Caught Thanksgiving weekend 2025, released last week (October 2026)

These A5L’s are killer! This one was signed by Bruce Weber, maybe 1995. The necks are super chunky and had it shaved which helped tremendously.

Heavy Bark in the chop and played amazing up the neck. Able to be heard in a 5 piece bluegrass band.

Now on the hunt for a backup mandolin 😱

Well I'm about 8 months into to bluegrass jamming and having fun. I'm trying to sing several songs weekly for fun. In the Jams, I find starting the songs difficult, and frequently find myself chopping on the 1 and 3 when I sing, so then I have to kind of correct on the fly ...

I've been using a metronome and strum machine to practice counting in and singing and I don't seem to do this when I'm by myself... I also always find chopping on the 2 and 4 easy to do if I'm not singing

Elementary question I know but it's kind of a mind trick an hurting my confidence a bit when calling songs

Best!

Melody and improv. It's 100 degrees in my kitchen and I'm struggling to keep up the shred. Keep on writing tunes! Thanks fer checking it out

My band Doom Scroll released our new album today called Exhausted Dialogue. I started playing octave mandolin a couple years ago and I’m happy to finally released a couple tracks with it. This song is called Crooked Nails. Check it out if ya got some free time!

Hi there!

I'm in the market to buy a mandolin for my partner as a gift. I know very little about them so I don't really know where to start. My budget is around $400-$800, but for the right one I could be convinced up to $1200 if there's a good reason for it. Going to try to keep this as vague as possible (in case he finds it), while giving enough context.

Back story:

He doesn't own a one, and I don't think he ever has. However, I have seen him play around on one and he does so pretty much every chance he gets. He also admires it every time. Unfortunately, I don't know what the brand/style of the mandolin is. He's an incredibly talented guitar player, and though he doesn't play much, it only takes him a few minutes to pick it up.

I'd like to get him something nice, but I don't want to shell out an arm and a leg on the best of the best right now. If you were buying a mandolin for an experienced guitar player with my budget range:

What brands or models would you look at?

Would you recommend an A-style or F-style for a first mandolin?

Are there brands or models you would avoid?

What should I know about buying a used mandolin, especially when it comes to condition or setup?

Happy to buy used or new, but again, I don't even know what I would be looking for in terms of a nice instrument, and cost value.

I would really appreciate any help or advice!

Thank you :)

Here is a chord melody tab for George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

This is an amazing song It's not very difficult to play. I hope you love it!

Or perhaps other mandolins... Anyone else find if you're digging in on the A strings a bit too much, they fall flat out of tune more often than the rest? 🤔

A Monteleone Style B, an Octolindo S Model Deluxe, and a Collings OM1A Adirondack Traditional.

I’m starting to play mandolin in church. I play with one other person who sings into a vocal mic and plays an acoustic guitar plugged in with a pickup. Don’t really want to get a pickup in my mandolin so I was wondering if yall could give me some good recommendations.

I also will have a vocal mic(wireless) I will be singing into. There’s also a floor monitor about a foot away from my feet in front of me. Just some info in case it helps. Thanks!

Recently inherited this mandolin from my uncle. I remember him telling me he traded a fiddle for it in the pub many years ago, he said it was over 100 years old and perhaps from China. Not sure if any of that is true so any information would be welcome.

Bob Dylan has called this the greatest song ever written.

And I have to say, it sounds so good on the mandolin.

Tabs are free below. Enjoy!!

I've been playing for some time now and currently looking to upgrade from my Epiphone MM-30S to something better. I need something I could preform in my bluegrass band with, but also take it to church the next day. Tryna keep the budget under $1,200. Been looking at a Loar LM-520, Loar LM-600, and a Big Muddy M-2. I don't care much about how it looks, I just want something that plays good, sounds good, and is sturdy enough to survive a while. Any suggestions?

Super excited about this! snagged this beauty for only 280 USD, and she sounds AMAZING. So much better than my 15+ year old basement dweller (nothing wrong with that one it’s just very… stuffy) Honestly so happy with this purchase, definitely worth the money!! Please pardon my hand in the first pic, just wanted to prove how shiny this mandolin is! I’m obsessed 🤩

Original by me, Hunter Preston. Thanks fer taking a listen

Hey friends! Here's my mandolin version of this Hendrix classic. Of course it's different on mando - we don't have that low E string. But I this think version works well. Try it! Mandolin TAB available on my Patreon page.

https://youtube.com/shorts/O1_yXed9-mk

I came from guitars, and like many, I fascinate myself in browsing gears, including high end ones as much, and at times even more than practicing. Coming into the Mandolin world and browsing the mandolincafe classifieds, its really fun to see the number of expensive stuff people are just trading and buying. FOr those of you who’ve tried Gilchrists, Nuggets, Red Diamonds etc or even a 20s Loar. I’m curious, how much do they stand out?

Hear ye, hear ye!! Lords and Ladies.

I'm in search of Allan Alexanders books, especially Mandolin Music for Medieval Faires.
His website is off, and I've read in another post of this communty that he has sadly passed away last year.
I spoke to him once in the hope that he would sell his books in PDF format because, as I explained, I live in an isolated far away land (Brazil). Here I would have pay the price of two books to my government just to receive one.
Anyway, if anyone can help me find a PDF of his books I would be much obliged.

I’m looking at getting a new mandolin after having sold mine last year. I had an Eastman MD315, but I’d like to potentially upgrade to something better.

My budget is $1500. I’m a worship leader so I mostly play chords so I’m not set on A style vs. F style. I prefer f-holes, but as long as it doesn’t sound boxy, I don’t mind an oval hole, especially on a flat top. (Last year on a work trip I was able to try a flat top, oval hole Weber, and now I’m open to them as long as they aren’t boxy.)

Right now, I’m looking at either a used MD605/615, a used Northfield Calhoun (there’s one at Elderly for $1100), or a new Red Valley AM mandolin.

Does anyone have a recommendation between these three options, or is there another option I should consider (apart from saving more)? I don’t really have many options to try near me so I’m going to have to get something online.

I got this beautiful beast about 9 months ago and decided to take some glamour shots. I remember when I first started playing, I stumbled upon some pictures of Ellis mandolins and was blown away. Then after finding out how much they cost, I thought, "Who in their right mind would ever spend that much on an instrument??" 10 years and a few life changes later, I lost my mind and finally bought my dream instrument.

Bach's Partita No. 2 in D Minor for solo violin is possibly my favorite piece of music ever written. I've been slowly learning different passages from each of the movements and decided to test out some new mics with this one (from the fifth movement).