APC brand ???... Octave Mandolin purchase to Iran

[Ge23ev]

Hello good folks.

Im looking to purchase an octave mandolin in the sub 600 € euro range. I live in Iran and want it to be shipped here and eBay won't ship to Iran. I can pay via PayPal or debit and credit so I'm looking for shops or websites that sell internationally preferably in Europe.
I was recommended Moloney Music in Ireland that sells APC oms in my budget and I haven't heard much about them.
If anyone knows of any good recommendations as my first octave or any shops or suppliers that I could order from I would very much appreciate it.

Thank you so much

[G7MOF]

Try Trevor at TAMCO in Brighton UK!

[derbex]

I would try asking in the CBOM section of the site. I think there have been a few postings there about APC and I believe Kieren Moloney has posted there himself.

I have dealt with Thomann is Germany several times and they seem reliable, I think at least some of their own brand Octave Mandolas are APC, others are Hora.

[Ge23ev]

I will contact them a well thank you very much.

[allenhopkins]

APC instruments are Portuguese-made, Hora are Romanian. Thomann's "house brand" OM's look Romanian-made; the listing says "made in Europe" only. Here's their octave mandolin listing; (https://www.thomannmusic.com/octave_mandolins.html?ref=search_prv_0) all of them are within your budget.

Another possibility is Hobgoblin, UK-based; they stock a wide variety of "octave mandolas" as they call them (same as our octave mandolin), mostly Asian-made. Here are their listings; (https://www.hobgoblin.com/local/sales/c/320/mandolas/) pricier than Thomann, but a wider range of styles.

I have no shipping info, as to whether shipping to Iran would be a problem. Thomann is basically all over Europe (and now has a US website), so probably more likely to routinely ship to the Mideast.

[Ge23ev]

I haven't heard well from the Hora instruments. Seems like they produce every thing but they're more wall hangers rather than players instruments.
I dropped by Hobgoblins while I was in London. Great variety but prices are somewhat steep. I didn't buy whilst there since I wasn't sure at the time and they said they won't ship to Iran. They have excelletn bouzouki collection though. Great Irish collection over all

[OneChordTrick]

I’ve owned a Hora and now have an Ashbury* definitely think the Ashbury has a better tone, but it was several times the price!

If Amazon ship to Iran you could try them? That’s where I bought my Ashbury. I would have liked to have bought locally but amazon were selling a slightly damaged model at a 30% discount so it was hard to refuse.

*i think when people say Hobgoblin they mean Ashbury branded instruments.

[Eric F.]

I bought an APC octave from Moloney Music. The transaction was smooth as can be. The instrument arrived nicely set up and ready to go. It has a deep, rich sound that is quite nice when playing drones or chords. Even with shipping to the States, the price was ridiculously low for an instrument that sounds and plays like this. I'm not saying it will match a high-end OM, but in this price range I doubt you'll do better.

[Ge23ev]

Hey thanks for the help. Can I ask which model you went for ? I'm thinking the 308 cedar top for about 360 €

[Eric F.]

I got the 305, cedar over sapelle. It's plainer-looking than the 308, but I don't mind. It cost about 70 euros less, and I used the money I saved to buy the case Kieran offers. Good luck with the purchase. I hope it works out well for you.

[Seter]

I believe APC sells directly through http://www2.folkreps.com/index.php/ also, worth checking there to compare prices as well. They have a few instruments that have caught my eye but haven't bought any from them just yet. I do have a Hora Irish bouzouki that I really like (considering the low price, there are definite areas where it could be improved), mine is in Greek tuning though.

[Ge23ev]

Thank you for your help

[Ge23ev]

Thanks for the info. I think for the small price gap I might go for the option from Moloney to have someone check the set up and stuff since I don't have access to luthiers familiar with these instruments where I live.

[Bret Roberts]

I got my octave from Kieran at Moloney Music and could not have been happier. He checks them out and sets them up well. I went for the 305 with the cedar top. I honestly really like it and its sound. May I also suggest getting the case that is sold just for this mandolin. I like that a lot also. Hope this helps

[Ge23ev]

Hey thanks for the feed back. Do you mean the gig bag ? Or the soft case ?

[Paulmazz]

Has anyone been able to compare the APC OM to a trinity college or gold tone?

[Ge23ev]

I'm going to purchase the APC 308 cedar top and I have previously played Trinity College octaves I will try and post a thorough review and comparison once I get my hands on it. I have a half descent video from the time I played the TC in a store. Hope it helps people looking to purchase the APC instruments. But for now this is the only video I found helpful for my purchase. From the Bouzouki

https://youtu.be/B42Az8T9IVA

[Bret Roberts]

Hey thanks for the feed back. Do you mean the gig bag ? Or the soft case ?
I got the case, think it was 89 Euros.

[derbex]

Good luck with it, I look forward to the review. I had a quick strum of one of their fado guitars last time I was in Hobgoblin -seriously tempted, although not at Hobgoblins's prices.