Fender PM-180E Mandolin - Aged Cognac Burst with Walnut Fingerboard Reviews
Fender’s PM-180E Mandolin is a go-to choice for players looking for a highly versatile mandolin at a price that won’t break the bank. From classic American bluegrass to Celtic folk, the PM-180E is the companion that won’t quit, regardless of venue size, thanks to its clear and strong onboard active Fishman Implant mandolin pickup. This mandolin resonates with tremendous beauty courtesy of a laminated spruce top with a mahogany body, additionally providing great projection from dual f-holes. Sweetwater players also love how the appearance of the PM-180E is just as comforting as its song, offering chrome hardware and snowflake inlays all the way up its walnut fingerboard. Throw in a set of Fender Phosphor Bronze Mandolin Strings and a gig bag, and this mandolin is ready to take any stage with the utmost confidence in style and sound.
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Highest Rated Reviews
Love this Mandolin
I've been playing this Mandolin for a couple of months now in an Irish Pub band, and absolutely love it. I originally thought it would be a back up to my Fender fm52e, but it has become the go to.
The only thing I would mark against it is, It will pick up movement since it is a Piezo Pickup. But, Its minor and hardly noticeable on stage
Excellent value at this price
As a guitarist, I wanted to learn mandolin to more accurately to cover some new songs my group is performing. After doing research, I settled on the Fender PM-180E A-style mandolin, specifically because it was one of the few models in this price range that came with a pickup. The PM-180E was playable immediately out of the box, although I brought it to a luthier to do a proper setup. (Always recommended). The PM-180E is a good sounding instrument and I recommend buying one from the great folks at Sweetwater. (Hi, Caleb!)
This mando gets four stars rather than five due to some small, but fixable issues. Upon first arrival, the bridge did not sit completely flat on the top of the instrument (not easy to see - I don't fault Sweetwater's 55-point inspection). My luthier discovered that Fender tightly mounts the Fishman pickup in a small hole; it pokes up slightly above surface level to fit snugly into the bottom center of the bridge. However, the bridge's bottom hadn't been sufficiently drilled out for the pickup to fit inside comfortably and so prevented the bridge from sitting flat. For those of you who want perfect intonation at the 12th fret, keep in mind the bridge cannot slide forwards or backwards because the pickup prevents bridge movement. However, it's a compensated bridge and works well; I haven't experienced intonation problems at high frets. Fender did a good job of accurately locating the pickup so you shouldn't need to move the bridge. And, the pickup works well and sounds good.
Other areas my luthier fixed included sanding down the the nut; it needed to be lowered to improve playability at the first and second fret. The cover over the tailpiece that you slide off to change strings was on so tight I needed a screwdriver to remove it, so my luthier gently loosened it for easier removal.
The included carry case is just a glorified garment bag - no padding or protection (except from dust, I suppose) so I bought a hard shell case. The included strap is a black 2" wide guitar strap, so I bought a Fender mandolin strap from Sweetwater, which is a typical thin style leather strap normally seen on mandos; I don't understand why Fender doesn't include it with the purchase.
I'm using my Fender PM-180E A-style mandolin at rehearsals and on stage. At this price it's an excellent value and I'd buy it again if my current one gets damaged.
