Weber Bitterroot Fans?

[mandopaul]

Hey all you Bitterroot owners, how many of you have the mahogany back & sides? I do on mine, and its really developing a nice sound. Had it since March. Put on some J74's & it really sings, much better tone than the light guage i've been running on it.

WEll, tell me about your little sound mister...

[jmkatcher]

I have a Gallatin with the mahogany back and sides and I've been very pleased with the tone. There haven't been too many other instruments I've played possessing the same sort of richness.

[mandorado]

I have a 2001 Bitterroot with a bear clawed spruce top, and mahogany back sides (nice looking wood too). It has a gloss finish, not matte. Upgraded Brekke Traditional bridge. J74exp strings.
It's a nice mandolin, it was my first. I am reasonably happy with the sound although I think its not as dark as I like. My #1 mandolin is a Pomeroy (#21 a.k.a. Blackjack). Comparing the two isn't fair ... so I won't.
The Bitterroot is a great mandolin and the upgraded Brekke Trad bridge helped it a lot in the volume department. I think these mahagony mandolins are going to be the bomb when the mahogany really starts to open up ... which could take awhile.

[Michael H Geimer]

Shucks ... all the Yellowstone owners glance down at me and just see a Wannabe-Jellystone.

Then you guys start a Bitteroot roll-call, and it's all about that mahogany.

This maple-back gloss-top nekkid-neck don't fit in nowhere. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[GBG]

I sold a Bitterroot to buy a Krishot to get more of a bluegrass sound, but I(and a lot of good pickers)really liked the sound of the Bitterroot. The switch to a good Loar-type bridge did a lot for the volume and some improvement in tone. I wish I could have kept it for Celtic and old-time music. It worked for bluegrass, but not as well as a maple-bodied instrument.

[TheNaivePicker]

Gotta love them Bitterroots! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Russ(String-Alley)]

yeah, I haven't found a bad Weber yet, and I got 3, Bittroot custom,(burst,gloss) Hyalite custom ("blackie", black trans gloss, tail/arm rest,) and a Gallitain Mandola, All of them are mahogany back and sides, all are tone bars.
I gig 'em hard, and they love me right back. as you can see I am a very big fan of Weber products.

cheers all! .....and more gigs of course......more hot n' sweaty summer gigs for everybody!
Russ

[Flatpick]

I wondered what happened to all the Weber fans. Haven't seen a Weber post in a while......especially the a Weber Yellowstone post.....
Flatpick

[greg boyd]

Weber Defenders Unite!

Although some of you may write me off as a "biased" friend of Weber Mandolins because of our dealership of their instruments, I think I have a few points to add...

Weber makes a very very good instrument - Built to last as well as they are built to deliver sound. Workmanship is extremely clean... We NEVER send mandolins back to Weber for premature wood cracks, center seam problems, neck angle problems, etc...

We know mandolins... and we remember very well hearing comment after comment for years and years about how great the Flatirons and later the Gibsons were that were made by Bruce Weber and his able crew. The ones they make now under the "Weber" name are even better.

Weber went on his own because Gibson chose to move the entire mandolin facility out of Montana and down to Nashville. Weber and most employees were offered jobs at the Nashville facility, but none chose to leave Montana.

Once Weber established his own design mandolins there was an immediate clamor for them by mandolin enthusiasts. This continues to this day.

But there is another force at work... There are active campaigns to discredit Weber because of design decisions, like the bolt-on necks and the Brekke bridge, and the Celtic Knot inlays.

Many people jump on this bandwagon not even knowing what they are talking about. Anyone can hear that a Collings Mandolin, or a Collings Guitar, or a Roy Noble Guitar, or a Weber Mandolin ALL SOUND GREAT WITH BOLT-ON NECKS!!!

I run into many people who write off Weber because they say they don't like "X-bracing". Weber makes about 1/2 of all of their "F's" with Tone Bar Bracing. Gilchrist made plenty of X-braced mandolins.

So, here is everything boiled down to a last paragraph:
At the same time that a BOLT-ON Weber Big Sky with X-BRACING was coming in SECOND PLACE only to John Reischman's Loar in the 1st WinterGrass Mandolin Tasting(out of 40+ mandolins), many owners/fans/builders of larger-company mandolins were slamming them by saying that you can't get decent tone without a glued-in dovetail neck joint...

My advice as always... use your own ears... if it looks like a mandolin, plays like a mandolin, and sounds like a mandolin... then by gosh, isn't it a mandolin?

I am a fan in all ways of the Weber Company... If they made computer hardware I might think about opening a computer store... Whenever you assemble experienced, smart, conscientious people together, you get great results.

Sincerely,

Greg Boyd
House of Fine Instruments
www.gregboyd.com
406/327-9925

[QUOTE]Thank you from now on...

[mandodon]

Just to add a little customer support element to this, I came across a used Weber Aspen flatop at a price I couldn't resist. I called the Weber company up basically to ask what string guages they cut the bridge and nut for, and I got so much information it was unbelievable. Even though they knew I had bought it second-hand. I have rarely recieved such friendly customer service anywhere let alone in the music world.

This is in harsh contrast to another company I bought a new mandolin from...it took me a week of calling to reach anything other than a machine, and when I finally got through, I was told to call a specific person back in an hour. Well, it took another week to get a hold of this guy, who seemed annoyed at my questions, and quite frankly didn't seem to know how to answer them.

I like my Weber flattop alot, but the point of this story is "Customer service matters." In some cases mandolins are very expensive, and I think every builder should take a moment to ponder whether or not they treat their customers, who spend alot of hard-earned money, well. I think in most cases in the mandolin world, the answer is Yes. Certainly with Weber.

[Nick Triesch]

My Weber Fern is still a terrific mandolin. I've never see such clean work. Also, it sounds really great. The notes kind of pop off the fret board. Very good bottom end. Flatirons were very good but I agree, the Webers are better . There is much pride built into these fine mandolins. I notice at our new guitar shop Acoustic Expressions here in San Diego that all the Webers from the least expensive to high end all have the same wonderful fit and finish. Nick

[Tim Saxton]

Give me Celtic Knots, Modified X-Bracing, Bolt-on Necks, and Brekke Bridges or give me Death!!

Tim Saxton

well maybe not death #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[mandopaul]

Wow, thanks for your informative post Greg. I learned a few things about Weber instruments that I never knew...Your right, everybody unite behind a great builder & company with a history behind it.

[pickinNgrinnin]

Nice post Greg! I greatly admire their instruments along with Bruce and his staff. It's a first class operation.

[Coy Wylie]

I love my Custom Bitterroot with the maple back and sides, tone bars, Brekke bridge and radiused neck. I've had it a few months and it has tremendous volume. Thanks, Greg for a great post. Mine came through you.

[dfrady]

I have had my Custom Yellowstone now for 10 months, and i must say it is the best sounding and playing mandolin i have ever played, Period !!!!!!! And honestly anyone who has ever played one or owns one usually says the same exact thing i just did. I'm like mandodon, the Customer Service is the best out there, Paula and her crew really know how to treat you when you call them with any type of question. When it comes time to get my #2 mandolin, i won't have to think twice to get me another Custom Yellowstone !!!!!!!
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[steve V. johnson]

There are active campaigns to discredit Weber because of design decisions, like the bolt-on necks and the Brekke bridge, and the Celtic Knot inlays.
[QUOTE]

Hey Greg,

Thanks for the good word.

I can understand folks having strong views about real design elements like bolt-on necks, and about the Brekke bridge ...

But over the Celtic Knots????

Tell me more? Why in the world would anyone mount a "campaign" over decorations?

Thanks,

stv

[MandyLynn]

you guys are getting me all worked up. I've got another month or so to wait on my custom Absaroka, and it's *killing* me!

I've never seen a Weber I didn't want.

[newblue]

I've been admiring the Bitterroot from very afar. I think I like it most because of the name. In its standard form is it less of a Bluegrass instrument than the other Webbers?

[Russ(String-Alley)]

Hello Greg. nice to hear from you on the board.
since we are on the subject......
I purchased my Custom Black Hyalite thru Greg Boyd. He spent quite a bit of time on my order and was helpful in every way. In my opinion,mind you, you can't go wrong with a Weber. They Build in a very consistant way, all are built to withstand the abuse working players will put on them. (I gig mine 2-3 days a week, plus rehearsals) Weber (STE) has made innovations to the design and evoloutionized construction of mandolins. (any one see the new picguards? very COOL!) not many builders do that. When it comes to dealers, Greg Boyd knows his stuff and is one of the best dealers around. I don't mean to sound like an ad but, Weber and Greg Boyd are a winning combination when you are looking to buy a new mandolin, especially on the custom orders.
cheers Weberphiles!
-Russ