Dear Bob,
I have an old starter mandolin and I am looking to make a step up to a better instrument. It looks like Loar makes a solid product. My main concern is what kind of action these have. My main complaint with the one that I have is that the strings are too high, even after shaving the bridge down. What can you tell me about this?
Another question, what makes the Gibson F series mando
...lins so expensive. Is this mainly a product of the brand name?
signed,
Actual Person.
Dear Actual Person,
Thanks for the note, congratulations on your interest in the mandolin.
No matter what brand your mandolin, if it is not set up properly it is no fun to play.
Both Gibson and Loar are factory built production instruments. They are very well designed, but should be set up and adjusted by a luthier prior to final sale. New instruments move a surprising amount in their first few months of life as they adjust to string tension and the ambient humidity of the owners locale.
But, very few shops can afford to hire someone like myself. As a consequence, most instruments from most shops are less than correctly playable.
There are several considerations, nut height and string spacing; neck relief and quality of fretwork; height of saddle and the fit of the bridge feet; and the proper selection of strings based on the style/experience of the player.
Have I bored you to tears yet?
Both Loar and Gibson mandolins are currently designed by American luthiers and hand built with an interest in accurate reproduction of the classic mandolins from the 1920's.
The price difference in Loar and Gibson mandolins has more to do infrastucture expenses, marketing costs and the extreme popularity and cache of owning early period instruments than with quality of materials, execution of design and timbre/tone of currently available instruments.
Please drop by the shop and "speed date" some mandolins. I have a good selection of new Loars and a modest selection of early Gibson mandolins in the shop for your approval.
sincerely,
Bob TedrowSee More
