Like some here, I grew up on Jerry Jeff. My parents had some of his albums, and we all enjoyed them equally. Then I went to college in Austin, and it seems like I saw him live dozens of times. On...
Type: Posts; User: Frank Russell
Like some here, I grew up on Jerry Jeff. My parents had some of his albums, and we all enjoyed them equally. Then I went to college in Austin, and it seems like I saw him live dozens of times. On...
I just got this model sent to me a few days ago by the good folks at Elderly. It was a last minute buy, after I read these threads, that I made to scratch a nasty case of Covid boredom motivated...
Thanks for the Evan Marshall mention. After seeing him perform the William Tell Overture in a casual woods setting from about 3 feet away from that beautiful blonde mandolin, my expectations were...
Double thumbs up on any recommend for a Morris mandolin. Stuck home with rambunctious toddlers, I’ve been using the Morris a ton. Yesterday I realized my whole rationale for getting it had become a...
I have one of Sonny's flat tops, and can say it's the best money I've spent on an "inexpensive" mandolin. I've owned Eastmans and The Loars, Kentucky, MidMos, and other entry level models, and the...
Played a friend's very similar model several times, which began my interest in Bill's instruments. For me, his ovals are tonally like old Gibsons, but with better playability. He's got this down to...
A very young Marley doing lead vocals on that one. I've always liked it.
Watching Evan play that from a few feet away in a casual, outdoor setting with no mike or stage is one of the best musical memories I have. Even unamplified, it sounds like about three guys playing...
To the OP: if you want to support a small, local luthier who has an excellent reputation, give Bill Bussman at Old Wave a call. I've owned four of his f-hole A models, and they were all top-notch. ...
Is that a Givens A4? I used to have a Givens that looked very similar.
Demetrius- as I posted earlier, some of Bob Givens' A models DO have truss rods, but they are only accessible thru the tailpiece hole. Contact Greg Boyd, he may have info on specific dates for this...
Always wanted the Duffey shirt too. I've had several from www.grassware.com, and the "Muleskinner Blues" lp label is still a favorite. Good quality shirts, too, in good colors. Nice folks.
Are you absolutely sure there's no truss rod? I've had two Givens A's that had truss rods you had to access with a special tool through the endpin hole. Easy enough to check. I think it sounds...
A good friend of mine's son recently directed a documentary about using sustainable woods in musical instruments, and the folks who are trying to responsibly manage deforestation and illegal wood...
I'm a fan of both. I've owned two MTs, and three Old Waves. I sold my last MT to help pay for my present Old Wave. No regrets. Bill B. is my favorite builder, and a pleasure to do business with. ...
I'll throw my hat in the ring for a Morris flat top. I've played a few Kratzers, and they were very good, but I haven't played one of his flat tops. I own a Morris flat top that he made to my...
This thread really makes me miss Buffalo Bros, in Carlsbad, CA. After making the three hour drive every couple of months, I'd have been bummed if they didn't let me play as much as I wanted. Once...
Got to hang out with Stevie Ray Vaughan backstage at a charity concert a group I belonged to in Austin was putting on. Delbert McClinton and Jerry Jeff Walker were also there. SRV shared a pipe...
At that price, I'd get in touch with Howard Morris and have him build you a flattop, or see if he has one in stock with a radiused fretboard. I've owned or played pretty much all the models you...
I've used both the methods posted by Mike and mandroid. If it's a strap I want to keep on, and the hole is too big, I've stitched it up a bit. Works fine. For the "Brentrup" method, if a leather...
I'd either get an old Gibson A, like OldGus suggested, or I'd get in touch with Howard Morris. I had him build me a flattop to my specs, and it's just incredible. I've played or owned almost all of...
When Buffalo Bros was still around here in SoCal, they usually had a Sumi F or two around. I played them, thought they were excellent, but couldn't bring myself to pay that kind of money for what I...
I've owned four, all different A models (A3, A4, A5, A6), and regret selling or trading the three I don't have anymore. Volume and tone were all top- notch, neck profiles were all over the place. ...
Peter is a hell of a guy, and gets unbelievable tone out of that Kettler. I had one briefly, having been blown away by Peter's, but somebody had taken it upon himself to "widen the f-holes," which...
Best oval hole octave I've ever come across was an Old Wave. Give Bill a ring, he's got them down to a science. Playability, tone, volume, all there, plus just beautiful instruments from one of the...