Just starting? How about starting a kid for Christmas....$19.97

[B381]

I have one, it was my first, it started this crazy obsession.

Rogue A style sunburst for $19.97....wow.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Rogue/RM-100A-A-Style-Mandolin.gc

[mandolin tony]

more like 49.99. better off getting it from their sister company musicians friends, that way you don't pay tax & you get free shipping. the case is also on sale.

[B381]

The sunburst is $19.97....well, it was when I first posted this.

[HonketyHank]

I bought one two years ago and used it as an exercise in setting up a mandolin, using Rob Meldrum's book. Lent it to a kid down the street for a few months. Got it back. Then I gave it to a member of the forum who sounded pretty forlorn about finding out that the instrument she intended to learn on was a wreck, unrepairable, and worth very little even if in good shape. I feel pretty good about all that.

[Erok]

I had one for a month and passed it on as well. It's certainly enough to find out if there is indeed an interest.

[allenhopkins]

I get a bit skeptical about a musical instrument that costs less than my IHOP supper, and yet is shipped from Asia. (Assume my IHOP pancakes are made domestically -- right?) Gotta believe the Rogue is a huge "loss leader" for anyone selling it at that price.

[catmandu2]

Unfortunately, it's probably better for a player, with knowledge and understanding of set-up variables, than for a beginner without this wherewithal - for it's likely that at minimum the nut height needs reduced, a simple yet vital procedure and likely unknown to a beginner who hasn't investigated these aspects yet...possibly most beginners aren't aware that instruments require set-up.

[Steve Ostrander]

My first mandolin was a Rogue. It had no tone and no volume, but it got me started. Hundreds of dollars and several mandos later, I finally have tone and volume. Now if I could just play the silly thing...

[catmandu2]

But yes, maybe I missed the idea here. Definitely, buy one, set it up and gift it!