Ibanez mandolin for beginners?

[MandoNina]

A friend of mine has just decided to pick up the mandolin and has already found something that, to my inexperienced eyes, seems like a good purchase.

It's a used Ibanez M615-OPN A-style in good condition for just over $100.

Does anyone here have any experience or general insight when it comes to this mandolin?
Is it a good recommendation for a beginner?

As always any advice is appreciated!

[mandroid]

get it from a seller that does pre delivery set up or add that shop time
for having it done, to the cost.
no need for a beginner to fight a hard to play mandolin.


But as a Brand name (sight unseen) Ibanez is OK.

[Paul Busman]

Setup is a really important thing.Even an expensive mandolin will be difficult to play and not sound it's best. It's well worth the money spent to get it done right by someone who knows what they're doing.

[Mandoplumb]

It will probably need a set up which will double the price if he can't do it himself. It would then be a decent srarter mandolin. In the 70's and 80's the Ibanez, Aria, and Alvareze were about the only decent starters. I'm not sure if they would be the best today, but the price sounds acceptable to me.

[Folkmusician.com]

Agreed that the price is ok if it is in good condition... Setup is more than 50% of the final outcome. I see you are in Costa Rica, so most of us have no idea to your market. I would assume a city the size of San Jose would have a good luthier to take it to, but that is just a guess.

[darrylicshon]

As everyone else has said a good setup is the important part almost any brand would do for a starter. Now I'm a big fan of Ibanez mostly their guitars but I have a nice collection of vintage Ibanez mandolins. Seems like the newer ones are ok I have played some that just sounds ok but have also played some really nice sounding ones. I'm taking my Ibanez 522 with me today I'm going to the dead and company and always jam in the parking lot

[MandoNina]

Well it is being bought used, so a nice set up would have to be done by a luthier post purchase.
But you are obviously all right. I remember how close to impossible it was to play my mandolin before I got it set up when I got started last year. Two different mandolins for sure.

Yes I'm in Costa Rica, but the fellow buying it isn't though. And good for him. I've had to use guitar luthiers with limited to no knowledge of mandolins down here so far.

Thanks guys. I just wanted to make sure that for around $100 it would be hard for him to find something better.

[Gelsenbury]

My guess is that it would be hard to find better for that price. I'd buy it. And it may be set up just fine if the previous owner cared about these things.

[Charlie Bernstein]

If it's playable, it's good for a beginner. If all the frets up to the heel work and the setup doesn't cause any extreme finger, hand, or arm pain, it should be fine.

To music students, differences in sound and playability are much more apparent with guitars than mandos. The differences in mandos are huge to people who have been around them for a while, but it takes a while before new players start to notice them.

So a beginner mando really just has to be functional. Your friend will know when it's time for an upgrade.