I bought a Rogue A model. I sanded down the frets, sanded the bottom of the bridge, put new strings on it. Turned out to be a pretty good little mando. It was 88 bucks on Amazon.

That’s trouble with mandolin not popular instrument as it is and just getting started is an investment. But once you get one in your hands that’s set up and tuned it’s night and day difference. Thanks for these videos they are awesome

Wayne, since my post, I’ve bought a Kentucky 380 A style, an electric Ibanez A style, and my favorite F style Lafferty I bought from the Mandolin store in Nashville. All have been pro set up. I love them all. I use some for outdoor jams & save my Lafferty (equivalent to Eastman) for Sunday go to meetin’ mando. We you’re retired, have fun.

Just..WOW.

I'd love to see you do a setup video - especially the nut and bridge.

I was given an Epiphone Mando that had never had a proper setup. I watched a few videos on setup so I attempted to do it myself with decent results. It's not playable after several hours of trial and error. Mostly filing the nut slots down. Now it plays beautifully...or as best as I can get it. Thank you for for your unboxing video!

I payed $45.00 for my mandolin at a pawn shop. Its a Rogue RM100A. Came with a gig bag. I had to do some work to the little cardboard bugger but... It actually plays okay. It stays in tune and all. Of course I had to make every adjustment known to "man"dolins lol But the intonation is set and good and it plays pretty well. My Loar 310F sounds better but I like the neck and fretboard better on the cheep Rogue ! Of course I like my Eastman MD515/N-cc the most of all. I play the Eastman the most. I use the word "play" lightly Hahaha!! I have only been playing for about 4 months. I have had Acoustic and electric guitars forever but new to mandolins. I still pull the Rogue off the wall for pickin out back when we get a fire going. Thanks for showing the video. Hope many new folks get to see it so that they know that these don't come ready to play like most high end mandolins.

I picked up a Rogue RM-101A for my kids from a co-worker for $25. Pro set-up for $100. Now it plays like $1,000,000! Good luck with this one Wayne!

Wayne, I had to chuckle when you tried to do the "45 minute" tune-up, tailpiece permitting..!! Well done for persevering with this lemon..!! It was actually informative and you have done an excellent job in producing the video. 👍

The way the mandolin was boxed indicates to me that someone bought it before, opened it, looked at it, and said, "Heck no! I'm sending it back." When you ordered one, they just taped the box closed and sent you that one.... and they did a bad job taping as well.

That sounded sweet straight out of the box lol

Hey Wayne,just found your channel.I have found that the Kentucky km-150 is Hard to beat.Ive seen alot of players be surprised by how good they sound.

Thank you for this information to help parents make an instrument choice for their young musical children based upon "value" rather than on price. I recall my first acoustic guitar when I was younger than 10 years old (I don't recall my age exactly). Each week we would go to my guitar lesson and my parents would complain that the guitar teacher was more interested in selling me a new guitar rather than focusing on teaching. As an adult, and an eventual guitarist / musician (hobbyist), I understand that my cheap guitar was so bad that it was difficult for me to even practice (partly because of my child-strength fingers). The intonation was poor, the action was high and even the guitar teacher had a hard time making it sound good. As an adult and parent of my own children, I had some knowledge of what makes an instrument easier to play and therefore more fun to practice. I know there are some good values out there, but price is nowhere near the top of the list when evaluating value. You get what you pay for. That being said, I have picked up several other stringed instruments over my life: Guitars, mandolins, charrango, laud, bandurria, ukuleles, and even non-stringed instruments such as clarinet, trumpet, french horn, oboe, recorder, harmonica, conga, djembe and probably some I have forgotten. I am currently looking into learning to play a mandola. Being retired and on a strict budget I can't afford an Eastman or other quality instrument, but I did find a European made economy model called the "Hora" or Thomann Europe Mandola 1088-P linked here:https: //www.thomannmusic.com/hora_mandola_m1088p.htm There is a non-pickup model as well as this one with a pickup, both running under $200. I'm just curious if you have ever heard of this particular mandola and if you think it would be worth checking out. Ideally I would love to eventually afford a model in the thousands of dollars rather than the hundreds, but it is a new instrument for me and I would prefer to learn to play before I sink a lot of money into it. I do play the mandolin a little so I am sure I can learn. The big draw for me is that it will fit my hands better than the mandolin scale length does.

A proper setup on a Rogue will make it playable, although, not the best soundwise, but a great starter

A year ago, I bought a cheap 6-string banjo on amazon. Probably $150. No name on the headstock. Surprisingly good for the price, but the action was pretty high. Lowered the action. Sure enough, the lowest string kept popping out as I played. Detuned the strings to raise the action just a tiny bit and just detuning slightly caused strings to break. Must be some sharp edge on it or something. You get what you pay for. Reminds me of the time I bought a Kentucky KM-150S around a decade ago. After just a little playing one of the tailpiece tines broke. I reported it to the company and received a new tailpiece in the mail. This one didn't fit. All the screws but one would fit and the hole for the strap peg didn't line up so I couldn't use a strap. Then I just ordered a different tailpiece. Sure enough this one didn't fit either. Something about non-standard measurements.

Hey Wayne, I would give a shout out to the Rogue, a $90 mando on KZfaq.. It came perfectly setup, better than my $800 one. Go figure!

I got a $120 Savannah from Amazon. It took DAYS to get it in tune and to set the string height correctly, but for an instrument meant to take camping, it’s good enough. I wouldn’t want anything more expensive to take on the trails with me.

Put on bone nut, Cumberland bridge and some waverly tuners on that baby with a setup. Lol, folks buy these things and are so discouraged to learn. I started on fiddle and took lessons from a Bobby Hicks a great player and teacher back in the seventies. I came to my first lesson with an old violin that mom got me when I was 14 years that was so outta wack. he had to loan me a fiddle to get started on. If possible get someone who knows the instruments so you don't get ripped off right off.

For $75, I think your expectations were a bit high. I do appreciate that a new player would find it daunting, probably not the best choice. For your money, you've received a finished wooden box that can be made into a playable beginner's instrument. "Some assembly required". Best regards.

Oh come on Wayne play us something on it 🤣🤣🤣

WOW I guess I got lucky. Really lucky I got one on wish for 45 bucks with shipping plays good had a friend set it up not great but definitely worth the money I spent

What about a loar LM-310 ? I'm a 45 year musician and play several different instruments , looking for a 1'st mandolin Don't want to buy something and be disappointed in a few weeks , in it for the long haul.

Just send er to McClanahan he'll just start over with a new one hahaa

Hahaha, I found a cheap mandolin on Amazon under a Mulucky brand. They must be trying to fool grandma after Jimmy asked for a Kentucky mandolin. Edit: Good mulucky trying to learn on that cigar box.

I bought the same mandolin. I payed $49 including shipping for mine. It's a Rogue brand. Mine was equally disappointing to yours, except the tailpiece cover was off, and rattling around inside the box when it was delivered. Minor scratches and dings on the sides from that. There's no way to replace the tailpiece cover. It can be placed where it belongs, but there's no method to fasten it in place and keep it there! A great, glossy finish on the instrument. I guess a decent decoration to hang on the wall in my opinion.

Wayne I saw one on Amazon for $99.00 that looks exactly like this one, same headstock, tail piece and pick guard. It says Mirio A style mandolin in the description and has multiple photos.

The Hola, on Amazon is $55

I bought a $165 Stagg from a music store, had new strings put on it. Sounds pretty good. Needs professional set up done on it.

First thing I’d do would be to get a rattlesnake rattler in the body. 😁

Way too generous to the makers/sellers of junk like this. It should go back immediately so Amazon becomes aware of crap like this on their site. If this showed up at a real Music Store, they would never put it in the shelf. Imagine ordering this and unknowingly giving it to your eager kid to learn on out of the box.. I’m pissed.

Is that the Benson model?

Picture doesn't look at all like the mandolin you received.

you git what ya pay for in my mind. w/everything.

Oh man...get cracking.

Nightmare....worse than a Rogue.

junk.