Weber Yellowstone

[bahed]

I am looking at purchasing a Weber Yellowstone. It sounds pretty good right off the rack and at $3,225, it seems like a pretty good, solid purchase from looking around on the 'net.

I was wondering if I could get some overall impressions from owners of this instrument or anybody else familiar with it. Also, can someone tell me about their mod. X-bracing, what kind of spruce top, what people thing about that Brekke bridge and their cast tailpiece, etc.

Thanks,

Bret

[Rob Wallace]

Hey Bret:

Don't know that I can provide an "educated" opinion here as I've only been playing about 9 mos. I can tell you that I bought a cedar topped Yellowstone from Greg Boyd and would suggest that you give him a call. He'll answer any questions you have and probably some you don't and is a stand up guy. I love my Yellowstone and it was a pleasure dealing with Greg.

Rob

[Scott Schmidt]

My Yellowstone is a little over three years old now and I love it! #It has opened up quite nicely and it has a nice throaty chop with plenty of volume. #I would definitely get one with the traditional style Brekke bridge though, it will give the mando a lot more volume than the Brekke with the wedges. #The folks at Weber are great to deal with too if you have any questions.

[pickinNgrinnin]

I've had 2 Yellowstones along the MAS trail - X braced and Tone Bar braced. They have a Sitka Spruce top. Loved the cast tailpiece. I put a traditional Loar style bridge on my Tone Bar Yellowstone and liked how it sounded. Some folks like the Brekke bridge and some don't. IMO, they seem to sound better on the X braced Mandos. YMMV.

Used Yellowstones are a great buy and you can find them for $2,200 and up. Very nice Mandos.

[sgarrity]

I'm going to start sounding like a broken record on these Weber threads. But if you want a killer Yellowstone, get one with a cedar top, traditional bridge and tone bars. Absolutely amazing sounding instruments for the money. There are several available on different websites out there.

[mandoJeremy]

I sold Webers at the music store I used to work at and one of the best sounding mandolins I ever ordered was a custom Yellowstone for Gabriel (diamondace). I bet he still regrets selling that one! It sounded better than the Fern I had in stock. I would say go for it if you have played and like it. It's only going to get better with age and playing time.

[mandoJeremy]

Also forgot to add that I liked the Brekke traditional bridge but I don't really care for the other. I owned a Yellowstone once that came with original Brekke bridge and it was kind of thin sounding for me so I changed out the bridge with one of Steve Smith's and that made a HUGE difference. If you end up getting this Yellowstone I would highly recommend putting one of Steve's bridges on it.

[Hoovetone]

My x-braced Yellowstone does way better with the original Brekke, but I agree that most tone barred mandolins need traditional bridges(with metal screws).

[Doug Edwards]

I've played several Yellowstones and they've all been nice. If I were to buy one, I'd go used. Most I've seen used are a year or so old and seem to take a $900 - $1000 hit off origional retail. That would leave enough for a M.A.S. attack good A style if one were so inclined.

[Kevin Briggs]

There are lots of Weber threads here at the Cafe. You can find all of the arguments for and against Webers, and then some that you've never anticipated.

I'm a proud custom Bitteroot owner. It has all of the tonal appointments of the Fern, but not the cosmetic. I've supported Webers from day one, have owned a few different mandolins, and played some more. Here's my take.

Webers are production mandolins, and the mandolin market is well saturated with them. They are made to be solid mandolins that will last for a long time, and that will withstand a lot of different environmental elements. They are heavy because they generally have a thick top, a big round neck, etc. The cast tailpiece also adds to the weight.

The #1 most admirable quality of owning a Weber mandolin is the promise of great customer service. That company will do almost anythign for people who own their mandolins, which is reassuring because stuff happens, as the phrase goes. They have been extrememly polite every time I called. They catered to me when I visited. They fix things for no charge when there's even a trivial problem. It's a class act the whole way.

Visually, Webers are unrivaled in the attention to detail. The visual aesthetics may be the best aspect of the product. The scrolls are perfect, the 21 coats of stain are stunning, and the standard three coats of gloss really shine (although they may suffocate the tone a bit).

Tonally, you can get a deep, loud chopping machine from Weber if you upgrade the right woods and go with traditional bridge they offer, which is fantastic. You can also indicate the kind of sound you want so Bruce carves out the top accordingly.

The bottom line is, Bruce Weber knows what he's doing. His resume proves that. You can customize a mandolin with Weber and they will do whatever you tell them, blending it with their "sound," so to speak. If you know what you like, you can get a nice mandolin from Weber that is to your specs. If you don't know, you run the risk of gettign a stock model that is not tailored to your specific preferences.

In this day and age, when top quality mandolins can go for as much as $20,000, I think Webers' prices of $3,000 - $6,000 is pretty danged reasonable. They are good mandolins and are not overpriced. $2,200 for a used Yellowstone is a great deal. If you like bluegrass, I would call Weber and order their traditional bridge, then get a good setp somewhere local. You'll be very happy.

[Nick Triesch]

Rather picken, I like Webers also but I must tell you that the top of my Fern is very thin indeed and my neck is not fat and wide but on the very slender side with a slight V shape which I really like. I think you are very right though, there is a differance in the models from the very bottom to the top of the line. I think the best advice is to never buy a mandolin sight unseen. I always play one I like first. I know this is not possible everywhere . Nick

[Stephen Perry]

I wouldn't worry about the X bracing as compared to tone bars, either. Players coming through here don't distinguish them. I think the X gets more attention. Until I mention it. I have one X braced mandolin at the moment that has a nice snappy immediate response, excellent sustain, and a rather nice tone.

[Kevin Briggs]

As far as the top goes, I called and asked Mike Bartow and I think they like to use red spruce as the standard. When they constructed my Bitteroot to some traditional specs (including a neck much too manly for me), they went with the red spruce. I'm sure the Yellowstone comes with red spruce standard.

From what I know, which is not a whole lot, but better than nothing, the modified-X is going to be close to Gilchrist's x-bracing innovation. I think the modified-X is supposed to offer a little more top support. The one complaint I keep hearing about X-bracing is that in the long run the tops of the mandolins won't have as much support.

Love the big, heavy cast tailpiece for added chop and sustain.

[Nick Triesch]

Steve!!!!! You Crack me up! Are you for real? Nick:D

[Frank Russell]

There's a nice used Yellowstone at Buffalo Bros. Guitars for way less $$$. Frank

[Stephen Perry]

I went through an X braced yellowstone today. I like it. It is perhaps 18 months old and was still a bit tight. I got it loosened up and went through the ribs/X bracing/bridge. Very easy to work with, easier than tone bars. Ended up with a crisp attack and sweet tone. Very nice. I tend to like X bracing as much as tone bars, does seem to give a different sound, especially on a hard chop type thing.