This is a good mandolin, but if you are brand new to the instrument, you are going to be super frustrated and probably want to return it or worse. But if you survive Washburn's poor understanding of the needs of the very customers targeted for this outfit, you will enjoy the M3E whether amped or acoustic. Maybe they will heed my info to them and fix the problems, but they aren't going to recall all the outfits sitting in stock rooms.So if your M3E-PACK is like mine and you're new to the mandolin, you are in trouble and will have to spend a bit more for electric use also. NO INSTRUCTIONS COME CONCERNING THE INSTRUMENT but neck adjustment, EVEN WHAT THE TWO KNOBS ARE FOR: the instructions booklet is how to play a mandolin, NOT how to set this Washburn up. You MUST SET THE BRIDGE UP CORRECTLY for the mandolin to play in tune. But even if you set the bridge correctly, if you tune to their pitch pipe, it will play out of tune. THE PITCH PIPE IN MY KIT WAS FOR A UKULELE, NOT A MANDOLIN.A mandolin tuned to ukulele pitches will not play the chords shown in the Mel Bay book. And NO, YOU CANNOT PLUG INTO ANY AMP AND JOIN IN. The pickup in this Washburn mandolin required something called a preamp and two extra cords/cables to play through my amp, around $ more. But Sweetwater will help you. Show them my review so they get a mandolin player to give you guidance.

I have been buying my guitars and music equipment from Sweetwater for over five years. I've been going back and forth for nearly two years trying to make up my mind whether or not, to by a mandolin and learn to play it.
I have to give great credit to my sales guy Patrick Lantz, for his patience and understanding because I really did drive him crazy with all my questions and inquiries. In the end I listened to him and purchased the Washburn Americana M3 E ….. and I am really happy that I listened to him!
Learning to play the mandolin was a lot easier than I anticipated and my relationship with my mandolin has become a very warm and close one. I was surprised at how easy it was to get smooth, and clean sounds whilst playing chords and now being a little adventurous with picking.
I have thick fingers and big hands. It was surprising for me to find how easy it was to work around the neck of the instrument. Even playing chords high up on the neck was met with success.
I was quite astonished at the sound generated when I plugged in the mandolin. I do a lot of recording, and I honestly was expecting a great deal less than what I was hearing ( music video attached- playing the Washburn mandolin plugged in).
In conclusion- a great purchase. I'm still a little new at playing tha mandolin, but I do not intend to replace this little guy for a long time to come.
Thanks again Patrick!

5 Stars for CUSTOMER SERVICE! I received a unit that had a short in the electronics, causing the signal to go in and out. I called and received a replacement the next day…wow!

This mandolin has a nice bright sound when strummed open or picking single notes, and a nice full, resonant chop.

The neck is thick and fills the hands nicely. I primarily play guitar, so other mandolins with v-necks (Loar) and thin necks (Kentucky) that I've tried actually hurt my hand. I'm able to chord this Washburn more like I would a guitar. It's a full, rounded neck and feels great with the natural satin finish.

Both units came set up with low action and no buzz.

The pickup is very natural sounding. It does not have a piezo quality to it…it's very bright. The tone knob is useful for making the sound more rich and full.

I've played mandolin for 20 years, and this is my favorite that I've owned. I highly recommend it in this price range.

I'm a guitar player and I want to learn mandolin. I bought this one in hopes that it would be a good beginner mandolin. I was right. It needs a setup to be more playable for me because I have some plates and screws in my wrist, but over all it's a solid quality instrument. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to begin their mandolin experience with a solid wood instrument that won't break the bank.

As a beginner, this mandolin was recommended by the gentleman that I am taking lessons from. The mandolin arrived quickly and was well packaged. At the first lesson, my instructor tuned the mandolin and we were on our way. No further "set up" was required. I will add that the mandolin also stays in tune throughout my lessons as well as my practice sessions. This is very helpful for a beginner.
The soft case does not provide a lot of protection so be careful when transporting the mandolin and give some thought to buying a hard case.
Even though I do not have the proper musical knowledge to make recommendations, I think this is the perfect mandolin for the absolute beginner.
DW

This is the first mandolin I have ever owned, touched, or played. I am very happy with its quality and tone. It sounds, looks, and plays great.

This is a great mandolin. Washburn succeeds again. This mandolin sounds great, easy to play. I am a seasoned guitar player, along with bass, trumpet and harmonica. I am knew to the mandolin but this one is so easy to play and a wonderful sound. Intonation is perfect. I recommend this purchase, and you can't go wrong buying from Sweetwater.

I've never purchased an instrument without ever putting my hands on it, but no one had any inventory to try out in store because of supply chain interruptions. I was reluctant to purchase online, but I had no choice. As soon as the order was placed, I got a call from a customer service person who assured me I could return it if I was not completely satisfied. He stayed in constant contact and even provided a way to text him. When the instrument arrived, I took it to be set up. The guy said it was perfect right out of the factory, which is pretty remarkable for a mandolin. I still recommend taking your new instrument for set up, but you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was. It plays beautifully and does not have the pickup noise or string buzz that my old one had. It feels solid and I get that really wonderful body feel from the notes. I actually read the manual, which said to make sure it is in tune by using the pitch pipe provided. DON'T use the pitch pipe. Not only is it out of tune, it's not even the right notes for a mandolin. Much better to invest in a good digital tuner. Also plan to buy a hard case. The gig bag is OK, but you'll want a hard case for this. Overall excellent buying experience.

Very happy with my mandolin. Beautiful neck and body binding. Crisp, full sound. I've had it about a month now and still smile every time I play it!

I've been a fan of the mandolin for a long time, so I finally decided to buy one. The Washburn Americana is my first, and I am very happy with it. I've only just begun learning how to play, so I can't give any sort of professional review, but I can say that it is beautiful both in it's look as well as sound. Also, the customer service has been outstanding. They really seem genuine in their excitement in my music interest. THANKS!

I am totally thrilled about the beauty of this instrument, and its fine tonal quality. I'm sure it will give me years of satisfaction with its quality of music.

I ordered this as a demo unit that they had at a discounted price. When it arrived I checked it out and found the following.
1. Well built with good fit and finish.
2. Action a little high and bridge at absolute bottom.
3. Buzz from the tailpiece on the G string.
4. A few fret ends needing finishing.
5 Piezo and electronics sound good.

So I went to work.
1. Fixed the fret ends and leveled the fretboard.
2. Removed the little ornamental frets and scalloped the fretboard to relieve any interference with picking and oiled the fretboard.
3. Oiled the tuners.
4. Filed the nut to adjust first fret string height and applied some graphite.
5. Removed the pickguard and filled and finished the screw holes.
6. Removed the electronics and sanded down the bridge for action and radius to the top (the wire for the Piezo pickup is in the way if you don't remove it).
7. Lowered the pots with spacers (they were sky high) and installed babinga wood knobs.
8. Added a piece of ebony ukulele saddle cut to size inside the tailpiece to keep the strings from contacting any metal. This fixed the buzz.
9. Bent the tailpiece cover to eliminate string contact and lightly oiled the inside lip of the cover so it comes off smoothly.
10. Put on a new set of D'addario phosphor bronze lights strings.

After a couple days work, the mandolin plays great. The problem with these factory-produced instruments is that they just don't take the time to do the finish work. I'm not complaining because I expected to have to do this when I ordered it so I was not surprised and I enjoy working on instruments to make them play the very best they possibly can be. All in all I'm quite happy with this mandolin. One thing about this particular model is that it is acoustic electric and has a nice sounding Piezo pickup system with a volume and tone knob that work properly. So if you want an acoustic electric that will play really well with a little work this one is a good example. As usual Sweetwater did a great job shipping it here and I appreciate the candy. The rating I gave this is out of the box but it is a 4 to 4 and a half after being set up and fixed properly.

Let me say right up front that this is a very basic, nothing fancy, inexpensive, mass-produced, made in China, "plywood" mandolin. But, within these parameters, it is also a very solid, well made, durable, high quality musical instrument that represents an excellent value relative to its cost. It plays very well and has a surprisingly good acoustic mandolin sound, plenty of natural volume and projection. Played as an electric mandolin the built in bridge pickup, and the quick and easy to use tone and volume controls, makes this mandolin considerably more versatile and gig friendly. In addition, playing this mandolin through an amp and using added electronic effects (such as a Boss ME-80 or an EH Ravish Sitar Pedal) offers an incredible range of possibilities for creating fantastically unique and exotic new sounds. If your playing needs call for an acoustic/electric mandolin, without breaking the bank, this is the one to seriously consider getting.

picked this up as a first mandolin to learn on and it's been pretty much perfect for someone just stating out with the instrument. of course there are "nicer" instruments out there if you want to spend more money, but this one offers great value for the price.

This is a flawless quality instrument perfectly set up. Great playability and sound both plugged and unplugged. Sweetwater customer service and tech is second to none. Don't waste your time and frustration with cheaper offshore manufactured mandolins supplied by the big box stores. One of those cheapies is definitely enough to discourage the novice from ever exploring the full potential of mandolin. Go Washburn!

First: A+++ to Sweetwater. Excellent customer service from start to finish.

Second: This is a great beginner mandolin. I brought mine to my local Guitar Center to have new strings put on and a set up while I was there. Having the string slots filed down at the nut - Huge Plus. Action is now perfect.

Love the way this plays and sounds acoustically and through amp.

Happy Playing - Cheers!

Beautiful finish and and very nice tone - set up ready to play either acoustically or amplified; at this price point, what's not to love? Thanks, Washburn and thanks Sweetwater!

Excellent value for the price!

Very nice mandolin you dig good at shipping it I love it

My band has recently been incorporating a few tunes in which mandolin parts fit nicely. I had been using an old Oscar Schmidt mandolin with a stick-on Barcus Berry pickup. I finally decided that I needed a proper acoustic/electric mandolin, but I didn't want to break the bank since I only play mando on 5 or six songs. This Washburn works out perfectly. Every note is nice and clear, there is adequate spacing between the frets (my Oscar Schmidt is a nightmare), the finish is beautiful, and the intonation is nearly perfect. If you are playing Bach Sonatas solo at Carnegie Hall, you may want a fancier instrument. But, if you're a guitar player in a roots rock band playing in beer joints, and you occasionally want to throw in some mandolin, this is the instrument for you. It cuts through the mix and blends nicely. The highs are little harsh with the tone opened full throttle, but I found a nice mellow compromise at just north of 50 percent. I'm going straight into the PA.
Comes with a nice little gig bag and a book of chords and scales.

Semi beginner mandolin player here!. Wanted to upgrade from a modest Rogue $49. I'm very happy with the Washburn because I can do now chords that were extremely difficult with the previous mando. The Washburn comes with travel bags, picks, booklet and a box, that unfortunately really looks like those cheap packages with no real substance :). But it is not. It's a very nice and playable instrument. All notes come out clear and when amplified it is very pleasant. I'll give a 5.0 because of the combo playability-look-price.
I'm sure the technicians at Sweetwater played a big role in setting up the mando correctly.
Good job!

Amazing for the price! Initial tuning was super easy. Nice solid woods. Recommended!

Sweetwater folks are great! Not so much this mandolin. Tried moving the bridge to adjust intonation (per the tech dept.) and it really can't be moved much because of the pickup wiring coming from inside the bridge. The poor intonation, and inability to properly adjust it, is a deal breaker.

Great mandolin for the price. A lot better than most in this range. Great unplugged acoustic sound.

This is a really excellent purchase of a beginners package! I am a clumsy Bass Guitar Player who is now attempting a fretboard and tiny little neck of this Mandolin... I realized quickly that this Mandolin is beautiful and sounds rather great when played with my Bass Guitar Amp! The "Set Up" seems pretty close to what I will enjoy playing with as soon as I get used to the tiny neck...if you have been playing bass guitar all your life, you will really enjoy the challenges of playing this delicate instrument... the finger pressure on this instrument is 20 time less then the pressure I use when playing my Bass.... and the finger motion is almost non-existent. So far I love this Washburn Mandolin and will tote it around with me wherever I go for the next year... at the end of a year I will have more to say about this investment. Thank you Sweetwater people for helping me make a good purchase.

This is a really good value for a mandolin to learn on. It came pretty well set up already. Action and intonation are great out of the box. Stays in tune reasonably well after breaking in the strings!

Had bought a $60 mandolin to see if I could learn to play it.
Turned out I could. So I up graded with this one and I'm glad I did.
It's easier to play with the notes sounding clearer. It has good sound when played through the amp.
I used it with the music group Friday night and everyone seemed impresses with its sound. A nice feature is the volume knob is easy to reach allowing you to turn it up for a break and then back down to follow along.
Sweetwater did a great customer service job with a friendly call after the order, easy tracking and a real quick delivery.

This mando came set up to play. Which I did that evening, taking it with me in the box it came in. Pickup sounds good, mostly rolling the tone control nearly off(played electric guitar through a Fender Supersonic 22). Action, intonation, pickguard....acoustic tone way better than I thought it would be. Thanks Sweetwater!!!

A great starter pack to get started on the mandolin! I would like to thank Dontae for his amazing expertise, skill, and great customer service!

I had not played mandolin for about 7 years give it take and I always wanted to get one! I have always wanted a F style mandolin. If your looking for a mandolin that will knock your socks off for the price you can"t beat this bad boy! It"s plays very easily and hold tune very very well! I can"t put it down! For amen finish are stellar! The resonance is just amazing for such a small body! The neck is fast, and the fret work is perfect! It"s a loud little mandolin!

I'm a percussionist by trade that is trying to learn this instrument. I have a couple pros check it out and they both liked the sound and playability. Service is always great at this company. Very pleased all the way around. Great a axe to start on. Thanks

I hadn't had a mandolin in about 30 years and decided to pick this one up on prior reviews. It has worked out great. I worked it into one of our original songs and the rest of the band was blown away by the presence and how it effected our sound. Well worth the price I paid. Used it for the first time in a performance and the audience loved it. Now it goes everywhere with me.

You will not be sorry with this purchase!! Much much more than I expected for the price. This little mandolin stays in tune, and has a wonderful tone. The fit and finish is very nice for this level of instrument. If you are looking for nice instrument at a great price, look no further. I would like to thank Frank Gerts for his outstanding service, technical knowledge, and most of all, patients.

I love this mandolin. It is sweet sounding, well put together andplays very easy. I have played other mandolins but this one beats them all. The price is right for a beginner and should last a life time!

I am very happy with this Mandolin, especially for just learning how to play it. I would have given it a five but at the time of purchase I didn't know if I would like learning how to play it as much as I do, so now I intend to get better and better and eventually graduate to a more expensive one. John Ptak was a big help in helping me decide which one to get and it was very well packed when I received it. Thanks Sweetwater, you came through for me again!

This review is about more than the instrument. I am extremely happy with the mandolin, for the money and the package it is amazing. I am just as amazed by the wonderful service and fast shipping from Sweetwater. I even received a follow-up email and phone call making sure I was happy with my purchase. This is the type of customer service that makes repeat customers! Thank you for a great product and great buying experience.

Nice sounding, looking, mandolin, easy to play and stays in tune, electrics work fine with amp, but had some troubles plugging into a PA system. Well worth the money, if you're looking for a nice starter or want an F-style Mandolin don't by-pass this one. The gig bag, strap and tuner a cheap, soI'd replace them as soon as possible