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Greetings everyone,
I am new to the forum and new to the Mandolin. I have been a guitar player for about 17 years and descided start trying new things. I don't have much money but I can't stand to play the Galveston Mandolin y brother lent me any more. This think is horrible, the neck is set crooked and the action is crippling. Anyway, I want to get something to get me started, and try to get the most for my few dollars. Can anyone tell me if the Copley CFM-150 is worth $200? I found one review at Harmony central for a Copley and it was positive, but I can't find anymore.
Here are the specs:
*Solid Spruce top
*Maple back and sides
*Glossy sunburst finish
*Steel strings
*Rosewood bridge
*Rosewood fingerboard
If the Copley is a bomb, than I will just have to save a little more and go with the Rover 75.
Thanks in advance for any and all help you can provide.
J
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I can't help you with the Copley specifically, but I can tell you that inexpensive F style mandolins are rarely very good. Your dollar,pound/euro goes further with an A style. If you must have an F, that Rover has gotten pretty good reviews, especially after a little tweaking - pro setup, maybe upgraded bridge.
I just doubt that ANY F for $200 is worth it. You might keep your eye on eBay. I think Saga has been selling scratch and dent Rovers and Kentuckys under the username onlinebestdeals. You might snag a bargain there. I have had a Kentucky 250 - A style - for a few years. With a setup and upgraded bridge it's quite decent.
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P.S. And welcome to the Cafe!
Also, just noticed from the specs that the Copley has a laminated back. The Rover is solid wood. Anything that doesn't say "solid" is probably laminate. In other words, if the listing says "select maple" or just "maple," it's not solid. In general, solid is better.
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A while ago, I heard the tops were made from pine which is soft. Is pine a spruce variety? It may have changed as it was a couple of years ago, and I believe they sold it as such at the time.
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Spruce is very different wood from pine. Given the availability of pine, if pine would work equally well, no one would use spruce. Avoid any pine top instrument.
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There's a Rover RM-50 on eBay right now with a Buy It Now price of $125. It's a solid carved wood A style. I have one of the F styles that are similar, and for $300 it's a surprisingly good bluegrass mandolin. The A should do what you want. A nice instrument. Pretty decent necks.
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BlueMountain,
<a href="http://www.musicalinstrumentsandmore.com/store-products-A--F-Mandolins-A--F-Mandolins-RM-50-Rover-A-Model-Mandolin--All-Solid--Sunb
urst_19261532.html" target="_blank">www.musicalinstrumentsandmore.com</a> has the RM-50 brand new for $116. I could get that, but I might hold out to get the RM-75 (F model). Folk of the Wood has the RM-75 for $279. How do you like the Rover F style? Would you buy another if something happened to yours?
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Jkorp, you might want to search the Cafe for Folk of the Wood threads. Janet Davis Music usually has the RM-75 at a good price. There are others, as well, if you hunt around.