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Hi OP, I see you are in Knoxville. Me too. Welcome to the Cafe'. As others have advised, don't set your sights too low, and end up with an instrument that will end up in a closet. I saw a Rover...

I had the same problem when I started playing regularly with an Eastman 815. I'm a guitar player, and attributed the forearm fatigue to the smaller mandolin neck compared to a guitar neck. I thought...

I agree with the above lust for the Bighorn in the classifieds. I'm a Weber fan big time. I've had a Bitteroot-F, and now have a Bitteroot-A. Both were great playing mandolins. My A-style has maple...

For anyone near Asheville, NC, this looks like a great deal on a Girouard A-style:

https://asheville.craigslist.org/msg/d/girouard-a5-mandolin/6311375260.html

If I didn't already have my Weber,...

I had an Eastman 815 for quite a while, and also could not get along with the neck shape and width. My answer was a nice used Weber Bitteroot-A. The Weber neck works perfectly for me. It's more...

I had an Eastman MD815, which was nice, but not the level of mandolin I really wanted. I sold the Eastman, and bought a nice used Weber Bitteroot-A. I got $1K for my Eastman, and bought the Weber...

I really like it! I could see doing a relic job to it by strategically sanding some finish off in places that normally wear over years of playing. Maybe add a few "character marks", to make it look...

I am also primarily a guitar player, who is trying to become a good mandolin player. I had an Eastman 815 for a couple of years, and it was a nice mandolin. However, I had difficulty with the neck...

I was also thinking about fitting my own bridge. I do all my own setup work on electric guitars, and have done a fair amount of woodworking. But fitting a full contact bridge on a mandolin with a...

Steve just put a full contact bridge on my Weber Bitteroot, and it sounds awesome. He fit the bridge base perfectly to the top of my Weber, which has a pretty high arch. I'm really glad I had him do...

I have a 2005 Weber Bitteroot-A and absolutely love it. I would never sell mine for less than $1400 or $1500, assuming I wanted to sell it at all. I don't care for the black top on that one, but at...

Well, I spent this past Saturday with Steve Smith at Cumberland Acoustics, and wanted to share how great the experience was. I've had my Weber Bitteroot-A for a while now, and always suspected it...

I had an Eastman 815 for a long while, and it was a beautiful instrument. It was well made, and played good. But I never really liked the tone. It was too thin sounding, lacked volume, and had...

I got a clean used Weber Bitteroot-A in that price range, and absolutely love it. It was my "step up" from an Eastman 815. The Weber is light years better than the Eastman in every way.

That was awesome. I've always been a huge fan of what Keith does with a guitar. Probably the best rhythm hook player ever. Hugely under-rated by those who only consider soaring solo work to be...

For right at $1K, you can find a used Weber, Flatiron, or Gibson A-style mandolin. Any of these will sound and play better than most of the F-styles you can buy for less than $1K. You get more...

I am a long time guitar player, now converted to mandolin most of the time. As an experienced guitar player, you should have already developed a good ear for tone. This is a blessing and a curse. It...

Thanks guys, that helps a lot. Sounds like this could be the one I've been looking for. Appreciate the expertise!

I owned a Bitteroot-F for several years, and loved the way it played. But it had a mahogany back, and never sounded like I wanted. I have played a few F-9s, and while they didn't play as well as my...

I also tried to "step up" to an F-style in the under $1K range, and found a nice Eastman 815. But after a while, I realized that the Pac-Rim F-style mandos weren't going to give me the quality tone I...

Congrats on your Taylor. I own a special edition 414kce with koa back and sides, that I bought new in the late 90s. Mine has matured beautifully, and sounds amazing. I love the way koa sort of splits...

I'm a longtime guitarist, and mandolinist for a few years. I am a family man, and not really wealthy. I try to be as practical as possible, while still pursuing my musical passion. Over the years I...

I prefer the F-9, because it doesn't have the fretboard extension. The F-9s I have played sounded and played very much like any F-5G that I have played. I don't need the bling or the Florida...

Beautiful! I have a Bitteroot-A, so I know you are going to love it. Let me welcome you to the Weber fanclub.

Thanks for all the good advice guys. Last night I put a paper shim under half of the nut (treble side), and it resolved the issue completely. The Weber plays extremely well now and all strings ring...