Fazley FMA118SB F-stijl mandoline

As a fiddle player I was aware that the Mandolin is a 'sister' instrument (see what I did there? A bit if diversity slipped in!)

So the Fazely mandolin is an entry-level choice which won't break the bank if we don't get on (that's me and the mandolin, of course!).

It arrived without a case which was not a surprise - and you'll probably need a cheap strap and a few picks.

But despite negative reviews on here, (or somewhere!) it really allows you to understand an instrument without doing too much damage!

I've taken off the guard, filled the two screw holes and this little 'ol Mando really does sing! I want to lower the action - the bridge is set to its lowest but is still too high for me so a bit of careful sanding and you can tailor it. Something you'd never do with your next mandolin if you progress that far! So experiment away.

One of the things to watch for in an entry-level mandolin is the fretboard being true. (A fiddle-player always plays out of tune - a famous fiddle player said that. He meant he always corrects it dynamically as it emerges from the violin!) You can't move the frets like that! The Fazely fretboard really is true - much to my surprise - as checked on a pretty good multi-instrument tuner (available from BAX!). I knew it was pretty good judging by my own ear - but I've double-checked it for you, dear reader.

Another thing is that if it has a decent 'sustain' you'll find hammers on and off (where you move around the frets without plucking the strings and still expect a sound!) will actually work, but you still need precision finger placement on the board. This Fazely has quite a good sustain for a beginner to develop this skill.

When/if you go for a next-level mandolin you'll know how much sustain you'll want - from an empirical point of view. Old blue-grassers want a pretty dry, choppy sound (therefore little sustain) - more 'modern' players want loads! (As in Mr Mayor!) But you'll know a lot more after the Fazely!

So for its price plus postage to the UK you can experiment and gain knowledge then maybe move up a notch! I've got my eye on a Collings of course but I need to rob my first bank!

It's probably true that a fiddler can migrate fairly easily to a mandolin - but if you're too keen, your fingers bleed! And you have to put the work in (rather than writing reviews!).

But this Fazely as a first step is a pretty good strategy to find out if mando-world is somewhere you want to be. And if you have children, it would give them a pretty good first instrument too. Good luck!

Very impressed with this instrument. The best budget entry level mandolin. Needed heavy tuning and a little work and stretch on the strings when it first arrived which was expected but is playing beautifully now, far better than what I expected a budget mandolin to sound like. Lot of notifications on delivery status from Bax meant that my mind was a ease without worrying about anything. Arrived in a compact little box within a bigger box filled with those plastic air packets so I knew when I opened it that they took genuine care packing it to ensure there was no way it could be damaged. Very happy

Received mandolin yesterday and haven't stopped smiling yet . I've always wanted a f5 style mandolin
Finish and overall build quality are very good BUT action is high. The Truss rod tightened to reduce underbow, a Allen key is supplied. String grooves in nut filed out.. I haven't fiddled with the bridge yet...it plays fine now. I'll let everything settle down first.
I haven't ever bought an instrument yet that I haven't had to set up and I'm 75.. learn how to on you tube.
If the action had have been a bit lower I'd have scored it 5.....
Thanks Bax .....will be ordering again...

I have played my mandolin a few weeks now and very happy with it, is it perfect no but I won't be playing in Nashville any time soon but down the local jam night it's fine especially as I have fitted a coin size pickup that I purchased for under a tenner, at £55 and I have not changed the strings it's a good addition to my collection of instruments

TOTAL RUBBISH! IN 50 YEARS OF PLAYING I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A NEW INSTRUMENT IN SUCH TERRIBLE CONDITION. TOTALLY UNPLAYABLE. THE NECK WAS MADE FROM A ROUGH PIECE OF WOOD WHICH AT THE JOIN TO THE BODY LOOKED ROTTEN AND WOULD APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN CARVED BY A 5 YEAR OLD CHILD WITH A PENKNIFE. THERE WERE CHIPS ON THE SIDE PANELS AND THE BODY HAD FINGER MARKS MADE BEFORE THE INSTRUMENT WAS VARNISHED. THE SCRATCHPLATE FELL OFF AND HAD A BRACKET MISSING. THE BINDING LOOKED AS IF A BLIND MAN HAD FITTED IT. NOT A GREAT REFLECTION ON BAX MUSIC ALTHOUGH THE RETURN WAS HANDLED SWIFTLY AND REFUNDED QUICKLY