Rigel G110 - opinions?

[Kid Charlemagne]

Okay, there appears to be one of these on Ebay right now for what seems like a pretty good price. As a result, and (somehow) some extra money I have in the bank right now, I'm considering purchasing it. I've wanted a Rigel for a long time.

Those of you who have them, what are your opinions of them in terms of playability, consistency between instruments, tone, fit/finish, etc.

I've played a couple Rigels before (I think Mike Orlando of Cast Iron Filter has a G-110, but it may be a CT.. whatever, I fooled around with that one, and his A, a little bit) and liked them, but wondered to what extent one can trust these instruments to be consistently great.

Rigel? Rigel? Rigel? Anyone? Anyone? </benstein>

[wheelhoss]

I have a G110 that was displayed at Wintergrass in 2000.
It has a woody fat tone and plenty of volume. #The radius on the fingerboard is extremely comfortable; the tone and
power of my particular G110 allows one to play a wide variety of styles. #I have a few F5 style mandolins, and I'd say the
Rigel G110 holds it's own with most of them, with the exception of my Gibson Master Model (which is a mandolin
apart from all other "new" mandolins I have owned).

[Bob DeVellis]

Rigel G110's are nice. Playability is outstanding and in my experience, they're quite consistent. They're also plenty loud and have a very pleasing tone. If you like the look and sound of others you've played, that should be pretty much what you get in most of them. Fit and finish on the G-110s is usually excellent.

[mcmando]

I've had my G-110 for about 6 weeks and I'm really pleased with it. #It plays exactly like my trusty A+ deluxe, but is a good deal louder and actually has the chop. #Mine is very nicely figured (as I believe all G-110's are) and the workmanship is perfect.

The sound is well balanced across all courses. #I put on a set of TI strings in medium gauge and it truly sings, especially up the neck. #The bass is A LOT more pronounced than the A+, and is acceptable even with the TI strings, if a bit less dark and "woofy" than with J-74's.

I haven't plugged this one in yet, so I can't say anything about the pickup or amplified sound.

The G-110 is an excellent instrument that (IMO) completes well in sound, fit, and finish with others costing a good bit more.

Best of luck,

Matt

[Bowzette]

the one on ebay has not sold and the price has been going down on it. the view of the back show a metal plate covering the bolt attachment. i may be wrong, but I think that makes it an older model. I don't know if there is any difference if tone and volume in the earlier models or not. You might want to
email Dale as to his thoughts on this. Ken Cartwright sold one in the Classified section a week or so ago for $2000. It sold very quickly!