Need immediate help

[Sinead13]

I am currently looking at a Weber Aspen 2 with x braced spruce top, rosewood sides and back, custom 3 piece neck, binding on back and body. It is from 2008 and it is customized. I am relatively new to mandolin and I am interested in playing Irish and folk music with a bit of classical. I have about 1 hour to decide on this. It is purportedly in mint condition and includes Weber hard case and papers, although the previous owner never registered it. This is online through a music shop and I did speak with them. There is a 7 day trial period. Weber said that today it would cost close to $2000.00. Is this a good mando for what I am looking to play and what should my maximum offer be? Please help if you have a minute. Sorry for the urgency...

[Charlieshafer]

Can't answer as to the price directly, but instruments do lose a quick 10-20% when sold, then recover slowly (very, sometimes). The Aspen should be a good choice for what you're doing. I have a couple of Webers, Eastmans, and Gibsons, just as a point of reference, and like the Webers very much. 7 days is a nice trial length.

The last and final word is this, though: there are a lot of very nice mandolins on the market these days, so don;t feel rushed. If this one gets away, so be it, there are plenty more out there. Deep breath, relax, use yoga or meditation words, or whatever those are. As the old-time song goes, "There are more pretty girls than one." This may be your babay, but it shouldn;t make you at all nervous about buying.

[Sinead13]

Thanks so much for your quick reply. I don't like to be rushed either; however, it's an ebay auction item. I don't want to get all caught up in the urgency, so thanks for the great advice. BTW, do you recommend oval holes for what i am looking to play? At your suggestion, I am breathing and relaxing. Just chillin'...

[Charlieshafer]

Yes, ovals have a really nice sustain. I know I'm supposed to like "f" holes due to the bluegrass thing, but my favorite mandolins are all ovals. It's a personal choice thing, of course, but the ovals have a very pretty tone to them that suits Celtic stuff beautifully. Scroll through some of the sponsors of this site to get an idea of what's out there for what prices, and also check out Gruhn's, Mandolin bros., Elderly, all the usual suspects. There's a out out there right now, some very nice choices. This sites classifieds are also a gem.

[Sinead13]

Again, thank you. I'll keep you posted. I have been looking for a while and if this ebay one doesn't work out, I will continue to look at the sites that you suggested...

[nickster60]

There are lots of Webers around so dont feel pressured the show up on our classifieds all the time. I love my Weber

[JEStanek]

Wow, for $2K you can get an awful lot of custom flat top mandolin. An awe inspiring lot of flat top mandolin. That Weber Flat top would be fine for the music you're looking at. I wouldn't go over $950. Beyond that you can get new custom built instruments from Red Line Traveller, Gypsy, Big Muddy, Arches, and Poe to name a few. You can also find vintage Martins and Flatirons in that 1K range as well.

Jamie

[Charlieshafer]

And, the vintage oval "A"s from Gibson from the teens sell for $1000-$1500, which have a lovely ringing tone. Give a few of them a try. They're arch-top, which most people associate with bluegrass, but the tone is perfect for Celtic as well.

[man dough nollij]

According to the Weber website (http://www.soundtoearth.com/displayinfo.php?price=6), a new Aspen is only $1299.

[allenhopkins]

Apparently a custom Aspen, rosewood back & sides instead of maple, additional binding, etc.

According to eBay, sold for $820, which is pretty reasonable IMHO.

[bratsche]

We've absolutely got to add the Sawchyn Beaver Tail to the list of awesome handmade flattops (speaking as happy owner of the mandola version). There were several for sale around here recently for something ridiculously low like $650 IIRC; you might want to contact Peter Sawchyn to see if he still has any.

bratsche

[Ed Goist]

Hi Sinead:

I don't know if you pulled the trigger or not...If you have, good luck and enjoy your new mandolin, I'm sure that you'll be satisfied, as Weber certainly has a fine reputation. If you've held off, here are some thoughts to consider:

* Oval holed A-style mandolins would be a very good match for the type of music you're interested in playing.
* I wholeheartedly agree that you should not allow yourself to feel 'pressured' or 'rushed' into a buying situation. One of the good things about the current economy is that there is no shortage of good deals available on mandolins (new and used).
* Jamie is right. $2K is a very good budget...You will be able to find many good mandolins in this price range. For example, here are some examples currently available UNDER $2,000:

Used mandolins from the Cafe classifieds:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=41764&query=retrieval
http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=41674&query=retrieval
http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=41717&query=retrieval
Note: Even though the last example is an f-hole mandolin, I thought I'd include it because it is a Weber.

And new mandolins:
http://www.themandolinstore.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=7977
http://www.themandolinstore.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=8916

Let us know what you decide.

-Ed