I bought one as my first Mandolin, its a nice beginners instrument but sounds a little "thin" when amplified (mine is the passive model). Excellent value for money and I would recommend it. Unfortunately there is a big gap between moderate and high quality mandolins, your next one if you progress will cost perhaps 3-4 time this price, so a good option to learn with or if you are an occasional mandolin player. Nicely made, no finishing or hardware problems. Slightly unstable tuning is made better with heavy strings (e11's not e10's)).