Mandolin advise

[Br1ck]

Giving, not asking. I just got my Weber back from the shop. It went in for a new nut. I said whatever else it needs. It got the nut, the bridge reworked, and the frets leveled and crowned, and it came back sounding twice as good, as good as anything I've ever played. So spend the money. In this case $500 well spent. It really does sound and play like the high priced spread.

[Fishermike]

Who did the work? Gryphon? Or did you send it back to Bruce and Mary? I have a Flatiron that is pretty great, but I keep thinking of having someone who really knows what they're doing set it up again and see if they can't get it to the next level. My go-to local tech is great with guitars, but much less so with mandos IME.

[Br1ck]

Gryphon is temporarily not accepting repairs due to staffing shortage and accidents. They are top notch though.

I've been using CB Perkins in San Jose, a small father/son shop. People trust them with their Gilchrists.

I'd call Sorensen in Santa Clarita and see if he does any repairs or setups. Then there is Bruce Webber of course.

If you haven't had work done ever, or it has been a while, a fret level will astound you. The clarity with low action that can be achieved is like buying a new instrument for twice as much. When I got my Weber Yellowstone in my hands, the first thought was how much it sounded like the Ellis I played. No lie. It was dramatic, and they used light strings. I just left it up to them to do what they do. And they said they could go a bit lower, though there is no reason to. CB Perkins is into it's third generation now, but like all shops, it's pretty much 20 to one or more guitar repair. But they do a number on a mandolin I can tell you.

[Fishermike]

Thanks for that, much appreciated. I'm in the Bay Area regularly, might have to give them a call.

[catndahats]

nice to hear of a good experience. Thanks for sharing!

[Br1ck]

I liked my Weber before, but I bought it in part because I knew I'd not get a fancy bound all over with fern inlays on anything else I'd seen. But since having this back, it's performance has quashed my desire for the plus $7000 market mandolin, that is until you hit the $12,000-20,000 level. You have to dream, don't you?

Mandolins, not for the feint of heart.

[leew3]

Glad it's working great for you now. I'm always amazed at how sensitive a mandolin is to a good set up...which motivates me to get mine done soon!

[Br1ck]

I've become a believer that a fret level and crown is a necessary part of a setup, and more so on a mandolin than a guitar. Now I'm pretty impressed with the setup a good shop like Gryphon does on an Eastman, but the difference is really that because of their price point, companies like Northfield and Collings can take the extra care necessary. Then you have the shop do minor tweaks for climate changes and shipping. You can feel the difference, and your $5000-7000 pays for it.

[RoyBoy]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

Gryphon is temporarily not accepting repairs due to staffing shortage and accidents. They are top notch though.

I've been using CB Perkins in San Jose, a small father/son shop. People trust them with their Gilchrists.

I'd call Sorensen in Santa Clarita and see if he does any repairs or setups. Then there is Bruce Webber of course.

If you haven't had work done ever, or it has been a while, a fret level will astound you. The clarity with low action that can be achieved is like buying a new instrument for twice as much. When I got my Weber Yellowstone in my hands, the first thought was how much it sounded like the Ellis I played. No lie. It was dramatic, and they used light strings. I just left it up to them to do what they do. And they said they could go a bit lower, though there is no reason to. CB Perkins is into it's third generation now, but like all shops, it's pretty much 20 to one or more guitar repair. But they do a number on a mandolin I can tell you.

Set up on mandolins is so much more finicky than guitars. Most guitar techs are not saavy to the differences. On my mandolins I get the first fret clearance down to 0.005"-0.008". Playin first position is butter then instead of torture. I also get my action down to around 0.040" without a degradation in tone. Relief is almost totally flat.

[Br1ck]

Many mandolins have a hump at the neck/body joint. Guitars too for that matter. That needs to be dressed flat so as not to have a hurdle the strings need to top. I've found there to be a zone where tone degrades but strings don't buzz. But dress the frets and you can have action and clarity. Plus, fall away above the 12th fret helps too. It really is something when you get your instrument back and it sounds a bunch better.

I'd love to do this on an Eastman sometime and see if the improvement is dramatic, but try telling a guy who paid $700 to spend another three hundred on it.

[R22]

Interesting thread, as I'm currently going through the thought process of either moving on from my Kentucky KM900, or putting $ into a full setup.

It's definitely a nice mando. Probably better than I deserve, but tonewise I think it's a little too bluegrass for me. Plus I think my aging hands would benefit from a radiused FB and taller frets.

It has the bump at the 12th fret mostly on the treble side. Problem is it's a bound FB. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that would add to the cost of repair.

I got it years ago from The Mandolin Store when they were still in AZ. It seemed like it was set up well by them, and I haven't messed with it since.

[Br1ck]

A fret level and crown is not an issue with a bound fretboard. We are talking thousandths of an inch. The difference in feel is dramatic. Needs a good mandolin guy, and not all guitar techs are. A 900 is a nice mandolin. The next step up is going to cost, even if you stick with an A style.

It sounds like you want a less bluegrassy mandolin. To that end, you might like the affordable Silverangel Econo A. They come up for sale less than $1500 quite often. My A is the more fully bound A that I haven't seen for a long time. Mine is redwood topped and cross braced and the tonal opposite of your 900. Very rich and warm. Not for everyone.

Other nice mandolins I've played were Northfields. Their F 5S is a very nice mandolin for (realitively) little money. Should get one used for $2800-3000. Then the really nice BigMon is hard to beat if you add another grand or grand and a half. Gets expensive fast. Then there is the can't go wrong Collings MT in the A style and MF in the F style. But again, over years of trying both Northfields and Collings, half the time I liked one over the other, and for the classic Blurgrass sound, well, a Gibson, but we are well into the $5k range.

Not horribly expensive, but a quality bump over a 900, is the Silverangel.

When I went to The Mandolin Store and tried a 900, then the Northfield F 5S, I thought I'd have to buy the Northfield. Then they put a Gibson F 9 in my hands and I just cried Uncle, not going to try anything more than the just under $5K at the time F 9.

I have yet to see a Weber Yellowstone for sale for less than $4k, the usual is $4.5K so feel extremely lucky to have mine. It is hard to find a good selection of mandolins for sale in one place at one time. Prices are not going down.

As far as easy on the hands, I don't think there is much difference between flat fret board and thin frets and a more modern mandolin. It's more what you are used to.

[R22]

Thanks for the advice Br1ck.

Yes, these little buggers get expensive in a hurry.

I have my eye on a Northfield M. Fortunately, I actually like the esthetics of an A over an F style. Don't really get the whole scroll thing. The real problem is that there are zero Northfield dealers in So Cal.

I've heard of Silverangel. Will look into those.

There is supposedly a good mando tech in town. I'm going to visit and get an idea of what he can do with the 900, but I'm kinda leaning in the new mando direction.

Just when I get settled with my guitars, now this.

[Zissou Intern]

Originally Posted by R22

Thanks for the advice Br1ck.

Yes, these little buggers get expensive in a hurry.

I have my eye on a Northfield M. Fortunately, I actually like the esthetics of an A over an F style. Don't really get the whole scroll thing. The real problem is that there are zero Northfield dealers in So Cal.

I've heard of Silverangel. Will look into those.

There is supposedly a good mando tech in town. I'm going to visit and get an idea of what he can do with the 900, but I'm kinda leaning in the new mando direction.

Just when I get settled with my guitars, now this.

You may want to check out Howard "Sonny" Morris's mandolins. He is a builder in Oregon. His mandolins are very spartan in appointments, but they sound and play great. I have a Laffferty F5, built by Paul Schneider, and have been considering ordering an A oval from Sonny. He usually has a couple for sale in the Mandolin Cafe classifieds.

[Br1ck]

No problem if you are not into F style, you are certainly better off, but I got into bluegrass, and well, Monroe played F styles. I also just like them. You could do a lot worse than a used Collings MT. It's probably the most saleable mandolin out there.

Lack of the ability to try is everyone's problem. And you can't bank on a full selection anywhere. For instance, Gryphon has always stocked eight to ten Collings, and four or five Northfields. There have been times in the last two years they were down to one F style Collings, and two or three Northfields.

Just go on the Mandolin Store website to see all the out of stock models. I used to go across the hill to Sylvan and could play four or five Webers, and an Ellis or two. No more. I don't know about you, but I'm reluctant to part with five grand without playing an instrument. I'm fairly confident in Northfield and Collings, but I've played a lot of them over a long period of time.