Mix carbon fiber mandos

[nupicker]

I never see these things for sale. Does anyone on the forum have one? WHats it like? Has alot of them been sold and everyone is cured of MAS?

Just asking. Very curious in this mando. I have a CA composite acoustic guitar that I love.

[MikeEdgerton]

Here (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=Search&CODE=02&SID=48207ced7c77c46c) are a few pages of discussions (ignore the first message). I'm sure that the folks that own them will chime in as well.

[Mr. Loar]

I'm going to miss the real wood instruments. I hope I don't live long enough to see the total depletion of natural woods in the World.

[Ted Eschliman]

Sloppy kisses...

http://a695.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/126/l_bfa8756a03521590c5833969fe7e69fe.jpg

[Rich Evans]

I own Mix F-5 #007. I was initially intrigued with the CF mandolin when I first saw an A-5 at Loarfest West/Supergrass. I travel a lot and have always wanted a durable travel mandolin that sounded good. Ken Cartwright enticed me to try this one, and I ended up owning it.

It definitely has a different tone than my MM, but I like it. It is louder than most mando's, and is very easy to play. I have noticed that it does tend to go to sleep after being in the case for awhile, and is bright when first played. It only takes a few minutes of playing before you hear it warm up and find it's normal voice. I use J75s on it and have noticed that after they have been on for several months they tend to go out of tune with temperature changes, but definitely not like a wood mando. When the strings are fresh it stays in tune amazingly well throughout the temperature and humidity changes.

I use this mando when I go to jams because I don't worry about it. I love to have other people play it just to hear there reaction to it, and I don't feel nearly as protective of it as I do the MM. I find myself playing it more because I leave it out of the case, and it is always available to pick up and play.

I love the Gibson MM, but probably play the Mix a little more than Gibson. I prefer the overall tone of the Gibson, but the tone of the Mix F-5 is close enough that I really enjoy playing it.

[Big Joe]

I will have a Mix A5 in the store tomorrow. I don't know what price it will be yet, but I will update this when I get that. I will have about 10 nice mandolins in the store for our grand opening Saturday.

[B. T. Walker]

I own Mix A4 #38, and I love it for all the reasons you've read. Humidity does not bother it, nor does temperature. Tough, but with a sweet sound. A post in another thread which sums it up: "My beach mando is my best mando." Well, pretty much so, anyway.

[nupicker]

Thanks for the comments. Now I want one

[bones12]

My F4 (#016) is both beautiful and fun to play. There is a photo of it in the snow that says it all. Doug in Vermont

[Joel Spaulding]

Doug in Vermont - can you post the aforementioned photo?

That carbon fiber against the snow should provide a beautiful contrast!

Still missing VT snow,

Joel of Vermont, now in KY

[JeffD]

I'm going to miss the real wood instruments. #I hope I don't live long enough to see the total depletion of natural woods in the World.
Well I dunno. I kind of felt the same. But I talked to my brother, who has a very nice sailboat, a 35 foot Allied Seabreeze. One day I started in with some nastalgia for old wooden boats, and he cut me short, saying - "wooden boats are a different hobby, that of taking care of boats. I want to spend my limited spare time sailing, not painting and and chipping and treating and replacing... I wish this boat had less wooden trim."

Not that a mandolin requires much maintenance, but I am just skeptical about nastalgia.

Perhaps not in our life time, but soon enough, there will be another renaissance in accoustic instrument making. If progress in other endeavors is any guide, today they are making "wooden" mandolins out of carbon fiber - much as the first iron bridges used the designs of wooden bridges, until the real properties of iron and steel were experienced. Perhaps the microscopic properties of the material will be optimized for its accoustic properties, and the shape of the mandolin will be optimized around the properties of the material in such a way as to take full advantage, and soon enough accoustic instruments of such quality and sound as could never be accomplished with wood will be available.

Ironically the real hindrance to such an eventuality is probably continued relatively inexpensive and easily available wood.


Regarding the total depletion of natural woods in the world, that is an entirely different topic that if I take up will get this thread shut down.