New newell flat top

[Phil Hopkins]

Hello folks. Here's my new Newell flat top. I can't wait to play it. Hopefully by the end of the week!

[Phil Hopkins]

Here's the back. Very nice maple!

[John Hill]

Sweet looking axe!

[clarksavage]

Whoa. If it sounds half as good as it looks (or half as good as MINE sounds!) it will be a sweet mandolin! Is that red spruce on the top?

Clark

[Fliss]

Very nice indeed, that maple is gorgeous and I love the colour. I hope you'll post a full report of how it sounds once you've had a chance to get used to it?

Fliss

[fwoompf]

Aren't Keith's finishes sweet? You're going to have fun with that one!

[Keith Owen]

Very nice. I need one of those to go with my "F".

[Phil Hopkins]

Yes, it's red spruce. Hand rubbed varnish. Some of the last of a special log of big leaf maple. I think it's going to be a special mando. It's a good thing I'm insanely busy this week, or the wait would kill me. Looking forward to a nice long mando weekend, though.

[B. T. Walker]

Oh, yes. That's a nice looking mando. Like that curly maple back.

[Tim Saxton]

WoW!!!!!

Keith out does himself yet again!!

Enjoy that little lovely.

Tim

[Phil Hopkins]

Hello all,

Okay, here are my first impressions. I hope this is the right spot for them. Sorry for the length. I've given this sweet little mandolin (and my poor fingers) quite a workout today, and I'm getting to know her.

First, I should say that I've been a woodworker and furniture maker for more years than I usually like to admit (I measure them in decades), so I know craftsmanship. Keith is an incredible craftsman! The fit and finish on this instrument can't really be improved upon. Finish, in particular, is tricky to get right, in my experience. Keith has gotten this one right.

As to its musical qualities, I might mention that I've played mandolin only about a year (but guitar playing also registers in the decades), and have only really played my old Eastman 504 (a great beginner's mandolin, I think) other than this Newell, except for a few brief sessions with what other mandos I have found in my area. I'm not a bluegrass player, and believe a bluegrass player is looking for something perhaps a little different than I'm looking for. I play old time and fiddle tunes, european folk tunes, a little celtic. I'm looking for sweet tone.

This mandolin has what I'm looking for in tone. Its tone is sweet and clear, almost bell-like. It has incredible projection. It has rich over- and under- tones. Particularly the D and A courses. There's really not much room for those to improve as it plays in. They are just so clear and project so well and have such a sweet tone all the way up the neck now. The E string is a little sharper in tone, but close, and the G string is a little duller. Both much better than the Eastman, but not up to the tone quality of the D and A on this one. Of course, it still has a new varnish smell to it. It needs playing in, and perhaps a little set-up tweaking.

I'm already a significantly better mandolin player than I was a few days ago :-} (and that's after a two week break from playing after so foolishly selling my Eastman before getting the Newell). That's a testament to the playability of this mandolin. It's simply wonderful on the fiddle tunes. I've never sounded so good playing those. :-} And they are just fun to play and hear on this instrument. So far, though, it's a little more demanding of technique on the folk tunes, particularly on tremolo. I may have to adjust my technique a bit to coax the best tremolo out of this mandolin. I've already gotten better at it, though. And that might also be a playing in issue. The top might need to open up a bit more from playing for the "sweet spot" to get a bit bigger and accommodate the sharper pick angles I usually use when playing tremolo. I can't seem to get a very nice tremolo tone with anything other than my Red Bear picks.

In terms of chords and strumming, it's like a different instrument than the Eastman. That mandolin always protested being chorded, and tried to express each string as an individual. This mandolin chords like a dream. I'm not talking chop. Drone strings and double stops sound very nice.

So...those are my impressions so far. A wonderfully sweet mandolin, built with desirable features (varnish, cast tailpiece, radius fret board with oversized frets, adjustable bridge, amazing woods) and an incredible build quality.

[Fliss]

Thanks for the report on your new mando. It sounds wonderful. The tone you describe is exactly the kind of tone I like too, sweet and with lots of complex overtones, and I'm sure it will get even better with time, too.

I love that new varnish smell!

Fliss