Hi folks, been a while since I last dropped in.
Wondering if anyone has had experience with a company called "Folkreps", based in Portugal?
I came across them while searching for a string-loop winder for a Portuguese Coimbra guitar, and couldn't help noticing that they also sell a lot of interesting and exotic fretted instruments. One such which caught my eye is a "Portuguese Mandocello" for what amounts to under $400 US.
http://www2.folkreps.com/index.php/m...solidwood.html
Now I have lusted after a Mandocello for a number of years, but I was never sure if I had enough use for one to take the plunge, mortgage the homestead, and buy one. The Folkreps axe seems like an opportunity to try one out for a while, for a modest expenditure.
I've never dealt with this company before. A couple of things stand out for me. One is they claim that most of their instruments are "manufactured to order" requiring a lead time of "15-30 working days". Considering the price and the time, I'm pretty sure they aren't having a luthier hand make these from scratch; I'm guessing either a largely automated process, or they have a lot of pre-fab parts laying around which they stick together as needed to fill orders. Still, that process might produce an acceptable grade student/dilettante instrument.
The other consideration is that, me being in the US, and they being in Portugal, should anything be wrong with the instrument, the distance and language barriers might make it impractical to resolve for any but a top-end instrument, which a $400 axe most likely isn't.
Anybody know anything about this company or their instruments?
Thanks.
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