How many of you play mandolins built in the last 5 years?

[Rick Schmidlin]

I always notice a lot of talk of newer mandolins, not much of pre 70's to 40's. How many play mandolin made in the last five years?

[cedarhog]

I play a 2004 Weber Bitterroot spruce top/mahogany sides and back....love it!!

In a month I will be playing a 2009 Keith Newell custom Elk Themed A style.

[Mando Newby]

I (try to) play a JBovier Z5. 2008. I may not play well, but I sure look good!;)

[JEStanek]

Spira 2007
Labraid 2008
Eastman 2008
American Conservatory Bowlback 1910ish
TC OM 2004
Johnson A oval 2002

Most of mine are new-ish.

Jamie

[mandroid]

One of Peter Mix's carbon fiber A5s count? :confused: the beer resistant, party on the deck, mandolin.;)

:popcorn:

[300win]

2005 Gibson A-9. 2009 Gibson F-5 Jam-Master.

[mandomania7923]

My Gibson Fern's 5th birthday is coming up in july! July 28th! I'm so proud of her!

[Daniel Nestlerode]

I play a 2007 Gary Vessel F5. Hard to believe I've only had it 2 and a half years. It's almost ready for a refret!

Daniel

[Rick Schmidlin]

2005 Gibson A-9. 2009 Gibson F-5 Jam-Master.


How is the Jam master?

[frankmsu]

BRW #68 - 2007
Weber Custom Bitterroot - 2009
Breedlove Quartz KF - 2005
Mann EM-4 Hollow Body - 2009

-Frank

[Gary Hedrick]

The reason that there are few discussions about mandolins from the 70's to the 40's is that many of them are really not very good instruments in comparison to either the earlier ones or the mandolins of today.

Many of the Gibsons of the 60's and especially the 70's were lacking in many areas....4 inch thick finishes and tone like a plywood box.....

and to be politically correct .....IMHO.........

[woodwizard]

2006 Blond-fern ... Gibson Goldrush. It's a nice sounding one to me.

[papawhisky]

2008 Mowry F5--which is a pure delight in every way, and 2005 Collings MT2.

[acousticphd]

I have a Mann A5 made in ~2006, and a Morris A4 made in ~2004, that come in under 5 yrs. Both of these I bought new from the makers.

The only other mando I bought as new is a Givens Legacy (2003). I have several others from the from mid '90s to early 2000s that would be considered contemporary instruments.

The main vintage mando that I play is a 1915 Gibson A.

[Capt. E]

2008 Weber Bighorn. Just opening up.

[Charley wild]

MK A-Plus 2008/09?

[Ted Eschliman]

All mine are fresh, five years and less. Wouldn't want to play an old stale one, would we?

"Waiter: Would monsieur care for another bottle of Chateau Latour?
Navin: Ah yes, but no more 1966. Lets splurge! Bring us some fresh wine! The freshest you've got - this year! No more of this old stuff."

Navin R. Johnson (Steve Martin) "The Jerk"

[Soupy1957]

guilty as charged!

[Scotti Adams]

Austin Clark #47 Built in Jan. of 2009....Im content. finally.

[jimbob]

2004 Gibson Alan Bibey, 2005 Hilburn F, 2006 Hilburn A....all very nice

[300win]

How is the Jam master?

Tone Monster, it is among the top three i've ever had in my hands. The other two being a '30's and late 20's F-5's. It is incredible mine sounds like it is already 50 years old. It is a pure delight to play. I have many more comments about it on General Mandolin threads on "Got a new Gibson today"

[Mike Bunting]

Not me.

[Rick Schmidlin]

Not me.

When was your Collings built?

[PaulO]

I've got an 06' Carver A blackface.

[Mike Bunting]

When was your Collings built?
'03, the other mando 1925.

[Rick Schmidlin]

'03, the other mando 1925.

I that's close n nuf '

[jealbe49]

My Altman's are under 5 years old. I do have a 24 snakehead though..

[mikeyes]

2003 Gibson Varnished Fern by Danny Roberts.

A wonderful mandolin. I understand that the 2003 Gibson group of mandolins is supposed to have special powers, mine does.

[billkilpatrick]

don't know how many months "world trade" may dictate the allotted time required for pac-rim mandolins to enter the domestic market - both here (in europe) and in the states - but i assume that my sweet sounding, oval-hole "F" (cheapy, chinese made strings withstanding) was made - crafted - at some point within the past five years:

[Ivan Kelsall]

My Weber Fern was bought in Dec.'06,so i have to assume that it was built during the previous 12 months or so. It's serial # 6196612 - maybe i'll e-mail Weber & ask,
Ivan

[Gerry Cassidy]

My Weber Fern was bought in Dec.'06,so i have to assume that it was built during the previous 12 months or so. It's serial # 6196612 - maybe i'll e-mail Weber & ask,
Ivan


Hi, Ivan,

Weber explains how they number their instruments in the FAQ section of their website. There's a link at the bottom of their homepage.

According to what they say, your Fern was the 1966th to be made, and it was built, or came out of their shop in December, 2006. Looks as though you were the first person outside of the shop to lay hands on it!

My Bridger F4 is the first one made and it came off the bench in 2004. The Bighorn was early, '08, and my Arches Flat Top is 'Minty Fresh'. It's just over one month old, and is already as ornery as all get out! :))

[Ryk]

A Rigel/Langdel I-110 that's just months old. Scary good now .... i am REALLY looking forward to our growing old together.

Ryk

[Dusty]

2008 Daley F5 vintage varnish
2007 Stanley F5 varnish
2006 Gibson MM F5 Derrington signed ( just outside the 5 yr. window )

[Dusty]

Correction..... 2003 Gibson MM. Sorry..

[Barb Friedland]

The fabulous BRW 2 point that I play (thanks to Ben Wilcox) is dated September of 2007- so not even two years old.

[Chris Keth]

My Gibson's not old but it's older than 5 years. It is dated 2002.

[desaljs]

Everything I have is from 2008 or 2009. None of the "old stuff" for me!

[Hans]

Aside from a '21 F4 and a '16 A4, my oldest is 3 years. Newest is 2 months (guitar)...

[Dustin Greer]

I play a Austin Clark #32 F5 built in October of 2008. He builds amazing mandolins!

[Jack Roberts]

My Collings MF is still less than 5 years old. The average age of my mandolins, including the Collings, is 60 years.

[Rick Schmidlin]

My Collings MF is still less than 5 years old. The average age of my mandolins, including the Collings, is 60 years.

Glad you still have the MF, how has it changed in the last five years?

[Jack Roberts]

Glad you still have the MF, how has it changed in the last five years?

Well, I've probably changed more than my MF, but everyone who plays it or hears it is pleased with the sound. I think I would have to say that over the last 5 years it has begun to sound "drier". Also the high trebles sound have a lot more clarity. I'm satisfied.

When I play in the band in front of an audience, I generally pick the MF if there are more than one guitar players or a banjo player because it does well when there are lots of instruments and the chop is great. If it is just myself and one guitar and a bass (which happens a lot now) I pick the A-1 because it still allows me to fill the room dynamically, but it has good sounding chords to fill in for the missing guitar, and I can ring out arpeggios as a banjo substitute. I don't usually do the BG chop in that case.

We generally don't mike our singers if there are only three instruments as well. With more instruments we mike the singers, and that is also when I really need the volume of the MF because we don't ever mike the instruments.

Listen to me: I'm talking like I know how to play...Actually the what little knowledge I have is in only my head, not my fingers.

[Miked]

I've got a 2007 F9 that I'm real happy with. I get lots of compliments on it.

[Scotti Adams]

I play a Austin Clark #32 F5 built in October of 2008. He builds amazing mandolins!

You can say that again Dustin. Your #32 and my #47 are 3 months apart. Austin must be cranking them out. I wonder if he numbers everything as he builds such as the arch top guitars or does he have a different number system for those. In other words each time he finishes a build it gets slapped with the next concurrent number no matter what design it is. At any rate theres 15 instruments between yours and mine in 3 months. Thats huge.

[jim_n_virginia]

How many play mandolin made in the last five years?

I have newer mandolins but my main playing gigging mando is a 2002 Fern so mine is already 7 years old! :mandosmiley:

[JGWoods]

Not me
1917 Gibson A4
Nobility (Stradolin) unknown year- 40s?

I had several new ones and let them all go to others.

[fred d]

:)) ME ME ME mama gave (is ) a new National resonator for fathers day. A real banjo killer and mayby everything else in the room man is it LOUD and I love it can't play that well but I can play loud:mandosmiley:

[Jill McAuley]

Just got a 2008 Pomeroy A4, then there's the 2009 Red Line Traveler - and the Weber Aspen just misses out because it is 6 years old.

Cheers,
Jill

[Mike Bunting]

How many started playing in the last five yers?

[Rick Schmidlin]

How many started playing in the last five yers?


I started playing five years ago mid June.:mandosmiley::mandosmiley::mandosmiley::mando smiley::mandosmiley:

[Dustin Greer]

I'm not sure how the numbering works with Clark mando's. I do know the clarity on the Clark is amazing. I thought it would be tough to beat my collings but this thing blows it away. Has anyone played any of Austin Clark's two point or A styles? Would love to hear about them.

[Ted Eschliman]

Has anyone played any of Austin Clark's two point or A styles? Would love to hear about them.

Clark JM Two-point (http://jazzmando.com/clark_jm_twopoint.shtml)
Austin Clark Two-point (http://jazzmando.com/clark_twopoint.shtml)

http://jazzmando.com/images/ClarkDesktop-thumb.jpg

[Fiddler3]

I've played mandolins for 40 years but my main one now is my brand new(in April) Kicker mandolin from Steve Donald in Oklahoma. WOW! Tone and Woof to beat the band. Steve said he thought it was his best yet.

[mandolooter]

I just sound like I havent been playing over 5 years...but my mando's are old!:grin:

:mandosmiley::popcorn::mandosmiley:

[Satchel]

Here's me and the guys this past weekend with my Silverangel that was built in November of 2006.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tRUVLuKovo

[JeffD]

My Weber is a 2006, my Flatiron is 1984 bought new, and everything else is a lot older.

[Carlo Carr]

My newest mandolin "age-wise" is a 2004 Luke Thompson F-5. My oldest is a 1924 Gibson Ajr.


The Thompson came to life during a bluegrass jam in New Orleans when it "suddenly opened up"! When I say "suddenly opened up", I mean two guys looked across at me and said "what just happened"! That mandolin suddenly boomed in a whole new way. Absolutely amazing thing to experience.

Charlie Carr
New Orleans

[sgarrity]

Both of mine were made in 2006.

[jblanchard]

I have a brand-new 2009 Old Wave oval-hole A model from Bill Bussmann that compares very favorably with my 1921 Gibson A-4. I imagine it'll only get better sounding.

[Steve Ostrander]

Both of mine are 08.

[Fliss]

Both of mandolins were built in the last 5 years; a 2005 Keith Newell A-style and a 2007 Phil Davidson flat top oval hole. I love them both! I have owned vintage instruments, but I tend to feel happier with newer instruments.

Fliss

[allenhopkins]

Bunch of recent-vintage Eastmans (Eastmen?):
2007 615 mandola
2008 800-series mandocello
2009 DGM-1 "Dawg" mandolin

Since some of my others are 100+ years old, these are the "juniors" of our little family.

[robertson]

2. a nice weber absaroka and a Allan B Gibson, both are very different,
each has it's own voice! Necks are different, so it takes a little playing time
to get used to each one, I think Bruce and Danny are pretty dad gum
good builders, would love to have a broken in mando... but in all honesty
there are so many good mandos, red diamond, daly, duff, dude, ect..
We are lucky that there are so many good luthiers!

[Steve-o]

All 3 of mine:
2005 Petersen Level 3 OM
2007 Poe A5
2009 Morris A4

[drdecanto]

Yup, I play new mandos! I'm a newbie. But the mando seems to be the instrument for me after borrowing my wife's (less than 5 year old) Old Wave last summer for Zoukfest. Bought an '08 Collings MF and then a Grady F5 and a 1917 Gibson A1 (Damn it's hard to keep in tune. I'm ready to replace the tuners and/or the nut). And then an '09 Moodie F5 (keep your ears open. My mando teacher, Sharon Gilchrist likes this one a lot (me too), just have to get it to accept the dry Southwest). Passed the Collings along. Kept the rest. Love the new ones. Love the Gibson's tone and the wider neck as well. We'll see what time does here.

Alan Rogers
Tesuque, NM

[robertson]

Sharon, can I come out and stay with you:)

[Benski]

My Gibson Goldrush just had its 1 year birthday in May. I'm sure happy with it :mandosmiley:

[Carolie]

My baby was born in January 09.

Carolyn

[KyleBerry]

I play a Morris made Feb 2008