Levin Model 54 worth the money?

[a1993h]

G'd evening all! First post on the forum here.

I'm in the process of looking for either a mandolin or tenor banjo and came across this old Levin
http://www.adverts.ie/mandolins/1957...omment_8095200
It's advertised for 500 euro but the seller's accepted my offer of 320. It does have some scrapes on the soundboard (can this be fixed?) but I'm not to bothered about that. Just wondering if I should go with the deal or not, is it worth the money?

Also does anyone know any good resources for used mandolins/banjos in Ireland or even the UK. I'm not having much luck with my searching so far.

Cheers,
Andy

[allenhopkins]

Is this the instrument you're considering? If so, $400 US is borderline, at least viewed from this side of the pond. Solid woods, birch back & sides, oval-hole flat-top. Soundboard "scrapes" are fixable, but there are mandolins like some of the Ashbury models sold by Hobgoblin, that are at least solid top for 100€ less.

Pamela's Music in the UK usually has a limited but interesting selection of used mandolins and banjos. The aforementioned Hobgoblin maintains an on-line list of "second-hand" instruments at various shop locations. Trevor at The Acoustic Music Co. in Brighton has an incredibly tantalizing list of used mandolins, but, based on where you are budget-wise, they may be a bit pricey. Still...

[Jill McAuley]

Tom Cussen's shop, Clareen Banjos down in Clarinbridge, Co. Galway usually has a decent selection of used mandolins on the wall. Plus if you're also on the hunt for a tenor banjo then you'll kill two birds with one stone as he's also got a great selection of second hand tenor banjos in the shop as well.

Cheers,
Jill