Thomann Octave Mandolin M1087-P 5-stars Reviews

Octave mandolin

Im studying celtic banjo. As its the same fingering ,its less harsh and gives a very melodic sound.

Arrived today. Very well put together. I chose the version with the eq.

Needed a set up. I took some material off the bridge and had to do a minor adjustment on the Truss rod. Also oiled the fingerboard which was very dry.

All in all i am really please with the instrument out of the box, you wont find better for the money.

Also comes with a half decent gig bag.

My advice is get the eq version. Its easier to set up.

Cheers

Paul W

Good Beginner / Student grade instrument

This is a lovely instrument. It has a lovely warm tone, perhaps a little buzzy as the action is a little on the high side without much facility to adjust without professional work, but that notwithstanding I have thoroughly enjoyed the sound that this instrument can give, particularly for Irish music.

The scale length is quite long, and fingering can be a stretch- you can't keep to standard mandolin fingering. (Some chords are still impossible for me!)

I have an average hand size, and it can be a stretch to play but not impossible and not uncomfortable. It would favour a larger handed player.

The tuners are of good quality and I was surprised by how well the tuners hold tune.

I love the guitar styled bridge on this model, the pick-up facility is a nice touch. The instrument came with bridge pre-assembled and strings semi-taught to hold in place. I haven't needed to adjust the bridge at all, it's just where it needs to be for me.

Overall, the build quality for the price-point is very good indeed and it feels and responds like a well made instrument. Obviously up the price-scale will be better sounding instruments, but for an entry to octave mandolin and to a serious student- this is a very good instrument at a very reasonable price. I love playing it and would recommend it.

I didn't know such an instrument existed

But boy, am I glad it does! It gives you a different spin on stringed instruments, doesn't really sound like anything, yet it fits so nicely in every mix. Did I mention the wonderful build quality? If it broke, I would buy the same again.

Better than expected

I have been playing Irish trad for about 10 years, mostly fiddle and tenor banjo. At the 2019 O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat, I heard a bouzouki up close and personal and wanted to try one. I opted for the octave mandolin, because I couldn’t make the stretch on a longer scale length. Bouzoukis and octave mandos available in the US cost upwards of US$800, a bit much to spend to try out an instrument. Even with international shipping, the Hora octave mandolin was only a quarter of that price—worth the risk, even if it turned out to be a piece of junk, which it is most assuredly not. I showed it to my music teacher and to my luthier; both pronounced it a good instrument for the money. My take: fit and finish are beautiful. Sound is impressive with great resonance. Intonation is accurate throughout the scale length. Sound through the installed pickup sounds *just* like the instrument, only louder. Moving up and down the fingerboard is smooth. The workmanship of the instrument far exceeded my expectations. Shipping from Germany took about ten days to Texas, and it arrived in good condition. If you’re undecided, just buy it.

After a year on my hands, nothing to complain.

I find this instrument a good value for the price. I enjoy the mandolin. No being a professional of the mandolin neither being this my main instrument, I cannot say anything bad about. Beautiful, easy to play, more or less stable on the tuning and looks really nice. The pre-amp could have held a tuner. That said! very good instrument indeed.

Incredible value.

For the price there is nothing to fault in this instrument. It is at lest as good as the ozark and ashbury models available in the uk for well over twice the price plus you get a very serviceable pickup and gig bag for your money. Thoroughly recommended.

well worth the money

Well what can you say for the price? brilliant!. Good over all sound, nice action and a well built instrument. Sounds great acousticly and has good volume when running through an amp.

An ideal begginers instrument for someone (like myself) looking for that transition from mandolin to something a bit different. It add something different to your overall sound and in a band setting is brilliant.

The only downside I had was the strings, very poor quality and when it came to tuning up the ones on the instrument just snapped, so would advise getting an additional set of better strings.

Well packaged and shipped well within the time scale, I will try and get some footage up on my band website for any potential buyers to make their own judgement. www.acornroots.co.uk

A great instrument at a great price

This is a great instrument at a very competitive price point. The sounds are beautiful: rich and sonorous, just asking for lush open chords. The amplified sound is very good too: the onboard preamp appears to be versatile for its modest complement of controls. The finish appears to be faultless, and it keeps tune very well. Recommended.