Hi again EWIS; I've just thought; I've got a nice sounding, solid top, short-scale octave mandolin/mandola you might be interested in; I hadn't thought of selling it, but I play mostly mandocello for lower toned stuff these days. Make is Musikalia, made (I think) in Eastern Europe, and imported by hobgoblin under their own brand names. Fairly loud, with a nice ringing tone, it's about 4 years old, but in excellent condition. I could stick some new strings on it, do a setup and let you have it for £125. I you want a pickup, I've probably got one somewhere. PM me if you are interested.
Tim