Rainor - Posted - 03/28/2014:  12:22:34

Just new to  the mandolin and this hangout.  So new that I haven't even got a mandolin yet.

Looking for something to get started on and came across the Morgan Monroe MFM-425 spalted maple selling new for $266 with free shipping (retail $1,050).  Sounds like a major discount so I'm suspecting there's a reason??  Any advice on this mando?

Thanks,

Rainor

TSSN - Posted - 03/28/2014:  21:33:12

Hello.  I  played that make, but not that model.   Properly set  up, Morgan Monroes are a nice buy.

SteveZ - Posted - 03/29/2014:  17:28:07

Pac-Rim mandolins are mass-produced. However, mandolins are very sensitive instruments.  Mixing both realities can find the purchaser with a dilemma.  

You can get what appear to be great bargains by dealing with a vendor who just sells a cardboard box with a mandolin inside.  However, what makes a mandolin a worthwhile instrument is how it is set up (bridge fit, placement; nut filed properly and at right depth, frets aligned right, etc).  Mass produced mandolins are notorious for not being set up for decent playability when boxed, so the bargain usually still ends up back in the hands of a quality luthier in order to be any good.

There are a number of very good mandolin vendors who do very good quality assurance inspections of the instruments they sell, and also set it up properly so the customer has a smile rather than a frown when playing the instrument for the first time.  They are competitive in their pricing, but their labors are not free.  In the end, they are worth every extra dime.

Have bought "bargains" and bought "great vendor" and the latter is the only way to go if you are new to mandolins.  

Rainor - Posted - 03/30/2014:  11:47:38

I'll have to admit that being a newbie I'm maybe more attracted to looks over sound :-(  Throw in a "bargain price" and looks like I've got a recipe for disaster!!

Maybe I'll hold off for now and do a bit more research.  Back to the looks though I do prefer the F-style to the A-style.

Thx

Rainor

Ben Venuti - Posted - 03/30/2014:  13:30:12

Pretty much all I know about Morgan Monroe was a posting on ebay called ---"Morgan Monroe piece of s**t -$2500" He then went on a long posting where he explained all the problems he had with the mandolin and the problems he had with the vendor and the manufacturer who were giving him nothing. Mostly though I remember he had made these photos up using 3 x 5 cards to illustrate the problems and they worked like a charm. You could see exactly how the nut and bridge slot spacing were completely off and more than anything how the neck was set wrong at the factory. The thing was seriously badly made. I think what he was doing was since MM mandolins are advertised on ebay so much that either a vendor or MM would finally come to the table and give him his money back to shut him up and get that posting off ebay -the $2500 price tag was so that no one would buy it thereby guaranteeing that it would stay up. His thing worked --I've never gone near one because of that listing.