Weber Tamarack Mandocello

[PhilGE]

I had the chance to play a Weber Tamarack Mandocello while at Elderly a couple of weeks ago. I'm not used to the scale length, but love the deep, loud sound of it. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with one. I can't afford to purchase one right now, but it's on my fantasy wish list.

-Phil

[steve V. johnson]

I played a Tamarack and an Absaroka at that shop in Coshocton, Ohio (now I can't remember the name... ack!). I had issues with the stringing on both. The gauges were so heavy that the tensions were very low, and tho my hands aren't small, I had real difficulty having enough meat at the ends of my fingers to actually fret the low C strings.

Having said that, I have played Gibson mandocellos that were strung light enough to offer some resistance to my hand, and to fall under my fingertips, and I liked that well.

The Tamarack I played was a custom order from that shop with a little more dressing than the stock model, some extra binding and inlays and such. I like Webers a lot and you won't fail with the build quality. I have a friend with a similar, less fancy version (can't remember the name) and lives in a very humid area. This instrument has traveled thru all climates, been played outside most of its life and soldiers on sounding great.

HTH,

stv

[violmando]

Steve, if you remember the name of that shop, let me know--I am planning some "field trips" around the state next month to try out instruments!
Yvonne

[steve V. johnson]

Hi Yvonne,

I just needed some time to recover from tunes, rain, old movies and good whiskey to find it... <GGG>

www.wildwoodmusic.com

Wildwood is a great little shop, just packed with high-quality guitars and mandolin-fam' instruments, and the folks there are wonderfully helpful and patient. They order custom instruments for their shop, so you can find some truly unique stuff there, and they make no bones about which ones sound the best (or better).

When we went, we took a weekend and stayed in the restored, historic Roscoe Village, which is from the canal-boat period of the early 19th century. We had tunes with the folks who play in the bar, met a bunch of fine local folks (we generally travel to places like this in the off-seasons so we can do that), and had a splendid time, along with about six or seven hours of just playing fine instruments in Wildwood. There's a huge (the largest in the country?) Dulcimer Festival there, for both Appalachian and Hammer- style players, so they are used to odd musics... <GGG>

Have a great time!

stv

[violmando]

THANKS, Steve--they sound great and I know someone I can get to go with me--I'll let them shop for their stuff while I play around! Yvonne