Mando Hangout - Shopping Advice Forum Feed

Flatiron price

eric@mandohangout.com — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 15:41:26 CST

I have a Flatiron Festival F style (DW 08010021 sticker says Gibson original acoustic instruments) 12-15 yrs old good condition few playing scuffs, soft case.
Any estimate of sale price please?

Mandolin with longer scale length?

eric@mandohangout.com — Sun, 6 Jul 2025 05:23:11 CST

I have a Fylde mandolin which I have loved playing for over 30 years but finding the size of the frets more challenging for my aging fingers (and a bit of carpal tunnel). I am wondering if there are any mandolin brands with a slightly longer scale length (therefore with slightly wider frets). Ideally I would get a luthier to make one for me (always fancied a Stefan Sobell but could never afford it!) but luthier is beyond. my means. I would only be able to afford a mass produced one.

Fender Mandolin

eric@mandohangout.com — Mon, 9 Jun 2025 12:23:51 CST

I was offered a Fender mandolin with a $895 price tag, for $350. From a store owner. He closed the store about 3 years ago. He's still pulling stock from a warehouse and sells to people he knows. My husband knows him. We were in his closed store for another reason. Anyway, I forgot (!) to check the model of the Fender.

From the price tag, it appears to be an intermediate model. Any thoughts?

Just not sure if mandolins become dull like fiddles that just hang around. I don't think it was exposed to extreme temperatures or the sun.

Joseph Bowman mandolin

eric@mandohangout.com — Mon, 19 May 2025 21:06:33 CST

I got this mandolin after my dad passed away, i remember him telling me it was either his fathers or great grandfathers not sure which. I have zero idea what it could be worth, if anything. I am in United States if that matters. The case is almost falling apart and is in two pieces now. Just looking to see what information I can get about it. Thank you in advance for anything you can provide.

first mando

eric@mandohangout.com — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:57:44 CST

Hello friends I am looking for a decent mandolin for around $1000. I havnt picked up my old Flinthill in probably 15 years until today, and I realized what a trainwreck it is. I havnt priced one or played in many years,I dont know what is out there. Just need something with decent action, decent sound. I can saw a fiddle some, and I used to know the 4 finger cords, what do yall suggest?

1920a4 tuning machine replacements

eric@mandohangout.com — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 13:34:16 CST

What are the best tuning machine replacements for a 1920 Gibson a4 mandolin.

Best Tuners

eric@mandohangout.com — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 11:23:37 CST

My playing around the camp fire mandolin is an Alvarez F, no model # or serial #. Not great, but plays well. The tuners don't hold well at all. Which tuners do you recommend?

Where To Buy?

eric@mandohangout.com — Sat, 7 Jan 2023 07:30:14 CST

Brand new here.

I’m a fiddler who wants to learn mando. I want to buy my first instrument but need a reliable source for knowledge, setup, etc. I live in S. Louisiana. I doubt if there is a dedicated mando shop near me. I’m fortunate to have two string stores nearby. I can definitely travel if necessary, but is there anyone I can trust for an online purchase?

Suggestion for buying best mandolin for playing classical music

eric@mandohangout.com — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 13:57:12 CST

Hi Mates, I am Sourav and I want to buy best mandolin for classical music from Amazon. I am not expert so I want suggestion from expert mates from here!

First Mando

eric@mandohangout.com — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 15:59:20 CST

Hi all... this is my first post, and I am glad I found this place. I play Tenor Sax and recently took up the banjo to learn to play some bluegrass. In doing that, I have been exposed to the mandolin and really love the sound of it. I know there are a ton of "what first mandolin should I get", so I will try and phrase this a bit differently as I was not able to find really what I was trying to hey in on.

I know that the better quality instrument that you will buy, the better it will sound, play, usability, etc. I have a Sax that is quite expensive, and the fit, feel, seal on the pads, etc are just so much better than the sax I first had when I first started. It would have been nice to have my current sax then, but it was a major investment, and many years ago (40+) my parents didn't know if I would be serious with it or not. So it was a good investment for my parents to get me a beginner sax.

I have two really nice banjo's (Deering Americana, and a Gold Tone OB-150, and they play really nice.

I want to get a good mandolin, and I want to be able to play multiple styles of music on it. I would like to learn some bluegrass, but I also want to be able to play some Italian folk songs on the mandolin for my wife as well (as well as some other types of music possibly).

I really like the F model bodies, but I also like the classic A style mandolin's. I thought I heard that the A style mandolins may not be made as well though (but I don't know how true that is... although, I guess any style can be made "cheaply").

Two models I am looking at are the Kentucky KM-140 in the A style, and The Loar 310F in the F model body. The loar has a more appealing price point, but I hear some good things about the Kentucky.

I would really like to buy a non-Asian made one, but just like the banjo, that's really hard to do without spending a ton of money, so I am hoping you can help steer me. Both of the models that I listed I really like the looks of, but I can't base this just on looks. Play ability has to be a major factor in this, and I don't want to go too far in to start, as who knows, maybe I will hate playing this.

Anyhow, what are the pro's and cons of each, and are there other things I should consider in that same price range.

Thanks so much.

Humidification

eric@mandohangout.com — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 00:55:29 CST

I know some of you guys live in the Midwest like I do. This is an area I know nothing about but I am wondering should I get some kind of case humidifier or some thing for my new Eastman?