The Loar LM-110-BRB Honey Creek A-Style Mandolin

SYNOPSIS: You should buy this instrument if you have not played mandolin before, and you are looking for a quality instrument at an affordable price. I am an amateur musician. I sing in multiple choirs, and I also play the recorder, irish whistle, and organ (in that order, lol). Before purchasing this instrument, the #1 question on my mind was "Is this a quality instrument at an affordable price?" Because while I’ve learned from experience that there is a huge variation in the quality of an instrument that is in the most basic, cheapest price category. Don’t get me wrong, the most important factor in music is almost always the musician. A good musician can make a bad instrument sound good. But when you’re learning, it’s good to have an instrument that doesn’t impede your progress. There are plenty of videos on YouTube with recommended beginner mandolin models. I’ve probably watched all of them. This particular mandolin is mentioned in a number of them, but was ranked behind some other mandolins (which are now roughly $500 - 600). Because this wasn’t the top ranked recommended mandolin in any of the YouTube videos, I was a bit worried. But those worries were entirely unfounded. This mandolin has a lovely sound, and since I bought it last month, I’ve basically played it whenever I'm not working, eating, or sleeping. I am still learning to play, and I am sure that those mandolin YouTubers are correct when they say that the $500 or 600 mandolins are better than this one. But this instrument is beautiful, appears to be well-built and well-made from quality material, and most importantly, it sounds beautiful. And I have been just having a blast playing it. SET UP: There are some videos on YouTube that explain how you want to go about positioning the bridge to get the best sound, and also how and why you may want to adjust the height of the action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard). I was able to set this instrument up--position the bridge and set the level of the action--without needing to take it in to a music shop. One note, you’ll want to be careful when you’re positioning the bridge. The strings put a lot of tension on the bridge, and if you’re not careful, the strings will knock the bridge down. This happened to me--I felt embarrassed, but the instrument and bridge were both fine. ACCESSORIES: Unlike the super-cheap ~$130 mandolin kits on Amazon, this instrument does not come with any accessories--no strap, no case, no arm-rest, no tuner. However, aside from the case, most of these accessories are relatively cheap ($20 or less). I bought all of these accessories on Amazon--including a lovely strap (Music First Blue Jasmine Ukelele Strap)--though it says it’s a Ukelele Strap, it fits this instrument well; and a sturdy hard case (Crossrock ABS Molded Case for A-Style Mandolin [CRA862MABL]). TUNING: One of the major complaint I read about many entry level mandolins is that they don’t maintain their tuning very well, and will go out of tune even while they are being played. That has not been my experience with this instrument. I’ve been playing every day, and check the tuning when I pick it up before I start to play. Often I don’t need to tune it up. Or at most, one or two of the eight strings drifted a smidge out of tune overnight.

Update: this is a great mandolin for the price! Tuning is stabile, sounds more expensive than it was. Highly recommended. Really quite decent mandolin at a fair price. I have a bunch of great guitars, this is my first mandolin. I had played a 1920 Gibson oval hole recently and fell in love. But I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money, since it’s a new instrument to me. It took me a little time on YouTube to figure out how to set it up - how to intonate the bridge and set the action lower. As it is now I lowered the bridge quite a bit, and it played much better than it did when it arrived. It’s in tune up. the neck, and played nice. It has a charming sound, plenty of “chop” for my taste, and tonally it’s pretty rich and bright but also balanced. Obviously this doesn’t exactly compare that that Gibson, but it’s really impressive for an imported mandolin. I played the rogue one a while back and it wasn’t bad, this is quite a bit better in my estimation and worth the jump in price. Unless I start really getting into it, it will likely satisfy my needs for recording and taking it with me where I go.

I love my Loar Mando. Great sound and great value for the money, especially if you are a beginner who is serious about music and you want a pretty good instrument to grow with for quite a while. I did use it out of the box but it really did need a bit of adjustment from my local luthier to fit me better and make it a bit more comfortable to play. Once he set it up by adjusting the string height etc and changed the strings, it is a joy. I play it every day and even he said it was a great little instrument. Plus, I love the look of the mando...its a very soft satiny wood look. Not shiny at all which is what I wanted. Really great product. Are there better mandos out there? Yes, but you will also pay a lot more money for them. For the couple of hundred bucks on this one, you really do get a very nice instrument for the beginner/intermediate player.

My musician son needed a new challenge- Perfect as a first mandolin- Great for musical people who want a travel instrument for camping/ concerts…

I am a first time mandolin player, and I truly enjoy this mandolin the sound the ease of tuning it and so forth it is the best!

Horrible. A total nightmare to get in tune and when you finally get it there, a couple of strums and it’s completely out again. Frustrating beyond belief.

It arrived on time and in good shape but there was no manual on how to care for the instrument. It arrived w/o a case as advertised. It is keeping its tune and because I have no other mandolin to compare it to it sounds very good to me. I had researched which instrument to purchase and so I think I got the best instrument for the price and for my needs. I also purchased a case, strap and tuner which I am also pleased with.

This is a beautiful economy beginners mandolin. It is nicely finished, except for some roughness under the fretboard where the neck overlaps the body - it is purely cosmetic & not directly viewable. There are some small scuffs - again, not major - which are probably attributable to the extremely poor packaging for shipment. Otherwise, this is a wonderful little instrument & well worth the money