[Brian Krashpad]

Craigslist strikes again! Got a Fender electric mandolin, cheapie FM-52E SB ("SB" being "sunburst," I reckon):



Also got an Epi PR100 M/NS cheapie acoustic:



Both axes came with the chipboard cases pictured. Will sell the guitar/case, which also came with a capo, strap, tuner, and picks, which I'll keep. The mando will be a good backup to my Washburn Oscar Schmidt OM10EWH electric mando, or vice versa. Plus the Washburn/Schmidt has a "fish" symbol on the headstock that might be a little odd to play bars with, although it's not noticeable at a distance (gray fish on white headstock):


Total damage for 2 axes, 2 cases, tuner, strap, capo, and picks?

$120 USD. The Fender mando streets for $240, w/o case/bag.

[MrSandMan]

Sweet. You play mandolin too? I never plucked with one. Craigslist is your friend, Brian

[Brian Krashpad]

Originally Posted by MrSandMan

Sweet. You play mandolin too? I never plucked with one. Craigslist is your friend, Brian

Yeah, me and Craig go way back.

As far as mandolin goes, I had a purely acoustic one on loan from my dad for ages, but never played it. He asked for it back a little over a year ago, so I went out and got the white Oscar Schmidt one as a replacement. Since it was electrified, I could use it in church, so I started playing one song per service (if there was one easy enough) to teach myself the instrument. Learning via performance in front of 200-300 people is a good way to get your chops up pretty quickly, and to teach you not to try to play beyond your abilities, haha!

I'm still a beginner, but having played guitar and bass for ages, a lot of those skills transfer. As you may know, the strings are the reverse of the lower guitar or bass guitar strings. GDAE instead of EADG. So if you can "mirror image" a guitar chord (the lower 4 strings anyhow) in your head, you can figure out a way to play it on mandolin.

Now, in addition to playing in church, I went ahead and auditioned for a local original-music band late in 2009, and am playing as their mandolin player, so this second mandolin will allow me to have a backup for shows.

Btw, yesterday I put the Epi up on craigslist and resold it, for $75.

Meaning, I got the Fender mandolin (selling for $240 w/o case/bag), plus case, tuner, capo, strap, and picks, for...

wait for it...

$45!

The thing is like new, except for the strings.