Best mandolins according to redditors
We found 29 Reddit comments discussing the best mandolins. We ranked the 12 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 29 Reddit comments discussing the best mandolins. We ranked the 12 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Pedals, song books, lessons, strings... I go through a lot of strings. Nice straps are more expensive than most people realize, and they can make a big difference. A decent guitar stand (one of those Hercules ones) or, if you have a couple of guitars, one of the folding multi-guitar road cases...
Sometimes something non-guitar is nice too - My sister and I were both gifted cheap mandolins last year. At the time it seemed a very odd thing - she used to play keyboard but hasn't played in years, and I'm all guitar all the time... but we've both genuinely enjoyed plonking around on those things, even if we're not particularly proficient players.
Honestly, [I bought a rogue off amazon for my niece and nephew] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002H0KG0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and was amazed at how solid an instrument it was for the price.
The action is set very low, so it's easy to play, and it projected pretty well. I would definitely give it a go. I play an Eastman MD515, and while it's obviously a much nicer instrument, it's not like it's night and day.
Okay, so...
Watching the clip /u/TheJiggersUp posted below, I don't see him playing his mandolin, so I don't have much to offer on style... I would presume he's going to play in a more classical/European style, as opposed to an American, bluegrass-oriented style. He has a bowlback mandolin rather than a flat-back or carved-top style instrument, but I don't know of any playable bowlback models that cost ~$100.
What does exist is the Rogue RM-100A which is a not-great but more-or-less playable mandolin for under $100. (Some individual instruments seem to be better than others, but it's just a luck-of-the-draw thing.) If you were to get one, you'd also do well to get some different strings for it, get a decent pick designed for mandolin (a guitar pick won't work well for this instrument), and maybe consider having it professionally set up (or possibly even trying to do the work yourself... perhaps someone else can point me to the book available on setting up a Rogue to be less awful.) I would also highly recommend getting a chromatic tuner; you spend quite a bit of time tuning this instrument, and as a beginner, it's really helpful to have one of these. If you have a smartphone, a metronome app would also be a good thing to get; otherwise, there are a million cheap, electronic metronomes on the market.
So the Rogue is a cheap, low-quality instrument -- NOT a good instrument, just the least-bad at the sub-$100 price range -- but it can get you started. I know, because that's how I started. It's designed for bluegrass more than traditional mandolin music, but you can learn the rudiments of any/every style on it.
After that, to just start learning how to play, I recommend Don Julin's book. Yes, it's "for Dummies." It's still an excellent beginner's book. He focuses primarily on American styles, but he also covers other mandolin traditions, and when you're first starting out you really just need to learn the basics no matter what style you favor. He also does some nice intro-level youtube lesson videos. There are lots and lots of other mandolin lessons available on youtube, too, and are a decent way to start out if you can't afford private lessons.
Finally, start saving up some money for a better instrument. Sooner than you can imagine, you will reach the point where the Rogue can no longer keep up with you, and begins to hinder your progress, so you need the upgrade to keep learning. The most common recommendations I see are the Eastman 304 or 305 and the Kentucky KM-140. Both are solid student instruments that will serve you well for a long time, and both can be had with professional set-up and a hard case for ~$450. I have an Eastman 305 myself and I adore it. Or perhaps there's a more traditional bowlback model out there that you'd like better, if you aim to play that way. I know very little about those.
It's a great instrument, and fun to learn. And it's entirely possible to come from zero background with stringed instruments and still make good progress. Good luck!
Edit: Oh, also... certainly it would be a good thing to learn (or re-learn) how to read standard musical notation, but a lot of mandolin music is available in tablature (or tab), which is a much easier system to use and doesn't require the ability to read music. The Julin book I linked to above uses both.
Edit 2: Also, here's a recent thread on the Rogue, just so you can see some other people's opinions.
http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Mandolin-A-Style-Holes-Sunburst/dp/B0002H0KG0/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Worth. Every. Penny.
If you can play cello, you can probably play a mandolin. The strings are tuned the same. A mandolin is, essentially, a fretted lute, so it's an authentic instrument, more or less, for medieval fantasy stuff. All you're gonna do, mostly, is strum chords while you sing anyways.
You can get a mandolin for next to nothing that will play fine for outdoors camping stuff: https://smile.amazon.com/MANDOLIN-Style-String-Teardrop-Soundhole/dp/B00F8JRY3O
welcome home
you should get this! I don't know what it is but it looks awesome! lol
That looks similar to this one. My local store sells OS banjos and mandolins and I remember them as not great sounding instruments but I also know how tough it is to buy in Australia
https://www.amazon.com/Oscar-Schmidt-OM40-Mandolin/dp/B0007VFUJI
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You can dig thru old cafe threads, there are a few dealers and makers
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?121927-Wildwood-Instruments-Australia
I would just go for it, I bought one on impulse purchase at a folk music store about a year ago and its fun to play around with when ever I get on a Bluegrass stint and want a sound that my guitars just won't give me. Plus you can get a decent starter one for around 50 like this one which seems like a popular starter one and decently rated one. I'm sure someone else will link a better starter one.
I got a $60 mandolin for christmas and I've been practicing every day since. It's been serving me very well as training wheels! I also recommend getting a snark tuner, it makes tuning a breeze and with a cheap mandolin that goes out of tune pretty quickly its worth it. Here's the link, hope this is helpful! http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-RM-100A-A-Style-Mandolin-Black/dp/B003LHV1X4/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1451520688&sr=8-12&keywords=mandolin It sounds great to me.
Btw, there are tons of websites and youtube videos to learn with. I jump around but I really enjoyed MandoLessons,com.
Good luck!
[Just Bought this one] (http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Mandolin--Style-Holes-Sunburst/dp/B0002H0KG0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1302032932&sr=8-2) and I love it.
https://www.amazon.com/Big-Muddy-Mandolin-MM-8/dp/B00LIL3WLO
I sort of suspected this from Givson. I've played their acoustic guitars and they're the deadest instruments I've ever played. Thanx for the feedback.
In the meanwhile I got a hold of a friend who's coming back from the US, and I feel I can get him to get me a Mandolin.
Now I'm confused between the Doner DML100 and the Ibanez M510
There's almost $50 between them, but I haven't read anything negative about the Doner and Im wondering if paying $50 extra for the Ibanez makes any sense?
Both are solid top instruments, one is mahogany the other is spruce. While spruce makes better sounds, is it really noticeable on these budget instruments?
I got one of these Gretsch New Yorker's on sale for Black Friday. A quick set-up and some humidity (it was extremely dry, all sorts of buzzing until about day 3 when it finally settled down) and it's a great little addition to the family.
Rogue RM-100A A-Style Mandolin Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LHV1X4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TxuQCbM7VTZ1F
Above is what I have, and so far it’s been great to learn on! Also available:
Rogue RM-100A A-Style Mandolin Sunburst https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002H0KG0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZyuQCb8VEN2TD
Savannah SA-100-BK A-Model Mandolin, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WDQ5GE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.zuQCbG11VF2C
Super not an expert, so please don't take this as gospel or anything.. but personally, I ended up going w/this:
https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-RM-100A-A-Style-Mandolin-Black/dp/B003LHV1X4
It's definitely on the cheap end (at $70) but sounded totally ok out of the box. I've been "seriously" playing guitar for around ~3-4 years now and decided I wanted to experiment with a new sound, but couldn't commit a whole lot of cash.
I really enjoy picking it up and kinda noodling around here or there, and it adds a pretty cool texture to songs. Ultimately I don't think it's my fave instrument to play, but I ran it by my guitar teacher anyway just in case - he commended the good bargain, and let me know it was a good intro instrument.
If anyone wants to check out the similarly priced Savannah, I'd be glad to schedule a time video chat.
http://www.amazon.com/Savannah-SA-100-A-Model-Mandolin-Sunburst/dp/B003CRIHF8/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1417588764&sr=11&keywords=savanah+mandolins
For me, I didn't have the money or dedication to warrant a Kentucky mandolin. Despite the warnings to avoid cheap mandolins... I've been very happy. I wouldn't consider it worse than my $100 Yamaha guitar. The difference is that my guitar was prefabricated with no adjustments, and my mandolin beckons me - telling me that if I just fix one thing it will sound more beautiful or be easier to play. Seems like it's especially suited for simple chords around the fire. It doesn't feel cheap, and would fool the non-mandolin player.
Biggest downsides are not surprisingly:
All that being said, a cheap mandolin is for someone that has the unique attributes of being both extremely frugal and absurd perfectionism for fine-tuning their instruments.
^^My ^^adderall ^^is ^^working ^^today...
This is worth a look:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B001OQC70K/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473185536&sr=1-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=kentucky&dpPl=1&dpID=41XP6MP%2BAfL&ref=plSrch
Oh boy!!
This
Or This
But they're really just on there to show people what kind of person I am. I know very well It'll never happen and I'd feel so guilty if it did because they're ridiculously expensive
Late on this thread...
But is this the mandolin you have?
http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-RM-100A-A-Style-Mandolin-Sunburst/dp/B0002H0KG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427687597&sr=8-1&keywords=rogue+mandolin
I'm trying to search for a good one to start on to see if I really get into it like I have with guitar. I also just like exploring instruments and seeing what all is out there. It would also be cool if I could get a mandolin and play with some people that have banjos and guitars and stuff like that!
I'm just worried that I will get it and not be able to set it up correctly. Did you have any problems with this?
i don't play it well, but i love the sound of it. it's a rogue rm-100 which after a pro set up plays way better than i expected. i'm just not that handy with a pick, which is why i love ukes and clawhammer banjo.
i've only fiddled around a little with a dulcimer at my local music shop, so i don't really know much about positioning either. it was fun to play though. that's what i'm all about. i'm just a simple hack musician who likes to have some fun.
http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Mandolin-A-Style-Holes-Sunburst/dp/B0002H0KG0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2A90Q5KKLKHWS&coliid=I251MHVLOCIF9T
I'm not sure if i can live with being a southern stereotype... yes i can...