alubin - Posted - 08/23/2011:  13:53:05

So what's wrong with this mandolin that it's so cheap? I'm guessing that it's made in China or somewhere similar, but could it be a decent mandolin for the price? Can't see the name on the headstock.

mandorocker1 - Posted - 08/23/2011:  14:33:09

looks decent .
id contact them to find the make.

Buttonwood Bob - Posted - 08/23/2011:  16:28:52

It looks like it is worth the price and more for someone just starting out.  In fact, a good player can make it sound twice as good as a novice with a Kentucky 1000.  The seller, bless him, probably has a source for a small number that he got for $50 each, and is satisfied to only make 100% profit.  It is tempting, and probably won't disappoint the person(s) who buy it, but the downside is that you will  unlikely be able to sell it for more than $100. if you decide you want to move up to a better instrument. 

Skyraider50 - Posted - 08/23/2011:  19:09:58

mandolincafe.com/forum/showthr...Mandolins

Ben Venuti - Posted - 08/23/2011:  21:23:45

Back looks flat to me. Hand carved? I truly doubt it. There is lots of that stuff all over ebay. A "C" note isn't a lot to invest to find out. If you can set it up yourself it might work out. I'd bet it is going to need a set up and you might pay more for that than you payed for the mandolin. I bought one of those Taiwan,Vietnam inlaid things a few years back ,just to take a look. Nice to look at,not so great to play. Intonation was off,sounded like mud in the upper registers , the hardware was pretty much junk, except for the tailpiece which was about a quarter pound of solid brass. Later other problems showed up. Still, it would look good on a wall, although I have it in a closet somewhere. You can get a Kentucky A model from a shop with a set up for not much more than that. I've played them,they are a real instrument. If your just starting out you need the real deal. Playability, intonation, easy action. Tuners that keep it in tune are a nice feature. Otherwise you might get frustrated and quit!

alubin - Posted - 08/24/2011:  05:01:55

I looked at the seller's other items, and it does look like they're all KTones. The reviews on the mando cafe and elsewhere make me leery of even dropping $100 on this one. I mean, a solid-top F-style for that price has to be too good to be true, right?

mandovoodoo - Posted - 08/24/2011:  05:19:35

I would have rather low expectations of this instrument. It's even called a "guitar" in the listing. Might not be the best place to get a properly set up, good sounding mandolin.

Robee - Posted - 08/24/2011:  13:49:52

I bought a "Santa Rosa" about 12 years ago for $125 out of a music store.  It seemed to play OK, but needed some bridge lowering and moving to adjust the intonation.  About a year later, the neck was coming unglued and my wife took it to the store and they told her they were not luthiers but they could try to fix it.  They re-glued and instead of clamping, they stuck a long drywall screw through it.  You can't see screw as it is out of sight facing the mandolin.  It has stayed in place and every now and then, I took it out, tuned it and played it for awhile.

That mandolin looks as good as anything I have seen in the stores here.  They only have cheap mandolins but some going for $350 and none whatsoever for a hundred bucks.  If that is all you want to spend, to see if the mandolin is for you, there is a chance that it's well worth the money.  It is hard to tell, but that one looks like it may even have an adjustable truss rod. My Santa Rosa doesn't and neither do the ones in the music stores around here.  Read others reviews but keep in mind that a lot of folks who post are like me and have never picked up one of those mandolins so can't really give a good or bad review.

TI_USER - Posted - 08/24/2011:  19:44:54

I can almost guarantee you this is a piece of junk!! Completely flat back. Not at all "hand carved". How can you trust a seller who doesn't even know that it is a mandolin and not a guitar. Probably not even worth the $99. I would steer very clear of this instrument.

Buttonwood Bob - Posted - 08/25/2011:  08:30:24

Excuse me for piling on.  It looks like the bridge is forward of the middle of the f hole, but that is minor.  I've known folks to like a well-finished black instrument, but black is a good way to disguise cheap wood in furniture, and instruments, and leather in other applications, e.g. boots.  It's possible to get what you pay for on Ebay, but you need to know some things...like the  things you have learned here that didn't cost you a hundred dollars to learn.

Buttonwood Bob - Posted - 08/26/2011:  06:28:10

I hope it is not too late for an apology.  I just enjoyed hearing you play Angelina Baker and it hit me who was playing!  You likely know more than I do about instruments, and probably posted your question with full knowledge about what would likely be said, but curious just the same.  I might have done the same.  My last comment was not applicable.  You are the guy I originally said could make that instrument sound better than me. :-)  Sorry.

alubin - Posted - 08/28/2011:  17:29:12

No worries, Buttonwood Bob. Mandolin is very much a third or fourth instrument for me, but the more I play the more I think I'll need to upgrade sometime in the next year. The Kentucky I've got right now is a decent starter instrument for the price, but it looks like good mandolins are very expensive! Much more so than banjos or guitars seem to be (i.e. an excellent openback like a Ramsey or Enoch can be had for $1000-2000, but comparable mandolins seem to be twice that). I'm just looking for good deals on quality instruments, but I guess you get what you pay for.