(Soon) NID

[marqueemoon]

Nice. I have eyed those Eastman mandolins a few times. Would probably be my first choice if I decide to jump in.

I’ve tried a few cheaper ones and they were pretty frustrating.

[jthomas]

I'm late to the party. My guess was gonna be an electric sitar, given your first hint.

[Maggieo]

Newer than a lute, but still an old instrument that has seen some serious changes in its form factor.

Mandolin?

Yeah, I knew it wouldn't last long!

I bought one of these nice Eastman mandolins.

I played one (badly) at Lidgett's Music and just like my T64v, it's a corking good instrument.

[Embenny]

Yeah, Eastman is generally "as good as an import is going to get." They use good materials and do good work, but overseas to save on labour.

This is reigniting my mandocello GAS (or...MAS).

They make, or made, both an F-hole style as well as one with an archtop but a guitar-like round soundhole.

Gosh, I want one.

That also reminds me that my luthier friend, David Webber, built a guitar-Irish Bozouki hybrid he called the "Guizouki."

It had a parlour guitar body with a bouzouki neck, so you could probably tune it as a mandola or even mandocello with the right strings, as well as an Irish bouzouki.

He's retired now, but still makes instruments in his garage on his own schedule. Maybe I'll give him a call...

[Larry Mal]

Like I say, I had a bid on a mandola, and I watched this video and man, does this guy play well.

[Maggieo]

Yeah, Eastman is generally "as good as an import is going to get." They use good materials and do good work, but overseas to save on labour.

This is reigniting my mandocello GAS (or...MAS).

They make, or made, both an F-hole style as well as one with an archtop but a guitar-like round soundhole.

Gosh, I want one.

That also reminds me that my luthier friend, David Webber, built a guitar-Irish Bozouki hybrid he called the "Guizouki."

It had a parlour guitar body with a bouzouki neck, so you could probably tune it as a mandola or even mandocello with the right strings, as well as an Irish bouzouki.

He's retired now, but still makes instruments in his garage on his own schedule. Maybe I'll give him a call...

Eastman is on a par with boutique instruments from the US and the UK, IMO. It's not a factory; it's craftsmen in a workshop.

[DrQuasar]

I bet the first song you play is some goo goo dolls, right?

[Larry Mal]

This is reigniting my mandocello GAS (or...MAS).

I'm a big Cheap Trick fan and they have a song featuring the mandocello called, guess what, "Mandocello".

It's a good tune.

[Larry Mal]

I bet the first song you play is some goo goo dolls, right?

Well, after I've finished assaulting the world with "Maggie May" I'll get to that.

[Jonesie]

I bet the first song you play is some goo goo dolls, right?

Well, after I've finished assaulting the world with "Maggie May" I'll get to that.

Don't forget "Losing My Religion" and the solo from "I Will Dare".

[Larry Mal]

Apparently it will be here today, so I'll put up a little review I guess.

[Larry Mal]

Well, it did arrive. I got to play it for a while last night. I'm still a little cumbersome on the instrument and hopefully will overcome that, but I can do some fun stuff.

I think I can hear what they meant when they said that an A style mandolin with the center sound hole has more resonance and sustain. I mean I don't have much to compare it to, but this one certainly has a good amount of both of those and I like it. I have no real interest in playing bluegrass but some haunting mandolin melodic stuff I could see being useful down the road.

I also can't fault anything with this Eastman mandolin. I am not experienced much with the mandolin, but I would have a hard time imagining anything better, especially at this price. I spent around $500 used and depending on if I fall in love with the instrument or what, this could almost certainly serve all my mandolin needs for the rest of my life.

Maybe I'll go up to the music store some day and play some more expensive ones, see if I hear much difference. Who knows. I doubt I will hear a thousand dollars worth of difference, though.

There's really not much for me to say about the construction other than this type of mandolin is pretty elaborate. You look at pictures of it and it looks like the neck is just set into an arched top, but there is a lip on the top where it meets the neck, which means that it has to be carved pretty intricately. I'll try and get a picture of it.

Well, if anyone is thinking about a mandolin, Eastman is good value for the money just like you probably suspect.

[shoegaze_head]

Hope you enjoy the new instrument! The guitarist at the church I grew up at played a mandolin sometimes, I wish I saw them more often. Not really a bluegrass person and I don't know what other genres they're played in

[JSett]

Hope you enjoy the new instrument! The guitarist at the church I grew up at played a mandolin sometimes, I wish I saw them more often. Not really a bluegrass person and I don't know what other genres they're played in

Folk music. There's shittons of great Irish/Scottish/English folk music where the Mandolin is an important part.

Also, I think its roots lie in Italy and that would make sense as Neapolitan music has a lot of it in, and some operas include it. The Italian mandolin style can be beautiful.

Here is something you'll surely recognise as a great example of Mandolin in its original style

[Embenny]

Also, I think its roots lie in Italy and that would make sense as Neapolitan music has a lot of it in, and some operas include it. The Italian mandolin style can be beautiful.

Correct, and you can't talk about the Italian roots of the mandolin without giving a shout out to Vivaldi.