| Surf City Stella Octave |
| It looks awful cheap and probably sound and plays that way too (I don't know anybody who's tried one). But then again, it is extremely cheap! If I were you, I'd add a few more dollars and get the solid top version though. |
| Surf City Gypsy King Octave |
| It looks awful cheap and probably sound and plays that way too (I don't know anybody who's tried one). But then again, it is cheap, and at least it has a solid wood top. You can pick one up at Ebay for less than a hundred dollars! If you're really, really short on money, you can get it with laminate top too, but I wouldn't recommend it. Even in this price range a solid top makes a significant difference. This Chinese-made design can be found under a bewildering variety of brand names, with solid or laminate top and in different sizes (mandolin, mandola, octave mandola and possibly others). While I wouldn't possibly recommend the mandolin or the mandola to anyone, the octave madola is a different issue, simply because there doesn't seem to be any other instruments available in this price range. |
| Lark in the morning Short Scale Bouzouki |
| - Lark in the morning Short Scale Bouzouki
- Available from: Amazon
- Price: USD 235 ( Checked 12/14/2004 )
- Also available from:
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| Musikalia Octave Flat Irish Mandola - mahogany back |
 | Italian-made octave mandola with a nice, mellow tone and a slightly longer scale than "the generic brand Korean-made 'Irish' octave mandola". It takes capoing very well (not always the case with large mandos) which makes it a very versatile instrument. |
| Tyler Mountain Octave mandolin |
| One of the generic brand Korean-made "Irish" octave mandolas sold under a wide variety of brand names. It's a decent beginner/intermediate instrument made from solid wood (no plywood here!) and with a short and slim neck that makes it very easy to play. |
| Trinity College Octave mandolin |
  | One of the generic brand Korean-made "Irish" octave mandolas sold under a wide variety of brand names. It's a decent beginner/intermediate instrument made from solid wood (no plywood here!) and with a short and slim neck that makes it very easy to play. |
| Ashbury AM-325 Octave mandola |
 | One of the generic brand Korean-made "Irish" octave mandolas sold under a wide variety of brand names. It's a decent beginner/intermediate instrument made from solid wood (no plywood here!) and with a short and slim neck that makes it very easy to play. |
| Gold Tone Octave Mandolin |
  | Irish style octave mandolin (octave mandola).
The Gold Tone OM-800 features a solid spruce top, curly maple back and sides, bone nut and saddle, 20 1/4" scale, and dot inlay. Its design and spesifications are similar to "the generic brand Korean-made 'Irish' octave mandola" although it's supposedly assembled in the USA from parts imported from AsiaI don't know much about Gold Tone's mandos, but their banjos are very decent instruments for the price. Production quality might vary a lot, but the factory's always quick to repair or replace any less successful instruments. Some banjoists complain about the Gold Tones having too light an action, but for a less experienced players that's often an advantage, and it's easy to change anyway. |
| Ozark OMD 2000-S Octave mandolin |
| One of the generic brand Korean-made "Irish" octave mandolas sold under a wide variety of brand names. It's a decent beginner/intermediate instrument made from solid wood (no plywood here!) and with a short and slim neck that makes it very easy to play. |
| Fender Octave mandolin |
  | An Irish style octave mandolin from Fender???
It's not that surprising really. Fender's been filling up the lower end of their acoustic range with Korean "generic brand" instruments for a while so in a way it's only natural they've also looked at those affordable Celtic style stringed instrument they build over there.At first sight octave mandola is very similar to the ones sold under dozens of different brand names and is probably built at the same factory as the others. There are two very important differences though: Fender's model has a built-in (not very good) pickup and (apparently) a considerably shallower body. In effect that means this is an electric instrument and you can't expect nearly as much acoustic sound from it as from the others. (I still don't understand why they build it with such a short neck. It seems the argument is that it makes it easier to play for beginners, but it does reduce the sound significantly and most people seems to have no problem handling even a guitar with a much longer neck than any octave mando has ever had.) - Fender Octave mandolin
- Available from: Musician's Friend (USA only)
- Price: USD 479,99 ( Checked 12/04/2004 )
- Also available from:
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| Minstrel Octave mandolin |
| Celtic style octave mandola. Various choices of wood. Although it's very similar in design to "the generic brand Korean-made 'Irish' octave mandola", this is a Canadian hand-built instrument in a slightly higher price/quality range. |
| Minstrel Short scale octave mandolin |
 | Short scale (20") Celtic style octave mandola. Various choices of wood. Although it's very similar in design to "the generic brand Korean-made 'Irish' octave mandola" it offers much better better craftmanship and higher quality wood. This very attractive looking mando has a lovely sweet and mellow tone and a slim, playable neck. |
| Morgan Monroe Octave mandolin |
| One of the generic brand Korean-made "Irish" octave mandolas sold under a wide variety of brand names. It's a decent beginner/intermediate instrument made from solid wood (no plywood here!) and with a short and slim neck that makes it very easy to play. |
| Freshwater Octave mandola |
| Scottish luthier David Freshwater makes some really good mandos. His instruments are sturdy and rugged with a big headstock, a rather thick neck and perhaps a bit small tone. They're definitely not for everybody's taste, but even so they are very decent handcrafted instruments in a price range well beyond other British makers like Moon and Fylde. Freshwater may also be the only luthier who considers the octave mandola and octave mandolin to be so different he offers them both - his octave madola has a 542 mm and the octave mandolin a 610 mm scale length. |
| Freshwater Octave mandolin |
| Same as the Freshwater octave mandola but with a longer neck. |
| Sherwood Style S Octave mandola |
 | Mahogany body, spruce top, herringbone binding, adjustable truss rod. Made in UK. |
| David Hodson Djangolin Octave Mandolin |
| Hodson mainly makes replicas of the old Selmer/Maccaferri made famous by Django Reinhardt. This one's really unusual in that it applies the basics of Maccaferri's guitars in an octave mandolin. There's a lot of sense to that. The guitar shape does have a lot of advatages to an instrument of this size, and Maccaferri's unique design should give it a crisp and loud tone many octave mandolin players ought to love. |
| Mid Missouri M 70 octave mandolin |
| US handmade long scale octave mandolin. |
| Petersen Level 1 Octave mandolin |
| The cheapest model from luthier Bill Peterson. A rather plain and simple design, but a soundwise it's not that different from his more elaborate models. |
| Michael Kelly Legacy octave mandolin |
  | "The Michael Kelly Legacy Octave gives mandolin players that deeper Octave mandolin tone and in an f-style. The Legacy Octave has a 22" scale length, all solid wood body and dovetail neck joint." |
| Petersen Level 2 Octave mandolin |
| Bill Peterson's mid-level model. |
| Buchanan 10 string octave mandolin |
| Scottish handmade octave mandola with an extra high B string and a built-in Headway transducer. This is exactly the instrument I'd buy myself if only I had the money! |
| Fylde Signature Octavius Octave mandola |
| Quite similar to the Fylde Octavius but with a spruce top for a brighter sound. Rumours says that Fylde has stopped manufacturing this model, but it should still be available for a while. |
| Fylde Touchstone Tenor Mandola |
 | "Spruce Top, Mahogany Back & Sides. Very Bright & Loud sound Made in United Kingdom. Very much worth the money" |
| Petersen Level 3 Octave mandolin |
| Bill Peterson's top model. |
| Fylde Touchstone Octave mandola |
 | Fylde's top-of-the range octave mandola, with a wide, shallow body and a big soundhole for a bright and loud sound. |
| Davidson Octave mandolin |
| Phil Davidson's beautiful hand-made octave mandolin has a scale length of only 515 mm. Even so it produces a really big and good tone. |
| Davidson Large Body Octave mandolin |
| A Phil Davidson octave mandola with an extra wide body and a slightly longer neck, for maximum sound. |
| Trillium Octave mandolin |
| Beautiful hand-crafted US instrument. |
| Bussman Old Wave octave mandolin |
| New Mexico luthier Bill Bussman makes some outstanding octave mandolins. His A style model is loosely based on the old Gibson A style oval hole mandolins. |
| Bussman Old Wave guitar shaped octave mandolin |
| A guitar shaped f hole octave mandolin from master luthier Bill Bussman. |
| Stefan Sobell Octave Mandolin |
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| Foley Octave Mandolin |
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| Phil Crump Octave Mandolin |
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| Adin & Ekvall Octave Mandolin |
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| Steven Owsley Smith Octave Mandolin |
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| Weber Sage #1 Octave Mandolin |
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| Weber Absaroka Octave Mandolin |
  | "Exquisitely crafted of premium curly maple with a resonant spruce top, this gorgeous A-style mandolin plays beautifully and looks as good as it sounds. Ivory binding on bottom, top, and neck; mother-of-pearl diamond markers on an ebony fretboard; ebony veneered headstock; and lacquered sunburst finish. Fitted with an adjustable Brekke bridge, adjustable neck truss rod, and nickel tuners. Includes hardshell case and original owner lifetime warranty." |
| Weber Hyalite Octave Mandolin |
  | "A gorgeous hand-rubbed finish, precision carved natural spruce top, graceful twin F-holes, and rich ebony fretboard with small diamond inlays deliver fetching looks and stellar tone. Features curly maple back, rim and neck; logo and knot inlaid on the ebony peghead veneer; an adjustable ebony bridge; and engraved Schaller tuners with pearloid buttons." |
| Moon Octave mandola spruce/maple |
 | Scottish-made Moon is perhaps Fylde's main competitor in the professional Celtic octave mandola field. |
| Weber Fern Octave Mandolin |
  | "Weber's most traditional F style mandolin. It has their unique abalone fern peghead design and a matching abalone-in-ebony truss-rod cover. The fingerboard has an 10 inch radius, 6.5mm mother-of-pearl dots, ivory binding, and a double cutaway fingerboard extension. The body has a spruce top carved from either Sitka, Engelmann, or red spruce with tone bar bracing. The back is carved from curly maple. A one-piece back is available on request. Full body binding frames a gorgeous sunburst finish. Available with or without pickguard." |
| Weber Bridger Octave Mandolin |
  | Named for the frontiersman who brought the first wagon train through the canyon east of Bozeman, MT, the Bridger is a great crossover instrument for bluegrass and Celtic music. It has been called one of the best new mandolin designs in the past 80 years. Handcrafted by master luthiers employing the finest materials and most refined techniques, what emerges is an instrument of unmistakable beauty and sonic superiority. Includes hardshell case.Features: - Back: curly maple
- Binding color: ivory
- Body binding: top and back
- Body color: natural
- Bracing: modified X
- Bridge: adjustable Brekke bridge
- Case: hardshell-shaped case
- Fingerboard: ebony, ivory binding
- Fingerboard extension block: yes
- Finish: matte
- Fret markers: mother-of-pearl diamonds
- Hardware: nickel
- Neck: curly maple
- Adjustable truss rod
- Peghead veneer: ebony with ivory binding
- Peghead inlay: mother-of-pearl
- Ribs: curly maple
- Top: spruce
- Warranty: lifetime to original owner
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| Weber Yellowstone Octave Mandolin |
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| Weber Bitterroot Octave Mandolin |
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| Weber Sage #2 Octave Mandolin |
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| Fylde Octavius octave mandola |
 | English guitar manufacturer Fylde has aquired quite a reputation for their high-quality handmade yet reasonably priced big mandos. This is their "basic" model, but it's still a really impressive instrument with a cedar top and mahogany neck and body.
532mm scale. |
| Hora Short Scale Bouzouki |
| Octave mandolin in the same style and quality as Hora's Portuguese mandolins. Natural high gloss finish. |
| Weber Beartooth Octave Mandolin |
  | Weber's top of the line A style mando. Curly maple back and sides make for bright projection while the solid spruce top with modified X-bracing adds warmth and resonance. Gold hardware, ebony fretboard and peghead veneer, full binding, diamond inlays on the fretboard, and tribal peghead inlay provide visual elegance. Adjustable Brekke bridge and fingerboard extension block. Original owner lifetime warranty. Includes hardshell case. Features: - Curly maple back and sides
- Solid spruce top
- Ebony fretboard
- Gold hardware
- Full binding
- Gold hardware
Includes hardshell case |
| Weber Gallatin Octave Mandolin |
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| Soares'y Tenor mandola |
 | Soares'y is a small Portuguese manufacturer who builds small quantities of a number of really cool and unusual stringed instruments at very pleasant prices. They have so many different options to offer one may wonder if they've ever built two exactly identical instruments, and this picture is just an example of their products. |
