Well this thread died a horrible death but I have revived it to say I got my Johnson octave a week or so a go from the 12th fret in Toronto. Nice people and very good service. I know the Johnson is probably and entry level instrument but then when it comes to octave mandolins I'm an entry level player. I must admit I do like it a lot and have been playing it every day. It sounds good and is very comparable to the Trinity College, same factory, same wood finish. The Trinity is slightly more ornate. The model I have is the 450 celtic. It has wonderful sustain and very little fret buzz, although I'm told fret buzz is a characteristic of the octave mandolin. The instrument is well constructed and it came in a hard shell case all for $589c. If any one is looking for an inexpensive octave for beginner I wouldn't look much further than this one. I will probably graduate to a better instrument when my playing improves and I have looked at the Weber Sage. Anyway that's it for now. Den