Buy first Mandolin; can't live without an F-Model.

[Steve Sorensen]

Luckily, with the internet at hand, the mandolin world is at your feet!

The Acoustic Music Company -- http://www.theacousticmusicco.co.uk/...-luithers.html

Barnyard-Blues in Germany -- http://www.barnyard-blues.com/shop/i..._Mandolin.html

Both Trevor at TAMCO and Stephan at Barnyard-Blues truly love mandolins and, I have no doubt, would be delightfully helpful in your search and maximize the instrument within your budget.

Although a little farther from home, I'm sure you've also looked at The Mandolin Store, which ships globally and also is run by a true mandolin-lover, Dennis Vance -- http://www.themandolinstore.com/scri...?idCategory=52

My experience with all three shops (as a builder and mandolinophile) has been exemplary.

Good luck in your quest!

Steve

[mandolirius]

I totally agree and concurr....

Hello? Department of Redundancy Department.....

[Scoxt]

Don't worry. A bit of glue, some tobacco juice and varnish and you will be all set.

Please, tell me your joking! :S

[Bill Snyder]

Please, tell me your joking! :S

Well of course I am. You will want to use Transtint dyes instead of tobacco juice.

I posted a photo of a kit. An instrument that is partially built. A lot of people would like to "build" their own mandolins but are not ready to start with pieces of wood. These kits have a lot (most) of the harder tasks done.

If you purchase a The Loar mandolin it will be a finished, playable instrument. A good set-up will make it easier to play and probably improve the tone and/or volume.
This set-up will set the action. This could involve the nut, the bridge and the truss rod. Also check the bridge for proper placement, slot depth and shape and fit to the top of the instrument. Fix any problems found. Check the nut for damage and slot depth, size and shape. Fix any issues found. Could include a string change.
A set-up may be necessary on ANY price range of mandolin, but is almost certainly needed on less costly instruments purchased from LARGE retailers because they seldom do more than ship the instruments out as they came in from the manufacturer.

[EdHanrahan]

Just to clarify the set-up isssue:

Even the most revered mandolin & guitar manufacturers can't know the exact requirements of each and every customer (based on the type of music they play, strings they use, and/or the location that they play in), so they normally leave the the final "set-up" the their authorized dealers. It is the dealer who is SUPPOSED TO set the bridge height, nut height, etc., to the needs of each individual customer. So the manufacturers leave a bit of extra bridge and/or nut material there that maybe most players won't want, but some do. Unforunately...

The less-revered manufacturers take this as carte blanche to leave the nut height, bridge height, fret consistency, etc., as WAY TOO generous, such that the instrument is inherently difficult to play. And THEIR authorized distributors, being the music chains, big box stores, and internet distributors, really don't give a hoot about YOUR specific requirements. They simply know that, once your credit card registers, a box from bin 7443 has to get onto palet AZX201 for shipment to the Oshkosh distribution center. At least your shiny new instrument might have a few less fingerprints on it.

Another way of looking at the incredibly low prices that we sometimes see: They chose to skip the final two or three hours of delicate craftsmanship that a decent instrument requires.

[BradKlein]

What is commonly called 'set up' involves small adjustments to the position and height of the bridge and nut, truss-rod, frets and fretboard - to make the instrument play to its full potential for a particular player.

[Michael Bridges]

Drop an email to Cafe member Rob Meldrum. rob.meldrum@gmail.com He has put together an excellent ebook on do-it-yourself mando setup. Whether you feel comfortable handling it yourself or not, it will give you an excellent idea of what needs doing to make an instrument play and sound right.Oh yeah, Rob is a generous soul, it's free to Cafe members!Thanks again,Robster! He also has videos on Youtube, showing before and after setups on a cheap Rogue mandolin. The difference, even on a lower-level instrument, is remarkable.

When you say "Setting up a Mandolin", what do you mean exactly?
Does it come in pieces?

[Jamie S]

I can see that F-model mandolins are pretty but if starting out and on a tight budget I don't understand the desire to get one. A cheap mandolin is not pleasurable to play and doesn't aid learning very well, partly because the action is bad, and sustain is compromised. These are all things that make learning to play a problem because you end up having to put more effort with your hands which takes the attention away from just learning chords and technique.

It does seem from reading the archives on this forum that people cannot be swayed that easily when they become fixated on an F-model, but I have to say that a bottom of the range A-model Eastman or Kentucky will be money well spent compared to a cheaply made F-model.

[BradKlein]

I can see that F-model mandolins are pretty but if starting out and on a tight budget I don't understand the desire to get one.

... unless you care about being cool.

[Jamie S]

... unless you care about being cool.

Trust me that's a lost cause!

In all seriousness some of the old F-style Gisbsons with their beautiful scrolls and ornate head-stocks are quite something to behold. But starting out with a small budget I don't see the logic in getting a mandolin that looks pretty but plays ugly.

[JeffD]

When you say "Setting up a Mandolin", what do you mean exactly?
Does it come in pieces?

A good setup will look at, fix, or improve:

bridge location (for intonation) , bridge height (for action and playability), bridge fit to top (transmission of vibration), neck curvature or relief, (for action and playability), fret height and wear (intonation and buzz), nut height and slot depth (also intonation and playability),

And probably some things I have missed. Every mandolin, expensive to budget, requires a good set up.

[bmac]

Many or most mandos come from the factory with a rudimentry set up.... Buying discount virtually guarentees an un-set up mando because setting up a mando takes time... No getting around it. Most mandos from legitimate brick and morter dealers come with a set up done after delivery from the factory. If buying your first instrument I think it is important to buy from a brick and morter dealer who takes responsibility for the playing condition of what he sells.

Set up includes at least. Adjusting the nut for efficient and comfortable and in tune playing.

Fitting and adjusting the bridge is often necessary and always a prime consideration.

There may also be some fussing with the tailpiece to get it to funcion as it should.

Often the frets need to be fine tuned for accurate and trouble free playing...

If there is a truss rod it may have to be futzed with.

All of this is hand work and can take as long as an hour and sometimes a lot more... At todays skilled labor cost you can imagine why some dealers try to avoid setting up their instruments before sale. and that is why some "bargain" instruments are not really bargains.