on July 29, 2020

nice little mandolin, my only bitch is that the tuning keys are junk.I plan on putting a set of grovers on it. A1s I think

on May 01, 2020

Hopefully I don't hit the character limit. Pros: I want to start by saying some good things about this instrument. It sounds like a mandolin. This is huge considering the price. If you're like me and just want to try out mandolin, this is a good way to get into it. It is a full sized instrument that (I assume) plays like any other mandolin. It comes with a set of strings on the mandolin and a new set of strings in the box which is nice. The bridge seems like a nice piece of rosewood or somethin ...

Hopefully I don't hit the character limit. Pros: I want to start by saying some good things about this instrument. It sounds like a mandolin. This is huge considering the price. If you're like me and just want to try out mandolin, this is a good way to get into it. It is a full sized instrument that (I assume) plays like any other mandolin. It comes with a set of strings on the mandolin and a new set of strings in the box which is nice. The bridge seems like a nice piece of rosewood or something similar, and it is easily adjustable with a set of pliers. The tailpiece is a nice piece of metal with cool design on it. Cons: Now here's the long part. Keep in mind that this instrument is insanely cost effective and there are going to be issues with any instrument in this price range. I am most dissatisfied with the manufacturing defects. I would be ok if there were one or two issues here but there are several, let me list them: - My biggest disappointment with this instrument is the fretboard. See image. It seems like its a decent piece of wood but it has several cuts in it that look like the person making them made fret channels in several of the wrong places. Maybe the factory employees are still learning how to make these instruments since these are kinda new. Luckily on my instrument, the wrong cuts are higher up on the fretboard and I don't think I will be good enough at mandolin to get off of the cowboy chords so it wont effect me, but its something to keep in mind. - The finish. The finish looks fine but on parts of the back, where the sunburst fades to black there is a section of the paint that was obviously not applied right because it is a thick, rough, satin like finish where the rest is smooth glossy - On the front there are several black flakes under the finish which is annoying but whatever. - The tuners have a LOT of play in them, but I guess that is expected in this price point. You can tune it pretty well but its a little tricky to get there.