Re: Which mandolin is the best starter for me?
I am in Italy, and have seen many Italian music stores. I don't think I've ever seen the brands preferred in the US like Kentucky, Loar, Eastman. I've often seen the standard Fender, Ibanez, etc. brands, in fact those Pacific-rim instruments seem to be crowding out the Italian-style mandolins, at least here in the north. Sometimes you see Sicilian-made mandolins at low prices (often with the same setup problems we see in the USA).
Piacenza is in a part of Italy rich with mandolin tradition; I'll bet your friend there can find you a vintage Italian-style mandolin! I'd take one of those any day, over any of the factory-made instruments mentioned in this thread.
Exploring Classical Mandolin (Berklee Press, 2015)
Progressive Melodies for Mandocello (KDP, 2019) (2nd ed. 2022)
New Solos for Classical Mandolin (Hal Leonard Press, 2020)
2021 guest artist, mandocello: Classical Mandolin Society of America
Bookmarks