Dando's Mondo Mando

[Chankgeez]

Yep and he just listed it on Reverb:

https://reverb.com/item/89448161-2006-d ... etup-ready

[dubkitty]

i know it’s something of a quality-related crapshoot, but Eastwood has several guitar-sized “octave mandolins” that could be worthwhile if bought used…they’re way too expensive new for what you get. i could build a copy of their Coodercaster model for like half the cost. i wouldn’t normally mention them—we’ve all heard/seen Eastwood QC horror stories—but i bought their Wandré Soloist and there’s very little to complain about quality-wise. Gold Tone also has a acoustic guitar-shaped OM/bouzouki; all the Eastwood options are electric.

[qersty]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9tP1IZtfOI[/youtube]
this feels relevant to the interests of several people here

[Chankgeez]

Awesome!

[qersty]

it would be awesomer if it had mandolin

[dubkitty]

i don’t know if it’s been mentioned here, but the guitarkit.shop website is selling Irish/Portuguese-style bouzoukis, mandolins, and other mandolin-family instructions. i’m a little dubious about the pine tops, but if like me that body style is your favorite it’s a second option probably comparable to the Hora line from Romania whose bouzouki i almost bought.

[Zork]

I had a cheap Harley Benton mando for many years but never got into it much and then it became unplayable because the top sunk in. I was half looking for another one for a few years without pulling the trigger until I found a Harmony Batwing (had never heard of this model before) and fell in love. I have it for a few weeks now and I play it every day. It's such a joy, really. I just got past the strumming and noodling around phase and I practice and develop a mandolin arrangement of Here Comes The Sun. Look how beautiful it is:

[dubkitty]

it’s not often one gets to say it, but that mandolin is badass.

i had a odd mandolin i bought in the mid-80s; it was a Gianinni from Brazil, a Portuguese-style instrument with a flat top and back and a round soundhole. cedar top, rosewood back and sides. it was the loudest mandolin i’ve ever heard. calling the workmanship “crude” would be overly complimentary. eventually the top cracked and that was before i was confident enough to work on instruments so it went away. i’ve been half-assedly looking for one like it, but am so up to my eyeballs in guitar stuff that it hasn’t really been a priority. i like that style better than the American F and A styles. the electric bouzouki became a thing for me when i saw one in a shop or online and said “i could work with that.” i’m pretty sure i saw David Lindley play an acoustic Irish bouzouki back in the mid-80s. he was a huge influence on me, especially playing lap-style slide.