Played a REMARKABLE mandolin

**Crowder** · Feb-27-2004, 6:22pm

I was in Nashville this week and made the mistake of stopping by Cotten Music. Two reasons why this was a mistake:

1. They charged me $11.95 for ONE set of plain old J74's

and

2. I asked the fateful question, "Got any good mandolins?"

The guy pulled a shaped F-style case from under a desk and unleashed a beauty on me. As I turned it in my hands, the outragous flame seemed to jump out at me from the sides, the back, and the back of the neck. I admired the flawless craftsmanship.....perfect binding, a well-fit bridge, and vintage-style bar frets on a radiused neck. The sunburst reminded me of something vintage, like a well-worn saddle, with all the grain of the both the maple and the spruce highlighted perfectly. The neck was a chunky, comfortable shape that felt right from the start. Then I sat down to play it, and.......oh my. Oh My. The single notes shot out loud and clear, punching fist-sized holes in the air, completely even both across the fretboard and up and down it. The chop was dark, woody and thumping, unreal for a brand new instrument. The definition of each note was pure and clean, the sustain just right. This was a loud, commanding, dark, throaty, COOL sounding mandolin.

And lo, one well out of my price range. It was a brand spankin' new Collings MF-5.

Now, having owned a Collings A, I can report that it was not half the mandolin as this particular F. I can't for the life of me figure out what accounts for the dramtic difference in tone. But as much as I would hate to send business to a place that raped me on a set of strings, if you are the least bit inclined to own a Collings F you might want to give that one a try. It was fanstastic, among the best I've ever touched.

**spud** · Feb-27-2004, 7:27pm

I just want to say .....it's a shame you got stiffed on the sting's...that's even too much for a set of flat-tops!!....I just don't think it's right ...give a fair price and they will be back!!!

I am having MAS real bad right now....I'll drool on anything.....
Iwould love to hear a Great/New mando!!.......and have the money!!!
..which I don't!!...Huh!!!

I am waitng to see the first Eastman mando!!!...Now I can swing that for a good second mando...If'n they stack up!!!

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Boyd

**bluegrassjack2** · Feb-27-2004, 7:49pm

Hey Crowder, did u get a price on that Collings?

**Crowder** · Feb-27-2004, 7:59pm

He said $7200, but I'm sure that's negotiable. Wish I'd have made 'em a lower offer on the strings, but it just seemed silly.

**spud** · Feb-27-2004, 8:23pm

Maybe if you can get them down to $4995,and a set of strings the karma would be equalized!!!

Don't kick yourself too hard!...most of us have GOT it at some time!!

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Boyd

**Jim Garber** · Feb-27-2004, 9:03pm

Originally Posted by (Crowder @ Feb. 27 2004, 20:59)

He said $7200, but I'm sure that's negotiable. Wish I'd have made 'em a lower offer on the strings, but it just seemed silly.

That seems to be the going rate from almost everyone. I have yet to see it any lower. I doubt they are too negotiable on it unless you want to take a bath on a trade-in. These are too in-demand.

Jim

**Crowder** · Feb-27-2004, 9:14pm

There has to be a little wiggle room in them, considering the fact that the used price has been slipping on them down to a little under $6000 for some. No one who is watching the used market would pay $7200 plus 10% sales tax (nearly $8K total) when they can be had barely used for $5800. However, if I have ever played a mandolin that I might pay $8000 for, it was this one. Seriously, it was out of control good.

**MEP** · Feb-28-2004, 3:15am

The retail price of a Collings MF5 is $8000 and dealers are only allowed to discount them by 10%. So it is extremely doubtful that you could find a brand new one for less than $7200.

**Crowder** · Feb-28-2004, 7:48am

I know the rules, but there are rules and then there are rules. One of the number one rules of life is that anything with a price over $1000 is negotiable. I figure that if no dealers were selling them for less than $7200 plus tax, then the people who are selling them for $5800-6000 in the secondary market would be taking a real bath. That seems unlikely in the mando-frenzied market we're in, so my guess is that if you offered a dealer $6750 or so you'd walk away with one.

I could be wrong and I don't have the money to put my theory to the test. But I know that the same hard and fast rules exist for Collings guitars, and when I bought one of them new from a nationally-known, top ten dealer it was below the "minimum selling price", and all I did was call up and offer them less. They said "Please don't tell anyone at Collings what you paid".

**MikeB** · Feb-28-2004, 9:17am

Crowder, I'm glad you're not selling anything. #Man, that description had my fingers trembling and my ears ringing!! #You should write for J. Peterman.

I've never heard anyone go on so compellingly about a Collings F--or any mandolin, come to think of it.

Buddy, you got BIT. I'd be checking into home equity loans, or something.....

**Don Grieser** · Mar-01-2004, 11:32am

When a mandolin speaks to you like that, you'd better get it. It may not happen to you again for a long time.

Glad to inflame your MAS!

**JGWoods** · Mar-08-2004, 6:59pm

I'm with Mre Grieser- get it. Or is MAS a curable disease? and if so what is the cure?- don't tell me poverty and sanity, I tried the former, and the latter is out of reach.
best
gw

**grsnovi** · Mar-08-2004, 7:28pm

After 50 years, I've found that the best I can do is deal with <insert G or M here>AS symptoms for between 6 to 18 months at a time.

**Crowder** · Mar-08-2004, 8:22pm

I spent a lot of time and effort trading instruments about a year ago, and I've realized that I'm more than happy with old BRW #23 and my Bourgeois Country Boy w/ Adirondack top. Both are more than capable of seeing me through whatever musical adventures I can come up with and pull off. Plus they were both great values compared to the market.

My other "problem" is that they are my only two intruments...so I can't sell or trade either!!

**J. Mark Lane** · Mar-09-2004, 2:53pm

There's no such thing as a (legal) "minimum selling price." There are (sometimes) legal restrictions on minimum advertised prices (MAP plans). But for a mftr and retailer to agree on a minimum selling price would be a violation of the Sherman Act (federal antitrust law).

**MEP** · Mar-09-2004, 7:46pm

If you talk to most any Collings dealer they will tell you that if they sell Collings instruments for less than 10% they will have their dealership taken away. I agree that it appears to be a violation of antitrust laws. They probably get around it by simply making it a verbal "suggested" discount price, with nothing written as a contract.

Mike

**Nolan** · Mar-10-2004, 9:24am

I have yet to play a bad Collings F…. And I have yet to play a Collings A that sounded only half as good as the F.
The A's are all that too.

**Kevin@bluegrassbrethren** · Mar-10-2004, 5:05pm

Yea Crowder that happened to me too this weekend. I was stunned. The MF5....is all that. Send me some sound clips of your BRW

**JAK** · Mar-10-2004, 8:50pm

Hey spud, I played an Eastman A model last weekend at Schoenberg Guitars in Tiburon, California (OM28.com). It has a varnish finish, and for $1250 it sounded pretty good! They have an F model listed, but one of their staff had taken it to a bluegrass festival to try and sell it. And regarding the Collings F, I never played one I didn't like....

**spud** · Mar-11-2004, 12:40am

I don't mean to change this to Eastman thread...but thanks for the note JAK,..we still ain't seen em here !!!

I, e mailed Gordon Roberts a couple of weeks and he said something about the tailpieces holding them up !!
My man at "About Music" is patiently waiting , and hopes to be one of the first in the state to see them..I've heard they are having a problem with the tops on the F-4 mando ?

We don't see many Collings around here either...so the only one i've
gotten top play was an "A" model,boy i'd like to see/play/hear one of their "F" mando's......and THEN what ??
I've got SO much MAS goin on right now,I can't swing what I want in the here and now !!!

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Boyd

**JDARTGOD** · Mar-11-2004, 11:17am

I've heard NOTHING but GREAT remarks about the Collings F Mandos. Every department of fit, finish, tone, volume, depth etc........ has gotten an A+ rating. (At that price, it better!)