View Full Version : Best Mandolin Under $2k
bg1975
Mar-04-2010, 7:42pm
I have a budget of $2k tops. It seems tough to find an f style domestic mandolin under this limit. I was looking for opinions of what the best domestic mandolin under $2000 for bluegrass style playing. It could be new or used.
Thanks! :grin:
fatt-dad
Mar-04-2010, 8:19pm
Learn to play bluegrass on an A5-style mandolin. You'll find plenty of horsepower in your budget.
f-d
mandroid
Mar-04-2010, 8:28pm
Echoing FD, F5 is a BG look, but an A5 is about the music, it's just as good,
and the builder has more % of their effort to put into the sound, for the 2K
as they don't have to spend so much time and on the labor on all that fancy trim.
look at some Czech builders , lovers of BG, from a centuries old Violin making Culture.
f5loar
Mar-05-2010, 12:02am
To bad you want to stay local. Hard to beat the KM1000 and you could take a cruise with the left over money.
Steelee
Mar-05-2010, 7:53am
If you are OK with used, Weber, Gibson F-9s, and Flatirons are F options. In November, I bought a 2000 Flatiron Festival F model for 2 grand off the classifieds here.
Gibson owned Flatiron at the time, and the specs for the Flatiron F models were the same or close to Gibson F 5G's which sold for much more. This is what I read on this site, and if you do some digging in the archives here you will find out similar information.
My Festival is a beautiful looking and strong sounding mando.
Good luck in your search.
Regards, Steelee
Capt. E
Mar-05-2010, 8:14am
Check out www.junemandolins.com
A young builder not in S.Carolina. He was selling F styles around 2K last I saw.
There are others.
Keith Owen
Mar-05-2010, 11:06am
A Silverangel Distressed F just hit the classifieds for $2200.
Go buy it NOW before I do! I am starting to get the shakes and the seller hasn't even put a picture up yet.
There is also a Pomeroy F at $2250 that would fit the bill.
Yes, these are slightly more than $2000 but they are worth it. Beyond that search the classifieds for Gibson F-9 or Nashville Flatiron Festival F.
Capt. E
Mar-05-2010, 11:25am
Check out www.junemandolins.com
A young builder not in S.Carolina. He was selling F styles around 2K last I saw.
There are others.
oops ....Walter Johnson is --NOW-- in S. Carolina. He had been in Florida and recently moved.
I have personal experience with THIS (http://gregboyd.com/instrument_detail.html?instrument_key=841) Breedlove FF. Not a bad deal for $1300. No financial interest
Cheers,
Rob
Greg H.
Mar-05-2010, 2:02pm
Ok, buy this.....it's the best you're likely to ever see in your price range!!!
http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=39677&query=retrieval