Product information:
The Samick MF1 is an "F Style" mandolin, which was first made famous by the Gibson Loar design decades earlier. It's a specialized design, made for bluegrass, and not especially suitable for solo playing (like the simpler "A" style is). It's body shape is designed to do one thing, punch the sound outwards, and with enough volume to cut through a full band.
One style of F Style is hand carved, and 100% maple. In the mountains, some people still handmake their own mandolins and that type has a definitive sound that many bluegrass players like. In fact, those old Japanese pot style banjos can still be found up there as clawhammer players aren't as picky about such things as an expensive instrument.
The most common mandolins have maple back and sides (sometimes the neck too), and a spruce top. solid wood, and hard carving, is more expensive. The middle ranges has the wood pressed into shape and the bottom rung features various terms for plywood.
One look at the Samick and it's pretty obvious that it's close to many other brands. Given it's role in the subcontracting business, this is probably a cheaper version price-wise of more than a few models floating around the market.
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