Greetings,
Well, here's my first post about buying my first mandolin. Exciting!
So I'm a relative newb looking for a decent F primarily for bluegrass. My price range is about $300-$800, which corresponds to what I've pretty much narrowed my choice down to: Rover RM-75, The Loar LM-500/Golden Age, LM-600, LM-700, or one of the Kentuckys: 630, 675, 700, 805, 855. I think these are all great-looking, and the ones I've been able to try out or hear are all great-sounding. I've got some questions about some of the different features on these, and whether or not they're worth the extra money to get.
First off I was wondering about polyester, oil, gloss, nitrocellulose lacquer etc. finishes. I'm told that especially for bluegrass what I really want is the lacquer since the punch/bark effect is dramatically better than a mandolin with a polyester finish. This is why I was cautioned away from the Michael Kellys. I've played on a MK and a Kentucky and I can notice a difference even with my novice ear, and I believe all the models I mentioned above have either glossy or nitrocellulose. Any advice?
Next, can anyone educate me on the difference between "solid", "solid handcarved", and "solid, handcarved, and accurately graduated" spruce tops, and between "solid", "solid handcarved", and "solid, handcarved, (highly) flamed" maple back and sides? Is there a big difference in sound quality or durability or anything, enough to warrant the extra $100+ in price? And also, what are tone bars?
Fretboard-wise, any advice on ebony vs. rosewood? I'm told this makes more of a difference with the bridge than the fretboard but I'm just curious what others might have to say. Also, I wonder what players' thoughts are on flat vs. radiused fingerboards. Is it just a matter of personal preference? And as far as extensions go, I've tried both scalloped and the Kentucky "modern extension" with no problems; has anyone had issues with 29 fret models getting in the way of picking?
Grover vs. Gotoh vs. other tuners? Anything I should know about?
I guess I have a pretty good feeling I'll be happy with whatever I get. I've looked a lot and have yet to find a negative review of the Rover, the Loars, or the Kentuckys. Maybe what it boils down to is are there any compelling reasons why I should consider paying a couple hundered dollars more when the Rover is cheapest and seems to have most of what I'm looking for? The only thing is I haven't played one (ain't too many dealers up here in NE Wisconsin...) or found a sample clip online. Does anybody know where else besides folk of the wood and youtube i might be able to find samples? That's kind of how I ruled out Morgan Monroe too.
Whew, sorry for the barrage. Please pardon my ignorance. Really, anything anyone could tell me about any of this would be a terrific help - thanks in advance - it's great to be here,
Jared
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