Want to take a chance on one that may need some neck work, but is about half-price under what you're looking for?
Bernunzio's here in Rochester has a small-builder, all sold wood mandola, carved top, based on the Gibson H's,
shown here for $495 on sale. Bernunzio says that it was made without a truss rod, and the neck has thus either warped or pulled forward a bit, so the action is high.
Dunno what a repair shop would charge to work on the neck; there are several strategies, such as heat-pressing it back to straightness, inserting larger frets (the current ones are small) that would force the neck to re-curve, or pulling the fretboard, planing the neck flat, and reinstalling the fretboard. Alternatively, the "high" action may be within your tolerance.
Just a thought. I've dealt extensively with Bernunzio, and he's usually quite honest in how he represents his instruments. Might be worth a phone call, anyway.
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