howard morris oval hole

[cheetah]

hey y'all,

i was wondering what anyone can tell me about the mandolins made by Howard Morris in Oregon. I could only find one page on the internet about his mandolins. it said that he has only made 55 to date? thanks http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[250sc]

I have played a couple and liked them both. They seemed like a real good deal for the money.

[J. Mark Lane]

55 is quite a few. Has Dudenbostel made that many? Certainly his name is quite renowned.

I've owned two mandolins by Howard Morris, one of which I still own (shown here, with Tourtelotte bridge). They are well made instruments and they sound good. The F5 that I still own rivals any mandolin I've played costing under $3k in terms of volume and quality of tone. It is loud and has a nice punch, a great "woody" tone, very deep sounding. I also owned an F4, and although it was not as loud (F4's rarely are), it had a very sweet tone.

Construction and "fit and finish" on these are very good. They will show the signs of being hand-crafted -- no "CNC perfection." But the quality is very good. Howard is a player himself, and has a very pragmatic approach to instrument building. His are mostly no-frills, get-the-job-done instruments.

I've checked out a lot of mandolins over the last couple of years, including the Eastmans and other instruments in the same general price range. I firmly believe you cannot do better than a Morris anywhere near the price he gets for his instruments.

Feel free to email me with specific questions. I can also send additional pictures if desired.

[hungry mountain boy]

I have a Howard Morris A model with F holes, its very nice. Good volume and a "woody" warm tone. Nice playability too. Glenn Hurley

[JEStanek]

JML,
Is there something funny with that picture? It almost looks like the top is sunk from the top of the treble F-hole to the fret board? Is this just a wicked recurve I'm seeing? I've always dug Mr. Morris's scrolls.

Jamie

[J. Mark Lane]

Jamie,

Good eye. That's just the way the top is carved. It's an interesting top, much more carved than a typical top, more "curvy". Kind of like a violin. I think Howard's idea was that it might increase volume, although I can't speak for him. I can tell you it is quite loud.

Mark

[John Flynn]

Has Dudenbostel made that many?
On the DIY program, the Dude said he has made about 50. However, as my Tai Chi instructor likes to say, "Practice doesn't make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."