Buying Guide | Mandolin
A-style or F-style, solid or laminate, and what is worth spending, from the people who set them up in Mildura.
By the team at The SoundTrap, Mildura | Updated October 2026 | ~7 min read
The short answer Buy an A-style mandolin with a solid top. The Rover RM-50 at $549 is all solid wood with a slim, comfortable neck, and it is the one we would hand most beginners. On a tighter budget, the Bryden SMA60 at $295 is the least we would spend.
What a mandolin is, and who it suits
Eight strings in four pairs, tuned G, D, A, E: exactly the same as a violin. That one fact explains a lot. Fiddle tunes, Irish session tunes and bluegrass melodies all sit naturally on it, and anyone who has played violin can find their way around in an afternoon. It is small, it travels, and it cuts through a room of guitars without needing to be loud.
A-style or F-style?
| A-style | F-style | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Teardrop body, no scroll | Scroll on the upper body and decorative points |
| Cost | Less, for the same quality of wood and build | More, because the scroll and points take longer to make |
| Sound | Mostly down to the top, the bracing and the build, not the outline | |
| Best if | You want the best sound for your money | You want the classic bluegrass look |
For a first mandolin, spend the money on the wood, not the scroll. An A-style with a solid top will usually sound better than an F-style at the same price.
Oval hole or f-holes?
This one does change the sound. An oval soundhole, like the Eastman PCH-M104, gives a warmer, rounder tone with more sustain, well suited to folk, Celtic music and accompanying a singer. F-holes, like the Eastman MD305 and the Flinthill FHM-50, give a punchier, drier tone that cuts through, which is why bluegrass players use them for the rhythmic chop.
Solid top or laminate?
A solid top is a single piece of carved or shaped wood. It vibrates more freely and tends to open up as it is played. A laminate top is layered, tougher and cheaper, and a fine way to start. If you can stretch to a solid top, it is the single biggest step up in sound.
Our picks
Least we would spend
Bryden SMA60 A-Style
$295.00
A-style, f-holes | arched spruce top | flamed maple back and sides
An arch-top mandolin with f-holes and an adjustable bridge, so it can be set up to play properly. The right choice if you want to find out whether mandolin is for you.
Best first mandolin
Rover RM-50 Solid A-Style
$549.00
A-style | solid-wood construction | dovetail neck joint | slim neck
All solid wood at a student price, with a dovetail neck joint, the traditional way of joining a neck that makes for a stable instrument. The slim neck is easy on new hands.
Carved and traditional
Flinthill FHM-50 A-Style
$649.00
A-style, f-holes | solid carved spruce top | solid carved maple back and sides | tone bars
Carved, arched top and back in solid wood with traditional tone-bar bracing, which is how the classic bluegrass mandolins were built. A slim mahogany neck on a dovetail joint and a gloss sunburst finish.
For folk and Celtic
Eastman PCH-M104 A-Style, Natural or Goldburst
$699.00
A-style, oval soundhole, flat back | solid spruce top | ebony fingerboard | gig bag included
The warm one. Oval soundhole and a flat back give it the rounder, singing tone that suits Irish tunes and accompanying a voice. Ebony fingerboard and bridge, D'Addario strings and a padded gig bag. Two finishes in the shop: natural and Goldburst.
View the natural View the Goldburst
The one to keep
Eastman MD305 A-Style
$1,199.00
A-style, f-holes | solid spruce top | solid maple back and sides | bone nut | gig bag included
All solid, with f-holes, an ebony fingerboard, a bone nut and Proline tuners. If you already play, or you know you will keep going, this is the mandolin to buy once.
If you want the scroll
Bryden SMA70 F-Style
$495.00
F-style, f-holes | arched spruce top | basswood back and sides
The classic F-style look, the scroll and points, at a beginner's price, with an extended 24-fret fingerboard. If that look is what gets you playing, it is worth having.
What else you actually need
| Item | Do you need it? | Where |
|---|---|---|
| A tuner | Yes. Eight strings means eight chances to be out of tune. A clip-on tuner keeps the pairs together. | In store |
| Picks | Yes. Mandolin players usually use a thicker pick than guitarists, around 1mm or heavier. | In store |
| A strap | Handy if you stand to play. | Mandolin straps and accessories |
| Spare strings | Worth having, and change them as a full set. | Mandolin strings |
| A case | Both Eastmans come with a gig bag. For the others, ask us and we will match one. | Cases and bags |
Common questions
Is mandolin hard to learn?
The first few weeks take some fingertip toughening, because each note is two strings pressed together. But the frets are close, the chord shapes are compact, and melodies fall under the fingers quickly. Most people are playing a tune within the first fortnight.
I play guitar. Can I pick it up?
Yes, but it is tuned in fifths like a violin, not like a guitar, so the shapes are new. The good news is that the same few shapes move up and down the neck, so once they click they keep working.
I play violin. Is mandolin easy for me?
Very. Same notes, same tuning, same fingering for melodies. The frets even tell you where the notes are.
Why does a mandolin have eight strings?
Pairs tuned to the same note give it volume and that shimmering tone. You play each pair as if it were one string.
Come and try before you buy
We are a real music shop at 121 Langtree Avenue, Mildura. The mandolins above are in the shop, and you are welcome to play them side by side. Not in town? We ship Australia-wide and are happy to talk it through on (03) 5023 3662.
The SoundTrap | Independent music & pro audio, Mildura VIC, since 1987 | thesoundtrap.com.au
Written by people who set up instruments for a living. Prices and stock current at October 2026, check the product page for live pricing.