Thanks for the recommendations folks!
I'd recently asked regarding a decent quality solid-body electric mandolin to get in some practice time in the evenings when the rest of the family sleeps. I'm a beginner, I have an Eastman 304, that was just too loud.
A member of the forum saw my post and offered me his Alden Mandocaster. If I'm correct, this is the UK version of Eastwood's Mandocaster. Same everything, different color options. In this case I'm delighted with the "Butterscotch" finish. I tried to capture it well enough, but depending on the lighting it can appear light yellow to deep orange.
It arrived in stated condition, but badly in need of a setup. The neck was bowed out, and I wasn't able to budge the truss rod. Knowing well my own limitations, I took it over to Manella Guitars, which was fairly close to me and came highly recommended.
Frank (Instrument and Amp tech) allowed me to sit and learn from him as he made adjustments. Thankfully, with the aid of a long socket on the allen key, he was able to loosen the truss rod and straighten the neck out. After that he checked the frets and noticed that the 10th fret was a bit raised compared to the 9th and 11th, but not by a lot. I could play on the 9th fret without any buzz, so we decided that it wasn't an issue worth addressing. Finally, with the neck straight, the action could be lowered pretty significantly at the bridge.
Now there is no buzzing at any fret, and the action is nice and fairly low. I'll say that it's a very comfortable instrument for me to hold and sit or stand with. The action is a little higher than on my 304, but it's not uncomfortable by any means. The neck is a bit thicker and has a different profile than the Eastman, but no complaints- it's still much more comfortable for me to practice with than a guitar.
As many have noted regarding their Mandocasters, the pups are pretty anemic in general, with very little response for the G courses in particular. I don't plan to plug it in, but if I do it's nice to have 2 pups to play with instead of just one. They're standard size so replacing them should present no issue, if I ever have a need.
A real issue that I'm having is in finding a case for it. I understand that a Fender MC510 would work fine, but I can't find one. If you have any cheap recommendations I'd be happy to hear them, otherwise a gig bag might be good enough. I just want to keep it humidified when it's put away, not planning to gig with it or anything.
Anyways, once again I appreciate your help, thanks all!
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