The mandolin reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
90 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: Private builder
Year Purchased: 2003
Price Paid: Don't Remember
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Nice rich full sound. I have it set up as an octave mandolin [OM strings 44-11] sounds good. I use the bouzouki tuning [GDad] Large open chord sound. Sometimes a bet week with banjos though.
Sound Rating: 8
Hand made- setup was great
Setup Rating: 10
Beautiful looking instrument. Spurce top, light maple back and sides, Mog. neck.
Appearance Rating: not rated
Ive had it for a while- iat seems pretty solid.
Reliability Rating: 8
Private maker [ Bob Talkington of Moundsville, WV] Lifetime warrenty- he will fix it until HE dies.
Customer Service: 10
Very well made- wood is just beautiful- Faceplace is off color brown to show off the neck and top.
Components Rating: 9
I tried the regular bouzouki strings, it has a 24" neck- and the regular choursed strings just wouldn't stay in tune. So i switched to GHS Octave Mandolin strings- and it really came alive. SO i kept it as a OM. I play mostly bluegrass and i bring it to jams on occasion- it gets lots of looks and sounds good on a lot of songs [ NOT all of course]. I have an Irish Tenor banjo tuned [CGdg] so the tuning is the same but a 4th off. the chords are the same shapes. I have never found a irish jam around here- I would love to try it there.
Overall Rating: 8
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