Please help!!! Found a bunch of options for a first mandolin

[mrmando]

For a first mandolin, I would stay away from (a) anything vintage; (b) anything from Guitar Center.

[catmandu2]

For a first mandolin, I would stay away from (a) anything vintage; (b) anything from Guitar Center.

+1

Of all the newbie stickies in all the popular musical instrument fora in the world, this must be about Rule #1 (Great Aunt Iva's old instrument from the attic is a beautiful heirloom, but often poor or unplayable condition without restoration - i know by experience - learning how to work on all the ones i gambled on, and which ones were essentially beyond redemption...since ebay, there must be a whole strata of population that's adept at rudimentary set-up and repair!

[billkilpatrick]

Consensus here seems to favor the KM 150 - which is a good indication that if your boyfriend were to play with others in a jam or something, it will more than likely "pass" with them as well. First impressions and all that ...

Good luck - Hope your man appreciates the care and consideration you've put into this.

[riceballattack]

Guys, can anyone read the tag on this? Does it say 150? It's super, super cheap - 2 days left, currently at $61. I'm also watching the other definitely a 150 on Goodwill that ends tomorrow that's currently at $116.

So I'm very hopeful I will soon own one of these two :D.

[Folkmusician.com]

I don't actually remember that number structure being used, but my guess would be that it is one of the first Chinese KM-150 mandolins. Dec. 2002 (you can't always trust serial numbers for dates, but this one sounds about right).

Id does look like KM-150 to me. These are not the best examples, but at $61, I wouldn't pass it up.

[Folkmusician.com]

This wouldn't be my first choice either, but if the price is right....
https://www.shopgoodwill.com/auction...-38279646.html


The MA-120 were all solid instruments. They do not have a truss rod, but if the neck is straight, it is fine. On this range of mandolin, it is really going to come down to the specific instrument. Either of these are great deals, but buying a 10-15 year old, lower end mandolin (which isn't bad in itself) from a Goodwill without knowing the playing condition is a roll of the dice. You are specifically concerned with the neck/fingerboard/frets. These are the more common problem areas. This would be obvious in person, but impossible to know from a Goodwill description.

I don't want to discourage you in any way, just keep in mind that there is a fair chance of issues and bid accordingly.

[multidon]

Yep, it looks like 150 to me. It will definitely need a set up. The bridge is obviously in the wrong place, in my opinion. It looks too far forwards to me, the ends should be much closer to the f hole center points. I'd buy it all day long at 61 dollars, but it probably will go up as you get closer to the end. I see stuff go for more than it's actually worth on Shopgoodwill, especially considering that everything is as-is. +1 on Roberts suggestion to bid accordingly. It's always a pig in a poke with those folks. You pays your money, and you takes your chances. You should never buy from Shopgoodwill unless you are prepared for the worst case scenario. My education on this consisted of the purchase of 2 fiddles which looked good in the photos but in reality had multiple issues which were not visible in photos. One case had such a moldy funky smell it had to be trashed. You can't see that in photographs! Now, I still would buy something from them (no more fiddles though) but it would have to be the right price. Good stuff goes for too much frequently, I think. People get auction fever, I guess.

[Northwest Steve]

I understand the budget constraints but I would caution you in looking only at the price. If you get an instrument that needs fret work, has a bowed neck or the truss rod will not adjust, the bridge is poor or cracked, it needs a new nut or has any structural issues (cracks. seam separation, etc.) the cost of repairs/setup could equal or exceed the price of the instrument. You should be able to find a 150 for $200 or less shipped, the one you were watching on ebay went for $185 shipped. If there is any way to swing it $330 for new 150 with a warranty and setup from Robert at Folk Musician is a great deal.

[riceballattack]

Update!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone on classifieds messaged me and sold me a KM250 for exactly $200 counting shipping.

I actually have no idea how it's going to safely get shipped haha but I guess that's not my problem.

Thank you guys SO SO SO much. I can't wait for him to open it! And now I'm a pro and can tell him everything I've learned :D. And I'll send him this way!

You guys really, really are the best. Stay awesome .

[Folkmusician.com]

Congratulations on the new mandolin! While a KM-150 would have been just fine, a KM-250 is even better!

[billkilpatrick]

whew ... Brava!

[mrmando]

May all newbie encounters have happy endings like this one.

[multidon]

That is a great deal and a wise choice. Good work, and glad we came through for you.

Now, after you give it to him, make sure your boyfriend signs up as a member here so that he can post pictures of it for us and keep us apprised of his progress as he begins the Great Mandolin Journey.

[BillACK]

I just bought my first mandolin after borrowing a friends lovely Mid Missouri M-4 to see if I really wanted a mando. (I did!) I ended up buying a Michael Kelly A-Solid directly from MK for $195 shipped to my door. I did the setup myself (with instruction from Rob Meldrum's e-book). Had my first lesson this week and I'm SUPER happy with my MK so far!

[Br1ck]

I just bought my first mandolin after borrowing a friends lovely Mid Missouri M-4 to see if I really wanted a mando. (I did!) I ended up buying a Michael Kelly A-Solid directly from MK for $195 shipped to my door. I did the setup myself (with instruction from Rob Meldrum's e-book). Had my first lesson this week and I'm SUPER happy with my MK so far!

Did your instructor check out your mandolin? It might play and sound even better with some fretwork. My MK needed a lot of leveling to sound it's best.

To the OP, looks like you did real good. Glad you took the good advise offered here. You went the extra mile for sure.

[BillACK]

Did your instructor check out your mandolin? It might play and sound even better with some fretwork. My MK needed a lot of leveling to sound it's best.

I did a bit of fretwork myself and will follow up with more as I get to the point where I can tell the difference. ;-)

[Br1ck]

I took a very conservative approach at first, but finally got out my machinist's straightedge, tweaked the truss rod to where the neck was as straight as I could get it, and used a wood plane, blade retracted, and double sided tape to attach sandpaper. I then got the frets leveled end to end, which took a lot of sanding above the 12th fret. When I restrung the mandolin, set it to Rob Meldren's specs, the tone was night and day. Played better too. It was an education.

[riceballattack]

Guys! I have an update! I'm sorry this is so late. Here he is opening it! Thanks to everyone!!!!!!! He's obsessed with it; he is so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And of course I gave him this site to come to look around and learn).

(I blacked out the photos on the wall; he's super paranoid about posting images online, so it seemed like the best compromise).