Hester a5 sound clip

[Ken Sager]

I posted this in the thread about Gail's A5s and thought a new topic with its own heading was appropriate. I hope my playing somehow shows how strong this mandolin is.

http://kensager.com/hester....0A5.mp3 (http://kensager.com/hester/Cherokee%20Shuffle-Hester%20Carpathian%20Spruce%20A5.mp3)

Enjoy,
Ken

[Ken Sager]

Of course I put it in the wrong forum...

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Glassweb]

Yo Ken... both you and the mandolin sound GREAT. Very good improvising on the melody... relaxed, a natural flow of ideas and not too flashy or tricky... in other words - MUSICAL! That Carpathian spruce is very intriguing... seems to get a very defined sound that I like. Congrats to you and Gail.

[JimRichter]

I agree with Glassweb: your playing is top notch. It's definitely characterized by being relaxed and musical.

Mandolin sounds great too!

Jim

[Ken Sager]

Thanks friends. I was really trying to show off the strengths of both Gail's work and the carpathian spruce. To my ear the carpathian offers amazing balance and clarity. It's truly a fantastic instrument.

Best,
Ken

[Glassweb]

By the way, I dig your playing a lot too Jim! Onward mandolin explorers...

[Glassweb]

Uh Gail... are you up for a Carpathian top A5 mandola project? PM me.

[Ctone]

Sounds great! The playing and the tone of the instrument.
I would really like one of these someday. Gail if you are reading this,How long is your wait time on a new order?

[h2o-X]

Great picking! I'd like to be able to play just ONE song as well as you pick Cherokee Shuffle. And, Gail's A5 sounds as beautiful as it looks.

[pjlama]

It still has a very traditional sound, I've been curious about Carpathian. I guess question answered. Very nice playing and sound too. It seems like Gail's A5's hit the mark squarely. Thanks for taking the time.

[mandomick]

Nothin' like a great sounding mando played with a nice clean touch!

Did you play all the parts/instruments yourself? Any effects?

[Chris Biorkman]

Nice picking and a great sounding instrument.

[Ken Sager]

Thanks friends. Carpathian spruce sounds, feels, and looks good to me.

Mick, to answer your questions, yes, I played all the parts and it's a straight signal for each track - no EQ, compression or effects.

Best,
Ken

[JEStanek]

I have moved this from the Builder forum to here on Ken's request. I also have to agree with everyone else. Great playing on an exquisite instrument.

Jamie

[Ken Sager]

Thanks, Jamie. It's the exquisite instrument that is my purpose for posting this. Getting 400 views in one Sunday is a pretty good result.

[Nolan]

Sounds closer to Red than Engleman to me... what do you think Ken?

[Ken Sager]

Hi Nolan,

I don't think it has that enhanced mid-range coughing bark that Red can have on the A and D strings. It's much more balanced than has been my experience with Red Spruce while keeping the strong clarity of the trebles that I like about Red. So, it's like Red, but with more warmth and balance. I think that balance and warmth is what others were calling an oval-hole openness, but this mandolin has strong cutting clarity as well.

I didn't get a chance to play the other Hester A5 with the Red Spruce top. I'd love for Geoff to post a sound clip of his Red Spruce Hester A5 for comparison. squirrelabama? You out there?

The important part of this equation is Gail's handiwork. She knows how to carve wood and I'd trust her to make a good sounding mandolin out of any kind of top wood.

If I didn't already have this A5 and I were going to ask Gail to build a mandolin for me I'd ask for one exactly like mine. If I were to order another Hester mandolin (believe me I'm seriously considering it)I'd ask her to build an F5 with whatever piece of top wood she liked most and thought would make the best sounding mandolin. If she asked me what wood I prefered I'd choose Carpathian. Whatever she used I'd trust it to sound fantastic and be very happy with that.

Best,
KS

[Nolan]

Gail just called me last week asking what woods I wanted and she and I both were leaning towards engleman. I'm still thinking engleman is the right choice for me but you know, carpathian is all the rage lately.....

[mandopete]

Nolan - are you getting an F-5, what's 'zup?

[Nolan]

Yeah, F-5. She says she's building it in the next batch but I'm in no hurry.

[Ken Sager]

Nolan, I'd trust Gail's choice without hesitation.

[mandopete]

Yeah, F-5.
Too Cool!