Originally Posted by
mbruno
Personally, I would suggest the Eastman of the one's you listed. Though note that Eastman's can vary a lot from one mandolin to another in the same class - so if possible, I'd suggest playing a few Eastman's before buying "the one"
The big question - why do you want an electric mandolin?
If it's to play a mandolin at gigs where you need to be amplified sometimes - go with an acoustic mandolin and mount a pickup inside. It's more versatile that way as it likely sounds fine acoustically too so you can use a mic when possible and usually you get a better mandolin for the money. I usually go with Twin K pickups installed by a pro.
If you want to play more electric stuff (like Yonder Mountain style) - go with a solid body electric mandolin if you can. This would eliminate the feedback issue completely and they sound great plugged in. I have a Jon Mann 5 string I love for this purpose.