How many of us play the Mandolin?

Mark Nix · Post by **Mark Nix** » 30 Mar 2013 8:14 pm

I have a hohner f style. I'm no speed picker on it or any other instrument for that matter, but I know my way around chords on most anything

Clete Ritta · Post by **Clete Ritta** » 30 Mar 2013 9:17 pm

I love playing mandolin! This is my Fender, same as in my avatar. It looks even better with the pickguard off. Its an FM-62 SCE. Fender slightly redesigned this model after a lawsuit. The earlier ones are hard to find and looked nearly identical to the Rigel.

I lost the tailpiece cover and haven't been able to find a replacement, but I still have this photo.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 31 Mar 2013 5:43 am

I bought this one a while back:

Clete Ritta · Post by **Clete Ritta** » 31 Mar 2013 11:05 pm

Nice one Erv. I also got a cheap Epiphone Mandobird that looks like a miniature Firebird. Once set up properly it sounds pretty boss.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 1 Apr 2013 9:26 am

My home-made one was cheaper than any of them. I put it together in a weekend out of spare parts.

Robert Parent · Post by **Robert Parent** » 13 Apr 2013 12:54 pm

Well, I have a couple mandolins and a mandola but not sure I would call myself a mando player..... Originally bought an A-style Flatiron and a few years later added a Weber Yellowstone F-style matching mando and mandola. Very cool instruments.

Robert

Jan Viljoen · Post by **Jan Viljoen** » 13 Apr 2014 5:27 am

Here is my Red Devil as posted on page 6, in action.

The rail humbucker is doing well and slices through the din of the others. The mando has a mahogany block inside, which gives it almost a Les Paul character.

The camera did not capture the light well, it was not so dark.

To me, the two most unique instruments are a pedal steel and an electric mandolin.

Let the games begin!

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 13 Apr 2014 9:18 am

I would like to hear it, Jan.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 13 Apr 2014 10:01 am

i just came in on the end of this thread so maybe someone has mentioned this, but byron berline will 'chop' you to death with one. i watched him all night at a club and he blew my mind. his right forearm is 'huge'....and as we know, byron's a tough dude anyway. to that guy that said bluegrass is boring.....he's got no feeling in his body and should probably play jazz and drink tea.

mando is absolutely the driving force in this dynamic form of music. what other music nails the groove without drums? it's exciting done right. i will play mandolin before i die.

can't help mentioning alison and union station. they share the mando and get all the various benefits from driving to light melodic to whatever. what an amazing band.

Steve Perry · Post by **Steve Perry** » 13 Apr 2014 11:18 am

FINALLY!... a post I can reply to around here that I actually know something about. I've only played pedal steel for 4 months, but I've played mandolin for 12 years. Here I am playing one of our monthly gigs only about 20 miles from where Bill Monroe was born and is buried.

Edward Rhea · Post by **Edward Rhea** » 13 Apr 2014 11:19 am

Byron's one heck'uva fiddler too! I knew his older brother Hank, he could easily palmed a VW bug!

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 13 Apr 2014 2:30 pm

Mike Terry · Post by **Mike Terry** » 13 Apr 2014 3:21 pm

Wow Tom, nice snake! What year is it ?

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 13 Apr 2014 5:28 pm

I've played it for years

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 13 Apr 2014 5:53 pm

Tiny Moore, Bob Wills and Merle Haggard all called Tiny's five string a mandolin; that's good enough for me.

pete....tiny's mando playing was a world of it own by a truely gifted artist and wonderful man.

it could be a mandolin or a smokin hot jazz guitar.....just amazing!!!! in a class by itself.

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 13 Apr 2014 7:14 pm

Mike, it's a late '24 A-2

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 13 Apr 2014 7:48 pm

Purty, Tom. Tom Gray has a '15 A-4. Nice tone to it

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 14 Apr 2014 8:49 am

I'm also on the side of a mandolin having double courses in stringing. Like someone else said, it sounds like an electric ukulele without them. I don't care if Tiny Moore or anyone else played a single stringed "fiver" or not... A mandolin for a "true" sound needs to be "double strung" and those pairs tuned a cent or two out of pitch with each other for a chorusing effect that really sounds beautiful and full. As far as the Epiphone Mandobird goes, I've had two of those and sold them both. I had one I bought from Craig's List and the high E string(s) weren't as loud as the others. I later bought another for a very good price and it had the same problem so I sold that one too. Here's an action shot of my favorite with the Fishman acoustic/electric bridge at a gig......... It sounds so good that I can just unplug the cord out of my steel and plug it right into the mandolin at gigs.........JH in Va.

Steve Hotra · Post by **Steve Hotra** » 14 Apr 2014 9:25 am

I've been playing guitar and mandolin a lot longer than pedal steel. I own two: a Lyon Healy A style that was passed to me from my grandad.
And an electric Godin A6. It's a nice change to my music.
And I don't claim to have any chops that the serious bluegrass players do.

Jerome Hawkes · Post by **Jerome Hawkes** » 14 Apr 2014 11:28 am

i've been mainly a mandolin player for most of my musical life. i never knew how good i had it until i took up pedal steel and then had to lug 150lbs worth of stuff to a gig for 1/2 the money.
Here I am at a street festival with some crazy character performing right after us..

this is a mandolin i commissioned from Steve Gilchrist in Australia a few years ago
- its a hoss...

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 14 Apr 2014 2:19 pm

Holy smokes. Nice Gilchrist. Hubba hubba !!!

Carl Mesrobian · Post by **Carl Mesrobian** » 3 Jun 2014 12:56 pm

I just started playing - I have a Kentucky KM-250 - not bad after I filed the nut slots, lowered the bridge, and levelled the frets - haha!

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 4 Jun 2014 7:29 pm

The good thing about instruments with floating bridges is that it makes adjusting the action much easier.

George Rothenberger · Post by **George Rothenberger** » 6 Jun 2014 10:35 pm

Jerome, that's one purty Gilchrist, wow. I ahve a nice acoustic one myself, local guy In MN makes them, as good as any I've heard so I am set. Been playing for 30 years, still learning. I picked up and retrofitted a Chinese 'Cozart'double-neck electric, i put a Mando custom Seymour Duncan PUP in the mando, from Kevin Schwabb up here, added a new mando bridge (std Tele style) from 'Moongazer'. Bethca never saw one like this before. (the yellow one). These are som of my toys, in the pix. I play bluegrass. Rarely play the electric. I did play the guitar-side of it on an album I made, country.I do not use 8 strings on the elec mando, use 4. Yep I love Tiny too, he has be-bop lines, he plays flat 9 and flat 5 notes a lot, he really has the jazz chops. Jethro (did) to. I just had a seminar lesson with Don Stiernberg. Go Don.

Sandy Inglis · Post by **Sandy Inglis** » 7 Jun 2014 2:49 am

I had a mandolin before I started on Pedal Steel. I only played a few songs, but, over times I've added to that. One of the gigs we do has a lot of Irish who drink there (thanks to the earthquake rebuild)and I was talked into doing a few Irish numbers - they went down well.
I only have a cheap one, but it makes the right noises!!! I'd like to play it more but the Pedal Steel takes up all my time. The mandolin adds a novelty factor to our show.

The Steel Guitar Forum

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