I understand (I think) the high pricing of a Gibson A4 what with it being the top of the range A style, but why the hiked prices for the A-2Z!
Is there something I'm missing?
I understand (I think) the high pricing of a Gibson A4 what with it being the top of the range A style, but why the hiked prices for the A-2Z!
Is there something I'm missing?
I never fail at anything, I just succeed at doing things that never work....
Fylde Touchstone Walnut Mandolin.
Gibson Alrite Model D.
there are fewer A2Zs than Loar F5s. I think less than 200 made. They are also great mandolins!
In light of my A3 and my Cohen, I didn't really play my A2Z or my black-snake A1. Not that much, at least. . .
They are nice though and priced, typically, north of $5k. That's what I got for mine in a quick private sale.
f-d
‘papα gordo aint no madre flaca!
'20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A
I am guessing but some folks may want a Loar ear Gibson and not have $150-175,000 to buy one. So at $5-6,000 they may seem like a bargain?
There is indeed something special about the A2-Z models. I have played many and found them to be excellent instruments. Pricey .... true, but tone .. oh yeah. R/
I love hanging out with mandolin nerds . . . . . Thanks peeps ...
The one I played was special. Enough others think so to justify prices. Can't argue with the marketplace.
Silverangel A
Arches F style kit
1913 Gibson A-1
Also didn't Andy Statman play one as his signature mandolin for a while? Really can't argue with how great he sounded!
Jason Anderson
"...while a great mandolin is a wonderful treat, I would venture to say that there is always more each of us can do with the tools we have available at hand. The biggest limiting factors belong to us not the instruments." Paul Glasse
Stumbling Towards Competence
David McLaughlin of the Johnson Mountain Boys used to play an A2Z as a second mandolin to his Loar. (More about that here: http://www.mandozine.com/media/CGOW/mclaughlin.html) When he sold that A2Z on eBay it fetched an unexpectedly high price.
The next A2Z on eBay was located in Everett, Washington. I went up to visit the seller and have a look at the mandolin. It was fresh out of the closet and hadn't been set up or tuned up or anything, so there wasn't much I could tell about the tone. To my surprise, that one sold for $6,600 and the high A2Z prices were here to stay. They've slipped a bit since then, but not all that much.
I bought mine from a little old lady in New York on CraigsList. I named it Rosie because someone had painted flowers on the pickguard and truss rod cover. Rosie had an excellent sweet tone and recorded well. Later I got a snakehead A4 that also sounded great, and one year when Uncle Sam came a-knockin' I made the difficult choice to let Rosie go to a new home in the Midwest. I was able to take advantage of the price inflation and collect more for Rosie than I had paid for her, but I was sad to see her go.
Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.
Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!
Lyon & Healy Wood Thormahlen Andersen Bacorn Yanuziello Fender National Gibson Franke Fuchs Aceto Three Hungry Pit Bulls
How did A2 & A2Z binding appear different, got a/b pictures to link to?
writing about music
is like dancing,
about architecture
The A2Z has 2-ply top binding: a black inner strip and a white outer strip.
Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.
Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!
Lyon & Healy Wood Thormahlen Andersen Bacorn Yanuziello Fender National Gibson Franke Fuchs Aceto Three Hungry Pit Bulls
I have a Loar era A2 that sounds great. I have played a handful of A2Z's over the years and my A2 sounds just as good. Gail Hester mentioned that the Loar era A's were very consistent whereas pre Loar examples could vary a lot.
Like fatt-dad says, there were very few made and they do have a distinctive look. Also a narrower neck.
Billy
Billy Packard
Gilchrist A3, 1993
Stiver Fern, 1990
Weber Fern, 2007
Gibson F4 Hybrid #1, D. Harvey 2009
Gibson 1923 A2
Numerous wonderful guitars
I am with Billy, I also have a Loar era A2 (paddle) that sounds as good, or better, than any Gibson A I have ever heard. It does have the wider neck, but when I bought it that was one of the requirements.
THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!
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