Jordan Ramsey wins the mandolin competition at Winfield!

[DavidKOS]

but Jordan nailed his Duo piece, something you almost never hear in competitions.

Yeah!

[mcgroup53]

Great job, buddy. Just wish Mandolin Magazine was still in print so I could feature you!

[Jordan Ramsey]

Here's the new axe!!! Only a few hours of playing time and it's already a HOSS!! Excuse the informal playing, 9 hour solo drive, unpacking, and some adult beverages before the video. I'll get back tomorrow with some responses. Still in shock, thank you all so much!!

[Martin Jonas]

Sounding great! Congratulations, Jordan -- well deserved!

So, what was the duo style piece?

Martin

[Skip Kelley]

Congratulations Jordan!!!

[Drew Egerton]

Congrats Jordan, really cool man. Great tone in the video!

Curious what tunes did you play for the competition?

[Galileo]

Congrats on the win! Nice prize to boot.

Robert

[D.Greer]

Congrats Jordan! You deserve it, that's for sure!

[DataNick]

That Ellis is already a tone monster, goodnight!

That thing is going to be beyond superlatives when it's fully played in...OK I'm sold...MAS alert...LOL!

[stevedenver]

Congratulations jordan...youve certainly earned it, imho, long ago.

[Bernie Daniel]

Could not have been won by a better man -- congratulations! I think I've watched all of your YouTube videos including the new ones on the bowl back. Each one is a gem. Now let's hear some comparisons between the new Ellis and your Sam Bush. Is the Ellis a wide nut mandolin as well?

[JEStanek]

Fantastic news. Congratulations, Jordan!
Jamie

[Bill Clements]

Nice guys finish first.
Congrats, Jordan!

[Jordan Ramsey]

Any video of the performance? Inquiring Mando geeks wanna see it...LOL!

Not that I know of, sorry Nick. They have a company who videos it and then sells the footage to the performers, so I think they request no cell phone videos during the contest (although we both know it happens).

Yes sir Jordan!!! Congrats, man!!!

What did you play???

Thanks, Pete!! Hope you're well. First round I played an abbreviated version of Dave Peters' Dark Eyes arrangement, and Jack Tottle's "Slickville" (Twin River Rag) from the Bluegrass Mandolin book. Second round I played a chord melody version of Lady Be Good (heavily influenced by Aaron Weinstein), and Brian Oberlin's duo-style arrangement of Santa Lucia.

Look forward to picking some tunes with you at Weiser next year!!

Congrtulations ! So......did you play the Calace preludes that you have been working on ??

No, the time limits and rules of the competition pretty much rule out any of the Preludes except 11 (you have to play two different songs, and you only have 5 minutes total). Thought about playing Piccola Gavotta and Santa Lucia on the bowlback, but ultimately decided that it was a smarter play and that I would be more comfortable on that stage with the F5.

Thank you all again!

[Jordan Ramsey]

Could not have been won by a better man -- congratulations! I think I've watched all of your YouTube videos including the new ones on the bowl back. Each one is a gem. Now let's hear some comparisons between the new Ellis and your Sam Bush. Is the Ellis a wide nut mandolin as well?

Thanks, Bernie! The Ellis in not a wide nut, at least not 1 3/16'' like the Bush. I'm guessing 1 1/8'', I'll ask Tom when I touch base with him. Best,

[CES]

Congratulations, Jordan! Know you've been gunning for that one for several years...dude, that Ellis sounds amazing already!!

[mtucker]

Congrats Jordan! That's like winning the Daytona 500!

[Mike Snyder]

Worth noting, at least to me; At least two, and possibly three of the previous contests that this fine young man competed in were, in my opinion, won by the wrong people. I and several friends sat close in front and used personal scoring systems to judge independently. I used criteria including the tone of the instrument, player tone, tune difficulty, any noticeable mistakes (damn few at that level), and "soul" or evocative content. Personally, Gibsons or Midwesterners got a few extra points. Jordan had the best sounding instrument every year I was there. I missed the last two years and this year. We have a scheduled old-time jam at the same time that has become popular. Jordan; Well done, I have always known that if you kept competing and played what the judges wanted to hear that they would finally realize what I have known all along. World class, clean, soulful, tone that almost makes me weep. You are a true champion and it is well deserved.

[Jim Hilburn]

Mike, I agree and also believe he should have been top 3 every time.

[swampy]

Awesome! Congrats on the win!

[Mike Snyder]

Jim, you are right and it is something extraordinary. This man should have been AT LEAST in the top three EVERY TIME he has competed. His choice of tunes probably had a role in that. Judges want to hear what they want to hear.

[tburcham]

Congrats Jordan! Looks like you're really enjoying the Ellis!

[wildpikr]

I just have to echo congratulations again - what an accomplishment! And like DataNick pointed out in an earlier post MAS flares up again...thanks for the video, too. Nice to see that hard work and perseverance pays off; it's inspirational!

[Relio]

Congratulations on the amazing accomplishment and prize!!

[Andy Hatfield]

Congratulations Jordan! The tone monster and cross picking king! Love your playing! So glad to see you win it.

Andy H