Quote:
Originally Posted by varmonter
well i don't own one so can't comment.But I have played one that i thought was rather dull sounding.Then I played one at a Greyfox Vendor.This mando was high end 4800.00 Gray finish if i recall.It was beautiful in finish and tone/playability ..so I guess you get what you pay for.
|
What is funny about this is that $4800 isn't really "high end" in the mandolin world. Someone once asked what the equivalent to a D-18/D-28 was in the mandolin world. The answer is probably a Gibson F5L, which costs about twice what a D-18 does. High end in mandolins is something like a Gibson F5 MM or a Gilchrist, both of which run $15-20k, used. And don't even get started on vintage Gibsons, a 1928 Fern will set you back $70k and a Loar signed 1924 F5 sells for about $180k, down from well north of $200K in the peak years.
But yes, a $4800 hand crafted mandolin will likely sound much better than any Eastman, but it doesn't mean the Eastman is a bad mandolin, particularly when you look at where beginner, sub $1k mandolins were a decade ago, before Eastman jumped into the market. Kentucky's were junk and MKs and Morgan Monroes were all but unplayable. Eastman forced Kentucky to up its game (the upper range models are now very good) and paved the way for small shop Chinese builders like Northfield.