I will start out by saying that a Gibson Loar F5 will play & sound great. However, for those of us in the real world my suggestion is to go with a solid top insturment. My first mandolin was a Washburn A style that actually played and sounded pretty good until the top sunk in due to a broken bass bar under the top. It would've cost twice what I paid for it to repair it. I now have an F-style Michael Kelly Legacy with a solid top. Much better. You don't have to spend a lot of bucks, but buy the best that you can afford. Strings are important as well. Cheap strings on a good mandolin sound, well, cheap.