Gold Tone GM-110 Mandolin

It seems to be a decent instrument. There are, however, two features I don't like.
There is a point on the back of the neck, slightly behind the nut. At times, while playing some altered chords, I like to put my thumb on this spot. This point makes this spot unusable. Second, the cutaway configuration makes access to the highest frets very tough! It looks cool, but why make this so difficult? Other than this, it seems like a good instrument. It is not loud acoustically. The amplified tone seems good, but I just got it. Might not keep it.

See above.

Needs adjustment.

Not sure. Seems OK.

don't know. Not going to say.

Playing for thirty plus years. The neck is very important to me. I don't play much Bluegrass. Jazz, rock, blues, Celtic.

This is a recent model, can't be more than a few years old since the Rigel copy model is relatively new. I bought it brand new, so it's most likely made in 03 or 04.

Features include a solid spruce top, solid maple back and sides, ebony fingerboard, and probably a rosewood bridge. It's a modified F-style mandolin, with an almost strat style shape. It's a copy of the Rigel G series mandolin. It also has a built in piezo pickup, gold tuners, and Goldtone's "quick change" saddle system. Sunburst finish. Mother of pearl inlays.

It sounds incredible. I went to www.folkofthewood.com and downloaded video samples of the Rigel mandolin (which runs around $3000) and compared it to Goldtone's overseas copy (which set me back $700 with a case), and I actually like the sound of the Goldtone better. So why pay 4x as much, which I don't have anyway, for an instrument which either doesn't sound as good or doesn't sound much better than its cheaper counterpart?

I haven't tried the piezo pickup yet, but I assume it's ok. If not, I'll either edit this or post another review.

I play a variety of stuff from bluegrass to classical to contemporary, and this mandolin does a pretty good job at each. I know lots of mando players who have several different instruments for each different sound, but I can't swing that much cash. Until line 6 makes a varimando, this will have to do, and it does a pretty good job.

Not a great factory setup, though I don't expect much from an overseas manufacturer. I had to lower the action considerably.

There are a few finish flaws, namely a few black spots where the sunburst is uneven. Most of this is under the pickguard, so unless you take it off and/or know what you're looking for, it's not noticeable. Even if I were to play without the pickguard, the audience wouldn't see the finish flaws. There is also a small crack in the neck binding, but again, it doesn't seem to affect the playability of the mando and it's not noticeable to the bystander.

I give it an 8 because of the minor flaws. If I saw another mando like this, it might not have these same defects, but it might have others.

It seems like it will last. Like most mandos, it has open tuners, and it's relatively light, so it does need to be taken care of. Treat it a bit better than your boss pedals, keep it in a hardshell case, and you'll be fine.

No opinion on Goldtone, but I will comment on Music123 and Folk of the Wood's customer service. M123, where i ordered the mando from, has a credit card that lets me pay off the instrument, which was my deciding factor. FOTW has a really cool buyback/upgrade program where they credit your purchase toward an upgrade, and they would have probably done a bit more of a setup job. Also M123 couldnt' find a case to fit this instrument for the longest time, slightly delaying my order. They screwed up, but they did cut me a good deal on shipping and took a few extra bucks off the cost of the case, so they made up for it.

Definetly worth the money. I'd replace it with the same if it were lost or stolen. Sure you can find a better mando, but not without dropping a load more money.