Frankie,
If you can afford it I would seriously seek out a Martin A style mandolin.
Here in the US they routinely go for less than $1000, and you get a very rich sounding mandolin right off the bat. With the lower priced archtop mandolins it is a much higher price point to get something that even approaches what you hear good mandolin players recording with.
They're basically a flat top build that's bent at the bridge area a la the Selmer guitars. There's a technical term for that build that escapes me at the moment, but whatever......
Check out some Youtube recordings by search Martin A Style mandolin demo.
Yes, they do NOT have adjustable bridges or adjustable truss rods, so it's imperative to find one that has a straight neck. The action at the bridge can be fiddled with (pun intended), but I digress.....
Happy hunting & Happy New Year!
Howard Emerson
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