Top 5 Mandolins under $300

[anvilmaster]

Hi everyone, I'm a bit new to this, so I apologize if this has been asked a thousand times before. However, I have done a bit of research in the archived forums and only found this http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-29232.html. It's the exact same topic, but its four years old. Thought it was a great one and deserved a revisit. At the time the Fullerton Gloucester seemed to take the prize, but- it seems they've faded away to an almost mythical status, (apparently the company responsible for their production was bought out, and discontinued the line). So, What would you all recommend now?

[Gwernen]

I'd like an answer to this too! There are those of us out here that are driving cars we bought for $300, laugh.

[Ed Goist]

Hi, and welcome to the Cafe!

This is a fun question.

First and foremost, please keep in mind that a good pre-purchase set-up (http://www.folkmusician.com/mandolinsetup.asp) is absolutely critical in this price range. The quality of the set-up is arguably even more important than the brand or instrument choice at this price, so selection of your vendor is really a more important decision.

Two of my top picks are solid bodied electrics, as these tend to be much nicer than the acoustics available at this price point (the same goes for guitars).

Here goes:
1. Kentucky KM-172
2. Epiphone Mandobird IV or VIII (electric)
3. Kentucky KM-300E (electric)
4. Kentucky KM-161
5. Kentucky KM-150

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Yeah the Fullerton / Gloucester models are pretty much gone from the market, and you may see them come up for sale used once in a while. The main these from the old thread still rings true - buying a used one will get you much more than buying new. However, there is lots of risk involved when buying used instruments, esp. sight unseen (eg. on eBay), so I would only recommend if you are really familiar with the mandolin models and am comfortable making some of the necessary set up and repairs yourself. Otherwise, it's not unlikely that you'll end up paying quite a bit more for repair and setup.

If you decide to buy a new one, there are far more selections today than just 3 years ago. However, more of the really outstanding choices are found between the $300-$500 price range. For example, 'The Loar' makes a model (LM-220) that has a hand-carved top and all solid wood for a mere $350 shipped to your door That's unheard of even back in 2007. Eastman also has a economy A model (MD305 ) that sells for $399 shipped, but last I checked it's sold out in most places. Kentucky continues to churn out some excellent models under $500, and some introductory models such as KM-140 are really outstanding. But these are constructed a bit differently than the Eastman and 'The Loar' model cited above, and as a result they cost less.

So back to your original question, here's some models that you may want to consider:

- The Loar LM-220
- Eastman MD305
- Kentucky KM-160

If you must stick to the $300 budget, then Kentucky would be your best bet. But if you can go over it just a bit, I think The Loar LM-220 would be a very very strong contender.

[Dave Weiss]

All of the above are good choices, but finding a good USED one would probably be your best bet. Chances are that you'll get a "better" mandolin, not to mention that if you buy new and for some (unknown) reason you decide that this isn't quite your "cup of tea", you can expect to sell your experiment for half to two-thirds of what you just paid for it, where if you bought used (assuming you got a good mando at a good price), you could recoup most if not all of you money.
I haven't been doing this for a very long time, but for the reasons above, I will Always buy used.

[Caleb]

I would sit on the $300 and watch the Classifieds here very carefully. I got my son a Paris Swing F-style for around 3 bills here. It's a good instrument that works well for him. Many of the instruments sold here have already been setup and you're also able to get a lot of details since you're buying from a fellow player. I've seen some ridiculously good deals appear and disappear in minutes, so do watch carefully; and I wish you much luck finding the right instrument soon.

[Nonprophet]

All of the above are good choices, but finding a good USED one would probably be your best bet. Chances are that you'll get a "better" mandolin, not to mention that if you buy new and for some (unknown) reason you decide that this isn't quite your "cup of tea", you can expect to sell your experiment for half to two-thirds of what you just paid for it, where if you bought used (assuming you got a good mando at a good price), you could recoup most if not all of you money.
I haven't been doing this for a very long time, but for the reasons above, I will Always buy used.

+ 100!

"Pre-owned" is the way to go, especially if you're on a budget. It seems that there are a fairly large number of people who buy "entry level" mandos in the $100-$600 range because they want to learn to play. But many of them then sell those mandos after they decide the mandolin really isn't their thing.

In general, items sold as used seem to sell for about 1/2 of their new price. My very first mandolin was a Fender FM-53S. I bought it locally off of Craigslist for $100, and it came with a like new TKL hardshell case. The mando sold for $299 new and the case was $140, and I got the whole she-bang for $100!

Patience will ensure that you can find a great deal too!


NP

[MikeEdgerton]

I agree with the concept of buying used but if you're looking for new then the first rule of thumb for me is to look for an A style (more bang for the buck), a better mandolin without paying for that scroll. In my book Kentucky pretty much owns that sub $300.00 range new. if you can stretch into the under $350.00 then The Loar falls in there as well. If you're comfortable buying vintage instruments and have some minimal abilities to set them up and do minor repairs then the Strad-O-Lin genre mandolins are great buys but you have to watch for them on eBay and grab one cheap. The condition as far as I've seen is a crap shoot. If you're new to the instrument and want to play it safe check in with one of the cafe sponsors and look at those low end Kentucky mandolins.

[anvilmaster]

These are some great responses! I will probably need to stick pretty close to 300, maaayyybbee could stretch up to the loar lm 220 price area, but in both new and used, what should I be keeping an eye out for?

[Toycona]

I got my first mando, a Kentucky 162 from the Mandolin Shop for under $300 (with case). It was a good buy and continutes to be an excellent instrument.

[anvilmaster]

Okay, one more update. That Loar LM 220 really looks like a nice piece of work from what I've read on it. I also found this http://louisville.craigslist.org/msg/2213039454.html, its a michael kelly, and I've sort of come to a preliminary agreement with the seller on it for $300. between the two, which would you all choose for a novice?

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Okay, one more update. That Loar LM 220 really looks like a nice piece of work from what I've read on it. I also found this http://louisville.craigslist.org/msg/2213039454.html, its a michael kelly, and I've sort of come to a preliminary agreement with the seller on it for $300. between the two, which would you all choose for a novice?

Personally I think I'd still go with The Loar, having owned a couple of them before. However, I've seen that Michael Kelly model before and the price seems pretty good. And I assume you'd have a chance to play it personally before buying, and that's a BIG plus. So I think you will do fine with either one.

[Markus]

I would be tempted by that Michael Kelly, if it plays well, is set up well [requires no work] and feels good to you.

Used often yields a better quality instrument, though not always exactly your desire.

However ... luthier time is not cheap, and an instrument needing work is no bargain. Let the seller get it fixed professionally first.

-- What kind of music are you playing? If bluegrass [and if that MK is an oval hole] I would be a little more wary - oval holes are lovely, wonderful instruments ... but f-hole instruments seem to work best in a loud, crowded bluegrass jam setting. If not in that context, well, disregard this.

[anvilmaster]

Thanks! I'm not necessarily tied to any type of music, I like both bluegrass and celtic, so, I feel its a bit of a tossup as to which style I get. I ended up moving the "loar vs. mk" discussion to the ebay, craigslist, etc. category. I felt that there's still more to be said about the top 5 mando's for under $300, and even if I end up going with one of those two, I think there's a lot of people out there looking for standout models on a really tight budget. (and who knows, maybe my opinion of the loar can be swayed!). Thanks again everyone for the insight! This is such a great community of helpful and knowledgable individuals, and with every new poster, I'm amazed at the amount of expertise I've been given access to!

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Good luck anvilmaster. Let us know what you end up getting, and be sure to post some pics and sound clips so the rest of us can admire.

[Ed Goist]

Even with all the mandolins mentioned, and with expanding the budget some...
I might be tempted to still recommend a Kentucky KM-172 from a dealer with a good reputation for pre-purchase set-up.
I was lucky enough to start on one of these (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbA7F8kOwOw), and I think that the tone and value were pretty amazing. Might be my pick in the under $500 category!
Also, these are hard enough to find that you will likely not lose much if/when you sell it as you upgrade (I recouped over 80% of my original purchase price).

[anvilmaster]

Thanks barrangatan, you've been a ton of help- I'll certainly do that! Those Kentucky's look/ sound pretty good too, thanks for the video post, and the high resale value is definitely a benefit. My biggest limitation is that I live in the middle of a cornfield for school, although, it might be worth taking a road trip up to elderly. Of course this would sort of be a limitation for the loar as well, since I'd need to rely on an online company to do the setup as I'm so new to the instrument. I did find a used KM- 160s that I suspect I could pick up for around $150

[backwoodsborn10]

bought a kentucky 150 on ebay a while back for 115 bucks, which is about average price for that model on ebay.i've owned a ky 1000and a ky 700 and i was amazed at the quality of the 150. i don't think a person could do any better than that little mando for the money.however be very observant on every detail on an ebay sale. although i've fared pretty well on ebay buys, but many havn't. might look for a sale with a return option.

[MONami]

While I don't think ebay buying a mando is the best plan,
I do agree that the Kentucky models do seem to be a decent value.
But used mandos are even better.
FWIW, I have played a couple of Loars and they were crap. Sorry.

[anvilmaster]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the advice etc. I ended up purchasing the Michael Kelly Legacy O. Its a beautiful instrument, and not a scratch on it. great condition! I'll have to post pics soon, but yeah. The action is just a touch high, particularly for me, because I'm just beginning, but it's all good, and I'll try to make some adjustments as soon as I work up the courage, but, its still a pleasure to play and sounds beautiful.

[Ed Goist]

Congratulations! Enjoy.

[Toycona]

I played this Loar at my local string shop and was pleasantly surprised at its tone and volume. It sure sounded good to me!

http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/35399/35399.php

(NFI)

[Ed Goist]

That one sure looks nice, Toycona!
Oh, and BTW, that's a very distracting website (http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/34593/34593.php)! :)

[Toycona]

I'm not a big fan of bowlbacks, but I did look at this one too. I took Cwyatt there and played pretty much their entire inventory, with the exception of the highest end stuff, which is behind the counter. They're a little dry on inventory right now, but it's still a very cool store.