So back during the pandemic days, I received a $400 debit card from the government. It was the last payment to me before I got a job, and I am not sure why they put it on a debit card instead of the usual sending the money straight to my bank account. Anyway, I completely forgot about it since I was now working.
Fast forward over two years, and while cleaning out my wallet a few weeks ago, I came upon the debit card. I went online and it still had the full amount available, but it was set to expire in about a month. Well, I wasn't bound to let $400 slip away, but to be honest, I really didn't know what I would use it for. I am pretty well set as far as basic necessities like food, paying utilities, and clothing. My thought was to treat myself to something special.
I didn't want to splurge on an expensive meal. No, I wanted to get myself something to last me for a while. I first thought about a pizza oven, but I knew that I would probably use it once or twice, then it would gather dust in the garage. I also considered getting myself a handgun for protection at home, but because it was government money, they would probably deny that purchase the way the current administration is trying to suspend the second amendment.
My choice was then something in the musical instrument field. I have way too many acoustic guitars, and $400 wasn't going to get me anything as good or better than I already have. The same goes for the bass. I have a banjo, dobro, and fiddle that I work with, but nothing to inspire me to get something more, again not for $400.
I always wanted a F-style mandolin, but the price was always out of reach. I have a decent A-style mandolin which I played regularly until I switched over to fiddle a while back. However, recently I saw that The Loar company (a stringed instrument manufacturer out of China) was marketing a LM-310F model, retailing for $400 through Guitar Center.
(WARNING: If you do an internet search on the The Loar LM-310F, you will find that a number of retailers are selling this model for $100 or less. DO NOT BE TEMPTED! These are international criminal rings that get your credit card information, keep emailing you about a delay in shipping, then after 30 days, you will never hear from them and you get nothing in return. Often these thieves will also sell your credit card information so that you will be REALLY screwed, and it will be difficult to get back your money, unless you have a really good credit card bank).
The GC near my house actually had a LM-310F at the store, and after trying it out by playing a sloppy version of "Bluegrass Stomp," I knew that I wanted it. Since it was the floor model and they didn't have any stock in the store room, I got a nice discount, and was able to pick up a heavy-duty gig bag for the $400 plus some change.
Let me tell you, this thing has a great bark to it when strumming those bluegrass chops, and the tone is nice and warm, way more closer to what a bluegrass mandolin usually sounds like instead of an A-style. It has a solid spruce top, a narrow V-cut neck (which is great for my smaller hands), and a nice satin finish. The main difference one can see compared to a standard Gibson F-5 mandolin is that the fretboard ends at the 20th fret. There is no upper extension of the fretboard over the body that made the Gibson model famous (along with a guy named Bill Monroe using it as his main weapon).
I have fallen in love with the mandolin all over again. I enjoy messing around with it while watching television, but I do plan on practicing on it more once I return from the SPBGMA conference next week in Nashville (NOTE: I may be late on next week's blog, or even miss it entirely, due to the conference, but I will give a full review when I get back).
I would definitely recommend this mandolin for those moving up from a beginner A-style model but still not having the cash to afford a more costly F-style model (https://www.theloar.com/)
Chew on it and comment.
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