HBMA-50E Mandoline VS : Disappointed to say the least

My first mandolin. I've been playing ukulele and guitar for a while and wanted to give the mandolin a go. I got the electric one because I thought it would be interesting to play through an amp with distortion and some effects. After waiting 10 days for its arrival (held up in customs), my first initial impressions were good. It looks beautiful and feels good to hold. However, that was outweighed by the sound. The overall sound is very tinny and there is an obnoxious buzzing when you plug into an amp. The tuning pegs are tough to turn and sound like something is cracking when I tune. I am disappointed and wish I had saved some money and just got the basic mandolin.