Savannah SF-100 F-Model Mandolin, Sunburst

While I would not want to end up performing or recording with this instrument,it is good enough to learn on and I am very happy with it. I bought this mandolin because I got interested in learning to play it after getting a chance to borrow my grandfather's 1938 Gibson F5 from my uncle. There is absolutely no comparison to any aspect of that instrument which can sell for upwards of $17,000 but it will do nicely for learning. This model had mostly positive reviews and the more negative comments seemed to be mostly from people who do not have much experience with stringed instruments. Since even the best mass produced stringed instruments need to be set up before they play well, I did not expect it to be very playable right out of the box and it wasn't. If you purchase an instrument in a music store, you get handed a set up, ready to play instrument because the dealer set it up for you. I have been setting up my own guitars for over 35 years so for me it was not a big deal to order it from Amazon knowing there would be no setup performed. There was a little more to do on this mandolin but at this price I kind of expected that. The bridge was too tall even at the lowest adjustment so I sanded down the top of the bottom piece and the bottom and notches of the top piece until the assembled bridge was just a bit too low at the lowest adjustment. The frets were not quite leveled so another piece of 400 grit sand paper on a flat sanding block took care of that and then I re-rounded the tops of the frets with a small needle file after I put some tape on the finger board to prevent damage to it. The ends of the frets were not finished very well so I also sanded them smooth as well. The nut is also a bit too tall so that got a slight amount taken off and I will probably lower it again. The strings it shipped with were horrendous so I replaced them with some inexpensive martins. The tuners are barely passable but it is staying in tune. I will probably either take them apart and smooth them up or replace them. The neck is not perfect but I was able to set the action nice and low without buzzing. It is now comfortable to play and notes are clear and in tune all the way up the fretboard at least up to about the 19th fret. Beyond that, they are almost impossible to play but that is not a flaw, the top 4 frets are really only ornamental anyway. The scale (length of the stings) requires them to be too close together at least for my sausage fingers. The sound of the instrument is not great but acceptable for learning. The sound board is cheap plywood so the sound is not mellow like a high quality mandolin would be - it is actually slightly tinny but not annoying. Intonation was easy to set by sliding the bridge while checking the open vs 12th fret with a clamp on tuner and setting the bridge to where the open string is exactly the same note as the 12th fret note on the 1st and 4th strings. ( loosen the strings before you attempt to move the bridge so you don't scrape off the finish and be careful not to let it tilt over on its side) The bridge did end up at a slight angle: closer to the neck on the 4th (largest) string side.Over all, if you are trying to determine if you like the mandolin or want to learn to play it, this can't be beat for the price if you can set it up yourself or know someone who can. If you need a pro to set it up, I would suggest you find a shop and check their price before buying this. It may cost you less to buy a higher quality instrument from a dealer in the end.

Not bad at all. Actually, pretty darn nice. It needed a small adjustment of the bridge for intonation. No adjustment of the neck was needed. String height is very low and comfortable for learning to play without tearing up your fingers. Of coarse it doesnt have the sound quality of a really great $$$ mandolin, but for learning to play I can't imagine anything at this price is, or could be, any better. It really is that good. $150. for an F style that plays and sounds this good is a great deal!

This mandolin is a very big piece of crap it's not worth the money at all. The neck is all twisted you can't lower the action enough to get to it and the finishes very very poor

Poor

Not bad for the money, pleasantly surprised. As expected needed set up. Bridge needs some sanding down and contouring to fit body once intonation is set ( bridge position). Also needs better quality strings. Would buy again. Would not recommend if you don't do your own work... However for the money it might be time to learn!

I picked up one of these like 5 years ago, when they were under 200 bucks, mainly to keep my 4 year old away from my Rover M75(a 350 buck deal, but at least not plywood). At the time was pretty impressed by how well this plywood thing played. I think it even sounds good enough to get a good start learning on. Now the neck joint is pulling away from the body, so i have to monkey around with it. It may still be as good as it gets in F-style for 220 bucks, but I would rob another liquor store or do something else to scrounge up another 100 bucks or so, and get one of the solid top jobs.

This little Mandolin is a work of art, plays well, sounds well, and in fact, I play it more than my guitars now. Workmanship is very good, and it comes in a wonderful case. This instrument was made to delight and please, i.e., with customer service in mind.

Worth 4 bucks

ALL GOOD

At first I was stressed out that it was faulty, couldn't do the setup myself, thought that something was wrong. Took it to a specialist shop and they did the setup free of charge, they said that the machine heads are horrible but they will work, apart from that I'm very satisfied with the sound of the instrument. Bought new strings but have not changed them yet. Considering that it's the cheapes f style mandolin I think it is worth the prise.

I couldn't give this particular mandolin a higher score because it came with a defect - the headstock was crooked and the neck a bit twisted, making it impossible to tune. I gave it 2 stars because, other than the defect, the workmanship was pretty good for an Asian born instrument. Although it has a laminated wood top, it was quite well done and the finish was 9 out of 10 due to some dribbled clear coat on the underside of the neck. If you can manage to get one with no defects, I suspect it would be fine as a starter instrument, and its overall appearance is quite attractive. As with all Pacific-rim imports, they come with cheap strings that will need to be replaced.