Ibanez M510

[Tommy Hackathorn]

Happy New Year, everyone! I am considering the Ibanez M510 for my first mandolin. I am an EXTREME beginner so I want to start out inexpensive. This one is available at my local music store and comes setup for $150. What are your thoughts?

[nickster60]

That seems to be the going rate for those mandolins. May I suggest you call Robert from Folkmusician.com He is an advertiser on the site and is a great guy to deal with.He also sets up all of the instruments himself and does so very well. I am a customer and he has always been great to deal with and very honest.

[allenhopkins]

A-model instrument, all laminated woods, and the price from your local store is what a large on-line dealer like Musician's Friend charges, so it's not a bad deal. For $50 more you could get a Kentucky KM-150 that's all solid wood, and probably will sound better, but the main factor to consider for a first instrument is playability rather than sound. If your local store can do a decent set-up, why not?

Get a case, though. A chipboard "soft shell" or a gig bag is adequate, but you need something in which to store the instrument. And, since it's winter and your furnace is operating, think about humidification as well.

[Tommy Hackathorn]

Thanks for the input. As a green horn, my questions may be very elementary, but I appreciate you taking the time for the advise.

[GRW3]

I actually played one today. It's fairly light so the laminates may be thin. The action on this one was pretty good so they can be set up playable. The bridge was also off a bit but that can be fixed too. It was strung with lights so it was pretty easy to play, good for a novice. As you expect laminates don't have a lot of resonance but it has a pleasant enough sound. I think it would make a good starter mandolin. I place a value on easy fretting for beginners.

[Beach Hound]

My wife was kind enough to get me one of these for Christmas. First mandolin. It's dark brown with a pickup in it. I had been talking about adding one to my collection and I guess she heard me. Gave it a new set of strings (it was used) and a basic setup (at least as far as I know from doing my guitars) and she plays pretty nicely. But....I have not reference. All in all for a starter I like it. I'm sure I will outgrow it but for now I'm having a blast with it. I expect it will add some nice color to the band as well

[Maggie]

I was given one of these by some friends this week. My first mandolin. It plays and sounds great as far as I'm concerned. I have the dark brown version. It's really beautiful. Very fun to play. I've played guitar for several years so this is a new adventure for me.

[Randy Burbach]

I bought myself one for christmas last year, on the advice of an aquaintance who plays in a number of bluegrass & Irish folk bands. He tried one out and thought it beat the entry level competition, including Kentucky. I like the sound, the action is nice for a beginner. After 6 months I can now play a decent glasgow reel.

[Ed Goist]

Played one of these the other day and was pleasantly surprised. Here's my review.

I'm excited to finally have a sub-$200 new mandolin that I'm comfortable recommending. Furthermore, they seem to be readily available.

Finally, with production numbers like those for this model, quality is bound to vary...I'd recommend playing before buying if possible.