Giannini GBSM1

[catmandu2]

I happened to acquire one of these: http://www.giannini.com.br/produtos_detalhe.asp?id=893 ...today, in trade for a student horn.

Short scale--equivalent to my Mayflower bowlback. Much warmer and fuller tone than my Mayflower. Has a nice round tone on A and E courses, a little boxy on the lowers, but pretty nice balance and good volume for a cheapo mando. Fit and finish very nice--much like a guitar. Body depth much deeper than a Mid-Missouri or Flatiron flatop--making it much more substantial-feeling, for me. The top is slighty arched. Intonation is good all the way up the neck, and is surprisingly easy to play in the higher frets.

[Jim Garber]

I was thinking one day of getting the solid wood version the GBSM5 for playing choro. I think they are pretty decent tho for a few more hundred you can get a hand made one, I think.

[catmandu2]

Its sound is comparable to a mid-missouri or kentucky KM171, etc. But it feels very different than those: as I mentioned, the body is deeper and is, for me, easier to hold comfortably--even though it is quite small. Finish details are much more pronounced: full body binding, multi-ply headstock veneer, what appears to be rosewood back and sides, and a very nicely finished mahogany neck--its shape very similar to the mid-missouri, and could be a bit wider, as well, than the kentuckys. Overall finish and feel is very similar to the Giannini nylon string guitars I've played..

It's a very nice little mando with a pretty good sound.

[allenhopkins]

Giannini makes some pretty nice instruments in Brazil, IMHO. Ever play one of their Craviola guitars? I thought that some Asian manufacturer had ripped off Giannini's unique Craviola body shape, but maybe not...

This is a total hijack -- sorry guys -- but I wanted to post my favorite Craviola video:




I still say, "Hey-yay-yay, what's going on?"

[catmandu2]

Giannini makes some pretty nice instruments in Brazil, IMHO. Ever play one of their Craviola guitars? I thought that some Asian manufacturer had ripped off Giannini's unique Craviola body shape, but maybe not...


Many moons ago, a neighbor had one--a 12-string I believe--that I coveted. It may have been this that led me to my penchant for cutaway guitars...

(I can't think why Asian manufacuring wouldn't have replicated these--along with everything else...wouldn't it be neat if they haven't..?)

Two of my favorite players:

[catmandu2]

I replaced the unfortunate, alloy-tipped bridge that came on the mando with a solid rosewood bridge. Dramatic improvement: the tone now is surprisingly brightly resonant, possessing that shimmering, fullness--that surprises me that such a small little box can produce.. I was inspired to pull out my Bancalari folio of Bach pieces...and I never play Bach on mandolin--only guitar. This little mandolin is compelling me in ways that previous oval hole flattops by Kentucky, Mid-Missouri and Flatiron have not.

Hmm..

[Jim MacDaniel]

Thanks for the feedback Cat. I've always wondered about those Giannini bandolims -- and your's is a pretty impressive review for an all-laminate instrument.

For anyone interested, this to be a nice deal over at Amazon: the GBSM3 EL, NIB, for $235 (http://www.amazon.com/Giannini-GBSM3-Brazil-Mandolin-Electric/dp/B001V7RMOI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1271691783&sr=1-5) (with free two-day shipping if you belong to Amazon Prime). This model is similar to the GBSM1, except with the addition of a solid top and on-board electronics.

[catmandu2]

That's a pretty nice price for that. Well worth it, I'd say.

I should add that the tuners on mine are low quality...perhaps the ones on the 3 are improved.

[steve V. johnson]

How wide is the nut on that Giannnini ...1 ?

Thanks,

stv

[catmandu2]

How wide is the nut on that Giannnini ...1 ?

Thanks,

stv

40 mm at the nut, tapering to 57 mm at the sound hole.

[catmandu2]

40 mm at the nut, tapering to 57 mm at the sound hole.

Oops...I read it wrong--it's 30 mm of course (1-3/16") tapering to 47 mm.

[rimspoke]

"BANDOLIM" IS THE PORTUGUESE WORD FOR MANDOLIN SO TO THE PEOPLE IN BRAZIL , A GIBSON MANDOLIN IS A BANDOLIM . FOR SOME REASON , WHEN THEIR BANDOLIM COMES HERE , IT DOES NOT TURN INTO A MANDOLIN DUE TO IT's UNIQUE STYLE & CONSTRUCTION .

MY WIFE IS FROM BRAZIL AND I HAVE TAKEN SEVERAL EXTENDED TRIPS THERE .
I ALWAYS ENJOY GOING TO THE MUSIC STORES TO SEE WHAT's POPULAR .

GINANNI AND ROZINI ARE THE TWO MOST POPULAR BRANDS . YOU SEE A LOT OF BANDOLIMS HANGING ON THE WALL BUT IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND A DECENT STEEL STRING GUITAR . THEY ALL PLAY NYLON STRING CLASSICALS FOR SOME REASON .

AN ODDITY THAT YOU DO SEE THERE IS A GUITAR THEY CALL A VIOLA .
IT HAS 10 STEEL STRINGS , A VERY CURVY BODY AND AN ELABORATELY CARVED BRIDGE . I WANTED TO BRING ONE OF THESE BACK WITH ME BUT WE WERE TRAVELING TO LIGHTLY TO BRING A FULL SIZED INSTRUMENT .

I WAS GOING NUTS ON THE LAST TRIP WITH NO INSTRUMENT TO PLAY SO I BOUGHT A ROZINI CAVAQUINHO & A PACK OF BANDOLIM STRINGS .

THE CAVAQUINHO IS OF PORTUGUESE ORIGIN AND IS A PREDECESSOR OF THE UKULELE . THEY HAVE A SIMILAR SCALE TO THE MANDOLIN AND USE STEEL STRINGS

I RESTRUNG THE CAVAQUINHO . TUNED IT AS A 4 STRING MANDIOLIN AND HAD A BLAST PLAYING IT FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP . THE PEOPLE THERE COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW QUICKLY I CAUGHT ON TO AN INSTRUMENT THAT I HAD NEVER PLATED BEFORE & I JUST LET THEM KEEP WONDERING ABOUT IT .

BEST OF ALL THE INSTRUMENT , CASE & ALL FIT INSIDE MY SUITCASE FOR THE TRIP HOME .

[catmandu2]

I'd like to try a 10-string viola caipira (Portugese for "hillbilly guitar," according to wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_caipira). I've been tempted to acquire a charango.

[Randi Gormley]

I bought a GBSM3 a few months ago and it's a completely different sound from my more standard mandos. I had to have a new nut cut for it and the luthier filed down the bridge a bit and it has the sweetest echo-y tone and huge sustain. I use it for classical. It's all acoustic with a solid top (although laminate sides and back) and is a lot deeper and certainly broader than my others. I ended up putting J-74s on it to make the lower strings darker sounding. It's a nice creature, although the frets seem to be a little further apart than either my strad or the kentucky. It's a quieter instrument, too, so I don't drag it out to Irish sessions because it gets drowned pretty easily.

[catmandu2]

I concur--an excellent mando for classical playing.

[Mauro Pavanelli]

Hello everybody, nice to meet you all, I´m new at the forum.
I´m a guitar player from Brazil and I´ve become very interested in mandolins.
Here is almost impossible to find an F shape mandolin but here is the land of
the A model. Giannini and Rozini are the big factories here but I was disapointed when I tried to find a well setup factory model. I did not tryed the Rozini´s instruments becouse I was looking for the top line Giannini the GBSM5 with all solid woods. I tried 5 mandolins model GBSM5 and none of them had a good factory setup. The best one I found, with a real good sound, was buzzing all way down the first string starting at 9 fret. At the end of my seach I bought a "Do Souto". It was almost the double of the price of a Giannini GBSM5 but it worth it!
The mandolin "Do Souto" is made by a family of Luthiers that made instruments used by Jacob do Bandolim. My model got a Solid Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. Solid German Spruce Top. Reinforced cedar neck and the scale with "Pau Ferro" ( iron wood - It's kind of a Brazilian ebony). The very diferent feature is the nut it is very narrow with only 24mm yes, 24mm! Once you get used with such a narrow nut it´s ok. Here are some pics:

http://www.mylespaul.com/gallery/data/500/medium/mando1.jpg
http://www.mylespaul.com/gallery/data/500/medium/mando2.jpg
http://www.mylespaul.com/gallery/data/500/medium/mando4.jpg
http://www.mylespaul.com/gallery/data/500/medium/mando5.jpg
http://www.mylespaul.com/gallery/data/500/medium/mando3.jpg

Here is a sample of it´s sound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zxqs5eVLB0

[Jim Garber]

Very nice, Mauro. Thanks for posting. It looks like a nice instrument.

Do Souto is listed in the Cafe Builder's database as "Evidence of still being in business but no web presence." Yours has the std bone bridge too. I cannot tell... is it compensated.

I have a 1998 bandolim built by Manoel Andrade of São Paulo. The measurement at the nut is 29mm.

[Mauro Pavanelli]

Very nice, Mauro. Thanks for posting. It looks like a nice instrument.

Do Souto is listed in the Cafe Builder's database as "Evidence of still being in business but no web presence." Yours has the std bone bridge too. I cannot tell... is it compensated.

I have a 1998 bandolim built by Manoel Andrade of São Paulo. The measurement at the nut is 29mm.

Yes the bone bridge is compensated to adjust the strings for the radius fretboard that remember me a violin neck.
The "Do Souto" is still working but they did not care about a good web presence.
They still got a small store in Rio in the same street that was the original one.
Do Souto got a very narrow nut, take some time to get used to.