bruce wei mando

**bradeinhorn** · Nov-28-2005, 2:25pm

like these?

a guy in my area is selling one...

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Hand-Crafted-F5-Style-Mandolin-w-MOP-Art-Inlay-57_W0QQitemZ7367713606QQcategoryZ10179QQrdZ
1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/Hand-Cr....iewItem</a>

**recklessmando** · Nov-28-2005, 6:31pm

Brad, sounds like you're in luck. If you're interested you can actually play it to check out the sound. From what I've read the instruments of Bruce and his inlay pal Mr. Tsai make pretty nice wall hangers.

**Michael Gowell** · Nov-28-2005, 7:48pm

They definitely have an Elvis-on-Black-Velvet vibe, but man, a top bid of $202 - I feel bad for the guy. #How can he keep working when his efforts are so disrespected?

**johnwalser** · Nov-28-2005, 9:32pm

You might have missed my posting at:
http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin....nwalser

Since writing this I have gotten the rosewood instrument sounding very good with a new rosewood bridge and a whole lot of body tweaking. Even ended up reaching through the oval top and shaving the top brace down a bit. Finally got the "right" sound on it.
John

**arbarnhart** · Nov-28-2005, 9:39pm

Originally Posted by (Maine Michael @ Nov. 28 2005, 20:48)

They definitely have an Elvis-on-Black-Velvet vibe, but man, a top bid of $202 - I feel bad for the guy. #How can he keep working when his efforts are so disrespected?

From what I have read, the mandos actually ship from Vietnam and Bruce Wei is in Taiwan, so he might not be a luthier at all; just an exploi- er, I mean exporter of other people's work. Check the number of items and volume.

**johnwalser** · Nov-29-2005, 9:40am

arbarnhart,
Both of the mandolins I have gotten from Bruce Wei have been shipped from Taiwan. I also have one of Antoniotsai's mandolins and it was also shipped from Taiwan. The Vietnam comment came from someone possibly trying to degrade pacrim instruments by saying they are shipped from the "dreaded" Vietnam. My car is from Japan, television from China, watch from Switzerland and my wife from West Virginia. As long as my mandolins look and sound good, do I really need to worry about where they are made?
John

**BlueMountain** · Nov-29-2005, 9:54am

Do they still have that lifetime guarantee on wives from West Virginia? Actually, Bruce has been coming out with some interesting designs lately that look less like Chinese chrysanthemums. If they are wall-hangers, they are very interesting ones. I'm tempted to get some just as examples of interesting inlay.

**arbarnhart** · Nov-29-2005, 10:34am

John,

Please note that I am openly hypocritical - I own a cheap Chinese instrument that I hold in fairly high regard as a musical instrument but I know from what I paid to an online retailer that the factory worker (mine is mostly machined) got very little for his/her efforts.

The Vietname comment was in this thread and it is also where I got the opinion that the two sellers were middlemen. The comments were made by someone whose opinion I do hold in high regard (even though once I had a "bone" to pick with him), but I will bow out of the debate as I don't have first hand knowledge. There is also information in that thread about the quality and that same person said they were a good value for the price, though some frets were slightly off. Again - second hand, but you can go read the thread for first hand comments.

I also apologize for the exploitation remark. I have no knowledge of the operation in question.

-Andy

**otterly2k** · Nov-29-2005, 10:41am

I do believe the original question was... has anybody PLAYED one of these? ...
Thanks, John, for directing us to your comments about the sound/playability of these mandos... Does anyone else have direct experience with these to report?
Curious minds want to know...

**Markelberry** · Dec-03-2005, 3:45pm

I purchased a mandolin from Antonio Tsai first buy on e-bay. The dragon inlay on the neck was pretty cool the wood in the back was flamed and wasnt bad to look at. The sound was somewhere near a bowlback not bad,it was put togather fairly well never did anything to tweek the sound,it had possibilities though I wound up selling it to someone who loved Dragons more than mandolins.

**Jim Garber** · Dec-03-2005, 7:40pm

Thin Man Music sells these Vietnamese mandolins.

I believe that I have seem similar, esp with the side sound ports, from the eBay sellers. Thin Man also selles Thia mandolins as well with ornate inlays.

Jim