Bean Blossom by Morgan Monroe

[NFLDMandolin]

I am looking to buy my first mandolin and I see advertised on the internet this Bean Blossom by Morgan Monroe. It is a BM-5 Electric F Hole. It is only $89.00 U.S. That is cheap I know but can anyone tell me what I am really getting with this mandolin at this price?? Will it do for a beginner?? Will it fall apart?? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Rick

[Ajvessey]

I too have wondered about this things. Well, actually, I'm curious about the acoustic Bean Blossoms they have on ebay for like 2-300, which they claim are either all solid or solid-topped mandos. I wasn't able to find anything online about them, but if they're really Morgan Monroes, they should be pretty decent right? Anyone have an idea?

[August Watters]

What an irony, naming an electric mandolin after a festival that was known for not allowing electric instruments. . . .

These can be OK beginning instruments when set up by a professional -- right out of the factory the norm, however, is that they're unplayable. True of just about everything in this price range.

[Tom C]

I recently played a Tyler Mountain (I think that's what they are called). While it did sound a bit thin, I was impressed with the playability.

[thistle3585]

I played a couple of them. Not too impressed. I played it through a guitar amp. Had difficulty finding any balance between the high and lows. A local luthier has strongly encouraged me to stay away from acoustics that have pickups in them. The reason is that often times the tone bars need to be cut to fit the pickup in the instrument, so the top loses some of its integrity and ends up sinking over time. Also, another reason for the lack of balance in sound. You might be better off getting an acoustic and installing a transducer or such. I heard a KM350 with a transducer and it sounded far better than anything else I tried.