View Full Version : Sobell Information
ninevah
Jul-09-2005, 5:36pm
Can someone tell me the depth of the Sobell Octave Mandolin?
Does anyone know the current price for a basic octave mandolin and wait list time?
Thank you
delsbrother
Jul-10-2005, 1:16am
Have you tried going straight to the source (stefan@sobellinstruments.com)?
ninevah
Jul-10-2005, 4:27am
Yes, I have sent three e-mails now. (To the address you suggested)
I waited patiently for a reply, when none came I made this post for information.
Maybe he has gotten to the point where he isn't taking any more orders, I don't know (?)
I may try calling by phone.
Bob DeVellis
Jul-10-2005, 7:52am
I had ordered a Sobell a couple of years ago and changes in Stefan's shop necessitated his nearly doubling his prices. Most customers, myself included, cancelled their orders which Stefan hoped would happen because he was hopelessly behind schedule after the departure of his long-time assistant. As I recall, the mandolin I had specificed had a revised price around $7,000 and I'm confident that an octave mandolin would cost more than a regular mandolin, all else being equal. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the waiting time is also quite substantial, especially if he's not responding promptly to your attemts to get in touch. Although this is all quite discouraging to a potential customer, he does make wonderful instruments. I decided I couldn't add the substantial cost and time (I'd already waited the full time I'd expected for him to complete my instrument) and decided to cancel. I was able to find a used Sobell mandolin that I very much enjoy and Stefan and I have even corresponded a bit about that instrument.
My impression is that no one is less pleased about these changes than Stefan himself. I think things just got out of hand and that he's doing his best to get back on a more even keel. He's a good guy who builds great instruments. I think demand just far outstripped his ability to produce and when he and his assistant parted ways, a bad situation became worse and he found himself overcommitted. If you have patience and financial resources, taking steps now to get in line for a Sobell will probably be amply rewarded. But if you're looking to get an instrument within a briefer and more clearly defined time and cost framework, that may not be possible with a Sobell for the time being.
ninevah
Jul-10-2005, 8:15am
Thanks Bob
I won't jump to any conclusions, will try to call this week.
Mandobar
Jul-11-2005, 7:00pm
sobell has one dealer now in the US. call brian wolfe at acousticmusic.org 203-458-2525. i am not sure stefan is taking orders, but he is sending instruments to be consigned with brian when they are available. several months ago brian had a sobell octave which he sold very quickly. as bob says, "patience" is the key.
steve V. johnson
Jul-11-2005, 8:39pm
I just took a look at Acoustic Music.org... Wow, what a great collection of instruments! It's a very good thing that I don't live near there, I'd spend way too much time in the showroom (and maybe too much money, too!).
There aren't any Sobells there just now, but ... plenty of other great stuff.
Thanks for the tip, Mandobar!
stv
Mandobar
Jul-12-2005, 5:05am
there are supposed to be two joe foley mandolins and a guitar there. he may not have put everything up yet.
i think the sobells pretty much come in and go out. i believe he has a waiting list.
Tim Porter
Jul-12-2005, 7:26am
Hi! #Long time lurker, first post. #I have a recent (about 15 months) Sobell Octave Mando--cocobolo and cedar. It's magnificent--sounds like about three 12 string guitars. #To answer your initial question, it's about 3 1/2" at the tail piece, but it has a significant arch so the sides are about 2 11/16" at what appears to be the most shallow point. #[These are measurements I just took, not Stefan's.]
Perhaps you've already gotten there, but be sure to check the News section of Stefan's site. #In the last week or so, he has updated it and notes that the internet has been the source of a lot of rumors about production shut-downs, demonic possessions, etc, etc. #He is taking orders and says it's about a 12-18 month wait. #He tends to update the News section of his site about once a month. #He's generally very responsive with emails, but the press of business sometimes causes a delay. #I met him the last time he was in the States and he is a charming and droll character. #I'm primarily a guitar player and have a couple Sobell guitars. #I get around on the guitar pretty well but am a mando-newbie. #Just couldn't pass up this OctMando when Stefan had one available. #You can see several thumbnails of it on the front page of Stefan's site.
Sorry for running on in my first post. #Tim
steve V. johnson
Jul-12-2005, 11:17am
Hey Tim!
Welcome out of lurkage and thanks for the great news about Stefan!
John Woodward of the Louisville area has a Sobell OM that he's had for some years. It's wonderful. Yours sounds even more so. I've not heard one with a cedar top, and I like those a lot. The Sobell guitars I got to touch <GG> were Ged Foley's, tho he's now sold those. Fantastic, they were.
Thanks, and all the best,
stv
Tim Porter
Jul-12-2005, 12:42pm
Thanks, Steve. IIRC, you are in Bloomington, IN? I went to school there (graduated in 1977 as a Lit major--sheez). There was a vibrant music scene there back then (not to mention the IU School of Music). I'm sure it's even better now.
The cedar top on my OM, according to Stefan is 70 years cut and has some characteristics of spruce, and is expected to require some break-in time (though not as much as spruce). He said the only drawback of this wood is that he has so little in stock that he doesn't advertise it. It's gorgeous, too. As mentioned above, there're several thumbnails of it on the first page of Stefan's site, incl. back, top and headstock. Tim
steve V. johnson
Jul-12-2005, 1:29pm
Yes, Tim, I'm in Bloomington! It's still a nice place, tho you'd probably find it much more of a city than when you were here.
The music scene is great, with loads of basement hiphop and alternative concerts, great ethnic/world music and bands, and a load of old-guy blues and rock bands, too, and a wonderful community, listener-owned radio station. We're still a bit shy of performance venues, which is a bit different from '77, as I recall, but that's changing too. It's a big town, now tho, with too much traffic and development, but we endure. <GGG>
Thanks for the info on your cedar top! Whoooooooo.... nice.
I need to go and look at it!
Thanks,
stv
jmcgann
Jul-13-2005, 6:36am
Stefan lost his assistant of many years and hasn't found a world class replacement, and he refuses to compromise. He lives in a rather rural part of the UK so there isn't as wide a pool of people to draw from. For the time being, he is a one man shop.
I am sorry to see his prices double, but the instruments are truly top notch. If you order one of his instruments or seek an older one, you will get a truly great instrument.
I ordered a mandolin from Stephan last August/September just when he was trying to restructure his operation. I had email from him last week. He seems a lot happier with the way things are going and is really enjoying building instruments which he considers to be his best ever at a realistic rate. The latest estimate for my instrument is build start of around July 2006 - so I guess you are looking at around 2 years from ordering. As to the prices - his February 2005 price list indicates that all mandolin family instruments are in the range of GBP3400 to GBP4000, the range is associated with different woods rather than instrument size. 5 courses are a little more expensive.
You would need to check with Stephan what his current prices are. Hope this helps.
Mandobar
Jul-13-2005, 8:32pm
i've owned a few sobell instruments over the last few years. i always wanted a small bodied cedar and rosewood mandolin. i bought one two summers ago. i just could not get used to it. the tones were way too complex. there are a few folks around who have these mandos so if you can, play one first and see if it is your cup of tea.
a few months back larry wexer had a cocobolo and german octave for $4k. it sold rather quickly.
ninevah
Jul-14-2005, 9:11am
I want to thank everyone for their helpful replies.
Spruce
Jul-14-2005, 10:59am
Stefan's an old friend who I first met after attending a dance in Edinborough 20 or so years ago, and noticed that 35 out of the 40 instruments on stage were Sobells...
That's a lot of Sobells....
Visited him the next day, and we've been in contact since...
He visited the States for the first time a couple years ago, and I picked him up at the Seattle airport and gave him a mini-tour (we only had a day) of the Northwest...
Visited a couple maple mills, took the ferry from Pt. Townsend to Keystone, and then went up to the mountains to say "hi" to some large Engelmanns...
A very enjoyable day...
His shop is an interesting visit, and it's fun to see where all those instruments come from...
Great guy, and great instruments...
Tim Porter
Jul-15-2005, 7:40pm
I was remiss in not adding my support for Brian Wolfe at Serious Strings/AMO. He's a great guy. Before he was Stefan's dealer in the US, he was so enamored of Sobell instruments that he allowed me to have Stefan ship him my Sobell Model 0E guitar just for the excitement of seeing another Sobell right out of the box (actually, right out of the mummification of bubble wrap that Stefan uses--he doesn't ship in boxes). I was afraid my guitar would show up at my home and sit on the porch in that NE February cold snap we had 2 winters ago, and Brian received it at his shop for me, for free. No commercial connection. Tim
when my 10-string mandola arrived from Stefan, it was under enough bubble wrap that I thought a horse with a handle had just arrived
Bob DeVellis
Jul-18-2005, 2:12pm
Brian Wolfe was the source of my (used) Sobell. Good guy.
Rich Michaud
Jul-31-2005, 1:54am
I bought a used one from some guy from th3 Isle of Wight and I cound not be happier. John McGann advised me to get the large-bodied one which is great. Rich
Adare_Steve
Jul-31-2005, 2:42am
Before he was Stefan's dealer in the US, he was so enamored of Sobell instruments that he allowed me to have Stefan ship him my Sobell Model 0E guitar...I was afraid my guitar would show up at my home and sit on the porch in that NE February cold snap we had 2 winters ago, and Brian received it at his shop for me, for free...
Hmmm. I can't work out who did who the favour! Yes, it was great that he held onto your instrument for you - but letting someone else be the first to unwrap, handle and (possibly) play such a delicate and scratchable item is a risk I'm afraid I wouldn't take.
Steve
Hmmm. I can't work out who did who the favour! Yes, it was great that he held onto your instrument for you - but letting someone else be the first to unwrap, handle and (possibly) play such a delicate and scratchable item is a risk I'm afraid I wouldn't take.
They're only like that for the first 10 minutes or so, unless they were bought for fossilization purposes http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Tim Porter
Jul-31-2005, 6:23pm
Actually, Brian exhibited amazing self-control and waited until I arrived, after hours (!), and Brian and I de-mummified the case out of the zillion and one layers of bubble wrap that Stefan uses. Three days later, when we finally had the thing unwrapped (LOL), I was the first to open the case. So, it was totally selfless on Brian's part. And it is definitely getting played. It's the same Model 0E shown on Stefan's website, btw. Rgds, Tim