... this one is so dang beautiful that I feel like jumping into mandolin just to own it and make music with it:

http://www.cottenmusic.com/ima...ngs/MT2Blonde_FF.jpg

Go carefully, Mandos can be even more addicting that guitars are. And good ones aint' cheap either.

I love the Honey/Blond color Collings does.
That's what I have on my MF Oval !

OK - I'll be careful. But I can't stop looking at it. BTW, what's the basic tone difference between mandolins with oval soundholes and mandolins without?

WAIT! I just found a post that goes into it. :-)

I would strongly encourage you to step boldly into the land of mandolins. Fear not. There are a bunch of us there who, like you, love the sound and look of the instrument, even if we are only beginning to find our skills. Besides, I don't want to be the only one.

Trust me, you are NOT the only one. LOL
I will never be mistaken for a "real" Mando player, yet I will be playing at the River Fest this weekend. all on Mando.

And have two other performers who want me to pick with them a bit. It's a BLAST.

Go For IT !

if you're gonna get, get good.

quote:

Originally posted by Beal:
if you're gonna get, get good.

I'll second that 110%. Get a Mando that you won't out grow too quickly, and one that you enjoy playing. If you get a POS then you won't want to play it.

Get one that you will never grow into.

Also, mando fretboards make sense.

Northern, they are pretty simple to learn how to play. I had only been playing guitar for 5 years when I got my first one, and before three weeks was out I was able to play the chords and the heads to about thirty songs. It's so easy to make the transition because both your hands are doing stuff vera familiar to them. Go borrow one from a friend and give it a try, but I' would be willing to bet that if you do, you will want one of your own...Tell us what happens too OK?

Kerry, in your mando wisdom would you recommend a mando or a mandola for mostly solo strumming type work? I love the mando, but I like the extra bass of the mandola. And as you can tell I am already fantasizing about a Collings mandola. I haven't learned any mando chords yet, so I figure i won't really be re-learning anything if I start out on a mandola. Thanks.

sparky

northernbreed:

Heck, that looks just like my MT2. If you want a mandolin, it's a darn nice choice. I play it mostly for a change of pace. Fun stuff.

The new one at Cotten looks a lot like the one I currently have for sale.