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Either way, your instrument will contain an OM. The question is whether you want to expand it into the range of a mandocello —- making it a cittern —- or a mandola. Basically, your 5-course...

The more you read ANY written music in various clefs, the easier it gets.

What's wrong with novelties? The OM is at least as good for song accompaniment as the guitar, it can be fingerpicked, it can be wet-tuned.



Melody playing with lots of doublestops is what I do....

We have a wicker linen basket that was knocking about & got repurposed to keep various instruments under control. Not quite wide enough for my son's Hummingbird dreadnought case, but everything else...

Wire racks in chrome or black are available at Target, WalMart, HomeDepot, Lowes, etc. They will come with four shelves. You can get high ones and low ones. The single cross bars are available at The...

Don't limit yourself to mandolin books. Violin books work just fine, although some pieces may need a bow, most don't. I have played the melodies of most of the Anna Magdelena Bach book, which is for...

Good enough, That makes sense.

As you can probably tell, I'm a firm believer in supporting the people and businesses who support this forum.

Easily available and excellent:

August Watters: Exploring Classical Mandolin

Marilynn Mair: The Complete Mandolinist

There are a lot of older method books for mandolin. This is an older...

Nice! Happy new mandolin!

Well, I for one, feel the OP chose very well and picked an instrument that for that price point is very often recommended here as a no brainer. This forum is not a place where we belittle others...

Good call! Let us know what you think when it arrives. Hopefully it will be ready to go, as it may be a while yet before the stay at home orders lift.

I don’t recall ever seeing an oval hole...

Is there a reason it can't be both?

Lots of great info & tips here though.

Depending on where you order it, you may get a good setup with your purchase. There are a few sponsors here who do an excellent setup when you buy a mandolin from them.

That's a good choice. I bought a KM-272, which is the same model but a different color, mostly because it was such a good deal slightly used that I couldn't resist. It's a good mandolin. I've been...

EVERY inexpensive mandolin needs a setup. The cheaper the mandolin, the more it needs one. A professional would charge at least $50. So Rob Meldrum is the way to go. But I’d buy an Eastman 300 series...

Yep! what he said. Alternatives would possibly be a Flat top - Big Muddy Primative, Morris, etc. I believe there's a Morris in the Classified's now (NFI). Good luck and welcome to the Mando and...

The few I've played just haven't done it for me in terms of sound. The lower end Kentuckys are fantastic for the money. I think most people on this board would recommend one to anyone with a budget...

If you like to tinker, get Rob's book and have at it, but I also suggest an upgrade if you can afford it. The Kentucky Brian William linked to would arrive set up nicely and ready to play, as would...

You might keep your eye open for a Stradolin. You can pick many of them up for around $500 and they have amazingly good tone and playability and will likely play better than a $500 new one. Usually...

Most of these mandolins have the nut cut way too high and would explain what the OP is experiencing. A good setup should remedy the problem. A better mandolin is a better remedy.

https://themandolinstore.com/product/kentucky-km-150-mandolin-with-gig-bag/

Get yourself a proper set of strings. For <$10 it's worth a try.

PM Cafe member Rob Meldrum for his free setup guide: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/members/26837-Rob-Meldrum

Upgrade time. What’s your budget?