1st Mandolin up to € 300,-- ($ 400)

[riffhard]

Hi,

i started to play guitar 1 1/2 years ago and now want to buy a Mandoline as second instrument.
There are two problems:
1) I don't have any clue what i should buy.
2) I live in Vienna and the choice of Mandolines in even the biggest musicstore of vienna is very, very limited. So i can not really try out many before i buy one.
If possible I don't want to spend more than $ 400,--. But of course I don't want to end up with crap.
Here is the choice i have at Klangfarbe, my local guitar shop:
Fender FM52E
Fender FM53S
Ibanez M510E
Fender FM100 Value Pack

beside that there are only two Kentucky Mandolines which already cost more than I want to spend:
Kentucky KM-250
Kentucky KM-350S

I found the Kentucky on US store for below $ 300,-- so I think the price Klangfarbe takes for them, € 399,--, is kind of a rip off.
Ibanez is known to me as builder of some great electric guitars. But the Ibanez acoustics guitars are not so great. Are their Mandolines any good?
So basically that leaves me to choose one of the Fenders.
What would you recommend?
Of course if you have the killer tip of any other instrument I would consider this if I can get it at a online shop in Austria or Germany.

Thanks

[Ron McMillan]

You might want to look at The Loar mandolins available online from Thomann in Germany. Their LM520 'F' model is only just over your 300 Euro budget, but perhaps a better deal is their A model LM220. It is only 173 Euros.

One thing to be aware of, however. There have been many discussions here about the difference in quality of the 'setting up' of instruments by retailers in the USA and in Europe. Thomann have a reputation for not doing much (if any) proper setting up of their instruments - mainly because they aren't a music shop, they are a mass sales warehouse.

The downside for Europeans, then, is that often the instruments arrive needing work done on them to make them properly playable. If you bought an LM220 model for only 173 Euros, you would be left with a budget you could spend on getting your instrument properly set up by a professional luthier. The LM220 has a fine reputation among people who know about them, and so long as it is set up, it might be a great first mandolin for you.

The Kentuckys you mention might be competitive with the LM220, but in my opinion the other brands you highlighted are not likely to come close to the The Loar.

ron

[riffhard]

I have seen the Loar at the Thomann site. To me Loar, as a manufacturer, is completley unknown. I know meanwhile that Loar was the name of the guy building the famous Gibsons in the beginning of last century.
I also have often heard and read about very poorly setup guitars from Thomann, even really high priced ones. I do the setup for my guitars myself. I think i will also manage it for a mandoline. Should not be that much different.
I also received a offer from a other forum member for his used Michael Kelly Legacy Plus B Stock. Which also sounds interesting as he states that the B stock is only related to finish. But he warns that the neck is very thin and might be no good for big hands. My hands are big.
My plan so far was to visit Klangfarbe and test the Fenders and the Ibanez. And then decide if i take one of them or give the Michael Kelly a try. But you think the Fender and Ibanez are no good. Hmm ...
It's not so easy for me to buy a instrument without even touch it one time before. Of course if i buy a new one online and dont like it i still can send it back.

[bmac]

Ok if you are unafraid of set up then you are way way ahead... The Loar is a highly regarded mandolin soundwise and is within your price range, at least in the USA. Look up the comments on this site and I think you will be interested. There are plenty of enthusieastic The Loar owners on this site. For detailed set up information check out frets.com

[riffhard]

Thanks all. I think i go for the Loar LM520. Thomann is expecting next delivery in April.
So that gives me a few weeks to really make up my mind if i do not find it elsewhere in the meantime.

[riffhard]

I have done it. Placed my order for The Loar LM520 VS a few minutes ago at Thomann.
They are currently out of stock. Hopefully i will have it in my hands in the first half of April.
As soon as i have it i will post a few pics and my first impression.
Thanks for your help.

[G7MOF]

What do you mean, (As your second instrument) It will end up as your first, It did for me!!!

[riffhard]

What do you mean, (As your second instrument) It will end up as your first, It did for me!!!

We will see.

[Ron McMillan]

At under £150, the LM220 strikes me as a serious bargain. And thanks to the lessons I learned from having to do a total set up on the last The Loar I got (and have since sold), I might get one as a 'third' instrument without any great worries about how much work might still need done to it when it arrives.....I even have a spare Cumberland Acoustic bridge sitting around waiting for an instrument.

rm

[riffhard]

Many later she's here.
As promised my first impression and pic's here: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...Loar-LM-520-VS.