Fender FM-52E Mandolin, Sunburst

this is exactly what it is marketed to be: an inexpensive starter instrument. The biggest problem I had with it is that when I tried to find a music shop to do the first time setup for it, the tag that was most important for several guitar stores was "made in china" not "fender". Apparently, some local music stores dislike the money they could make doing setups. They did not care about the "fender" but refused to work on an instrument that has a label that indicates manufacture in china. I do not really understand why this would be... fender wouldnt let them put their label on it if it was total garbage. In the end, I simply asked around until I found a store that would do the setup. They lowered the nut and improved the action on it and this mandolin became exactly what I needed it to be, and my fingers are developing nice, strong calluses. The tone here is good, the look is very good. Also if you are buying this and want the case, the fender mandolin case fits this instrument like a glove.If i were looking to be a professional musician I probably would spend more on a professional grade mandolin. If, on the other hand, you are simply looking for something to be a hobbyist with, this is a fine item.

Good for what it is. The sound is a bit more tiny than a well aged mandolin, but hey.. its new. There is a rattle I haven't been able to find yet. Very easy to play, holds tune.. etc. If I could get the rattle solved, I would give it another star.

Good beginner mandolin, if you like blowing your money away. Very cheaply made, not worth the price. Mine had marks in the wood grain that looked awful. Had decent sound. Rule of thumb, never purchase musical instruments online, always go to a store to purchase so that you know what it looks like and how good it plays up front. Thank you Amazon for the easy return!!!

it hurts your right hand as it hits the metal piece. The design bad. Sounds OK..

Works great and is an excellent product,I would buy it again if I needed another one and the transaction was awesome to...

As a new player, I enjoyed the value of what I got in this bundle. The strap is wide and thick. There is not upper strap button so you will have to tie it above the nut. The picks are thick and sturdy feeling. The tuner works fine for me (tuned to violin(v) setting). The gig bag feel like it is made from very durable material with good stitching. I found the instructional booklet very helpful in learning to play AND read read music. There was almost no set up needed. The frets were all even, the bridge did not need to be altered, and the nut only had slight friction on one of the E stringsThere were some quirks that drove home the fact that this is a value pack. One of the straps on the gig bag is sewn on twisted. The instructional booklet was written to be accompanied with a CD that is not shipped in the pack. The tail piece cover does not stay on and is constantly popping off.Overall I am very pleased and it has been working out fantastic as a beginners mandolin on a budget. I feel comfortable learning on this and I will be more aware of my needs when I do finally commit to a higher quality mandolin

I have played the violin for 15 years and own a lovely intermediate instrument that both looks and sounds beautiful and unique. Lately, I have been busy expanding my musical horizons, and knowing the violin and mandolin are tuned the same, I did some research. After my research and some thought, the mandolin seemed like an interesting new direction. Still, I do not plan on focusing on the mandolin--so I don't feel I need a Gibson or a Kentucky.Originally, I was looking at purchasing an Ibanez A-style f-hole mandolin or an Ibanez A-style oval hole mandolin. I played an Ibanez mandolin at a music store and liked the sound. I ended up with the Fender FM-100 package when I was at Guitar Center and saw it on clearance for $109.99. Figuring Fender usually doesn’t do much wrong, with signature instruments like the Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars—their biggest failure probably being their electric violins. I did not look at Fender’s cheaper brand, Rogue’s, mandolins, figuring if Fender won’t put their own name on it, it probably isn’t worth the cheaper price.What is included for the price?• Fender FM-100 A-style Mandolin with Fender mandolin strings and adjustable bridge installed• Extra set of Fender light gauge phosphorous bronze mandolin strings• Hal Leonard Mandolin Method Book 1• Fender FT-004 clip on chromatic tuner• Three rounded, thick Fender torte shell mandolin picks• Black mandolin strap with FENDER on it in large white lettering• Black zippered mandolin gig bagWhat do I like about the Fender FM-100 Mandolin Package?• Mandolin has nice sustain and clear sound.• Tuner works well and being clip on and small is convenient—is also a chromatic tuner so you can use it with any instrument (since the mandolin is a double strung instrument every string being tuned spot on is absolutely needed).• Picks work very well with the mandolin (I do think they work better than guitar picks. I wasn’t sure at first and borrowed some of my dad’s guitar and bass guitar picks that are pointer. I didn’t like them as well).• Included gig bag that has handles and backpack style straps with pocket.• Tuners work smoothly and are easy to turn.• There is a lot included in this package for little money.• Strap already as string to attached to the headstock for using—not need to find/buy a shoestring to do this.• Not of the frets have rough edges.• None of the strings suffered from fret buzz out of the box.What don’t I like about the Fender FM-100 Mandolin Package?• Lots of little scratches (for an instrument that is not a factory second or blemished—mine was in a sealed box at Guitar Center). These are on the pick guard (even though it was protected by a plastic sticker and on the body of the instrument.• Does not have spruce top—this mandolin is made of NATO.• Has one blemished tuner (does not affect my ability to tune the mandolin).• Gig bag isn’t very well padded and won’t protect your mandolin against anything more than a little bump. I would never store my violin or violin bow in a bag like this.• Gig bag pocket is not big enough to put sheet music in.• Method book (I don’t need one that much having played the violin my left hand knows pretty much what to do on its own and I can already read music very well). This method book is very short for a method book and poorly laid out. Still, it you really wanted to you probably could learn the very basics from it.• Could use a professional set up—especially for the bridge to get the action a little lower.• I probably will not repurchase these Fender mandolin strings. I am use to playing with higher quality strings (on the violin) and will probably get Martins, Elixer, of D’Addarios next time.• Lacks a truss rod. Ibanez puts truss rods in all their mandolins.Overall, I would say I probably would recommend this to someone looking for a cheap (but not a Rogue cheap) mandolin package at the price I paid for it ($109.99). This mandolin is not a bad mandolin, it just has a few minor problems. I would not recommend purchasing this for the $159.00 Amazon is selling it for. For $179.00, you can buy a similar package from Ibanez with their mandolin, which I liked better, and is worth $20 extra.

I recently bought this item brand new, and the bridge was not attached. The box contained no instructions on how to put this mandolin together. I would think there would be a manual for it, since fender has manuals for their guitars. I would really like a manual, or at least some kind of instructions as to how it is supposed to go together. Hopw can I even rate this item if I don't have instructions?