Gold Tone GME-5/L Left-Handed 5-String Solid Body Electric Mandolin with Gig Bag
$ 619.99
This is the left-handed version of the Gold Tone GME-5, a double-cutaway solid alder electric mandolin built for players who want real amplified grunt without feedback. Fitted with a dual-rail mini humbucker, chrome hardware, and a ZeroGlide nut, it’s equally at home in Texas Swing, hillbilly jazz, or a flat-out rock setting. Includes a padded gig bag and ships with a professional factory setup from Gold Tone in Titusville, Florida.
In stock
Let me be clear right up front: this is the left-handed version of the Gold Tone GME-5 solid body electric mandolin, and it is genuinely hard to find. Left-handed mandolin players get overlooked constantly, and Gold Tone is one of the very few builders who actually commits to making quality left-handed instruments at an accessible price. The GME-5/L sports that eye-catching double-cutaway body shape in solid alder with a vintage cream high-gloss finish — it looks like it rolled off a late-1950s assembly line in the best possible way. Whether you’re comping behind a Western swing fiddle, cutting through a loud bar band, or just want to explore what a mandolin can do when it’s plugged in and turned up, this instrument opens doors that an acoustic mando simply can’t.
The dual-rail mini humbucker is the heart of this instrument. Unlike a standard single-coil pickup, the humbucker design gives you a warm, thick, feedback-resistant tone that holds together beautifully on a loud stage. The compensated cast-metal bridge offers individual string saddle adjustment for both height and intonation, which matters more than most people realize — a properly intonated mandolin stays in tune all the way up the neck, and the GME-5/L is built to be set up right. The slim maple neck with integral maple fingerboard feels fast under the fingers, the 20 frets give you plenty of range, and the two-way adjustable truss rod means the neck can be dialed in precisely for your playing style and climate. The ZeroGlide nut is a thoughtful touch that dramatically reduces open-string tuning problems. Volume and tone controls, chrome-plated hardware throughout, a multi-layer pickguard — this is a complete, giggable instrument at a price that respects your budget.
Every instrument receives a professional factory setup at Gold Tone in Titusville, Florida before it ships. The action is set, nut slots are checked, truss rod is adjusted, intonation is set at the bridge, and the electronics are verified as clean and functional. This attention to detail means you’re not wrestling with an instrument that plays like a plank — you’re getting something that’s genuinely ready to play the moment it arrives.
Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse
Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means every instrument we sell is covered by Gold Tone’s full manufacturer warranty and comes through proper distribution channels. I’ve been in the fretted instrument business for more than 45 years — I co-own Watch & Learn in Atlanta, wrote Banjo Primer (the top-rated beginner banjo method on the market), and co-designed the Gold Tone OB-Standard, so when I say I know these instruments, that’s not a marketing line. I’ve played and evaluated Gold Tone instruments at every level, and the GME series represents real value for electric mandolin players. Left-handed instruments especially deserve careful sourcing from a dealer who actually knows what they’re selling. We offer flexible financing through PayPal Pay in 4, Afterpay, and 3, 6, 12, and 24-month plans — no late fees — so you can get playing without waiting to save up the full amount at once.
Gold Tone GME-5/L Specifications
| Handedness | Left-Handed |
| Body Material | Solid Alder (Top, Back & Sides) |
| Body Style | Double Cutaway Solid Body |
| Finish | Cream / High Gloss |
| Neck Material | Maple |
| Fingerboard | Maple (Integral) |
| Frets | 20 |
| Inlay | Black Dot |
| Truss Rod | Two-Way Adjustable |
| Nut | 1-1/16″ ZeroGlide Nut |
| Tuners | Sealed Guitar-Style |
| Tuner Buttons | Metal |
| Pickup | Dual-Rail Mini Humbucker |
| Controls | Volume & Tone |
| Bridge | Compensated Cast Metal with Individual String Adjustment |
| Hardware | Chrome Plated |
| Scale Length | 13-7/8″ |
| String Gauges | .040w, .026w, .016, .011 |
| Tuning | GDAE |
| Weight | 3.4 lbs. |
| Included | Padded Gig Bag |
| Setup | USA (Gold Tone Factory, Titusville, FL) |
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m a left-handed player — is this instrument truly built left-handed, or is it just restrung?
The Gold Tone GME-5/L is a purpose-built left-handed instrument, not a right-handed model with the strings flipped. The body, cutaways, pickguard, nut, and control placement are all oriented correctly for left-handed playing. Gold Tone manufactures genuine left-handed versions of select models, and this is one of them — it plays and feels the way a left-handed electric mandolin should.
Can I use this mandolin on a loud stage without feedback problems?
That’s exactly what it’s designed for. The dual-rail mini humbucker rejects the hum and feedback that plague single-coil pickups in high-volume environments. The solid alder body has no resonating air chamber to excite, which is the primary cause of acoustic feedback in hollow-body instruments. You can stand in front of a monitor wedge with this thing and play without drama — that’s the whole point of a solid body electric mandolin.
Does this come with anything besides the instrument?
Yes — Gold Tone includes a padded gig bag with the GME-5/L, which is a genuinely useful inclusion at this price point. It’s not a hard case, but it offers good padding for transport and storage. You’ll need a standard instrument cable to plug into an amp; mandolin-specific cables aren’t required — any 1/4″ guitar cable works fine.
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