Just a side comment on makers as it cropped up. Neither "Vintage" or "Ozark" are makers. They are music wholesalers. "Vintage" is a label of John Hornby Skewes and "Ozark" of Stentor, I think both pretty big in the UK. As far as I understand things they just source instruments to supply to music shops.

I don't know the situation now but much (although not that mando, these were East European), even lower range products from better named brands seemed to have been made by Samick, a South Korean company, or similar maker.

At higher ends, you will be getting the hand made traditional luthier stuff (and Buchanan is one of these) but I'd think there is a lot of quite useable and playable stuff, including "badged" coming from these factories.