I am an amateur fiddler just beginning my mando journey. I’ve settled on the octave mandolin and am trying to figure out how to find a left-handed instrument with a short scale. I was originally going to try to find a dealer who could get me the Gold Tone lefty OM variant advertised on their website, but the scale is quite long so I am giving up on that plan.

A reputable shop offered to convert a standard instrument for $400, but pouring that much extra money into a beginner instrument doesn’t seem like a great idea.

I am starting to watch the Mandolin Cafe classifieds. How often do used lefty instruments turn up on this site, if ever?