RIgel A Natural (?!?!)

**Brad Weiss** · Aug-13-2004, 11:48am

I spent an hour in Harry's Guitar Shop in Raleigh yesterday (thanks Harry), which usually has a good selection of mandos, and they get different stock in with some regularity. #They're a Rigel dealer, and I was thinking about an A+. I thought I'd warm up to it by comparing it to the A Natural, and was surprised to find I REALLY liked the Natural. #The A+ is very sweet, and is close to the G 110, save for a bit of complexity, perhaps. #But the Natural was like a whole different animal. #The neck was HUGE, like somebody's forearm, but amazingly comfortable. #But the sound was realy unexpected; not sweet, and not punchy, but extremely smooth and rich (sounds like I'm comparing ice cream sodas to milk shakes...) Not at all buzzy, or ringing, but deep and dark.

I've read that the Natural has a 'vintage' tone- does this gibe with anyone else's experience? I was playing jazz and some choro- I think the Natural would not make a BGer very happy. #I was especially impressed by the chording; I usually find that the treble tends to dominate my chords (perhaps my technique more than the mandolins I've played) but the Natural had a much more balanced sound.

Is the Natural voiced in a way that is so completely different from the higher end Rigels? And is it much wider at the neck than the A+? #I hasten to add that the Natural is just godawful ugly, but I was # really struck by that tone.

**Lee** · Aug-13-2004, 12:07pm

Godawful ugly?? From the photos I've seen I'm no fan of the black ones but the flat natural finish and the rounded corners look very OK. In contrast, I've played an A+ and didn't like the amazingly slick gloss finish.

**jamman** · Aug-13-2004, 12:21pm

I've had an A Natural and an A+; both were great instruments. The neck was exactly the same on both. As far as tone, they were both rich, but the Natural was a bit tighter(was newer though). Going from an A Natural to an A+ is more about the tuners, pickup, finish, and ebony vs. rosewood as the tone should be close to the same. The Natural you picked up may have been a real gem tone-wise. Whatever speaks to you is what you should go with.

**John Flynn** · Aug-13-2004, 2:59pm

Rigel makes two neck profiles. They have a "regular" which is pretty fat and a "Loar" which is thinner and more triangular. My A+ Deluxe has the fat neck and I like it. Fat necks are not bad, they are a personal preference. I read an interview where Tim O'Brien described the neck on his Nugget as "fat as a baseball bat."

I think it is hard to beat an A Natural for the money. Also, as the previous poster said, if a mando "speaks to you," you should listen. That is the one you want.

**August Watters** · Aug-15-2004, 8:46pm

I think the matte look of the A-Natural is quite attractive. Tone is #very impressive at this price.

Here's a big consideration: I've heard that the A-Natural has been discontinued, so the ones in stores now may be your last chance to get a new Rigel at this price. If the tone speaks to you, run down to Harry's and buy it!

There's a used A-Natural in the Classifieds right now; I listed it for a friend (ironically, he needs a mando with a bigger neck!).

August W

**Zed** · Aug-21-2004, 7:13pm

Mine has the "semi gloss" finish. Not matte but not as glossy as the A+. Somewhere in between. I thought all the newer ones would have this but maybe not. Mine is a year old now.