Mandolin brands

[1forrest1]

Which brands are made here in the U.S.?
Are there any that make low level affordable mandolins?

Thanks!

[Mandobart]

Do you mean low level quality or low level cost? Many great US brands; Breedlove, Gibson, Weber, Cricketfiddle, Joe Mendel, Big Muddy, Sonny Morris and many, many more. None of these are low quality. Most will cost more than the lowest cost imports. It's your money and time that you'll spend playing. Buy what you can/want.

[1forrest1]

I was referring to low cost, but I suppose low quality often comes with it.

Any thoughts on the savannah sf100 and 200?

[Mandobart]

Not made in the US. Never played one so I can't comment on quality.

[1forrest1]

Kentucky, is it made stateside?

[Markus]

Kentucky, is it made stateside?

Nope.

Bart gave a quite good list of the lower priced US makers [Gibson and Weber aren't low price, but like Collings are US made and represent the best of the large shop US makers].

[1forrest1]

Thanks,

So out of the foreign imported brands, which are generally better quality?

[shortymack]

A search will result in the usual suspects.....kentucky, the loar, and eastman.

[Markus]

A search will result in the usual suspects.....kentucky, the loar, and eastman.

All three have the best reputation. All three have very different neck profiles and sound a bit different from each other ... you can somewhat generalize within brands as to how the neck will feel and character of sound, but all mandolins are quite individual even among matching models.

Very importantly, buy it from somewhere where they perform a full setup and are mandolin people. You can save ordering from a big box, internet vendor, or such ... but mandolins have a short scale and the small tweaks, intonation and bridge adjustment, and nut adjustment that a good mandolin vendor does with import mandolins make a huge difference in playability.

While one can get any work done locally, in my experience you may have a wait as well as a `repair' bill for your brand-new mandolin. I went through that with a uke, and spent what I `saved' at the vendor I went to.

But among the imports, Eastman, Kentucky, and Loar have the best reputations among the more affordable instruments.

[1forrest1]

Sorry for my unending questions,
Is savannah decent?

[1forrest1]

Markus, I do plan on ordering online but I have a very experienced friend who has agreed to set it up for me.

[allenhopkins]

...Is savannah decent?

The SA-120 is at least made of solid wood, not plywood. All the other models I've found through Google are plywood. None are carved, either machine-carved or hand-carved, so the plates and rims are heat-pressed into shape.

These are introductory-level instruments, priced <$200 discounted. You can learn on them, but there are better-constructed instruments at comparable prices, IMHO, like the Kentucky KM-150 and KM-160, the latter model being carved rather than heat-pressed.

If you want to spend in the $200 range: (1) you aren't going to find any US-made mandolins that you can buy new for that price, so resign yourself to getting an Asian import; (2) get an A-model (teardrop-shaped), not a fancier F-model, 'cause an F-model in that price range has to embody a lot of compromises to stay that cheap; (3) make sure you get a decent dealer or pro-technician set-up -- bridge location and height, nut slotting and height, new strings, truss rod adjustment if needed -- which in an introductory instrument is much more important than either looks or sound.

"Decent" in that price range is going to mean structurally sound and set up to be playable. Asian manufacturers have pretty much blanketed the low- and mid-range market, if you're buying "new." You say you have a friend that can set the instrument up for you; if he/she is qualified, you can save the price of a shop set-up.

Get a case or gig bag, as well; inexpensive electronic tuner also makes sense, as does a basic strap. I think you can do better than Savannah, but if you're going that route, at least make sure what you get is playable.

[1forrest1]

So it's gonna be pretty tough to find a good f style for under $200?
What's your take on the savannah sf 100?

[belbein]

First off--my first mandolin was a made-in-America Weber "backpacker" for under $200, used. It has a full size fretboard and the feel of a real mandolin. It's kinda-sorta "a" style. Sounds nice, though no real volume. Made of real wood--very, very pretty in a Danish Modern kind of way. No real volume, but if you're just starting, you need feel. And you can invest that $200 on an instrument that you can use for the rest of your life when you go camping or backpacking and don't want to take your $5000 "good" mando.

Second ... in addition to my "good" mandolin ($600) I also bought used ... crap, I can't remember the brand. It's more or less the same quality as a Rover or SF100. It's my office/travel/beat up mandolin. I used it to teach myself to do a set up, and now that $100 mandolin sounds damn good, maybe almost as good as my "good" Gibson. The point is that you can get a very nice sounding instrument for which you don't have to spend all of your $200.

If you get the message here that I believe in buying used, you got it. I wouldn't necessarily buy a really fine instrument used (though I have dreams about the Cohen that's for sale in the classifieds), but for a low end instrument, why spend a penny more than you have to? If there are no cracks, bulges, dents or things knocking around inside, a used instrument will do you fine with a good set up. After all, you may find out you don't like Mandolin. You also may find out you don't like archtop carved soundboard mandos, or F styles, or who the heck knows what, so why spend more than you have to now when you're just beginning to educate yourself. Bottom line: you won't know what you like until your calouses are bleeding. So wait until then to spend more than $200.

[Londy]

Excellent advise Belbein. I am still learning (2 years now) on a china made Rouge mando purchased from Musicians Friend ($50.00). I had some set-up work done on it to ease play-ability. While learning how to play the instrument, i am also learning what my preferences are. I must say I am now addicted to the instrument and decided I will continue on. I am now searching out a mandolin that would suite my taste and goals I have for the type of music I want to play, write and perform. So, keep playing and learning. Once you decide this is the instrument for you, try playing other peoples mando's so you can feel and hear the differences. Listen to a ton of clips online from different manufacturers. The more exposure you have the better decision you will make for the long term. Best of luck.

[1forrest1]

Thank you all for your help! Looks like I've got some research to do.

[Sandy Beckler]

I was referring to low cost, but I suppose low quality often comes with it.

Any thoughts on the savannah sf100 and 200?

Not necessarily....look no further....forget the savannah, forget the rouge...what you want to find is a Kentucky 380
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/folk-...model-mandolin This is the mandolin that I started with and is still my daily player, (I own a 2012 Collings MTO, a Breedlove Quartz KF, a teens Gibson A and others...)
you wont be sorry. I just don't think I would purchase from MF, as they don't do setups.

Sandy

[allenhopkins]

...I am still learning (2 years now) on a china made Rouge mando purchased from Musicians Friend ($50.00)...

I know it's snotty and snarky to correct spelling/grammar, but this does bug me: it's Rogue, "roge" pronunciation (hard "g"), meaning a scamp or swashbuckler. Not Rouge, "rooje" pronunciation, which is the reddish cosmetic applied to women's cheeks.

SpellCheck won't help, they're both valid words, but when I see a mandolin called "Rouge" I keep wondering if it's red...or French...("rouge" is French for "red").

And it also bugs me that Bret Favre pronounces his last name "Farve," but I guess that's his business.

[shortymack]

Haha Allen! While the grammatical internet faux pas don't really bother me (rouge or rogue), how people pronounce Bret Favre's name has always been a peeve of mine. I am aware that there are many silent rules that are applicable to numerous languages but the switch rule is one that I have never heard of. How exactly do two letters swap pronunciation within a word is a mystery to me as well.

[allenhopkins]

The "rogue/rouge" think always makes me think of Gov. Palin. When she puts on her makeup, she "goes rouge," and then she gets behind the microphone and "goes rogue."

[jim simpson]

How about the Boston Celtics and Celtic music? Don't get me started.

[KEB]

I have a savannah SA-150, and I can give you my basic impression of it vs. a mid/high level Eastman with a good setup.

The savannah has a lot of problems. I bought it from a local music store that has a handful of cheap mandolins. I got the SA because someone said solid wood = good and I didn't know a damn bit about any musical instruments.

They said it was set up, but action was high, frets buzzed, the intonation was significantly off. I took lessons with it for about a year before I had to change it. I planned on keeping it as an "around the office" / traveler mandolin, but the tuners are awful and it doesn't stay in tune very well. The finish is kind of bad -- the f holes have loose wood curlicues that I've had to sand down. The action at the nut is very high and I haven't yet purchased nut files. Your friend probably doesn't have these, so he won't be able to lower the action at the nut. This is going to make it slightly painful to play. I tried lowering the action at the bridge, but the frets aren't really super even, so the G string buzzes when it's lowered.

I've heard others that have had much better experiences with Savannahs but I think their QC stinks. If you're ordering online it's a crapshoot over what you're going to get. It might be okay, or it might be bad. If you order from a reputable source, you'll probably get a playable instrument for a couple hundred bucks. If you can kick up your price just a bit, take a look at a used mid mo like this one. http://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/58617 (NFI) or the Kentucky above.

[Bob Buckingham]

I have nightmares from students bringing in Savannah mandolins. They are a form of self flagellation.

[mtk]

I have read tons of threads about this very topic (like all of you have). I have never chimed in on this discussion, until now, as I agree that the Eastman, Kentucky, and The Loar options are the real picks in this price range for a new instrument. However I was always curious why the Epiphone MM-30 isn't included in these discussions. Granted, I have only played two that some friends of mine had. Is there an issue with the consistency in this brand/model? The two I played sounded pretty decent and appeared well constructed.

[Astro]

I really love my Eastman MD 305.