Anyone own a fender mandolin? I am thinking of buying this one, but am not sure if it is worth the price. I know fender makes some great electric guitars, but I have never been fond of their acoustic guitars, and I don’t know how well a fender mandolin might work. It’s price, (at least where I am getting it) is $850 Canadian. This is all I am willing to spend on a new mandolin at the moment, but if you have any suggestions of other mandolins in this price range, that might help too.
It depends what kind of stuff you are wanting to play Dan.
I see that Fender as more suitable for Bluegrass(if that’s what you’re looking for) rather than Scottish/Irish stuff. I think bluegrass mandolins ‘bark’ rather than sing.
I think handmade instruments are best. With Fender, you’re probably paying mainly for the brand name and i’m unsure of the quality and playability. Check out Fylde, Jack Spira, Davy Stuart, Graham McDonald and Peter Abnett out ,although they may be abit out the price range of yours and i’m unsure of their experiance with building mandolins, I know they make great bouzoukis which are generally harder to make.
At that price point, you’d do better soundwise without the scroll (curly part of the body). A plainer A style gets you more sound for the money. If you are looking to play trad, an oval-hole might be more the sound you want. Buddhu here (IIRC) got an oval-hole A style by Eastman which he is really happy with. They start at around US$520 – even if you figure in customs charges, you’re looking at about the same price for something which is handmade (albeit in China) vs a factory instrument from Asia (which is what Fender mandolins are).
Another option for traddy playing is a Trinity College, which in the US come in at about US$450. Rick C here on the board plays one and i think he’s going to take it to compete in the Fleadh.
I got a flat-top by Keith Newell, brand new, completely handmade, a killer trad mandolin, for less than US$700. His prices may have gone up since then, i don’t know.
So IMHO there are better options out there than the Fender.
Good luck, the hunt is fun too! Let us know what you go for.
If at all possible, go and play as many mandos as you can. I have a really inexpensive Kentucky A style with F holes that I bought used at a local antique shop. I tweaked the action and I LOVE the way it plays. At sessions, I’ve played other people’s Gibsons, Breedloves, etc and couldn’t see a huge enough difference to justify the price difference. Better, sure, but not 8 or 10 times better. Try some cheapies and you may be surprised to see that they’re plenty good enough for your needs. You can always upgrade later and sell the cheapie for just about what you paid for it.
I have a little fender A style with the F holes and the neck pickup. It is a great little instrument and easily as nice looking as the F Style in your link. (style differences aside) Fit and finish are perfect and the whole thing only cost $199.
I do a lot of recording and for me it is a bigger deal to be able to run direct with an istrument. This one sounds great both accoustically and electrically. It has a nice low action and stays well in tune.
I spent about another 80 on a case at the time of purchase but the guy threw in a strap with it.
I found something better and cheaper. There is a luthier named Peter Cox that lives nearby, he makes an assortment of guitars, mandolins, bouzoukis ect. His prices are very reasonable, his flat top Mandolins for instance are priced at around $450 CAN. and they sound absolutely lovely. So I am organizing a road trip into north Ontario to get one, sure, I could have it deliverd, but, that isn’t as classy.
Just be sure to play it before you commit to it. You may not know what you’re looking for, but someone may have already said, for Irish music you want ring and sustain, not attack that falls off quickly (which is what I have not liked about the Eastmans I’ve played, though they appeared to be very nicely made instruments-- but I could say the same about many others).
I don’t know anything about the luthier you mention so I’m not slagging him at all-- but just because something is handmade does not necessarily make it better. It should perhaps, but not always.
As for the Trinity College that was mentioned earlier, they’re decent instruments for the money and have what I think is a better sound for Irish music than many costing several times as much. That said, it wouldn’t be my first choice for competing in the All Ireland, that’s just the situation I find myself in. If it wins, I’ll sell it to you. $2500 US. Heh heh heh…
I have played it already, just didn’t have the money on me at the time. It is comparable in quality to some breedloves I have played. Mind you, he had another one in stock that didn’t sound nearly as good (it might just have been personal preference.) For the money, it is a very good instrument. It might not compare to a 1920’s Gibson (I have never played one, but I am fairly sure that your paying more money for the year and brand than the sound,) but it is well-worth it.
I have a Mid-Mo, and for the money, I think they’re hard to beat. The build quality is nice and with a a change of strings, you can get subtle differences in sound. I have tried Fender (A-style) and I didn’t like it. Maybe it was the strings (weight), or that it was a factory setup, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.
