Harley Benton HBMA-100E- VS

Normally viola is also a term used to communicate exclamation...so the first sorry...The second sorry in the title because I used Mandola as a rhyming word for Viola...Coincidentally Mandola too is a musical instrument that I haven't bought yet. Hence had to settle with 'mandolin'. Well. This was my first purchase from thomann.de ... Was excited obviously. The response and order processing was pretty prompt and fast. Got my delivery quite late due to Covid pandemic.
Use - I am a hobbyist today with interest in good music irrespective of its origin viz. Indian, Western classical, Bavarian, Arabic or whatever. Plan to use this instrument at private jammings to start with and gradually to bigger events with more expertise.
Pros -
Excellent looks,
Elegant styling,
Melodious sound,
Nice controls,
Reasonable finish for this price.
Cons -
(1) The protrusion seen on bottom right though looks sexy, pricks on the thigh if you aren't using a belt. An oval edge without any offset may enable playing the mandolin even by sitting on ground. So the 'edge' on this model compels to use a belt for long duration playing times.
(2) Tuning pegs - This is a really irritating fact to digest that the manufacturer seems to have given no due consideration. The buttons you hold while tuning are not sufficiently grippy. Hence its tough to turn them when strings are sufficiently tightened but not yet reached to the note/pitch you wish to achieve and you need to turn/rotate them more. Not at all comfortable experience while fine tuning the strings especially E and A if you are using a E-A-D-G tuning for the mandolin.

Summary - This could be a good buy for a beginner to medium level artist. It could easily serve the purpose to practise beginner lessons, play own music and present at private groups

Shipping from Germany to the US Virgin Islands was very fast and the customer service was excellent. The instrument came well packaged and in perfect condition. The neck and action were excellent and intonation was right on the money. The only problem was a bad ground hum when plugged in! And as any one who has tried to fix this issue especially on a mandolin which has minimum clearance to get to the jack etc. It is not easy! The Thomann people should have checked this before leaving the factory. If you buy one..and I do recommend it, communicate with them and have them check for this issue...Other than that I love this instrument. Oh and I also pulled up the original Gibson F5 patent from the 1920's from which this instrument was modeled and all the specs are identical. Very cool!

For the price, it's a nice instrument. I am still happy to have it, bought it a year or so ago.

Pros:
Good price.
Very usable (requires the setup, like any instrument with this kind of bridge).
Nice, balanced sound.
Reasonable craftsmanship (it's not the best, the F-holes weren't cut properly, but the fretwork on mine is flawless.

Cons:
The pickup is not the best, as you could imagine, but it gives you the option to record it with a DI for something.
Not resonant enough acoustically (as most acoustic instruments
below a certain price point). If you want a truly great resonant instrument - prepare to cash out much bigger sum.

Conclusion: it's a good instrument if you need a mandolin sound for something other than your livelihood and playing huge gigs.