New mexico builder sparks curiosity

[Ted Eschliman]

Here's something cool and worthy of some discussion. We've had three weeks to review some very cool instruments from New Mexico builder (and Café member) Orien MacDonald. A little tease:

http://jazzmando.com/images/ModO_OFace.jpg

Boy have we had some fun. Read review and see more pictures: Model-O Mandolins (http://jazzmando.com/orien_macdonald_model_fmodel_o.shtml)

[Ted Eschliman]

Coolness!

[Ted Eschliman]

And this:
http://jazzmando.com/images/ModO_FBridgeEnd.jpg

[Ted Eschliman]

"Fraternal" Twins:

http://jazzmando.com/new/archives/images/ModoTwinsFace1.jpg

[steve V. johnson]

Thanks, Ted! Amazing instruments.

Are there sound clips with your article? I may have missed them... I didn't find any on Orien's site, either. I'd love to hear his guitars and basses, too.

Great introduction, thanks again,

stv

[mandopete]

Very interesting - any sound clips?

[David Newton]

I saw Orien's mandolin early on at the MIMF, we gave him a hard time for every untraditional point, and he came out great overall.
That is a good going-over in the article, but nary a word about how it sounds and plays, surely that's the bottom line? Any impressions here?
I love the newer "shoulder hole" model.

[OrienM]

Hey, alright! Very cool to come upon these nice pics of my work this morning...I'm afraid I haven't made any soundclips yet. It's on my to-do list...I kind of want to record a 'real' mandolinist playing them, as I'm not that good. They will be on my site when I get them done, though, hopefully soon. I'm trying to finish building my house, so I keep getting pulled in other directions!

If anybody has any questions (like, "Why the heck...")I'll try to answer them. They actually sound fairly 'normal', IMO. Good and loud too. On mandolin, I like to (try to) play bluegrass and folk, so these are kind of tailored for that. I probably gave Ted tendinitis with the brutally high action I like, sorry Ted!

[Ted Eschliman]

I really didn't mean to skirt the issue of playabilty in the review, but you have to understand, I came to each instrument evaluation with a bias, as we all do when getting acquainted with an instrument. I personally prefer a radius, standard-width fretboard, and low bridge action. If I were comfortable playing a wide, flat FB with high action, I'd report both instruments play like butter. I also didn't mention both come with 24 frets of clean playing area, but I myself struggle to play past the 14th, and don't have much desire to. In this light, I reserve a "bottom-line" impression, simply because readers probably don't play like me and I don't play like them.

I hope this and my other published reviews give people more questions than answers about their own instruments and load each with ammunition for there own personal quest for the utlimate mandolin. We all have different size hands, arms, strengths, let alone enjoy unique and preferred musical styles. I have no doubt in my mind Orien is perfectly capable of building an instrument to fit most mandolinist's playing styles, unless one has the notion that God created the F5 on the 8th day, and no others are acceptable.

I'll say this, in the right hands, both instruments are rich in tonal color, loud with full dynamic potential. I'm not comfortable making the ultimate judgement of "acceptability" for anyone else, and I'm bemused when someone else tells me their instrument is the best in the universe.