Hey everyone,
Just turned 30 during this quarantine, I'm stuck at home alone in Italy and would like to buy a mandolin online to start doing a bit of playing.
I play bass and dabble in classical guitar, and I would probably be mostly playing or trying to play classical music on the mandolin.
I've been doing some research, and I must say I'm a bit stumped, since I know almost nothing of the instrument.
I really like the look of the F-Style mandolins but the sound seems a bit punchy and 'sharp' ( pardon my wrong terminology ), while the classic sound-hole mandolins seem to have a warmer tone ( maybe more suitable for classical music? ). Bowlback mandolins seem to be out of my price range since I am trying to buy a new instrument.
I'm looking to spend 500 Euros, and the two mandolins I was looking at currently were the Seagull S8 and The Loar LM-520. From the videos I've seen I like the Seagull's sound more, but The Loar seems to be a lot more appreciated, what might a newbie like myself be missing when looking at the differences? Also, I'm open to any suggestion in that price range.
Another major factor in my choice will be if the instrument will be playable 'out of the box' as luthiers in my area will be closed for the foreseeable future, and I don't want to struggle with a complex set-up.
Sorry for the rambling post, cabin fever is getting to me.
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