Actually, my playing is a bit rough here, to say the least! I found it a challenge to play a 10 stringer as I have no track record in playing one, and it was a bit of a mind warp to place the fingers and the pick on the relevant course, as I am on full autopilot with 4 course instruments!
As to the sound, well it is a fine arch top, spruce and rosewood built oval hole mandolin, with the same scale length as my own Sobell and also the Taran "Springwell" mandolin, so they are all sonically in a similar space, and as ever I try to extract and control the best sound that I like to hear. I am not that familiar with Shippey's mandolins apart from hearing the wonderful Ewan MacPherson of Shooglenifty playing his 10 stringer - check out his solo cd "Fetch" - chock full of fine music by the way!
Perhaps all musicians end up making their own sound despite the instrument? Dave Grisman's Tone Poems 1 collection proved that I think.
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