anyone know anything about mandolins?

[sabes35]

Im considering getting one. But have a few questions. 1 how hard are they to learn to play, if you play guitar? Also, are there any drawbacks. like strings are expensive or something, something you woudln't think of? thanks,

[juineaux]

Hi I am a guitarist and I bought my first mandolin this summer and its so cool. Mandolin is not that hard for a guitarist to learn, and they are fairly easy/cheap to maintain. One drawback is that you cant really play mandolin by yourself, at least not as easy as solo guitar.
A great website for everything mandolin related is:
www.mandolincafe.com

and for a great first mandolin this one is great:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=021111174924131187253253704251/search/g=guitar/detail/base_id/59531