Ibanez M510E A-Style Acoustic Electric Mandolin – Dark Violin Sunburst

A classic teardrop mandolin with a spruce top, a built-in magnetic pickup, and a glossy sunburst that looks right at home on a bluegrass stage or a coffeehouse corner.

Is This the Right Mandolin for You?

The M510E is the mandolin we recommend to guitar players who want to add a second instrument without a big investment, and to new mandolin players who know they will eventually want to plug in. The A-style teardrop body is simpler to build than an F-style, which is a big part of why it costs less, and it gives up nothing in tone for most playing. The spruce top and sapele body deliver the bright, cutting chop that mandolins are known for, with enough warmth to sit comfortably next to an acoustic guitar.

What separates it from the many acoustic-only mandolins at this price is the built-in magnetic pickup with onboard volume and tone controls. That means no batteries, no external mic, and no scrambling to be heard once the band gets loud. If you play at church, at jams, in a folk or bluegrass group, or you want to layer mandolin into recordings, the M510E gets you there right out of the box.

Key Highlights

• Spruce top with X bracing for bright, punchy projection and clear note separation
• Sapele back and sides add warmth and balance to the traditional mandolin snap
• Built-in magnetic pickup with a quarter-inch output, no batteries required
• Onboard volume and tone controls let you shape your amplified sound on the fly
• Okoume neck with a flat purpleheart fretboard and 20 frets for comfortable, accurate fretting
• Traditional 13.8-inch scale and 30mm nut, familiar to any mandolin player
• Purpleheart bridge and saddle for solid transfer of string energy to the top
• Ivory body binding and a high-gloss Dark Violin Sunburst finish with a classic look
• Chrome mandolin tuners and factory-fitted bronze strings

Why You'll Love It

Great Fit For

• Guitar players adding mandolin as a second instrument
• Beginning mandolin players who want a real instrument with room to grow
• Bluegrass, folk, Americana, and Celtic musicians who need to plug in
• Church and worship players who need stage volume without feedback problems
• Singer-songwriters and home recordists who want mandolin texture in their tracks
• Jam-session regulars who want a dependable, affordable mandolin to bring along

Sound and Feel

Sound: Unplugged, the spruce top gives the M510E a bright, crisp attack with the quick decay that makes mandolin chop work in a rhythm section, while the sapele body rounds out the low end so melodies do not sound thin. Plugged in, the magnetic pickup produces a clear, direct mandolin tone that stays focused at band volume. Rolling the tone knob back warms things up for softer folk material, and pushing it open brings back the sparkle for bluegrass leads.

Feel: The neck is 22mm thick at the first fret and 24.5mm at the seventh, with a 30mm nut and a flat fretboard. That is a comfortable, traditional mandolin neck that suits chord chops, tremolo picking, and single-note runs equally well. The body is compact and light, roughly 13 5/8 inches long and 10 7/8 inches wide, so it is easy to hold seated or standing.

Plugging in: The output is a standard quarter-inch jack, so any instrument cable works. For the best results, run it into an acoustic amp, a PA channel, or an interface. If you want help choosing an amp or a strap-button setup, just ask.

A note on cases: The M510E ships as the instrument only. A case or gig bag is sold separately, and we are happy to pair one up for you.

Specifications