Re: Oval vs. f-hole in A style?
Equivalent "value" means nothing. Yes, oval holes sound different than F holes. But you can't say "Give me an A body, some F holes and $327.50 worth of sound" and get a certain sound. A mandolin sounds like it sounds, whether it cost the same, more or less than some other mandolin. I've played F-hole, A-style mandolins that sounded not at all like each other regardless of price tags. And same for oval holes or F-style. You won't know until you listen to it.
But don't get too caught up in the different shaped holes (or different shaped bodies) for such-and-such kind of music. That is at best a very loose approximation that might be true averaged over many mandolins and many listeners. But only one listener counts (You) and one mandolin counts (Yours) and it's absolutely possible it will be the opposite of what "they say" about oval or F holes.
The first man who whistled
thought he had a wren in his mouth.
He went around all day
with his lips puckered,
afraid to swallow.
--"The First" by Wendell Berry
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