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Friend of mine is considering selling a very nice Muth F5 for about $4K through the Cafe. Canadian maker with a long wait list. I played it the other night. They are really good value.

We have a Kimble, Clark, and Heiden in our house. They are all wonderful mandolins and are keepers. I would heartily recommend all 3 of them. As is the case, it’s alway best to try before you buy,...

If I had even close to enough extra money, I would be considering that Gibson Goldrush that is in the classifieds. :)

Matt Ruhland.

One of John's F-5's just hit the classifieds.........

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/145842#145842

NFI

Might be able to find a Nugget in your range or, as Hank mentioned, there're Givens' out there, too.

I wouldn't rule out a new instrument from one of the builders you mentioned. I thought a new...

Not to keep piling on, but Skip Kelley, Steve Sorenson, Don Macrostie (Red Diamond), and Ken Ratcliff are building some fine instruments right now. Don's are the most expensive of my little list, but...

Avenue Guitars in Manitou Springs, outside of Colorado Springs is a great shop.

https://www.avenueguitars.com/

This....

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/145117#145117

Pava works in the Ellis shop and builds a great mandolin.

I doubt you will find a Heiden in your price range.

Good luck with your...

Great thread!

I'll second the sentiment that the world is your oyster here.

The high cost of mandolins has led me to value A styles above other styles, particularly used A styles. Kind of like...

Olde Town Pickin' Parlor in Arvada (Denver suburb) has a good selection.

I agree, there’s a used one in the classifieds now for under $5k, that’s about half price from a new one. You’d have to check it out with an approval period.
...

Randy Wood, for sure.

Absolutely ! In that price range you can get a NEW Girouard ! Won't find any better workmanship and your ears will love the Girouard sound ! Built by Max and Laurie Girouard !

With your budget, the world is your oyster. It would be worth using a bit of your budget to travel to someplace where you can try a variety of different mandolins. The right one will find you.

Franzke
https://www.mfstrings.com/about.html

Clark - in your price range, A style or 2 point
http://www.clarkmandolins.com/

Last time I was in Denver Folklore Center, they had a really nice...

You might be able to find a Red Diamond A in your range. Or a RL Givens A-6. An you've already got some good ones on your list.

If you like the Gallatin sound, a Weber Fern might be something to...