Trinity College TM-325B Standard Celtic Octave Mandolin with Hardshell Case - Black Top

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.

I got this octave mando after playing a Trinity College mando for a few years. The instrument is beautiful and it has a great feel. The sound is loud and rich. I had my luthier set up the bridge and string the first two courses in octave pairs so he had to rework the nut a bit. This tuning works fine with D'Addario J80 octave mando strings.Overall, I'm really pleased with the instrument. The case is low-budget, but I have a few like it and they get the job done just fine.

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!

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.

The Trinity College octave mandolin is an excellent instrument for the price, but buyers need to aware of some basic flaws purchasing through Amazon. First of all the sound hole opening was not oval, but round. No biggie, but an inconsistency in the description. No case. The mandolin arrived "unassembled" in that the bridge was not installed. I know that mandolins have floating bridges, but there were no instructions on how to set the bridge/intonation. I knew how to do that, but I'm sure most folks don't. If you were not mandolin literit, how would you feel if you received this mandolin with the bridge in a plastic bag and no instructions on what to do with it? Two other problems were: the tailpiece was not aligned properly; the treble side was cantered up higher than the bass side. I fixed that by re-setting the tailpiece. Also, the binding on the treble side of the fretboard had black scrapes on it. Don't know where they came from. Was able to remove most of them by scraping with a razor blade. I would give this purchase more stars if there were more disclosure on the setup of this instrument. The sound of this instrument is very acceptable.

good quality product for the money. i just wanted to try one without spending too much. it comes with no instructions so you have to figure out how to set the bridge yourself. i got it close but ended up having to take it to a luthier for final adjustment. if you are used to playing a mandolin like me you may find this harder since the scale is much longer

I'll be brief: great price, excellent instrument! I'm a musician in the band Sugar Bayou, and needed this octo-mando for recording purposes. Easy set-up (although I didn't really know it would arrive without the bridge in place, had I thought it through, I wouldn't have been surprised). I will certainly go to this vendor first in the future.Thanks!

I had been watching this listing for awhile and have notice the price fluctuates considerably. The instrument itself is lovely and plays well. It came without the bridge installed-a good thing I think I had a friend do the set up for me and I am quite happy so far.

The instrument came in perfect condition, I was actually surprised at how well made it was, even had a good set of strings on it.I waited for about a year for this to go on sale, picked it up for only $720! Great deal!