HBMA-100E- VS : First Mandolin

After a little problem with the first mandolin I was sent I must say this is pretty much what I was after for my first mandolin.

It was easy to set up and tune, thankfully no strings broke as seems to happen often to me. The adjustable bridge is a really nice feature if you're looking to change the action of the strings. The sound is pretty good, if you want a slightly sweeter tone I guess you need to look at more expensive options, but as an instrument to learn on I have no complaints and I think it sounds really lovely when playing with other people on guitar etc. It adds a really nice sound dimension to group playing.

The pickup works fine, sounds a little muddy at high volume but I bet you can get around that if you're really into amp settings or using a regular mic etc. I tend mostly to play it in acoustic settings anyway.

I've been playing this for a couple of years now and it's followed me around various countries because of its size and ease of transport. If you do plan on travelling with it I would recommend getting a small padded case.

Keeps its tuning better than I would've expected and it's small enough that you can keep it out around the house to have a play when you feel like it.

I don't anticipate becoming a professional mandolin player so this mandolin should cover the rest of my playing career. I've heard nicer sounding mandolins (which are more expensive) but if it broke or got smashed tomorrow I'd get the exact same one again.