Ordered a Custom F5 from Ward Elliott Mandolins

[Jim Roberts]

Jim: #That Elliott you played will be arriving at my doorstep tomorrow and tonight I feel like a nine year old kid the night before Christmas! #Ward is a first class guy and builds one heck of a nice mandolin. #I had an Elliott that I purchased from Ken Cartwright (another first class gentleman) a year and a half ago and while I truely loved it, the neck was not "just right" for me. #So I talked with Ward about shaping the neck to fit my hands, and he offered to build me a new one with no upcharge...he said to just send it back to him and he'd swap my old mandolin for a new one built to my custom specs for no extra $$. #How many other builder's do you know that would do this? #I'll try to post some pictures of it next week sometime. #

Congratulations on your ordering a new Elliott. #He's one of the top builder's in the country IMO. #Plus, you will not find a more personable builder to work with.

As information, there are pictures of Ward's property on this web-site...just go to Eye Candy and find the Elliott link.

Cheers!

[jessboo]

Yea Ward's mandolins are some of the best made for sure!!!!

[Jim Roberts]

By golly, it arrived safely and it looks like the living room will not get painted this weekend. #Maybe not even next weekend!

First song out of the box was Red Apple Rag, followed by Ice on the Road and then a few O'Carolan tunes...OH MY!!!


Cheers!

[Jim Roberts]

It's truly amzing. #I played so much yesterday and last night that I had to lather my forearm with Theragesic ointment (like Ben Gay) this a.m. #The neck and string spacing were modeled from a Phoenix Bluegrass mandolin. #I have yet to find a flaw on the instrument. #The workmanship is out of this world and even the ebony pickguard is bound w/tortoise binding to match the instrumnet. #The harmonics at the twelfth fret are as pure as I've ever heard. #What's really blown me away is the string tension feels like it's been played on for years. #The E strings are bell-like in tone and the G stings are low and woody. #My only complaint is that the Waverly's are a bit heavy but I knew that when I special ordered those tuners. #The upside to the Waverly's is that they stay in tune so well and you can even take the strings straight down to pitch instead of having to go below pitch and then back up. #The playability is really, really nice and I'm going to have the action raised a bit when I have the varnish removed from the back of the neck next week.It's already a sweet-heart and it's getting better and better with each note I throw out into the universe.#

These are fun mandolin times. #It's always a treat to hear peoples reviews of their new intruments. #Lately, I've enjoyed reading about Drew Horton's new Hillburn and Maverick's new BRW and I'll certainly hope to hear from you, Jim, in October when your new Elliott arrives.

P.S. Don't forget Winfield is less that four months away!

[Pattroglyph]

Congratulation, Jim and Jim! #I am glad you are thrilled with the results of your purchases. #As in a good restaurant, the better the meal the more the forethought and preparation. We all truely won out! #You know...the people #I have met who have purchased an Elliott did so with a sense of investment and pride in ownership. Then we found out it was adictive. #(It's that magic dust he puts into the sound holes.) # #

I am very fortunate to share the same living space with three Elliotts. #The #41 a beautiful F5, #47 a black faced oval hole and a lovely three pieced curly maple back bouzouki the #48.

You can not go wrong. #I saw the pics of the binding.. #Gorgeous! Ward has been the most attentive luthier. #He is detail oriented and PULLS the most sound possible from the wood. #The difference between my #41 and #47 is striking. The people I play with actually ask for the two for different situations! #The oval hole growls with a dark smokey tone ( jazzy and blues like). #The #41 CUTS through the crowd and is the best banjo killer I ever heard. #Both are easy to play and effortlessly encourages musical nuiance. Pull offs and hammer ons are a joy and the sustain is incredible. #His sculpture work on these instruments created the quality of the tone.

#I love to sing into mandolins to hear their resonse. #My Elliotts react and RING like bells like you said. # #Glad to hear you have joined our ranks. Only so many Elliotts... lots of mandolinists.....

[jessboo]

So Jim are going to post picktures of your new Elliott or what?
Hi Patsy How have you been?

[bluegrassjack2]

What is the prices on these Ward Elliott mandolins??

[Jim Roberts]

Jessbo: #Our digital camera really sucks and it wouldn't do the mandolin justice! #I'm hoping to borrow my sister's digital camera this weekend...she always has the latest and coolest electronic toys. #My dough goes to support my mandolin habit, not electronics!

I'll try and get some pictures up real soon.

Cheers

[Pattroglyph]

Hello Jessboo!
Yep doin' pretty good ... addicting people to the sound of the Elliotts... #I promised myself last year to have a goal of becoming the best derned backup artist to whoever I am playing with. #Lot's to learn when making a good instrument really sound that way... in your hands! Ward's work makes that "chust" a little easier. As they say in Dutch Country. Yeaaaaa, Jim we will try to be patient.

[Ward Elliott]

Bluegrassjack2.........If you'll e-mail me I'd be happy to send you some information! wardelliott11@hotmail.com BTW I only got a few photos of Jim's #57 before I sent it to him and they weren't that great, so I'll let him post some of his new ones. Ward