Trinity College TM-325 Celtic Octave Mandolin with Gig Bag – Solid Sitka Spruce Top, Maple Back & Sides, Santos Rosewood Fingerboard, Slim Mahogany Neck – Natural Finish

Although the instrument is not as set up as one might need to start playing, it is a quality OM and very good for the money. There are no "guarantee" documents or instructions on how to set up the bridge and intone the scale length, so it is assumed you have other sources to know how to begin using the instrument.You might want to google setting up a mandolin bridge.[...]The strings are already attached and horribly corroded which means most likely the mando has been sitting for quite some time. As soon as you set up the bridge, your fingers will turn black from the corrosion. No problem, buy some new strings when you purchase it and change them asap.Meanwhile the tone should yield a nice range of highs and lows and provide a satisfied feeling of playability.The case is not the greatest quality (the inside compartment cover is not hinged all that well) however it works for protection and fits perfectly. Remember though you don't play the case, so it is fine.Overall I would recommend this one, Amazon will over package it for safe shipping and send it to you on time.

When it arrived the strings had a little bit of buzz to them. I checked the neck relief and the neck definitely needed a little adjustment. I accessed the truss rod and give it a little turn counter-clockwise to provide more relief to the neck (i.e., to create more of a bow). I felt no resistance when I did that and the neck relief didn't change. In fact the truss rod spun freely counter-clockwise and did not have any effect no matter how much I turned it. So, unfortunately, the instrument has a badly adjusted neck and buzzy strings and there apparently isn't any way to fix it other than doing repair work that likely will cost more than the instrument.

when you open the box you will be impressed!! no drip makes, no thick varnish, no over gluing on the inside. what it does have is great wood, x bracing, well made fret board, and great tuners. this is a WELL made instrument for the money and more than likely the best for the price range. but i would feel bad is i didnt tell you about the down sides. you need to set up the mandolin. this means set up the bridge, maybe adjust the truss rod, and maybe filing the bridge. so i would tell you to have it professionally set up(dont worry its only like $30-$50). the tailpiece, while nice, is not as good as it could be, but they can be changed out very easily and available online ($30-$200, the cheaper ones will work perfect, should say "cast", and the more expensive are gold plated and things like that to make them expensive). at the end of the day, you will be very happy with this mandolin.

I received my TM-325 in exceptional condition - packaging superb. From the states to South Africa in 5 days. As a newby to octave mandolin I am smitten. I usually uncover issues with musical instruments quickly and so far - NONE. Action is very comfortable and I was able to set up the bridge relatively easily - there are no octave mandolin experts in SA that I know of. I would recommend this instrument to anyone - also great value for money

I am not a musician but I did begin to play by borrowing a friend's Trinity Octave Mandolin several years ago and this instrument is the same great quality as back then. If I had read closer I would have realized there was no case (his came with a case). So another $100 or more for a case if you can find one that fits (I haven't yet). There are some Trinity's out there that come with a case if you look, which I would have gone with instead; In the long run it would have been less expensive. So not only has the cost of the instrument increased by $100 from 4 years ago but they also took away the value of the case.Why would anyone want a string instrument (especially an odd-sized one) without a case?

As noted in another review, this came without set-up, i.e., bridge was included but not fixed and adjusted. I took it to a luthier for set up, and he found that the several frets were high and needed leveling. As he was setting up the instrument, one of the string tabs on the tailpiece broke and a second was starting to bend. As of right now I'm spending $150 for fret leveling and setup, and another $25 for a new tailpiece with a ten day waiting period for the tailpiece. I have yet to play this instrument and hope it will all be worth it. I will update this review when I get the mandolin back and have played it.

Well-made instrument, fit and finish seem very good. It's a bit heavier than I expected so that may affect the tone and volume, but overall it is a nice instrument. The setup is ok but I need to improve the intonation and action a little. I like the relatively short scale compared to many octave mandos.Edit: Switched to D'Addario EJ72 Mandola strings and fitted the bridge a little better (the bottom was a little rough) and it sounds much better. The intonation improved and the sustain and volume are very good.

I just purchased a used octave mandolin from a major box store to open the box and observed a caved in top. I was discouraged as an Octave mandolin was the last instrument I wanted to purchase. Happened to look on Amazon and could not believe the price of $630! They only had one so I was expecting to find something wrong when I received it. The bridge is not installed but was not hard to set. Just get a ruler and measure the distance from the backside of the nut (towards the bridge) to the 12th fret. Then position the bridge at the same distance from the 12th fret. The distance is where the strings contact the bridge. Slightly position the G string side of the bridge about 1/8 inch further towards the tailpiece. You should be close! My luthier was excited to see the Birds Eyes in the maple on the sides!