I actually made this recording so that you could hear the old Martin mandolin I picked up. You seemed concerned that it might have too dark a sound. The lead and rhythm mandolins are the old Martin Style B. The bass is a cheap Ashbory bass (you know the 16" fretless fingerboard with silicone strings).
The recording is done completely without any eq or effects. The mandolin was recorded at a distance of about 10" (pointed at the end of the fingerboard) with an Audio Technica ATM61HE plugged into a SB Live drive.
I like the sound but was stunned by the volume. It is much, much louder than either my F mandolin or A/F hybrid mandolin.
Does it sound as you expected?
Kinda intersesting listening to this, I went to the local guitar shop today, never played a mandolin, but picked one up on a whim…started fooling around, actually got a great sound once I picked up on how the strings/frets were layed out.
this is one hard and unusual instrument…but a lotta fun. Those really small frets spaces are incredible to pick up on.
Chiller
Sounds great.
No, no - I wasn’t concerned but I was just letting you know that it would sound very different from a maple mandolin. Rosewood has a much deeper & fully sound as we know from guitars. The maple mandolins tend to sound better for bluegrass for example (IMO).
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I like the sound but was stunned by the volume. It is much, much louder than either my F mandolin or A/F hybrid mandolin. |
Yes - even though my mandolin is a teardrop is quite small, it’s very loud. Other players have been surprised by that.
Yours sounds as I expected it would.
If you want hear mine goto
Play Mary’s Waltz. This is an old analog recording but you can hear the mandolin pretty well.
My mandolin is a little hard to record because it has so much bass response.
Quote (Guest @ Feb. 04 2006,20:35) |
this is one hard and unusual instrument....but a lotta fun. Those really small frets spaces are incredible to pick up on. Chiller |
I have really grown to love playing the mandolin. I'm not very good, but that makes it more fun (I don't HAVE to be good).
Dude, that thing sounds great. I was hoping you would pst a sample as even though I didn’t comment much on your original post, I was derned curious.
Shoot, made an excuse to go to the guitar shop again the other nite with my son (rocker) and said “hey, listen to me, I can play the mandolin!” and of course he walked out of the store embarrassed! I dont care, but I think I did a good job fakeing it!
That’s it, gonna get me one and fake it some more. I really had a groove thing going on it, dont understand the tuning, but had fun…just faked some home melodies.
OK, so now what do I watch out for, how would you buy one? I just went for the most expensive one.
Chiller
Shoot, made an excuse to go to the guitar shop again the other nite with my son (rocker) and said “hey, listen to me, I can play the mandolin!” and of course he walked out of the store embarrassed! I dont care, but I think I did a good job fakeing it!
That’s it, gonna get me one and fake it some more. I really had a groove thing going on it, dont understand the tuning, but had fun…just faked some home melodies.
OK, so now what do I watch out for, how would you buy one? I just went for the most expensive one.? Pretty cool!
Chiller
Just like the acoustic guitar, different people look for different things in a mandolin. If you are into playing bluegrass, you look for a good “chop” sound. The chop should have a strong upper midrangy punch when you strum a chord with a sharp, fast stroke. The tone for a bluegrass mandolin should not be too boomy or bassy. Clear, punchy with a strong projection.
Now if you are looking for a mandolin to play everything else other than bluegrass, that is a different matter. Look for one with a round, even tone. A good sustain is a plus.
Any mandolin you get should have a neck that is almost absolutely straight (rather than have a slight relief like a guitar neck). The action should be low without any buzz. If you are looking for a nice one without breaking the bank, check out Michael Kelly mandolins. I personally like the “Legacy O” model, but if you are looking for a more bluegrassy sound, try any of the other “F” styles.
Be aware that practically all mandolins between $400 and $1000 are going to be made in China. Some are not too bad. You want to look for All solid woods (spruce top and maple for back and sides (bluegrass) or mahogany/rosewood back and sides for a darker sound). If you look carefully, you can get one with a nice flame maple back and sides for well under $1000. An no matter what you get, spend the extra $50 -$80 to get the frets leveled, dressed and the action set low when you buy it… that can make all the difference in an inexpensive instrument ( or an expensive one for that matter).