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Old 02-28-2017, 05:15 PM
posternutbag posternutbag is offline
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You can get a mandolin off of Ebay for $100.00, but it won't be a good instrument. Someone said you should expect to pay about twice as much for a mandolin as you would a comparably priced guitar. That is a good rule of thumb.

You might want to spend some time over at mandolincafe.com as this question comes up all the time over there.

IMO, there are really three ways to go, depending on you budget and how handy you are.

1) You could by a really inexpensive mandolin like a Rogue RM 100 or a RoverRM 35S and then email Rob Meldrum for a free ebook on setup (you can find his email in a variety of mandolin cafe threads) this one has it: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...by-Rob-Meldrum

If you are handy and have the tools, this typically produces a playable instrument at the most affordable cost. I don't really like this option, Rob's book may be fantastic, but you still have a very cheap mandolin.

2) Go to Folkmusician or The Mandolin Store and order a Kentucky KM 150 or KM 156 for about $350. These are actually pretty good all solid wood mandolins. My backup mandolin is a KM 950; I wouldn't hesitate to play a KM 150 in a jam. It isn't going to sound fantastic, it is still an inexpensive mandolin, but it will be playable with decent tone. I consider this the floor for entry level mandolins.

3) A lot of people have suggested Mid Missouri/Big Muddy flat top mandolins. I have had 2, both were very nice instruments, and this was the standard advice on mandolins 5-10 years ago. But, over the last decade, inexpensive Pac Rim mandolins have risen from unplayable junk to pretty decent instruments.

Both Kentucky (made by Saga) and Eastman are Chinese mandolins that are pretty good, and Northfield is making professional level mandolins that are on par with instruments twice their price.

In addition to the rise in quality of Asian mandolins, Mid Mo/BM flat tops have gotten more expensive. They are still good instruments, but a new Big Muddy starts at $600 or so. That isn't much in the mandolin world, but it certainly ain't cheap, and for $600 you could get a Eastman 505. Either would be very nice mandolins. Now if you can find a used Mid Mo/BM for $400 or so, that would be an extremely attractive option.
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Last edited by posternutbag; 02-28-2017 at 05:22 PM.
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