Favorite mandolin under $400?
 

What's your favorite mandolin under $400? I currently have a base-model Fender, nothing fancy. Looking to upgrade so I can incorporate the mandolin into some of my recordings, as my current instrument doesn't stay in tune well. I may try to borrow a mandolin from someone or just end up buying one. All suggestions welcome!

Lauren

Loar and Kentucky both have some nice A-style mandos in that price range...

See what you can find in a used A model or flattop (aka pancake or army/navy). A $400 new guitar can be ok. A new mandolin for $400 is likely to be a tinny sounding, hard to play mandolin shaped object.

Favorite mandolin under $400?
 

I haven’t played enough mandolins to have a favorite, but I just got a new Kentucky KM-270 for that price, and I don’t have any complaints. It’s nothing fancy, but seems well-built. All solid wood, bone nut, thin nitro finish. I’m new to the instrument, but it sounds pretty good to me and is fun to play. I think I need to get the nut slots lowered a tad, but other than that it came set up pretty well.

Bump up other $100 and you can get an Eastman MD305 which is a true lifetime instrument. At the sub $700 price point you can get a really nice A style or a so-so F style. I went on a hunt for a mando a few years back and was shocked to discover how expensive they are vs. guitars. I lucked into a trade on an Eastman MD315 or I would still be without one.

The Mandolin Store has 78 mandolins and only three are under $400. Only six are under $500.

https://themandolinstore.com/product...ory/mandolins/

Once again my thoughts on why this is - "What beginners don't like to learn about playing mandolin":

1. There are about 1000 guitars sold for every mandolin sold.
2. Most mandolin family instruments are carved top and carved back - a lot more hours go into building them.
3. Adding 1 and 2 above means that to get the same quality in a mandolin that you can get in a $500 guitar, you need to spend $1000.
4. A cheap mandolin family instrument sounds a lot worse than a cheap guitar.
5. The dual course, high tension strings on a mandolin will laugh at your guitar calluses and slice them away. A good setup on a mandolin isn't just a good idea, its required.

Probably not worth it on your Fender, BUT a new set of tuners will fix that problem for less $$ than a whole new mando. I am very happy with my Rubner's.