Buying Your First Mandolin
Good Mandolins are not cheap.
Price is relative, of course, but a decent sounding mandolin is going to start at around $1000. But wait, don't be scared yet. I didn't go out and buy a $1000 mandolin when I started. You can actually find a playable mandolin for around $200. It will play somewhat in tune most of the time and sound similar to mandolins you might be listening to on recordings..sort of. They will probably be light on tone, not very loud, and not have that deep, woody sounding bottom that you hear on good mandolins. Don't let that stop you from getting one. If all you want to lay out is $200 to see if mandolin is for you, then do it. I did. When you want to move up, you will easily find someone else who is interested in testing the waters and they will buy it from you. If you find you like the mandolin and want to keep playing, then you will have gotten all or most of your money back and can put it in a better sounding instrument.
I started out on a $150 mandolin, then moved up to a $500 instrument. There was a noticible difference in the sound, but after hearing and playing on even better instruments, I moved on up to a Gibson A9, around $1200 w/case at the time. Hear there was a major difference in sound and feel over the $500 instrument. I still have that $500 instrument and can't seem to part with it, because I made the mistake of having Ricky Skaggs autograph it!
Even when buying a cheap mandolin, I recommend that you buy it from an individual or music store. Unless you want to use it as a work of art and hang it on the wall, you need to hear what it actually sounds like. Each acoustic instrument you pick up will have its own sound. I played 4 different A9's before choosing the one I own now. There were some really big differences in the sound of each one I played.
One major point: Do not buy any of the "new" $50 to $100 instruments that are sold on Ebay. I made that mistake. The picture looked good and the hype ad was good, but when I opened the box I found a real piece of junk, poorly made by any standard, and it sounded worse than it looked, if possible. If you really want to risk not hearing it first, make sure you buy your instrument from a reputable company that will let you try out your instrument and one that has a clear and easy return policy. I love the internet and buy lots of stuff online, but, except for the slightly higher price, retail and hands on is the way to go.
In summary:
1. Good Mandolins Are Not Cheap
2. You Can Get Started with a Cheaper Instrument
3. Don't Buy Any of Those Under $100 "New" Mandolins on Ebay.
4. Play it or have Someone Play it for You Before You Buy it.
5. Get One! Even if you decide you don't want to continue playing it, you will probably get your money back, or mostly back when you're through with it.
