Flatiron Number 2 Arrived Today
 

Going butt-wild since picking up mandolin again. Got my 2nd Flatiron mandolin today. Its a '93 A-5 Artist built in Montana and signed by Bruce Weber. Nothing like my more recent Nashville made A-5 Performer. This thing is like playing a wild animal.

Got it from Carter's Vintage in Nashville and I give them very high marks as a dealer.

When I get back this afternoon, I'll post some pictures of the Artist and the Performer side by side.

Congrats on the new mando. We'll await a review and of course pictures!

subscribed :)

Here they are.Artist on the left, Performer on the right..

https://i.imgur.com/aWNd8Ejl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/nY37IVnl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/vVmm4Nwl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BJpi4rsl.jpg

Both have a scooped "Florida"

https://i.imgur.com/TegIq0Zl.jpg

Nice looking mandolins. What year is your Performer? I have a 1999 that looks similar.

The Performer is about '99 or '00. It is Nashville built during the Derrington tenure. It is the more "Gibsonish" of the two. I recently tried some GHS Pure Nickel strings on it and it really came alive, kind of a "Loarish" tone.

Excellent I'll definitely have to try those strings out.

Two more questions for you, HHP:
1) Do you use the Medium or Medium-Light set of the Pure Nickel strings?
2) Do you have a preferred seller? None of my usual strings sources seem to have that kind.
Thanks!

I get them from Elderly Instruments. They are the N250 sets, 10.5-39. I think there is an N270 set but Elderly doesn't carry them.

nice find.
both look very cool.

are both flat fretboards?
and does the new acquisition have a weber tailpiece?

did you get a good price from CarterVintage? they always have some interesting pieces, I've yet been able to work a deal with them though.

d

Flat boards and jumbo frets on both. The Artist does have a Weber tailpiece, its pretty nice cast bronze. I'll never find a gold Flatiron tailpiece so I thought I might change to a gold James. It just sounds so good now I'm leery of screwing around with it.

Carter had it priced pretty low to start with, that's what drew my initial interest. When I talked to them about condition it does have some playwear, they offered to knock off a couple hundred more and have their shop do some touch up so I took it. Given the prices some dealers are asking for Montana made artist models, I'm pretty happy with the deal. Their prices don't seem out of line overall, they just carry some very expensive stuff. I joke that Walter and I are buds now since I bought the third or fourth least expensive instrument in the shop. I'm waiting for my invitation to come down and make a video with one of his Loars.