Thomann Portuguese Mandolin De Luxe II

Just what I wanted. Really flat back, flat front. Comfortable to hold and play. A surprisingly good set of silver plated strings already on. Tasteful decoration, although the materials used are uncertain. The nut is plastic and so is the bridge! That doesn't bother me though. The frets and fretboard are exceptionally well finished. Not a sharp or rough edge or corner anywhere. The only thing lacking for me is an active transducer. I will be trying out 2 or 3 different types and eventually fit the best one myself. I couldn't do that if one was already fitted, so that's an advantage for me. The internal label does not have a serial number, but it does state: "Thomann Portuguese Mandolin De Luxe II - Made in Portugal" - now there's a surprise in this international age!

I picked this up as I was looking for a flatback mandolin to play folk tunes, as well as some classical repertoire. It sounds great for these genres, loud, bright, resonant, and exactly what I was looking for.

Surprisingly, the mandolin came with a Thomann branded padded gig bag, into which the mandolin fits perfectly. This is despite the fact that the listing doesn't mention this (at time of purchase).

Out of the box I just needed to move the bridge a millimetre or two to set the intonation. The action was already low and easily playable with no buzzing. The provided light gauge strings are decent quality.

It's worth noting that the nut and bridge are plastic, and that the bridge is a radiused (arched) bridge, with the middle two courses (D and A) sitting a little higher than the outside courses (G and e). The tuners seem OK, and are easily tightened with a screwdriver if necessary.

Regarding the finish, on my mandolin there were a number of small issues; the fret ends are are little rough and there is a small pinhole-sized indentation on the spruce top, just in front of the bridge; there were also plastic shavings in the nut slots, with some still under the strings, which will need to be cleaned out when I change them. Also, the heel of the neck does not meet the back of the body perfectly flush, there is a small step/ledge where they meet, as if the heel was cut a little too short.

Overall, however, I am satisfied with the instrument. The quality to price ratio is great compared to many similarly priced mandolins that I had tried out in local shops recently.