Vangoa Mandolin Musical Instrument A Style, Acoustic Mandolin Instrument Kit Italian 8 String for Professional Beginners Adults Teens Youth Kids, Sunburst, Glossy

As a parent of a young aspiring violinist who is always looking for expanding skills and learning new instruments I have to say with full confidence that this instrument is perfect for a gift for any child or musician who intends to master mandolin. Let me go over few features: SOUND - I have to start with this because after all this is a musical instrument so the sound is what it is all about. While quality and looks and design are important, all those would mean nothing if the sound would be less then perfect. I have been through excruciating process of selecting violins for my child and I know all there is to know about buying a string instrument, how many things are in play and they have to work in harmony in order to produce perfect sound that has to be just so in order to be called a good instrument. This mandolin has MAGNIFICENT sound! It is so pleasing to the ear that you just never have enough of it. It reminds me of some popular pieces by REM that involve heavy mandolin solos and it sound just like it! It is remarkable that instrument priced in such a low price range would come even remotely to professional studio sound but it really does! The sweet tones of the violin paired with fabulous string action blend into heavenly sound that is just perfect. DESIGN - There are many mandolin designs out there, they vary greatly, reflecting the buyers preferences and the designers flair for the form. While I was not limited by budget I have selected this instrument to see if it will be satisfactory for our purpose because I love the classic looks of this instrument. It is beautifully crafted in the way that is very pleasing. I love the colors that is also what I associate with classic look of the mandolin and lastly, the wood selection was clearly a choice of the artisan who made it and the choices are harmonious and make for a perfect end result. While i learned so much about violin making process shopping for them, I know the same process goes into making any string instrument including the very mandolin here. I know that while there are certain standards and forms to follow, the craftsman has lot of freedom of choice comes to wood colors, character and other materials and how he pairs them. Therefore there truly are no two instruments that are quite like and whoever made those instruments shows skills, talents and they simply did superb job combining all of it in creating those perfect instruments here. ACCESSORIES - While my focus was on the instrument itself, I was very pleased to find a bundle that had so many great accessories that help anyone who buys their first instruments can be sure that they have all they need from the get go. It comes with pick-up, picks, strap, extra strings, instrument bag, and a tuner. The strap helps especially when you play standing as it allows you to free your hands and focus on the music, the extra strings are ALWAYS a huge plus because not only they are there for any sudden need, but they also cost tinny fortune so frankly this is a huge plus! Not having to worry, waste time and shop for back up strings but having a piece of mind that you have is truly great thing. Sooner or later every string needs replacement in every instrument so you will be set for a while. The instrument bag is super useful - while not hard shelled one, those cost a lot , often way more then the price of this bundle so I understand why not offered here - the soft bag is enough to provide immediate protection for dust and some damage but also and most importantly it allows you carry instrument from place to place provided safe cover for it. It can be carried over the back like a backpack. It is a good basic quality bag. I would personally recommend you to get a good hard case for it if you want to go places with it because this instrument is truly precious. Tuner - is a must for any musician, the instruments go out of tune when they sit unused but also as they are played so as any professional musician, the beginners have to tune their own instruments as well, and fear not, this is easy process and the tuner make it just a breeze, pair it with any basic youtube video and you will became master of tuning your own instrument in few minutes time. The tuner is very accurate, we have few already at home and I checked it, it is perfect and on point. If you are any serious about the producing proper sounds, you simply always need a tuner and while getting it would also be an extra trouble, cost and time, here it is included to my joy. The pick - up is a really great addition - it allows you to hook it up to an amplifier so it is like you can turn this classic instrument into electric in no time. This is really awesome and normally instruments do not come with this option and the pick up cost quite a lot and has to be paired properly. That is extra bonus and my child was VERY excited about it. The pics - that is an absolute must to protect your finger tips from hurt. And who does not love the pics! The Owners Manual - that speaks for itself. It helps you to learn basic handling and explains what is what. While most people don't need one, there is of course a lot who do want some help with basic introduction to their new instrument so this is perfect. CLOSING THOUGHTS - This instrument is fabulous beginners and probably intermediate instrument but I am not an expert. I am simply a parent who needed a good basic instrument and this instrument exceeded the expectation. Also the bundle is fabulous and it saved me a lot of money buying some of those things individually. My child is expert enough and consulted on the instrument with the teacher who also rated this instrument ten out of ten. I am very pleased with the purchase and I know that this will serve us for many years to come. The price of the same start up instrument at the local music stores was at $250 and they were identical therefore I am happy that I saved quite a lot of money, and yet while that price was for instrument alone, this instrument came with all those extra that certainly add value to the purchase. As a parent I always read all the reviews and consider good ones and bad ones. While this bundle seem to have quite a gamut, I must say that I feel that those who did not appreciate this instrument might either be way more advanced musicians looking for some Stradivarius at the 100 buck level and complain on the very good solid sound of it for no apparent reason, or there are those who are never happy with anything, aside of course from the competition who often leaves bad reviews for obvious reasons. My advice to you if you are honestly considering it as a new to t he mandolin world - try it with confidence, you can always return it if you don't like it but I would be really surprised if you would find any fault in it because personally I think that this is fabulous deal, great opportunity to own this fab instrument for the fraction of the retail. I took this small risk, I simply decided to give it a try and I am very very happy with the decision, if I were to rely on the bad reviews, I would end up having to pay twice as much or more for just the mandoliner. So choose wisely. I love the fact that prime option gives you free shipping and free return if needed, however in this case one thing is sure. This instrument is not going anywhere. it is a keeper!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!

Great value excellent quality for any beginner or intermediate player. A great starting kit.

I like this mandolin!

I love my Vangoa mandolin. It sounds wonderful, plays well, and has helped me start learning the mandolin. While it is nowhere near the quality of the more expensive mandolins, for the price it delivers an excellent experience. When you get it, be sure to fix the intonation-loosen the strings and move the bridge (the black piece of wood) around until the note at the 12th fret is an octave above the unfretted note (look up guides online, it really isn't that hard). As a beginner, I didn't mind the strings it came with, but I switched over to nicer ones after a couple of months. Two issues I've noticed: First off, the action (height of the strings above the fretboard) is way too high, further complicated by the 'adjustable' bridge already being at the lowest option. I sanded away at it for about an hour, and my action is still a bit too high, but it would be a good idea to take it to an instrument shop and have them lower the action. Second, when I got it, one of the G strings didn't fit into the groove for it in the bridge, so I had to whittle it away a bit to work, but it was pretty easy. Don't let the above negatives scare you away from this instrument: for a beginner, I really love it, and I have been able to learn several tunes, while still working on chords. I have had this instrument for two months now, and keep on loving it more and more. Like any instrument, it will take some work to get it perfectly set up, but it is well worth the work.

great buy

I’ve been playing on this for a few months and it’s beautiful and I feel like it sounds like it should. This price was better than buying at the music shop or even used online. Thank you! The mandolin is so pretty and I’m so excited to have started this journey into playing.

Bottom Line: you get what you pay for. Purchased as my first mandolin. Constantly needs tuning. Pick guard hardware/mounting loose screws and set screw causing vibration -removed. E-string snapped within first month and replacement was a challenge for a beginner without guidance. Spent the first month watching everything I could on mandolin construction and hardware. No truss installed. The more I learned, the more I knew that I would be purchasing another immediately and at a much different price point. Learned a lot with this purchase. Constant tuning distracted from experience. Proper Setup and better quality construction are critical. Would not have purchased this as beginne mando if I had spent more time learning about mandolin construction, setup and tuning. Lesson Learned for me.

I bought this mandolin for an AirBnb Lake House. Going to hang it on the wall with a Guitar and a Ukulele for guests to use, so low price point was important. This is a really nice playing and sounding instrument at a beginner price. It is very playable, action is nice and no fret buzz. After the strings settled in it stays in tune and the intonation is very good. I had to tighten a couple of the tuner knobs to stop them from rattling but overall I am super pleased with this purchase. The fact that it comes with a tuner, extra stings, picks and a strap is a nice bonus.

Great item for the cost. Has a good sound. And, comes with everything you need to play right out of the box.

Was really excited to receive this. I literally opened the box maybe 2 hours ago. While tuning for the first time, the E string broke. I realized the G and D strings already look oxidized, as if they need to be replaced. It goes out of tune while playing it, after a small amount of time (didn’t even get through one song). I got a mandolin from Amazon previously, the Donner brand, and that one is way better quality! It’s nice this brand comes with extra strings and a strap. However, I much rather my Donner. Unfortunately, I’m probably going to return this one. I gave it one star for the look, and another for the accessories. Can’t give it much more.

Everything was as expected. Delivery was amazingly fast.

Really like this instrument and worth the money. Can’t believe all the stuff it comes with! Couldn’t believe how well made the case is! Sounds good as well…no complaints here!

何だこりゃマンドリンか。まん丸い卵を抱えたマンドリンのイメージが壊れた瞬間。ボーーゼンとただ眺めていた。こんな種類の楽器があったなんて。梱包をほどいた瞬間のおどろき！ 早速調弦し鳴らしてみた。これがいい・これがいい 二つの弦のユニゾンが抜群に良い、付属の圧電型ピックアップで鳴らしていないが新しい音楽世界が見えてきた。新しい芸術の世界が見える逸品だ。将来が見えるマンドリンのAスタイル音楽界に新しい種を蒔くのか。