Need your expertise: thinking ahead

[DocT]

Now that I am recovering and am able to start practicing again, I need your expertise to help me with a dilemma. I am thinking ahead to when I will be good enough to buy another instrument. I am currently learning on a Loar LM-370, as it is the best I could find over here. I cannot simply run down to the shop and try a mandolin because no one sells them, here.

Do I buy a Pono Octave mandolin? This has the advantage of giving me two different instruments with two different sounds to explore. Plus, I sing. Do I buy an Eastman El Rey 8 string electric mandolin? This has the advantage of allowing me quiet play when my wife does not want to be disturbed and more importantly, allows me to explore new sounds. Do I buy an Eastman 605 acoustic mandolin, or similar? This has the advantage of upgrading my instrument and giving me the ability to plug in when I want to do so. Finally, do I buy an upgraded mandolin from a quality maker? This has the advantage of giving me a keeper instrument and one that plays and sounds better.

What do you all think?

[Br1ck]

I have always believed, and my own experience has verified, that if you are going to play mandolin, you should focus on getting the best mandolin you can afford and look toward getting a mandolin in the used market in the $1200 range. I don’t know what this equates to where you live, but a Weber Gallatin type mandolin is representative. Put what money you have into the acoustic instrument. You can add a pickup later. Eastman makes a decent mandolin, but with the eye on the prize being a Weber or the like, I would not buy higher than the 500 series.

[Eric Platt]

For approximately the same price as the Eastman, I would suggest buying the Morris A5 in the classifieds. He makes quality instruments that have a very good sound.

Or search the classifieds and Reverb.com to find one that looks like it's the one. FWIW, there have been a number of Gibson oval holes that went relatively inexpensively on reverb. They've had work done, but were still good instruments. But that also might not be the sound you are looking for.

[DocT]

So, no one favors options 1-3, octave or electric.