Buying used mandolin

lincolnblue

I quite fancy getting a mandolin with a pickup but having never played one before don't want to spend much. Is £200ish enough to get a decent-ish f style mandolin for that price or do I need to keep saving?

MartinB

You'll get better value for money with an A style in that price range - the extra work to shape and bind the scroll pushes the price up without making the instrument function any better, so they always cost more than an equivalent quality A style.

drofluf

A good rule of thumb is that a mandolin will cost twice as much as a similar quality guitar. Also as @MartinB says you’ll get value from an A style 

ToneControl

drofluf said:

A good rule of thumb is that a mandolin will cost twice as much as a similar quality guitar. 

why is that?
I noticed they are expensive, don't understand why

springhead

Just as complex to make, maybe more.  Produced in smaller volumes.  

drofluf

ToneControl said:

drofluf said:

A good rule of thumb is that a mandolin will cost twice as much as a similar quality guitar. 

why is that?
I noticed they are expensive, don't understand why

I think it’s because there’s less demand. Probably more than ten times as many people play guitar as do the mandolin. 

Kittyfrisk

Decent resource here https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/threads/154450-Best-budget-mandolin-UK

KDS

Can't go wrong with used Eastman

MartinB

I feel like the 2x price rule of thumb holds up well enough in the bluegrass scene where the standard mandolin is a carved archtop and the standard guitar is a flat top. But then if you look at companies who make both mandolins and guitars in the same construction style, the difference isn't at all consistent. There’s the Eastman PCH mandolin for £399 while the PCH model guitars are £369, or Fylde's mandolins starring at about a grand and guitars starting at £2900.

Epsilon

Don't bother going super cheap, particularly not with an F-type. There is nothing more unpleasant to play than a super cheap mandolin.

Eastman 305 A style is the way to go.

guitarjack66

Epsilon said:

Don't bother going super cheap, particularly not with an F-type. There is nothing more unpleasant to play than a super cheap mandolin.

Eastman 305 A style is the way to go.

But you said it was super even though it's cheap? 

BigPaulie

guitarjack66 said:

Epsilon said:

Don't bother going super cheap, particularly not with an F-type. There is nothing more unpleasant to play than a super cheap mandolin.

Eastman 305 A style is the way to go.

But you said it was super even though it's cheap? 

There's a difference between 'super-cheap" and 'super, cheap" 

Kittyfrisk

Pointing out the bleeding obvious 
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/265055/harmony-mandolin-usa-made-130#latest

BigPaulie

Kittyfrisk said:

Pointing out the bleeding obvious 
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/265055/harmony-mandolin-usa-made-130#latest

Was just about to do the same thing!

bluecat

Ozark seem to sell reasonably priced mandolins. They look the part, whether the play the part who knows?

Tannin

Where is @Mellish when you need him? If I remember correctly, he knew all about mandolins. 

bluecat

He knew banjos as well.
Be assured he will be looking down on us all, such a nice man.

MartinB

It's a tricky price point for mandolins, especially if you're set on having a pickup. I'd suggest forgetting about the pickup to start with and just add a simple piezo like a JJB later as needed - cheaper mandolins that come with electronics don't tend to be great sounding. 

Setup is a biggy on mandolins, and even an action height that looks like it would be reasonable on acoustic guitar can be too much, something that puts off a lot of beginners. If you're buying new, try and go for a shop that does at least a basic setup like Eagle Music, and try and get a solid top instrument as a bare minimum.

sir_strumalot

Epsilon said:

Don't bother going super cheap, particularly not with an F-type. There is nothing more unpleasant to play than a super cheap mandolin.

Eastman 305 A style is the way to go.

This is the correct answer. Kentucky km150 gets a lot of love too. I played a Loar too, which was ok, but not as good set up or tone. Setup is even more important on a mandolin than a guitar -e.g. high nut slots will make it painful to play. Good mandolins have carved tops and backs like an archtop guitar, and they take a similar time to build. F-style is about double the work, hence these things get very expensive quite quickly once you get away from Mandolin Shaped Objects. You can fit a K&K for not too much money.

lincolnblue

Is there a difference in sound between A style and F? Or is it purely aesthetic?

Epsilon

lincolnblue said:

Is there a difference in sound between A style and F? Or is it purely aesthetic?

That's a whole other debate, and a well-worn one in the Mandolin Cafe Forum. I suggest doing a search on their forum on this point, but I don't believe there is any real consensus. My personal view is that it probably makes a negligible difference.