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made instrument from a small shop like Old Wave,Pheonix or Weber.You can get a world class sounding A model or 2-point ax for around $2K - $3K and it's a huge jump in sound quality. Both these instruments are made in Korea or China BTW and could be considered to be equivalent to a Carter Starter or Fender Squire Strat.With a good setup they play fine and sound OK. Having said that,I'd say a good entry level instrument that won't hold you back would be an Eastman for around $1K. They have more in common with violin lutherie as far as why they cost so much to make - there's a lot of skill involved. You can also spend $10 or $20K on the best of the best. Joaquin Murphey transcription book, Instructional DVDs, books and more.Ī pro mandolin costs as much as a pedal steel which is to say around $4K - $5K. I like the Collings A model, and you might find one used for $1500-2000. A poorly made/setup/sounding instrument will not give you an accurate picture of what "it's all in the hands" can sound like It's hard to find a really good mandolin that will let you know whether or not "it's the instrument for you" for under $1000. Warning: I have a telecaster and I'm not afraid to use it. If you want comething Less expensive, you might consider eastman or Michael Kelly. Other high end brands include Collings, Breedlove and Weber. Look on E-bay and the mandolin Cafe classifieds. There may even still be some new ones in stores that have not yet been sold. The company is no more (although their web site, which contains a list of all their dealers, is still up) but they made a lot of mandolins, and it's still possible to find used ones. Here is a picture of my 2 "blue babies." I know of 3 other member of this forum who also play Rigel mandolins. In my opinion, the best mandolins around were made by a company called RIGEL that went out of business a few months ago. I am looking for an instrument that sounds great and that is well built. I believe in the fact that the better the tool the better the work will come out.ĭo any of you guys have any recommedations as what to buy? If not, I will probably put it up for sale. I just wanted some advice.I am going to buy a mandolin to see if that is an instrument for me. Your profile | join | preferences | help | search Classic country shuffle styles for Band-in-a-Box, by BIAB guru Jim Baron.