fender f style mando?

[hippymonroe]

hello,im new to the board but have been reading it for a while and find alot of good info thanks to all the mando families! im in search for a good starter mando.i just found one at a local pawn shop.it was a fender f style with a hard shell case for $200.00 bucks.i think they run around $600.00 brand new.it sounds like a good deal,i just dont want to jump on the first one i find.is fender a decent mando for a beginner?
thanks

[mandroid]

Fender as a Corp. brand sources stuff from a number of countrys, as you should expect these days , common practice.

its from one of several Pac rim subcontractors.

It can be adequate for a beginner, if its in decent playable shape,& you have an instrument repair person to do the setup, so you are not handicapped by the way the strings and fretboard are in relationship to each other.
will the pawnbroker let you return it for money back , if the repair person says its rather degraded, in its time and handling?
$600 as suggested retail is often sold for less, 'street price' but $200 with a case .. decent.

[CES]

As stated, the mando specified may have come from any number of outsources in China, depending on when it was made. It may be a very good mando for that price, or may be a wreck depending on its origin and how it's been cared for.

If the broker will let you return for a refund or at least offer an approval period then it'd be at least worth it to have a qualified repair guy check out it's soundness...if the action can be made playable, the frets are in decent shape (as a refretting would run you more than that price), and there are no structural defects, go for it...if nothing else you can use it as a beater later when MAS kicks in.

If there's no possibility of return (as is usually the case in such institutions) you may have better luck buying from a reputable dealer...I've been burned by chasing a deal on Ebay before, and I've spent more trying to make the thing playable than I would have spent buying a new Eastman or Kentucky (or insert other favorite Pac-Rim name here) from the start. I love a good deal as much as anyone, but it's getting rarer to find truly good ones with easy info available on the www, and the adage "You get what you pay for" more often than not holds true...

Just my 0.02...