Who to buy from: The Mandolin Store vs. The Mandolin Hut

[Mike_the_limitless]

Would you say the Kentucky 172 is a good mandolin to start with? How would the oval hole sound with jazz?

Basically, I'm new to strings altogether. Never played... I'm starting totally from scratch. any tips or direction would be wonderful. Links even.

[woodwizard]

Probably the F hole would be good for Bluegrass and Jazz and the Oval hole would be more suited for Old-time music but either one can work for all IMHO. The F-hole will be much louder than an oval hole most of the time. Play it before you buy if you can. Sometimes that may not be possible so... Stick with the Mandolin Store. You can trust those folks.

[allenhopkins]

...I hear f-holes sound better for celtic/jazz playing... while oval hole is more for classical? Thoughts?

F-hole mandolins tend to have a sharper attack when picked (what is sometimes referred to as "bark" here), and a quicker decay. While they may not be actually louder than oval-hole instruments, that sharp attack means that they may cut through the sound of other instruments. Oval-hole instruments tend to ring longer, have more sustain.

The f-hole mandolin, based on Orville Gibson's (and others') copying violin design and applying it to mandolins and guitars, is a relatively recent (about 110 years) development in the instrument's long history. It's become the dominant design in bluegrass, and to some extent in country, acoustic rock, and jazz -- though not entirely. You will find oval-hole instruments to be more prevalent in folk, Celtic, and classical music -- though again, many exceptions.

Really depends on the sound you want. I, of course, advocate getting at least one of each, but that's me.

[Ed Goist]

I'll put a good word in for the Mandolin Hut.
This exact package from the Mandolin Hut was my first mandolin purchase. Here's a review of the package/mandolin I posted to the Cafe.
As you'll see from the review, the set-up on the instrument was excellent. Oh, and the clip on tuner that came as part of the package is excellent. I still use it just about every day.

[craig.collas]

+1 The Mandolin Store
bought two mandos of these guys and when my wife will let me I will go back for an octave.
Denis has always been helpful and great to work with.

[pete12string]

I'll put a good word in for the Mandolin Hut.
This exact package from the Mandolin Hut was my first mandolin purchase. Here's a review of the package/mandolin I posted to the Cafe.
As you'll see from the review, the set-up on the instrument was excellent. Oh, and the clip on tuner that came as part of the package is excellent. I still use it just about every day.

Seems most posts here are in favor of the Mandolin Store, but I think I'll give Mandolin Hut a shot. 70 bucks cheaper, and if I need a set-up when it comes, then so be it... I have a great luthier to take it to (or I might try it using Rob Meldrum's "How To Set Up A Mandolin" guide). But it was great to hear all the comments and opinions and I appreciate all the responses!

[Earthwood]

The Mandolin Store is the best online dealer I have found. I once placed an order for a Cumberland Acoustic bridge and Dennis contacted me and told me that I probably wouldn't notice much difference over the factory bridge on my Eastman and that I should save my money. Any business that will recommend against a product and a sale for themselves just to make sure the customer is happy is a winner in my book. Also traded a mandolin with them for a breedlove mandolin, and they shipped the next day after our phone conversation, and I had it by the end of the week. I just can't speak highly enough about them, or any of the cafe sponsors for that matter. Really great companies.

[Bernie Daniel]

F-hole mandolins tend to have a sharper attack when picked (what is sometimes referred to as "bark" here), and a quicker decay. While they may not be actually louder than oval-hole instruments, that sharp attack means that they may cut through the sound of other instruments....

Also true in guitars which is why the jazz musicians went to them almost exclusively? I still think the archtop f-hole guitar provides a better back up sound for fiddlers, but that is another opinion.

[allenhopkins]

...I think I'll give Mandolin Hut a shot. 70 bucks cheaper, and if I need a set-up when it comes, then so be it...

Let us know what your experience is. We could use some "Angie's List" data on Mandolin Hut.

[RichM]

I've never dealt with The Mandolin Hut, but I have years of great experiences with The Mandolin Store and can't recommend them highly enough.

[Dale Pauline]

The first mando I ever purchased was from the Mandolin Hut. I had no issues with it although is was a cheap mandolin. When I decided to put more $$ into a mando for better sound and response I went to the Mandolin Store. I've purchased two mandos now from Dennis and crew and these guys are great.

I've even sent questions to Dennis about other mandos etc. and he replies and you can just tell he cares about what he does. Great customer service.

[Oneida Trail]

I purchased online from the mandolin hut. The online photo of the mandolin had flamed maple back and sides. The mandolin they sent to me hand plain straight grain no flamed maple.

[swain]

Ordered a few small items from The Mandolin Store. Instead of receiving the two sets of strings I ordered, I received just one set. Sent an email, and the other set was sent, no questions asked.

Another time I ordered several sets of strings from another place. One of the sets was missing an E string. I advised the online store, and they gave me an RMA number and asked that I send the incomplete set back, along with an explanation of the problem, and they would try to get the stringmaker to replace the set. Some might call that great service, I called it a waste of time on three fronts.

So, the Mandolin Store gets my vote, and business, every time.

[pete12string]

Let us know what your experience is. We could use some "Angie's List" data on Mandolin Hut.

I certainly will. I'm expecting delivery today, 01/23, the coldest day of the year so far here in New Jersey (wind chill factor - 3 degrees F), so the box won't be opened up until 01/24!

I'll relax with a hot cup of coffee for now...

Pete

[EdHanrahan]

The Mandolin Store. ... great track record with cafe members who have purchased from them ...

Heck, they're great even if you're only interested, quizzical, or confused, and (in the end) buy nothing at all. But Denis has certainly earned my trust for future possibilities.

[Traveling Tracks]

..got my Weber from The Mandolin Store and the set-up was seriously excellent....I really appreciated that.
Much thanks to everybody over there.

[Mike_the_limitless]

Could anyone post a link for the package deal? I don't care which is more expensive, I want the one that gives the best setup.

[shortymack]

TMS, Dennis & Brian will go an extra mile to make their customers happy. That itself is worth its weight in gold.

On a side note, I wonder why the Mando Hut isnt a cafe sponsor. Seems strange not to want to be a part of the largest mando community there is.

[Mike Snyder]

The Mandolin Strore has THE coolest t-shirt in the (mandolin) world.

[pete12string]

Well, the mandolin arrived yesterday. I let it sit in the box for about 8 hours and then removed the case from the box and let it sit overnight to complete the acclimation to the inside temperature. Took the KM-172 out of its case this morning. Very nice case - a Guardian with 3 latches. The package also included 3 picks, a clip on tuner and a DVD/manual for beginner mandolin lessons. The picks don't seem to be anything special, the tuner is adequate and the DVD/manual provides some beginning instruction.

The KM-172 has a very nice finish. On initial inspection, I see only one very minor flaw (and I'm pretty picky about fit and finish!). So high marks there. I tuned it up (I requested that the strings be loosened during shipment to minimize the stress in the interest of avoiding damage). Played a few chords and it has a nice oval hole sound.

Now for the set-up. Less than stellar. The action is on the high side. Intonation is close, but off. Bridge is not seated very well against the body - visible gaps here and there. I'll either need to do a full set-up myself or bring it to someone to get it more playable. Mind you, it's not awful - it is playable, but it looks like minimal effort was put into the set-up.

So, lesson learned. It was a great price for the KM-172 package deal ($329) but for my tastes, a better set-up is going to be required. Now if a set-up costs me less than $70, it will have been a better deal than from the Mandolin Store ($399) and that assumes that the set-up from the Mandolin Store would have been spot on which, according to the posts here, would have been the case...

All in all, I am very happy with the purchase. Would I recommend buying from the Mandolin Hut? Well, for lower end mandolins, the prices are excellent. If you're looking to receive the mandolin with a "perfect" set-up, you might be disappointed (YMMV).


Pete

[Austin Bob]

Nice review. Many folks don't know if a mando is set up properly, so you have a leg up on most. It still sounds like it would be a playable instrument for a beginner. The intonation and bridge seating is not as important as the action - especially for two fingered chords and playing in the first position.

The irony is that the less expensive an instrument is, the more important a good set up can be. On higher end mandolins they generally leave the factory fairly close and need minor tweaking. The less expensive a mandolin is, the bigger the allowable tolerance from the factory. The end result is that some of the lower end mandolins are almost impossible to play out of the box. I've looked at a few at the chain stores and some were only slightly better than a child's toy.

[pete12string]

Could anyone post a link for the package deal? I don't care which is more expensive, I want the one that gives the best setup.

Here's a link to the Mandolin Store's KM-172 package deal.

Mandolin Hut is out of stock on the KM-172 but has the KM-171 (black) and the KM-174 (burgundy).

I do not give very high marks to the set-up from Mandolin Hut, so if you are more interested on the mandolin coming to you with the better set-up you might want to go with the Mandolin Store.

[Mike_the_limitless]

Here's a link to the Mandolin Store's KM-172 package deal.

Thank you so much! Also, I keep seeing the mandolin needs to acclimate to the room temperature from the shipping. Anything specific I need to worry about?

[Michael Richmond]

Thank you so much! Also, I keep seeing the mandolin needs to acclimate to the room temperature from the shipping. Anything specific I need to worry about?

Specifically, you are looking to avoid subjecting the instrument to large temperature changes. Large shifts in temperature can result in damage to the instrument in various ways (finish cracking, glue failure, warping, etc.).

By leaving the mandolin in the shipping box for a few hours, then leaving the case closed (outside of the shipping box) for a few hours is the generally accepted advice. People differ on how many hours to wait. Some wait 24 hours before opening the box, others wait a few hours, open the box, then wait until the case feels like it is at room temperature before opening the case and feeling the mandolin to ensure that it is at room temperature.

[pete12string]

I just want to give an update on my dealings with The Mandolin Hut - the outcome turned out to be very positive. Please see my "FINAL UPDATE" post in the following thread:
Builders and Repair - Adjusting a truss rod