Gear guide
Strings, picks & tuners
After the instrument itself, three small purchases shape how you sound and how fast you improve, and all three together cost less than a tank of gas. Here's what actually matters about each, and what's just marketing.
Strings
Mandolin strings are sold in sets of eight (four doubled pairs). Two things on the packet matter:
- Gauge (thickness). "Light" sets (roughly 10–34) are easier on beginner fingers; "medium" (roughly 11–40) are louder and fuller but take more pressure. Start light. You can move up when your calluses vote yes.
- Material. Phosphor bronze is the warm, all-purpose default and the right first choice. Eighty-percent-copper ("80/20") bronze is brighter; coated strings cost more and last longer. Fine to ignore all of this until you have opinions.
The classic default set (the one music-store staff hand over when someone says "just give me mandolin strings") is D'Addario's EJ74 (medium) or EJ73 (light). Either is a safe answer for years.
When to change: when tuning gets drifty, the sound goes dull, or you can't remember the last change. For a daily practicer that's every 2–3 months. Keep one spare set in the case; strings only break at inconvenient moments.
Picks
The counterintuitive one: mandolin wants a thicker, stiffer pick than you'd guess, roughly 0.8 to 1.2 mm. Thin, floppy guitar picks flap against the doubled strings and produce a clicky, shallow tone; a stiff pick pushes through both strings of a pair cleanly.
- Buy a variety of shapes and thicknesses in the 0.8 to 1.2 mm range; they cost pennies, and your hand will pick a favourite within a week.
- Rounded corners give a smoother, rounder tone; sharp tips give more attack and precision. Many mandolin players end up strumming with a rounded corner.
- There's a whole world of premium picks ($30+ each) that players swear by. They're real, but they're a year-two purchase, not a week-two one.
Tuners
One non-negotiable feature: clip-on, chromatic. Clip-on tuners read vibration through the headstock, so they work in noisy rooms and at jams where a phone app hears everything but you. "Chromatic" means it recognises every note, which is essential for spotting a string that's drifted far.
Any well-reviewed clip-on in the $15–25 range does the job. Spending more buys faster response and a nicer display, not better tuning. Keep it clipped to the case handle so it's always where the mandolin is, then use it every single time you play.
The complete consumables kit
| Item | Spend | Replace |
|---|---|---|
| Light phosphor-bronze string set (+1 spare) | $10–15 each | Every 2–3 months |
| Handful of 0.8–1.2 mm picks, mixed shapes | $5–10 | When they wander off |
| Clip-on chromatic tuner | $15–25 | Battery once a year |
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