Opinions on the Washburn M1SDL?

[jlb.9889]

I've decided that I would like to learn the mandolin, and I am thinking of buying the Washburn M1SDL A Style with the oval soundhole. I have never played before, and I am wondering if this mandolin would be good to learn on. Money is definitely an object, and I realize that it probably isn't that great of an instrument, but if it has a nice tone and good playability for a beginner than that is really what's important to me. I am open to suggestions if anyone knows of a better one between $150 and $200. Otherwise, is this a decent mandolin for the price?

http://www.zzounds.com/item--WASM1SDL

[Jim MacDaniel]

No first hand experience here, but I found a few threads with MS1DL in the title that might help:
Thread 1 (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?54429-Washburn-M1SDL&highlight=M1SDL)
Thread 2 (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?33311-Washburn-m1sdl&highlight=M1SDL)
Thread 3 (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?21328-Washburn-M1SDL-as-traveler-for-sessions&highlight=M1SDL)

[jlb.9889]

Thanks, that helped! :)

[Jim MacDaniel]

No worries -- and have fun with whatever you choose.

BTW, a very popular budget oval-hole recommendation here in the forums over the past year or so is Kentucky's KM-17* series (KM-171 = black, KM-172 = amber, KM-174 = burgundy). They run just under $300 most places, but they are of all solid woods (top, back, and sides), sound pretty nice, and play pretty well. (I have the KM-172 myself, and think it an excellent value ;) ).

Also important to note: an important consideration can be where you buy an instrument, and whether or not the dealer does a proper shop setup on the instrument (e.g., fitting the bridge to the top, setting action at the bridge, dressing the frets, fine tuning the nut slots' depths, etc.). A proper setup maximizes its playability and performance, so if you buy an instrument without setup (such as at the link in your initial post in this thread), you should factor in another $30 - $60 or so to your budget and have it setup by a local shop once you receive it.

Tip: if you can't buy locally, purchasing from one of the cafe's sponsors is a safe bet (they are listed on the right hand side of the cafe's homepage), since they do setup on all their instruments -- and several of them ship free.

[jlb.9889]

Thanks for the suggestion! I was considering buying from that site because so far it's the cheapest price I've seen on that mandolin, and they are an authorized Washburn dealer. There are a couple great places in town where I live that could do the setup for me. I have also looked into the Kentucky 170 series, and unfortunately they are a little above my price range =( This mandolin is actually a gift from a friend who is letting me choose whichever one I would like under $200. I could always upgrade later on after I get started and get a better idea of what I am looking for. Thanks again!

[Jim MacDaniel]

That's a very nice gift, and based upon the threads it should be a fine instrument to start out on -- and I also like its looks with that florentine headstock on a A-body. Just make sure you get it setup as soon as possible once , since you'll enjoy playing it a lot more if its setup properly, which in turn will encourage you to play more often. BTW, have you decided to go with the black finish, or with the blue or red versions of it?