Eastman MD-505 vs. The Loar LM-520

[aaronjam]

Trying to decide between an Eastman MD-505 for approx. $350 and The Loar LM-520 for approx. $400.

Both have been professionally set up and come with a case. Looking for my FIRST (very excited) mando and need to keep it under $500.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

[aaronjam]

Correction: Eastman MD-505 with case for $350. The Loar LM-520 without case for $350.

Trying to decide between an Eastman MD-505 for approx. $350 and The Loar LM-520 for approx. $400.

Both have been professionally set up and come with a case. Looking for my FIRST (very excited) mando and need to keep it under $500.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

[billkilpatrick]

more scuttlebutt than light ... i've heard tell ... that the eastman neck tends toward thin while the loar favors hefty.

[almeriastrings]

The frets are certainly different too. Much thinner on the Eastman vs. 'The Loar'.

Other than that, can't add much as I have never played either! Both incredibly good value at that price point, though, by all accounts.

[aaronjam]

That make them any better or worse playability wise? Or just personal preference?

[allenhopkins]

..Or just personal preference?

That. Any chance you can try an Eastman or a Loar, not necessarily the ones you're considering buying, before you make the choice (a friend's mandolin, at a dealer, whatever)? See what you like/don't like.

[Markus]

Personal preference ... and partly `what you are used to'.

Coming from guitar, a lot of people [self-included] really like fatter necks with bigger frets when they first start with mandolin - though end up with a variety of neck profiles after time. I don't think there is any advantage to a bigger neck - mine seems to have given my thumb a calloused area where it slides against the neck.

[bitmonger]

I just bought the Loar LM-520. Since it is my first mandolin, I have nothing to compare it against. It seems like it is well built, sounds good and felt better than the other mandolins I tried at the music store.

[Paul Statman]

I frequently visit my local music store where I am lucky enough to have access to a decent turnover of mandolins to taste. I have played a fair number of both of these models, and I find them to be comparable in build quality, but they both also vary a lot in neck profile and tone between individual examples. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Play one/a few if you can. It's the only way to know for sure. Everyone else's opinion is just that. Whichever one 'speaks' to or for you is the right one.
Hope this helps.