Thew Harley Benton version from Thomann is exactly the same, made by Hora and is a fraction of the price. I just paid £160 for mine, shipped from Germany to UK in four days. They are great instruments. Thanks for the video and I wish you well.
I've spent a year with this OM and it is still my favorite instrument to play. I just used it in an Irish music pub session last night and it sounded great there. If you've got a bit of reverb when you put it through an amp, it sounds incredible. I'll share a video with that soon.
The good news is that any skills you have on Mandolin with translate over to the OM! There's only a couple chord shapes that wont work due to the long scale length. I've spent a year with this instrument and it is still my favorite one to play, and I even just played it at an Irish music pub session last night. I still absolutely recommend this OM from Hora!
Excellent review. Thanks. I'm leaning towards getting a mandola. A Hora one like your bouzouki or octave mandolin there comes up as about the most affordable starter instrument so it's good to hear they are pretty reasonable quality. I recently restrung a tenor ukulele in fifths (CGDA) and have started playing lots of folky tunes. The tenor uke and mandola scale length is about the same as a guitar with a capo at the fifth fret so those longer stretches are more manageable for the twiddly diddly melody stuff. (Have you tried using a capo on yours for twiddlier tunes?) Hope you are still having fun with it and are making good progress.
Thanks for watching and for the comment. I haven't used a capo on this OM. I play this regularly. After a year, this is still my favorite instrument to play. I have modified a Baritone Uke into an Octave Mandolin with nylon strings and that is also very satisfying to play, with deep rich tones I haven't heard from any other instrument. I do find certain chord shapes with this Hora to be a bit difficult due to the long scale length, where as a Mandola is more manageable. I just played this OM at an Irish pub music session and it blended well.
I have a second hand Irish bouzouki also by hora and it is totally OUTSTANDING. I love. I think I recognise the second piece you played - I think it’s ashokan farewell
I see you tune this to gdae as well. I find it hard to find stuff on this specific tuning..i either transfer mandolin things here or have to make adjustments to Bouzouki lessons taking into account different tuning. I also have a Hora.. good luck
Great video. I'm really leaning toward this mandolin....I've been wanting one for years. I just realized I wanted something with a little deeper sound and came across the octave mandolins and knew that's the sound for me. I've never played an instrument and I would feel comfortable paying this price range for a mandolin. Yesterday when I was scrolling and looking at various octave mandolins and this one came into view and my heart melted...it's absolutely gorgeous....so beautiful. And then the sound was wonderful as well. I would take your advice and change the saddle for a bone one. Could I do that myself or would you recommend me taking it to a music shop? And do you recommend a specific saddle? Wow, I was believing this was the one for me and after watching you and some other musicians praise it I'm so much more motivated than I was initially. Thank you so much. From Wisconsin, USA. Keep up the encouraging others that desire to have quality instruments and motivating by your lighthearted way of being realistic about what does and doesn't matter. God bless you.
Thank you for the comment and kind message! Sorry for the late reply, I didn't realize your comment was here until today. Replacing the saddle is very easy and something you can do yourself, but you do need to file in some slots into the saddle to hold the strings in place. I'll make a video just for you to show the process. The saddle I used on this one was a "Ukulele bone saddle" I purchased on eBay for around $10 or less. Please keep an eye out for a new video from me where I show the process. All the best to you! Jerrel
@@MountainHomeJerrel Wow, thanks, that's awesome and very kind of you. I will definitely be watching for that video. And thanks for the more specific information on the bone saddle for in the meantime. I'm waiting on my Hora Octave Mandolin as it is coming from the Thomann Music in Germany and there has been a delay in the shipment because they are waiting for a new supply. I've already gotten a few picks to try and I have some more coming with the mandolin, and an octave mandolin chord bible book in that order, too. And I'm also going to be creating my own strap and just received the leather strap ends and hardware in the mail today. So I'm trying to keep it simple but still do enough to keep me motivated to step into this new experience with anticipation and a joyful eagerness. If that makes any sense...lol! Thanks again, Jerrel.
Jerrel, I had to cancel my order due to changes in my circumstances at this time. But I'm still thinking of making the strap as I already have the supplies and materials. Maybe down the road my hopes of having this mandolin will come to be, but as a follower of Jesus Christ; I find contentment in having little or having much.....Jesus is my All in all , my King, and my everything. So I'll wait patiently. If I ever have this mandolin it will be an added joy to what really matters. I hope to still watch for your video on putting the bone saddle on it....and any other videos as I see them come up. Keep giving the info for others to make due with what can be done to make each instrument the best it can be. That's a good thing. God looks at the heart and a relationship with Him is a heart issue, not laws, but having a heart to do what is pleasing to Him because we truly love Him because He loved us first. I believe that when people sing to Him, He loves it even if they don't have the best voice but when their song is lifted up to Him from a heart full of love for Him. ...that's what delights Him. So I think the instruments of music can be the same thing. It doesn't have to be the most expensive, (though they may sound the best or most beautiful.)...but we all know at times there will be the player of the instrument that plays it with all their heart and they are the ones that many times moves the hearts that hear their song; more than the most expensive and beautiful sounding instrument according to the experts ears.......if the player of the most desired instrument just has the technique, and method, and music knowledge...they may not move hearts in a way that is memorable and inspiring. It may not stir others ...though people may very well comment..."man, they can really play that_______(fill in the blank...."mandolin, piano, sax, etc.")". I hope you don't mind me going on about this; but you seem to care about people and their desire to play their instrument.....! I'm getting ready this morning to head to a friends campground in the valley to spend my summer there as I did last summer. And it's beautiful and peaceful. It's called Green Valley Campground. It's the Lord's land and the owners proclaim it to be His and that they are the caretakers of it. And they work hard to keep it up. I'm looking forward to being there again. Maybe you can come and camp there some day. 😊 God bless....Jesus lives and He is King! Hallelujah! T.
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear you had to cancel your order, but I understand. Thank you for the kind message. I'll play some music and upload videos for you. Have faith and keep your eyes open. You may find a pre-owned one for sale at an easier price and you can half and play an octave mandolin one day. Look forward to a bright future and have a wonderful summer at the campground. All the very best to you, take care!
Great video! Im expecting delivery of a Hora mandola. I wanted a deeper tone than a mandolin but a slightly shorter scale than an octave mandolin. I appreciate the advice about easy upgrades to improve sound. How has your experience progressed?
G'day mate! I've been playing Mandolin and it's various variations (octave, mandocello, piccolo Mandolin) very regularly for both work, music gigs, and music sessions. I will upload more videos on all those as well. Please let me know what you think of the Hora Mandola when you get it. I don't have one of those.
Good review! I just got one of these a week ago from Thomann. I really like how it sounds and the workmanship is very good for the price. Most "inexpensive" octave mandolins are over $800. Some regular mandolin chords are hard to play unless you have huge hands but that isn't really a problem. You are right about the saddle. The action is a little high so I'm going to take it to my luthier and have them replace it and adjust the action. My only complaint is I didn't realize it came with a soft case so I ordered a case for $35, Thomann sent a regular mandolin case and not the octave mandolin case I ordered. Thomann won't pay the return shipping and it cost more to send it back to get a refund than the case cost so I'll sell it on Craig's List.
Glad to be in the Octave Mandolin club with ya! There are certain chords (I'm looking at you, F chord) that I have some trouble with on an OM, but I think it is worth the trade offs. It's a real shame you were sent the wrong case and then won't be paid for return shipping. Surely a bit company can handle that kind of cost for a customer. Enjoy the OM, rock out, and I hope to hear from you again!
This form is an excellent way to show the world and the "Thomann" company that customer service can make or brake a company, big or small. Folks; pay attention to what is say here (by their own will) about places we all are thinking about buying from, if they mess with them then they might not end up being your favorite place to do business either. Free speech it's what "we" are and should always be. P.S. re: huge hands via small hands and proper chords to learn, I'm a believer in books, i.e. I bought these but there are others out there, 1- the BIG BOOK of Mandocello Chords and 2- The Mandocello Chord Bible. I'm just another old man player and not in business selling books but I do believe in sharing good information. Play well until you die and then take it to heaven and join that "heavenly mando session."
Hmmmm... I've been looking at getting one of these, as I have a short hand span. I have a bouzouki, but couldn't get the chords like a mandolin, so hoped this was shorter and therefore easier to chord, but it sounds not! I don't know if you are aware, but many tune the high E string to a D, so that it is easier to chord, for example, a F, (bottom finger moves up two frets. Or down tune the bouzouki a half-step and capo the first fret, to make the fretboard scale effectively shorter and easier to chord.
Glad to see these have improved. I bought one about 15 years ago and it was barely playable. Wound up upgrading to a Red Valley octave mandolin. There has always been a void to be filled in entry-priced instruments in this niche corner of the music world. Looks like this can fill that void.
Dude, this was a SUPER review! You seem like a very nice young man, and kudos to you for doing this! I really want an Eastman 305, but those are $1k which is $700 more than this Hora/Thomann. What people dont know is that Thomann also has a dark brown model...which I am leaning into because TBH? Not a fan of the rosette or the light spruce look...All my instruments are dark: curly maple dark sunburst and mahogany guitars, cherrywood...and my fiddles and mandolins are dark too...sooo...why change? Anyway, loved your review. Wear a condom.😅
Howdy! It's great to hear from you. I've spent quite some time with this instrument now so I will start re-reviewing these instruments with a format and rating system that will be more useful to people. I myself am sucker for sunburst finish, especially tobacco Sunburst. Hora does make a tobacco sunburst OM but I didn't see any in stock at the time I purchased this. Thank you for watching!
I only just started playing the Octave Mandolin at the time of thia video so my level of experience was quite low. I had been playing Mandolin maybe a few months at the time of the review. I've been playing guitar for around 18 years or so. I'll share a new video soon with updates on the instrument. It is still one of my favorites to play.
Dude i like the sound of the octave more possibilities the ooen strings ring do sweet great jobim not use to ordering stuff if the Internet who is a safe one to go with or how do u do it ? Hope u see my post thsnks again 👍
Gday, sorry for the late reply. I didn't see this. It can be scary to order from a shop you don't know. Many shops sell their stock via eBay, and it is a safe way to buy items. It's best to pay with PayPal via eBay, and if theres any problems with the transaction or item, eBay will always side with the buyer and reimburse. You can see the seller's rating % and reviews openly as well. I bought this OM on eBay from Romania where they are manufactured.
You're right. The manufacturer lists this as either a Bouzouki or Octave Mandolin. The scale length is at the high end of an OM so you can tune and play it as either. The longer scale length makes chords even harder for OM.
It's a nice instrument especially considering the price. I hope you can pick one up some day soon. It is one of mt favorites to play out of my entire arsenal.
You're really good brother please keep making more videos. I enjoy them as everyone else does. I never seen that instruments before
Thank you! I appreciate that. I'll keep making more reviews and share more custom instruments.
Thew Harley Benton version from Thomann is exactly the same, made by Hora and is a fraction of the price. I just paid £160 for mine, shipped from Germany to UK in four days. They are great instruments. Thanks for the video and I wish you well.
Thank you for sharing that. I hope you have a great adventure with your Octave Mandolin. All the best to you. Thank you for watching.
I paid more for a Gold Tone and it doesn't even have a pickup. Might be time for an upgrade. 🙂 Thanks for the review!
I've spent a year with this OM and it is still my favorite instrument to play. I just used it in an Irish music pub session last night and it sounded great there. If you've got a bit of reverb when you put it through an amp, it sounds incredible. I'll share a video with that soon.
This sounds magnificent! I’ve been teaching myself the mandolin for a couple years, but I really want an octave.
The good news is that any skills you have on Mandolin with translate over to the OM! There's only a couple chord shapes that wont work due to the long scale length. I've spent a year with this instrument and it is still my favorite one to play, and I even just played it at an Irish music pub session last night. I still absolutely recommend this OM from Hora!
Excellent review. Thanks.
I'm leaning towards getting a mandola. A Hora one like your bouzouki or octave mandolin there comes up as about the most affordable starter instrument so it's good to hear they are pretty reasonable quality.
I recently restrung a tenor ukulele in fifths (CGDA) and have started playing lots of folky tunes. The tenor uke and mandola scale length is about the same as a guitar with a capo at the fifth fret so those longer stretches are more manageable for the twiddly diddly melody stuff. (Have you tried using a capo on yours for twiddlier tunes?)
Hope you are still having fun with it and are making good progress.
Thanks for watching and for the comment. I haven't used a capo on this OM. I play this regularly. After a year, this is still my favorite instrument to play. I have modified a Baritone Uke into an Octave Mandolin with nylon strings and that is also very satisfying to play, with deep rich tones I haven't heard from any other instrument. I do find certain chord shapes with this Hora to be a bit difficult due to the long scale length, where as a Mandola is more manageable. I just played this OM at an Irish pub music session and it blended well.
I have a second hand Irish bouzouki also by hora and it is totally OUTSTANDING.
I love.
I think I recognise the second piece you played - I think it’s ashokan farewell
I see you tune this to gdae as well. I find it hard to find stuff on this specific tuning..i either transfer mandolin things here or have to make adjustments to Bouzouki lessons taking into account different tuning. I also have a Hora.. good luck
That's great. How do you feel about your Hora? I hope you've had a good experience with yours.
@@MountainHomeJerrel its great, the tone is awesome, and it gets a lot of praise when i bring it to the local music store.
Very informative thanks!
Cheers, Mike. Happy to be of any help.
Nice, thanks for doing this review. I just ordered the same one
Great video. I'm really leaning toward this mandolin....I've been wanting one for years. I just realized I wanted something with a little deeper sound and came across the octave mandolins and knew that's the sound for me. I've never played an instrument and I would feel comfortable paying this price range for a mandolin. Yesterday when I was scrolling and looking at various octave mandolins and this one came into view and my heart melted...it's absolutely gorgeous....so beautiful. And then the sound was wonderful as well.
I would take your advice and change the saddle for a bone one. Could I do that myself or would you recommend me taking it to a music shop? And do you recommend a specific saddle?
Wow, I was believing this was the one for me and after watching you and some other musicians praise it I'm so much more motivated than I was initially.
Thank you so much.
From Wisconsin, USA. Keep up the encouraging others that desire to have quality instruments and motivating by your lighthearted way of being realistic about what does and doesn't matter.
God bless you.
Thank you for the comment and kind message! Sorry for the late reply, I didn't realize your comment was here until today. Replacing the saddle is very easy and something you can do yourself, but you do need to file in some slots into the saddle to hold the strings in place. I'll make a video just for you to show the process. The saddle I used on this one was a "Ukulele bone saddle" I purchased on eBay for around $10 or less. Please keep an eye out for a new video from me where I show the process. All the best to you! Jerrel
@@MountainHomeJerrel Wow, thanks, that's awesome and very kind of you. I will definitely be watching for that video. And thanks for the more specific information on the bone saddle for in the meantime. I'm waiting on my Hora Octave Mandolin as it is coming from the Thomann Music in Germany and there has been a delay in the shipment because they are waiting for a new supply. I've already gotten a few picks to try and I have some more coming with the mandolin, and an octave mandolin chord bible book in that order, too. And I'm also going to be creating my own strap and just received the leather strap ends and hardware in the mail today. So I'm trying to keep it simple but still do enough to keep me motivated to step into this new experience with anticipation and a joyful eagerness. If that makes any sense...lol!
Thanks again, Jerrel.
Jerrel, I had to cancel my order due to changes in my circumstances at this time. But I'm still thinking of making the strap as I already have the supplies and materials. Maybe down the road my hopes of having this mandolin will come to be, but as a follower of Jesus Christ; I find contentment in having little or having much.....Jesus is my All in all , my King, and my everything. So I'll wait patiently. If I ever have this mandolin it will be an added joy to what really matters.
I hope to still watch for your video on putting the bone saddle on it....and any other videos as I see them come up.
Keep giving the info for others to make due with what can be done to make each instrument the best it can be. That's a good thing.
God looks at the heart and a relationship with Him is a heart issue, not laws, but having a heart to do what is pleasing to Him because we truly love Him because He loved us first. I believe that when people sing to Him, He loves it even if they don't have the best voice but when their song is lifted up to Him from a heart full of love for Him. ...that's what delights Him.
So I think the instruments of music can be the same thing. It doesn't have to be the most expensive, (though they may sound the best or most beautiful.)...but we all know at times there will be the player of the instrument that plays it with all their heart and they are the ones that many times moves the hearts that hear their song; more than the most expensive and beautiful sounding instrument according to the experts ears.......if the player of the most desired instrument just has the technique, and method, and music knowledge...they may not move hearts in a way that is memorable and inspiring. It may not stir others ...though people may very well comment..."man, they can really play that_______(fill in the blank...."mandolin, piano, sax, etc.")".
I hope you don't mind me going on about this; but you seem to care about people and their desire to play their instrument.....!
I'm getting ready this morning to head to a friends campground in the valley to spend my summer there as I did last summer. And it's beautiful and peaceful. It's called Green Valley Campground. It's the Lord's land and the owners proclaim it to be His and that they are the caretakers of it. And they work hard to keep it up. I'm looking forward to being there again. Maybe you can come and camp there some day. 😊
God bless....Jesus lives and He is King! Hallelujah!
T.
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear you had to cancel your order, but I understand. Thank you for the kind message. I'll play some music and upload videos for you. Have faith and keep your eyes open. You may find a pre-owned one for sale at an easier price and you can half and play an octave mandolin one day. Look forward to a bright future and have a wonderful summer at the campground. All the very best to you, take care!
Great video! Im expecting delivery of a Hora mandola. I wanted a deeper tone than a mandolin but a slightly shorter scale than an octave mandolin. I appreciate the advice about easy upgrades to improve sound. How has your experience progressed?
G'day mate! I've been playing Mandolin and it's various variations (octave, mandocello, piccolo Mandolin) very regularly for both work, music gigs, and music sessions. I will upload more videos on all those as well. Please let me know what you think of the Hora Mandola when you get it. I don't have one of those.
Do you do online lessons? I’d love to learn and just bought one.
Good review! I just got one of these a week ago from Thomann. I really like how it sounds and the workmanship is very good for the price. Most "inexpensive" octave mandolins are over $800. Some regular mandolin chords are hard to play unless you have huge hands but that isn't really a problem. You are right about the saddle. The action is a little high so I'm going to take it to my luthier and have them replace it and adjust the action. My only complaint is I didn't realize it came with a soft case so I ordered a case for $35, Thomann sent a regular mandolin case and not the octave mandolin case I ordered. Thomann won't pay the return shipping and it cost more to send it back to get a refund than the case cost so I'll sell it on Craig's List.
Glad to be in the Octave Mandolin club with ya! There are certain chords (I'm looking at you, F chord) that I have some trouble with on an OM, but I think it is worth the trade offs. It's a real shame you were sent the wrong case and then won't be paid for return shipping. Surely a bit company can handle that kind of cost for a customer. Enjoy the OM, rock out, and I hope to hear from you again!
This form is an excellent way to show the world and the "Thomann" company that customer service can make or brake a company, big or small.
Folks; pay attention to what is say here (by their own will) about places we all are thinking about buying from, if they mess with them then they might not end up being your favorite place to do business either. Free speech it's what "we" are and should always be.
P.S. re: huge hands via small hands and proper chords to learn, I'm a believer in books, i.e. I bought these but there are others out there, 1- the BIG BOOK of Mandocello Chords and 2- The Mandocello Chord Bible. I'm just another old man player and not in business selling books but I do believe in sharing good information. Play well until you die and then take it to heaven and join that "heavenly mando session."
Hmmmm... I've been looking at getting one of these, as I have a short hand span. I have a bouzouki, but couldn't get the chords like a mandolin, so hoped this was shorter and therefore easier to chord, but it sounds not! I don't know if you are aware, but many tune the high E string to a D, so that it is easier to chord, for example, a F, (bottom finger moves up two frets. Or down tune the bouzouki a half-step and capo the first fret, to make the fretboard scale effectively shorter and easier to chord.
Glad to see these have improved. I bought one about 15 years ago and it was barely playable. Wound up upgrading to a Red Valley octave mandolin. There has always been a void to be filled in entry-priced instruments in this niche corner of the music world. Looks like this can fill that void.
Thanks for adding in your experience. Its always good to hear what other people have experienced.
Dude, this was a SUPER review! You seem like a very nice young man, and kudos to you for doing this! I really want an Eastman 305, but those are $1k which is $700 more than this Hora/Thomann. What people dont know is that Thomann also has a dark brown model...which I am leaning into because TBH? Not a fan of the rosette or the light spruce look...All my instruments are dark: curly maple dark sunburst and mahogany guitars, cherrywood...and my fiddles and mandolins are dark too...sooo...why change? Anyway, loved your review. Wear a condom.😅
Howdy! It's great to hear from you. I've spent quite some time with this instrument now so I will start re-reviewing these instruments with a format and rating system that will be more useful to people. I myself am sucker for sunburst finish, especially tobacco Sunburst. Hora does make a tobacco sunburst OM but I didn't see any in stock at the time I purchased this. Thank you for watching!
I wonder how this compares to an Eastman?
I'd like to track one down and compare the tone. I'm about to put heavier gauge strings on this OM so I'll report the tonal change.
Well, you're obviously familiar with tonality and sound...how long have you played?
I only just started playing the Octave Mandolin at the time of thia video so my level of experience was quite low. I had been playing Mandolin maybe a few months at the time of the review. I've been playing guitar for around 18 years or so. I'll share a new video soon with updates on the instrument. It is still one of my favorites to play.
Guitar has 5 ways of doing any chord. I have a trinity college bouzouki (Irish) 2 ways of doing any chord, one really hard way one really easy.
hi Jerrel , how did you go with Australian customs , were there any extra costs please thank you
Hello, there were no extra costs in customs. I ordered this and didn't have to do anything extra. The seller was fantastic.
Dude i like the sound of the octave more possibilities the ooen strings ring do sweet great jobim not use to ordering stuff if the Internet who is a safe one to go with or how do u do it ? Hope u see my post thsnks again 👍
Gday, sorry for the late reply. I didn't see this. It can be scary to order from a shop you don't know. Many shops sell their stock via eBay, and it is a safe way to buy items. It's best to pay with PayPal via eBay, and if theres any problems with the transaction or item, eBay will always side with the buyer and reimburse. You can see the seller's rating % and reviews openly as well. I bought this OM on eBay from Romania where they are manufactured.
Look like bouzouki, not octave mando.
You're right. The manufacturer lists this as either a Bouzouki or Octave Mandolin. The scale length is at the high end of an OM so you can tune and play it as either. The longer scale length makes chords even harder for OM.
@@MountainHomeJerrel this OM is my biggest dream ;-)
It's a nice instrument especially considering the price. I hope you can pick one up some day soon. It is one of mt favorites to play out of my entire arsenal.
I have one and it’s great , but my hora Irish bouzouki is amazing