shops in the uk [Archive] - Mandolin Cafe Forum

saltybrian

Mar-19-2009, 3:53am

Dave Hanson

Mar-19-2009, 4:07am

Probably TAMCO in Brighton keeps the best stock, you cold look on the website or email Trevor he is very knowledgable and very helpful, The Music Room in Cleckheaton may have several and Eagle Music in Huddersfield could have more than one to compare.

Dave H

trevor

Mar-19-2009, 4:17am

I don't have any hand made octaves in at the moment. I have an Old Wave guitar bodied Om (GOM) and Weber Yellowstone on order, due in 1-2 months.

Ray(T)

Mar-19-2009, 12:09pm

I'd echo what Dave says but, for mandolins, delete the word "probably". I think you're likely to find the odd instrument but finding several to compare could be difficult. The Music Room currently has three listed but whether they have three in stock is not clear. Eagle music seems to only stock Davidsons. If you are driving, you could easily take in both shops in an afternoon. You certainly couldn't live much further from TAMCO.
Ray

billkilpatrick

Mar-19-2009, 1:50pm

have you checked out the "builder database" here at the cafe for luthiers in the u.k.?

also ... check out:

http://www.mandolin.org.uk/index.php

... u.k. based mandolin site moderated by dave hanson. (i looked through the members list for "saltybrian" but didn't see you listed as such.)

happy hunting - bill

Dave Hanson

Mar-20-2009, 4:29am

Incidently, if I could afford one I'd go for a Paul Shippey, his mandolins are amazing.

Dave H

Rod_Neep

Mar-20-2009, 5:15am

well i've decided to splash out and get an instrument for life. what i'm looking for is a really good handbuilt octave mandolin. there are obviously plenty great makers in the uk, but is there anywhere i can go to compare a reasonable number of them?

Trying to find somewhere in the UK where you can do that is just about impossible. One would have to travel for months to visit many stores, and that of course is just impractical, (moreso as you are in Orkney),and besides which, tone is something that is hard to "remember".

The only practical way therefore is to go with a tried and trusted (by others) maker from a well repected store. Short of travelling to the USA to do such a comparison in one store, and even then finding one with a good enough selection of Octaves will be hard, the logical thing to do would be to hang on to Trevor's shirt tails at TAMCO in Brighton and get to play the Weber Yellowstone Octave that he has on order. That will be one awesome instrument, and once you own it, the sound and tone will simply become "yours" and the quest will be over.

I don't think that I would have any doubts doing it that way, and if you have the slightest doubt I am sure that you could talk to Trevor and try to arrange a 72 hour approval. I am sure he is listening in here, and may well be be very happy with the idea of turning around an expensive stock investment before he has even received it from the USA.

A wait of a couple of months for a "lifetime" instrument is no big deal, even for an "instant gratification want it yesterday" type like me. ;)

Rod

Dagger Gordon

Mar-20-2009, 6:15am

I have to admit I very much like the look of Shippey's octaves, and his quoted price (up-to-date?) of £1595 doesn't seem too bad to me.

I think if I were you, Brian, I would make a point of contacting Ewen MacPherson who seems to have both an octave and a 10 string mandolin by Shippey.

Richard Moore

Mar-20-2009, 7:38am

There's quite a nice Jimmy Moon OM in Bandwagon Music in Perth at the moment for around £830 including fitted undersaddle Fishman and gig bag but nothing else to compare it with in the shop as far as I'm aware. May not be what you're after either.

http://www.bandwagonperth.co.uk/stock2.php?select=Folk+Instruments

saltybrian

Mar-21-2009, 11:22am

those webers do look v nice, and i will be playing in the sth of england in the summer, so getting to brighton is a possibility, as is visiting mr shippey. i had noticed his website, and they're gorgeous. had an all too brief go of one of his mandolins at blazin in beauly, but not enough to make a judgement.

any idea what kind of money the weber might cost?

i've also had a recommendation for instruments made by seumas maclennan from skye, so might try there.

thanks for suggestions. there's obviously a gap in the market for a shop that exclusively stocks a broad selection of handmade OMs, strung in single courses. wonder how i'd fare opening a shop like that in orkney?

in the meantime, i guess it's going to be a slow process, and as rod says, that'd be ok for a lifetime instrument.

might try to get hold of bob massie for a go of his maclennan, ewen m for a go of the shippey, and come to brighton for a look at the weber. tht should be doable over the summer, and if i record each under the same circumstances, i could get a good idea of what's best.

thanks again, and any other suggestions most welcome.

PseudoCelt

Mar-21-2009, 12:23pm

There's obviously a gap in the market for a shop that exclusively stocks a broad selection of handmade OMs, strung in single courses.

If you don't want double strings, Fylde have recently started making a tenor guitar that I've been drooling over recently.

You might like to get in touch with Richard Osborne (http://www.osborneguitars.co.uk/index.html), if you're going to the South of England. I had a brief go on the bouzouki that's pictured on his website and was very impressed. I've also played an Oakwood that I thought was really nice, but I don't know where you would go to try one.

Patrick

saltybrian

Mar-21-2009, 12:28pm

i don't want a tenor guitar - i play guitar as well, and want to keep a good wide contrast between sounds.

thanks for the other makers to look at - will go and have a look now.