Newby Questions

[Mando Curious]

I am looking to buy my first mandolin. I have been attempting to read and educate myself as much as possible. I think the best options I have found in my budget (Under $200) are the Rover RM-50 from Elderly or Folkmusic. A used Kentucky 180s looks to be in real good condition says it had 1 ding, asked if it had had anykind of setup done to it, his answer indicated it was unlikely. Lastly a used Loar LM-175-vsm from All Used Guitars sounds like they do an inspection and some level of set up (Setup to factory specs and ready to go. The only thing we can find is a pen mark on the label, as shown, and surface marks normal to a used instrument that has been played. Please expect to change strings). I am leaning toward the Loar any suggestions.

[Ron McMillan]

At that price bracket you will always face some compromises, but the Kentucky might be the safest bet. Minor dings are irrelevant. Set-up is important, but isn't beyond the capabilities of most players, especially if you use excellent advice from websites such as Frets.com (http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Mandolin/FitBridgeFeet/fitfeet.html)

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[MikeEdgerton]

I would go for the Rover from Elderly. If there are any problems they will stand behind it. If you get one of those that is set up well it actually sounds pretty good. I bought two of them last year.

[Isaac Revard]

I would go for the Rover from Elderly. If there are any problems they will stand behind it. If you get one of those that is set up well it actually sounds pretty good. I bought two of them last year.

Just going to second this.

[renoyd]

The 180S would probably be the way to go. I still have a 180B, (same thing, but black), I bought new in the early '80's. These were the Japanese made instruments often discussed in this forum. It's gotten better over the years, sounds great, has (to me, anyway) one of the most comfortable neck profiles you can find. Some years back, I had it set up well which included a new bone nut, filing/smoothing of fret ends, (some of what I had earlier done on my own - not very difficult), and a little other tweaking. There is no adjustable truss rod, but the neck has remained very straight anyway, and re-fretting has never been necessary. It is super easy to play. Will blow doors off of any entry level Rover, Loar, Eastman, etc., in sound and overall enjoyment, IMHO. I think it rates above even above all the late A model Kentuckys now (with exception of the -900 series), and compares well to many mandolins in the $1000+ range.

[Zach Wilson]

I bought a LM170 from All Used Guitars (through reverb.com) last November. I'm happy with my purchase from them. My mandolin came set up and plays alright for a b-stock (the) Loar :)

Good luck and happy hunting!

[Northwest Steve]

If your are willing to look a little you should be able to find a used Kentucky 150 for around $200 and for me it would be worth the wait. You can also put an ad in the wanted section and see what pops up.

There is a Kentucky 150 on ebay that may be worth a look
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kentucky-KM-150-Mandolin-/291686802707?hash=item43e9e36513:g:WSAAAOSwUuFWw9R m

[CES]

I would go for the Rover from Elderly. If there are any problems they will stand behind it. If you get one of those that is set up well it actually sounds pretty good. I bought two of them last year.

Third this...or, buy it from Folkmusician. My first mandolin purchase was a B stock Kentucky 675-S from an eBay seller with great feedback and a 100% return policy. The mando came with a chipped nut, a huge neck bow, bad neck angle, and the fret board separating from the neck (all of which, except the neck angle, were the seller's fault, not Saga's, btw). The seller "poof" disappeared and left me completely hanging, and I had neither the $$ or time to truly fight it at the time. Spent almost as much to get it playable as I did to buy the mandolin. If I'd just bought a Rover or KM-150 from one of these shops, The Mandolin Store, Janet Davis Music, etc, I'd have been much better off. While my experience was exceptionally bad (I realize there are people who buy/sell on eBay all the time without issues occurring), it definitely changed how I think about online purchases, and how to protect myself in those situations...

[Mando Curious]

So I went ahead and purchased a Rover RM50 from Elderly. After I went around town and realized I couldn't tell a whole lot of difference be tween the Mandolins I could afford and even he ones a little more expensive, that one that is set up well and decent quality will be fine until I can play it well enough to tell the difference. The folks at Elderly were really helpful, far more than any of the local shops where they knew little about mandolins and definitely did not do any real set up beyond tuning them.

Thanks to Mandolin Cafe for all the helpful info on this site and the input on this thread.

[Denny Gies]

Listen to Mike, he knows of what he speaks. Good luck and have fun.

[BrianWilliam]

+1 to the km150

[Zach Wilson]

So I went ahead and purchased a Rover RM50.

Great choice! Good luck on your mandolin journey :)

[RhodyMando]

I own two Loars, an A model and an F. For the money they both sound great.

[Mando Curious]

The Mandolin arrived today looks great. The action and playability seem great. Seems far better than any of the entry level instruments available locally. Now for the work of learning to play it, but I'm having fun so far.

[Stacey Morris]

Good luck Mando Curious. My inexpensive mandolin can still play a lot better than I can :).