Re: Good news I found a Beginner friendly Vangoa Electric Mandoli
Certain foolhardiness in buying a $112 tailpiece for a $139 mandolin, IMHO. Sorta like putting $600 worth of all-weather Firestones on your $800 "hooptie."
As for "the action being easier," that's largely dependent on what kind of set-up you get, and I wouldn't trust "The Vangoa Store" to do a real shop set-up on your mandolin. Maybe they do, but a lot of these on-line "stores" just take the mandolin out of the shipping container, box it up with the included goodies, and send it to you. Luck of the draw if you get a well-set-up one; if you don't, you get robster's e-book on setting it up yourself, or take it to a techie who charges you most of the purchase price to adjust and locate the bridge, check nut slotting, perhaps tweak the truss rod -- oops, just noticed it doesn't have one.
If it's possible, I'd recommend going to a real live dealer who has entry-level mandolins (maybe even Guitar Center, which seldom has any other kind), and test-drive a few of them. Remember, installing a big honkin' mag pick-up in the center of the mandolin's top, seldom does much to enhance its acoustic sound.
To sum up: not saying you can't get a playable entry-level mandolin for $139, including gig bag, extra strings, e-tuner, strap etc. Just saying that [A] you might find a better affordable instrument with a little shopping, and [2] "dressing up" a low-end mandolin with high-end accessories –– well, if you added the cost of mandolin and tailpiece together, and spent $250 instead of $139, you'd probably get a mandolin you liked better.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
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Originally Posted by allenhopkins
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