[guitarman68]

Playing mandolin since 1990 I purchased a vintage Gibson K1 in 1998. Sold it to a friend to collect some funds for a Gibson K4 which I purchased in 2002 and still own. To be sincere it does not get the use it deserves, but it's the crown of my collection so I do not sell it.

Back to the OP's initial question: I find it pretty easy to do some stuff on the mandocello like two course or three course chords, bass lines, ... so 4 in scale up to ten.
If you listen and watch Mike Marshall play, it would be 100 in scale up to 10. To me he did to the mandocello what Jerry Douglas did to the dobro and Chris Thile did to the mandolin: Showing the world what that box with strings can be !