Best stringed instruments according to redditors
We found 12 Reddit comments discussing the best stringed instruments. We ranked the 11 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
1. Professional balalaika + gig bag + extra strings. Handcrafted since 1818
1 mention

Russian balalaika made by hand using old technologies. Made in a small family factory in St. Petersburg. The factory was created on the basis of the old Russian factory for the production of musical instruments founded in 1818. Masters carefully store the old traditions of production of balalaika.Ru...
Read comments from redditors2. Balalaika academic student, Balalaiker. Resonant spruce, maple, pear. BSS-AS.
1 mention

Academic balalaika student.The most popular version of student balalaika.Excellent branded balalaika for studying in a music school.
Read comments from redditors3. Danelectro Baby Sitar Tobacco Sunburst
1 mention

Round body shape oeThermometer headstock shape 6 strings tuned like standard guitar Scale length: 253 Number of frets: 21 Gotoh sitar bridge 1 lipstick pickup 1 master volume 1 master tone Case sold separatelyGet back to the psychadelic sound of the 1960s with Danelectro's acoustic-electric Baby Sit...
Read comments from redditors4. Persian Quality Santoor Santur Dulcimer
1 mention

Quality Persian 9 Kharak SantoorTuning: G-Scale 90 * 26.5 * 7 cmWalnut wood, Strings: Brass,Steel,Net Weight: 2.90 kg (2.80 ~ 3.10 kg)It comes with hard case , extra of strings, two hammers and the tuning wrench
Read comments from redditors5. Rogue RLS-1 Lap Steel Guitar with Stand and Gig Bag Metallic Black
1 mention

Produces classic country, Hawaiian, and blues tones Hardwood body Hardwood neck with position markers Single-coil pickup Volume and tone controls Chrome hardware Geared Tuners Single slant pickup Carry bag Includes 3 screw-in height-adjustable legs Stainless steel pickguard Includes legsSlide into s...
Read comments from redditors6. #1 Sitar - Maharaja Musicals Electric Sitar, Studio Edition, Great Acoustics, Volume and Tone Controls With Pick Up, Indian Musical Instrument, Seetar (PDI-AAH)
1 mention

✔ BRAND NEW ORIGINAL PRODUCT✔ FULLY TUNED, ELECTRIC SITAR WITH PICK UP✔ KHARAJ PANCHAM STYLE, MADE WITH TUN WOOD✔ EXQUISITE INLAY WORK & FLORAL CARVING✔ INSTRUMENT HAND MADE IN INDIA. PROFESSIONALLY TESTED
Read comments from redditors7. Psaltery-harp with 15 Strings
1 mention

Musical instrumentsInstrumentos musicalesPsalteryHarp
Read comments from redditors8. Johnson MA-500 Deluxe Bouzouki
1 mention

Solid Spruce TopHighly Flamed Maple Back & SidesSolid Carved Maple NeckGotoh Tuning MachinesAbalone Purfling & Block Fretboard Inlay
Read comments from redditors9. D'Addario J81 Irish Bouzouki Strings
1 mention

Designed for use with Irish bouzoukis of various scalesExtra-bright tone mixed with deep and projecting bottom endCorrosion resistant packaging for strings that are always freshMade in the U.S.A. for the highest quality and performanceString Gauges: Plain Steel .011, .011, .016, .016, Phosphor Bronz...
Read comments from redditors
Congrats! /u/ALAN_BEFORE_TIME
Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray] $89.96
WD My Passport 500GB Portable External Hard Drive Storage USB 3.0 Blue (WDBKXH5000ABL-NESN) $59.99
Asus Google Nexus 7 Tablet (8 GB) - Quad-core Tegra 3 Processor, Android 4.1 $159.99
Casio CTK-2300 61-Key Premium Portable Keyboard Package with Headphones, Stand and Power Supply $119.99
Applecreek ACD100 Dulcimer $64.99
For a total of $494.93 because all things were on his "In My Wildest Dreams" List!
Honestly, before purchasing a real sitar, do some research on the instrument. It's an entirely different beast than a guitar. I've known more than a few guys who bought sitars only to sell them at a loss after becoming frustrated.
Something like this is much more useful to a western "rock" musician.
Like I said, D'Addario Octave Mandolin Strings.
Or.. Bouzouki Strings
An Octave Mandolin typically has a scale length of 23-24", a bouzouki has a scale length of 25-26". The Octave mandolin strings should fit your bouzouki quite well. These are the same strings I use on my Irish Tenor Banjo (though I only use four of the eight at a time).
As /u/steelsparrow mentioned, Johnson MA-500 bouzouki. If you are looking to sell, you could try the Mandolin Cafe classifieds. They have a CBOM section (Citterns, Bouzoukis, Octaves, Mandolas).
Psaltery-harp.
Example : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006F72HXA
That wasn't it but you did set me down the right bath. About 30 wiki links later I finally found it. Ended up being the Persian Santoor
Picked up one of these at Goodwill recently for $7. However, I'm not sure what model it is, as there are apparently multiple ones that look similar, but mine doesn't seem to have a model number anywhere. I'll more than likely be sticking to ebay, as the condition isn't fantastic and I've never sold on Amazon before. It also comes with a suitcase-like case. Anyone have an idea of how to identify the model?
I don't think I'll have too much trouble actually finding a buyer, as it seems to sell well on eBay. My problem is I'm having trouble finding a box to ship it in. The dimensions of it are approx. 24"x13"x4". I have a box that it fits in, but its height is like twice the necessary size and will most likely increase the shipping cost by a lot for that reason alone. The case seems sturdy, and I have some brown packing paper lying around. If I just wrap the instrument in bubble wrap, put it in the case, and maybe put a layer of bubble wrap around the case, and wrap the case with the packing paper, would that be okay? Or is it too risky?
This
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0076T84KG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1397409111&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40
I have a mandolin - just the ticket when you show up to a jam and there's already five guitarists.
In the same vein, a cheap lap steel is awesome fun.
I haven't tried them personally, but I'd take a look at either a "Doff" or a "Balalaiker" brand balalaikas. They're made in Russia, made new and are within your price range.
For example
See here for a Doff
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-balalaika-extra-strings-Handcrafted/dp/B07NGK3QDL/
And here for Balalaiker
https://www.amazon.com/Balalaika-academic-student-Balalaiker-Resonant/dp/B07N6MV25D/