army-Navy knockoff, from the newly formed "Backporch Productions" mandolin company in Bozeman, Montana. The story line for a teens or twenties Gibson would have to involve a pawn shop, garage sale or some other such fortune.

f-d

[Jim MacDaniel]

Hows about having her play a Flatiron pancake?

Cheers,
Jill

...That said, I'd give your character a Flatiron Army-Navy knockoff, from the newly formed "Backporch Productions" mandolin company in Bozeman, Montana...

Good ones Jill and Fatt-Dad.

[Dennis Ladd]

I got my Kentucky km-1000 in the early 80s so they were around. Plus "Kentucky" has a good ring to it for a novel.

[Billsdubious]

As noted, there were lots of GOOD, solid & carved-top F-5 copies in circulation c 1980. Most common brand name I think was Ibanez; they were made in Japan and sold for about $200 Canadian. Mine was a Univox (highly unattractive name but a good instrument); that was my first mando and I wish I still had it. If your protagonist is the smart type, she would have one of those...but if she is a naive or slightly dim romantic, she would be trying to hang onto some untuneable bowlback with a lot of floral decor, a pretty pieced-together back, and a twisted neck...oh I had a couple of those too.

Bill

[Jim MacDaniel]

Another idea -- if your heroine travels, her mandolin could be a used one she picked up on the cheap in a little neighborhood shop on a sidestreet she happened upon during a trip to Italy, for example.

[Billsdubious]

And as you can see, the concept of "beginner mandolin" didn't really apply 30 years ago--you could start out on a really decent instrument with very little financial pain. I sold mine around 1990 to a well-known Canadian folk musician and he subsequently recorded and toured with it. Still kicking myself, cause what $200 will buy today doesn't bear thinking about.