Old Wave #240

**KevinM** · Feb-10-2004, 2:47pm

pickin you must be married...and hey I had you peggged as owning not only a Flatiron but also a Weber Yellowstone...other info is this Old Wave has the Engelmann spruce top, tone bars...that price is kicking up slowly but surely...probably a nice mandolin. Like I said I'm watching it to make sure it does not go for a song (ha!), but I'm not sure my wife or my Festival F would tolerate another mando in the house, let alone an Old Wave. Now a nice used Derrington signed Fern,.....

**pickinNgrinnin** · Feb-10-2004, 3:03pm

KevinM- yes, happily married for 22 years. That's why I found your comments so funny as they were right on.

It's true, I'm down to one Mando - my 01 tone bar Yellowstone. I had to sell my beloved Flatiron to maintain the household equilibrium. It hurt real bad. Now here I go again, coveting another. I'm with you on the Charlie signed Fern. #

**fatt-dad** · Feb-11-2004, 12:17pm

Well, my best number is shot by Hufstuff.

f-d

**KevinM** · Feb-11-2004, 1:01pm

I was gonna say at $1850 I guess I am bowing out, although who knows...:^). If it's as advertised, it's worth more. Go for it Fatt-dad, as long as it stays under say $2100.

**Coy Wylie** · Feb-11-2004, 8:57pm

Aw Heck, Hufstuff beat my top bid at $1900. I had it until the last 5 minutes. MAS will not decrease, now I have to go back to shopping again? Any suggestions in that price range?

**fatt-dad** · Feb-11-2004, 9:05pm

How does it go? I need another mandolin like a fish needs a bicycle? I couldn't watch, so I just sat and played "done gone".

f-d

**Coy Wylie** · Feb-11-2004, 9:06pm

fatt-dad, I feel your pain!

**EasyEd** · Feb-11-2004, 10:39pm

fatt-dad darn I was hopin you'd spend all your money on the Old Wave an maybe I could get a good deal on the Weber that I'm contemplating bidding on.

Oh Well! -Ed-

**KevinM** · Feb-12-2004, 8:31am

$1933.53. A good deal. I watched the last six minutes playing my Flatiron and decided to stay on the sidelines. Sorely tempted though - if it was varnish I would have been in the running for sure. I hope the buyer gives us a report.

**pickinNgrinnin** · Feb-12-2004, 10:07am

Yes, it did turn out to be a good deal for someone. I gave it some thought but decided I'm happy with my tone bar Yellowstone and the thought of having a 2nd is not realistic for me

Maybe I'll hold out for that Gibson Fern!

Bill's web site indicates that his Mandolins have a hand rubbed varnish finish.

**doanepoole** · Feb-12-2004, 11:13am

I'm also under the impression that all Old Waves have a varnish finish.

**Coy Wylie** · Feb-12-2004, 12:06pm

I'm kicking myself today for not bumping the bid one more time. I thought I had it. Unlike you guys I really NEEDED it!

**KevinM** · Feb-12-2004, 12:21pm

I contacted Bussman directly about #240 and was advisd it was lacquer (yeah, I know why would you do that if Bill includes a varnish finish!). The seller told me that too. For that reason alone I thought it was an Old Wave aberration, still valuable but not as easily traded as a regular varnish finish would be. I'm going to go check these BRW thangies.

**pickinNgrinnin** · Feb-12-2004, 12:51pm

KevinM- you were more serious about this than I thought! I had expected it to be a varnish finish but I did not check into it as I withdrew from the race. I wonder if the buyer knows it does not have the varnish finish. I don't remember it being stated in the auction info.

Willard- perhaps one more bump could have done it. I feel your pain.

KevinM- straying from the Flatiron fold?

**fatt-dad** · Feb-12-2004, 7:56pm

Strategy No. II - Inventory reduction sale, gather up some funds and start all over again. The only problem that I am having is that my not for sale list is getting too long.

**KevinM** · Feb-13-2004, 9:05am

If it were varnish, and a relative bargain, Old Wave #240 would have been an "add-on", not a replacement for the Flatiron. Once I heard it was lacquer I was pretty much done with it unless it was way underpriced. I've pretty much got it in my head that only a Fern will do, and the prices on those used are not out of reach - one just went for about $3800 in the classifieds a while back - but the Fern acquistion would require the Flatiron to go, or risk significant disturbance of marital tranquility. I'm thinking about trekking to Nashville to see the sights and hear the music, and to incidentally go to Gibson OAI and try stuff out. It seems to me overall that the mando-market seems a bit soft (the Old Wave sold at a discount from its "real" value in my book - your 30% off number seems about right to me), and I wouldn't let the Flatiron go for under $2K, but not sure that's realistic right now. So I'll just keep playing it in. MAS makes you want more, when what you've got in your hands is probably good enough. I would also like to own an x-braced Yellowstone or other "sweeter", non-Gibson sounding mandolin.

**pickinNgrinnin** · Feb-13-2004, 10:56am

KevinM- I'm with you on the Fern idea. That could be the "next one." I like my Yellowstone a lot - it has the tone, playability, fit/finish and value I was looking for. AeroJoe recently stated that the Yellowstone is a $4,500 - $5,000 Mandolin in disguise. I tend to agree with that observation. If I want to step up a level, it will likely cost me another $1,000 or so to do it. Course, I'd be under orders to sell the Yellowstone - or risk significant marital disturbance

"It seems to me overall that the mando-market seems a bit soft."

I've noticed that a number of Montana Flatiron F's have not been selling on Ebay - if that is any way to tell.

A Charlie signed Fern would be sooooo sweet.

Hope to hear a report from the person that bought the Old Wave![QUOTE]

**bjh** · Mar-05-2004, 9:31pm

Hi everyone. #A friend told me about this discussion group and I wish I had found it first. I'm pleased with the Old Wave, though I'm not much of a player - yet. #I knew it was lacquer, but didn't realize varnish had such a cachet to it. Would love to hear more info from you folks about Old Waves and such.

PS A friend of mine has an Old Wave and that's what started me on the quest. #I can't afford a Collings or Red Diamond, or most of the Gibsons.

**KevinM** · Mar-08-2004, 12:15pm

Hey bjh, on the lacquer vs. varnish thing, we're (at least I'm) only nitpicking. You got a great mandolin at a stellar price. The original owner might have gone wth lacquer for reasons related to durability of finish, and been satisfied that it did not adversely afect the sound as compared to an Old Wave varnish finish. You did very well. If you have a digital camera post some pics of #240, the object of our combined affections.

**KevinM** · Mar-25-2004, 2:58pm

Supposedly this Old Wave has been strung up at Gryphon, is sounding mighty fine, and we should be getting a report shortly.

**c3hammer** · Mar-25-2004, 10:59pm

I go to a jam where three or four people who play Old Waves. Bill's son Ezra plays around these parts at most of the jams and in a band with a friend of mine.

All I can say is that all of these instruements are very good and have lots of punch. Ezra is one of the better mandolin players anywhere and can hold his own with just about any of them. Saw him do a duet with Matt Flinner at a seminar last weekend. Ezra's Old Wave faired very nicely to Matt's Gilchrist that is worth nearly $20k.

You couldn't have gone wrong if it is not damaged.

Cheers,
Pete

**John S** · Mar-26-2004, 8:24am

Here are some MP3 sound clips of me playing my Old Wave F5. I'm not the best picker around, and it sounds to me like the engineer used too much compression on the mando (yuck... I'm having that fixed), but perhaps this will be of use.

Bluegrass Stomp
Used To Be

**KevinM** · Mar-26-2004, 8:45am

John and your Old Wave sound great! Nice "Stomp". I've talked to the buyer a couple of times. She's real excited about her Old Wave, but noted that at the Frank Wakefield workshop weekend she recently attended it held its own but didn't quite sound as good as the Nugget that was there or Frank's Loar. Go figure.

**John S** · Mar-26-2004, 9:31am

Originally Posted by (KevinM @ Mar. 26 2004, 09:45)

John and your Old Wave sound great! Nice "Stomp". I've talked to the buyer a couple of times. She's real excited about her Old Wave, but noted that at the Frank Wakefield workshop weekend she recently attended it held its own but didn't quite sound as good as the Nugget that was there or Frank's Loar. Go figure.

Thanks Kevin

I'm presently having a Price tailpiece installed on my Old Wave, so a friend let me borrow his Nugget in the meantime. It really is an incredible mando. I'm almost sorry he let me borrow it, because now that I've played the cream of the crop I'm afraid I won't be satisfied with anything less. That's not to take anything away from Bill Bussmann's work, he makes great mandos at a great price. When I get the Old Wave back I'm going to go back to the studio and A/B it with the Nugget just to hear exactly what the differences are. If I'm feeling creative I might post WAVs of the recordings on our band web page for others to compare. We'll see.