Phil Crump mandolin

[steve V. johnson]

The past weekend was the gathering called the Tionól in St. Louis, a weekend of Irish music sessions, a full day of instruction, and a concert by the instructors.

Dennis Cahill of Chicago, probably best known for his guitar accompaniments of fiddler Martin Hayes, plays mandolin for fun and, on this occaision, in the Saturday night instructors' concert.

His mandolin was a spruce/rosewood Phil Crump mandolin, a 'flat-top'-looking, oval-hole model, a little more 'Euro' than the Gibson A-type shape, and it sounded tremendous. Each course was clear and powerful, the note separation was absolutely stunning. The tone was mellow, yet clear, the highs distinct without being 'zingy' or overly bright. The lows were full without being boomy and it projected like a halogen headlight!

One of the other students in the class plays bluegrass also, and had a go with the Crump mandolin to see if it would "chop." Boy, it did! It wasn't the same as the F5 chop, but it was clear, punch and distinct! When we closed our eyes and listened, we wouldn't confuse the sound with an F-model, but it was right up there with the best of the f-hole A-models that I've heard bluegrass played on.

I've had a Crump bouzouki for several years, and I've been only delighted with it, but I'd forgotten that Phil does mandolins, too, and this was a really nice surprise reminder.

In the concert Cahill played with Chicagoan Pat Broaders (of the band Bohola), who played a huge bouzouki-type instrument called a "dordán," and Ged Foley on fiddle. Foley is best known for his guitar playing with the band Patrick Street and with fiddler Kevin Burke (et al), and plays fiddle for fun.

So this was a real treat, with two of the three great musicians playing their 'second' instruments, and they -rocked- the house.

The Big News, tho, to me, is that there is yet another fine U.S. luthier building distinctive instruments that are different from the Gibson paradigm and are stellar and versatile performers.

Thanks to Dennis and the Tionól, and congrats to Phil Crump for a great instrument!

stv

[Avi Ziv]

Very interesting Steve! I'm looking forward to trying one out one of these days. Did it have a pickup or played through a mic?

Avi

[steve V. johnson]

Hey Avi,

I -don't- think that I saw an endpin in it when I saw it in class, and it was definitely mic'd in the Saturday night concert, and not plugged in.

Best,

stv

[WJF]

I'm days away from receiving one of Phil's OMs (OM-II) that I ordered a while ago ... counting the minutes .... can't wait!!! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[steve V. johnson]

Hey WJF,

Please post pics when you've gotten it?

Thanks,

stv

[WJF]

Hi sliabhstv,

I've never quite figurted out the "magic" needed to post pictures here but once I receive the instrument I'll at least give it my best shot ... it should be a real beauty!!

[Bob DeVellis]

I've come to consider CBOM builders as prime people to check out when looking for a mandolin that will be used for Irish music. Although a variety of mandolins can be great in this style, some of those that seem to suit it best have been built by luthiers who, rather than concentrating primarily on F-5 copies, spend the bulk of their time building instruments of various types for this genre of music. Sobell is the obvious example. I really like his mandolins for Irish. They have a voice that's quite different from an F-5. At least some instruments I've seen that are from sources whose efforts are devoted primarily to F-5s seem to lean in that direction even when they're non-F's and have oval holes. I suspect that in some cases, builders' skills have been optimized around their primary product, the F-5, and that even when building other styles of instruemnts, some of that skill set and "ear" influences their construction and materials. I don't mean this as a criticism and it's a long way from being a universal truth, but it's my current working theory.

The opening post of this thread seems to support that theory. Phil Crump and others may more or less intuitively go for a certain sound in their mandolins that differs from the sound that F-5 builders strive for. If you want an instrument for Irish music (and perhaps old time, as well), that can be a good thing. I've been talking to luthier and fellow North Carolinian Richard Beard, who mostly builds bouzoukis, about his mandolins. They're arched-top flat-backed instruments, ofen using rosewood for back and sides, that seem to share considerably more with Sobell and other non-F5-inspired mandolins than with Gibson-derived instruments. RIchard has made one F-5 but really isn't interested in pursuing that style. He is deeply steeped in Irish music both as a performer and as the host of a public radio program with Irish music as its core. Bob Abrams is another builder whose mandolins seem to share more with bouzoukis and octave mandos than with F-5s. This is based on hearsay, sofar: I haven't actually had a chance to play a mandolin form either of those builders. But the word-of-mouth is very encouraging. I hope to get my hands on a Beard mandolin sometime soon, and will report back with my thoughts.

There are a bunch of other builders in England, Scotland, and Ireland who build in similar ways with similar goals. It's easy to overlook the ones on both sides of the Atlantic who haven't yet gained wide exposure (which is just about all of them). I think of these instruments to be an important derivative form, optimized for the style of music I prefer, that represent excellent quality and value. It'll be interesting to see whether this style remains a niche-within-a-niche or gains in popularity. Flat-back, pear-shaped, rosewood mandos will never replace the F-5 as a bluegrass standard (and, thus, the major mandolin market), of course, but they could catch on among players of other styles. Especially in light of the escalating costs of vintage Gibson oval holes, Sobells, and some of the other better-established imports, American-made mandolins of this type are becoming a more viable and attractive alternative for US buyers, in my view.