Blue Bell Mandos

[Scotti Adams]

..While in the Bill Monroe Museum last week there were 2 of these mandos in display cases along with a "Pickett" mando as well. All F5 styles..no doubt mandos that were givin to Bill "Down through the years"....there was also a fairly older Gibson F5L just wasting away there too. For those of you who have never visited this museum you owe it to yourself to do so...its located in the little hamlet of Beanblossom Indiana...in the southern part...Brown County.

[Scotti Adams]

..you mean I have finally stumped you guys?

[jim simpson]

Humbly, yes!

[Scotti Adams]

..I think I seen a pic of a very young Grisman playing one way back when....or was that a Blue Comet....Alan..where ya at?

[jbrwky]

Were they made in Brenham, Texas? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[fatt-dad]

At least I know where Brown County, Indiana is. . . . .

[mandoryan]

There was something on Co-mando a while back and somebody has one that went to the Aurther Stern pickin' party and mando tasting. There was a semi-revealing pic of it on there. Maybe somebody could post a note on comando and ask for some info?.....

[SternART]

Nahhhhhh, none have ever appeared at any of my Comando pickin parties. But I did own one for several years coming up. Back in my youth a Blue Bell was my first F5. I used to be archivist for the DGQ, made live tapes of gigs when they were starting out, and Todd Phillips built & repaired mandos in the back of my art studio. Anyway the DGQ goes to Japan for their first tour there, and lo & behold in the dressing room was a Blue Bell as a gift to them. It wasn't that great but Todd took the back off, regraduated the top & tone bars & basically hot rodded it into a quite decent but still not great F5. I ended up with it. Played it a coupla years and sold it to a fella Billy Iberti, a friend of Todd's. There was a second one from the DGQ that I believe went to Fret's magazine's photographer Jon Sievert. Hmmmmmmm come to think of it, John WAS at a Comando party, maybe there was one there and I missed it. Those are the only two I've seen. Pretty decent but not fabulous Japanese mandolin.

[cameron]

One of the first F-5 style mandolins I ever played was a Blue Bell;it belongs to a friend of mine in New Mexico. I get to play it when I go for a visit. I think there are ads for Blue Bells in the old FRETS or Mandolin World(?) mags(?)

[OdnamNool]

..I think I seen a pic of a very young Grisman playing one way back when....or was that a Blue Comet....Alan..where ya at?
Well...as usual... #I don't know what the heck you all are talkin' about... #The "Blue Comet" I know... #is a train!

[OdnamNool]

Woooooo Wooooooo!!! #Clickity clack...clickity clack...wooo wooooooooooooooooooo!!!! #Hrrrrrnnnnnkkkkk! #(clickity-clack-clickity-clack...) #Hrrrrrnnnnnkkkkk! #(oops...gettin' carried away, here...) # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif