Greetings All,

Looking for advice on my first Mandolin purchase. I'm just wondering what model would you recommend for someone in the singer/songwriter genre, 99% chord strumming? It seems that the ovals might be a good bet. I've never really played a mandolin, but I've been playing guitar for over 20 years and I'm a quick study. Basically, I'm looking for something that would give me a different sound while writing. I obviously have a preference for Collings instruments. Love the build quality, sound, and the fact that they retain value so well. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

For testing the waters, i'd suggest a used MT. Lots of them around, great sounding instruments, and they do hold their value. For oval holes my personal choice is still a snakehead Loar era Gibson any model from an Ajr on up.

there is a used collings oval hole in the mandolincafe.com classifieds. if you wait until summer namm there could be an oval hole version of the MT too.

but as doc states there are a lot of nice used MT's around.

I don't consider a mandolin the best instrument to be used as the sole backup instrument. It certainly can be, but it just doesn't play the role of a guitar as well a guitar. That being said, if I was considering such a thing, I'd look at the bigger members of the mandolin family, such as the Octave mandolin or the mandola.

I have a Weber mandola that I like a lot. It think if would make a better choice than a mandolin, especially since it is an oval hole.

I think you should consider a mandola over a mandolin. Something as high pitched as a mandolin might give the older generation that painful "Tiny Tim" reminder, unless of course that is your 'thang' and I wouldn't want to mess with that.

I will pm a link to some mandola playing.

In defence of the smaller mandolin ...there's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid by Ry Cooder.......or for us afficienado's of the high lonesome.....Bill Monroe...

Yeah, but Bill had a band backing him. I know you can make a mandolin a solo instrument. I've seen Peter Rowan do it. Whatever works for you.

Chris Thile can make a mandolin work as a solo accompaniment instrument, too, but both Bill and Chris had/have really high ranges. I thought I'd read that Peter sang over a mandola. Anyway, for all the reasons expressed above, I try not to sing solo over my mandolin, but I enjoy the heck out of singing solo over my Old Wave mandola.

But since you're writing and not performing with it, yet, lets look at keys: a mandolin plays easiest in G, A, C and D, while a mandola plays easiest in C, D, F and G. What works for your voice?

you need to find something that works well with your voice. try and bunch and then buy.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. My singing range is definitely lower than Chris's & Bill's. Thanks to Kenny B. for the Mandola info. Might be a better option for what I'm looking for. Better just get out and play a few. Would love to wait for the oval mt....kind of silly considering this would be my first mandolin, but you know how this "Collings" thing goes....

Thanks again to everyone.

My MF has a very quick decay (I imagine the MTs are close to similar). If I were to use a mando family instrument as solo backup, I would select something with more sustain, an oval, or yes a Mandola. Everyone is different though.

most Mf's are adi topped. the mt's engelmann. unless of course you special order an mf with engelmann.

as for mandolas, the pickens is slim. a lot of webers, a small fraction of luthier mades and some eastmans here and there.