Acumando-- obviously there is no one right answer to your questions... and of course, a lot depends on your budget, playing style, aspirations and interests, hand/reach size, etc. So it would help if you care to share more about these aspects of your decision. Also...I'd encourage you to browse/read in the CBOM area and archives a bit, as (not surprisingly) there have been lots of conversations about the relative merits of all of these types of instruments, and many makers of instruments.
Other than that, I'd share some of my own experience. I first sampled some of the larger mando-family instruments. Started with a mandola, then bought a 'zouk. Both of these were ebay purchases, btw. The 'dola was a lovely and unique vintage Italian flatback. The 'zouk was a Freshwater in pretty rough shape. I ended up selling both of them... but in the process, I learned a lot and began to refine my criteria/preferences.
Then had the chance to buy a Trillium OM. Great instrument, and found out that it was the OM voice I was looking for... as I started to play more and more, and developed further my sense of how I wanted to USE this instrument, it became clear that the scale was a little too long for me. So I eventually sold that too (sadly) in order to afford the shorter scale OM that feels finally like the right fit.
So... how to apply this to your situation? If you have a pretty good sense of the voice you are looking for and know more or less what/how you want to play the instrument, and know your budget... these things can really guide you towards an informed choice.
However, if you're really exploring, I'd encourage you to allow yourself the freedom to explore for a while... don't sign on with a luthier for a custom order until you have a better sense of what you're looking for. Try to find something decent and previously owned, so that you can sell it and not take much of a loss if it turns out to just not be a good match. (For all those instruments I sold mentioned above, I didn't lose more than a couple hundred dollars, mostly in shipping costs, and I consider that fair "rental" price for having had use of the instruments for a while.)
That's what I think. It worked well for me, and the process was fun and informative. I used the same pool of (my own discretionary) money to buy/sell the instruments, for the most part, so that neither I nor my partner had to be worried about the impact on our cash flow or household finances.
To respond to a couple of your specific questions...
I'm an OM fan myself, and think it may be of interest to you as well since you like the zouk sound but find the scale daunting. If you are mostly a mando player, you will need to learn how to play a longer scale instrument somewhat differently than you are used to-- but with OM's, while you are working on that, you can still transfer a lot of what you can play on the mando. Whereas the shift in what/how you play on the zouk is a bit more marked. (unless you have really big hands) If you have a base in guitar, than the zouk may not faze you.
re: cheapies... start where you can, but if you don't have to start with the cheapest of cheapies, don't. If you can afford to start with a $4-500 instrument like a Trinity College OM, rather than a $2-300 instrument, I think you'll be less likely to be struggling with the instrument as you get started. If you can find a used Weber Sage or Petersen or Mid-Mo OM, to me, that would be even better.
*whew* that was long winded, even for me!
Karen Escovitz
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Otter OM #1
Brian Dean OM #32
Old Wave Mandola #372
Phoenix Neoclassical #256
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If you're gonna walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!
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