Hopf Mandolin Orchestra MAF 36

I was looking for a modern bowl back mandolin in the style of the German 'Seiffert' models. Unfortunately these instruments are not widely available, most being custom builds, from a small number of luthiers, who have waiting lists from 2-7 years. By chance I happened to see a video of an accomplished mandolinist playing the Hopf MAF 36. I loved the both the style and the sound of the mandolin so I contacted the musician to ask his overall opinion of the instrument. He said it was 'A superb instrument, sounding as good as instruments that cost much more'. So I bought the MAF-36 from Thomann (who had the best price I could find) and I am delighted with it. The MAF-36 is an extremely well made, beautiful mandolin, producing a clear, powerful sound and it is significantly more affordable than custom build models. Note: You may also need to think about buying the Hopf case, which is specially made for this instrument, as the bowl of this mandolin is too large to fit in most generic cases.