Paris Swing Mandolin

**ampig** · Nov-27-2010, 10:51am

I see where these aren't very well received around here, but this looks like a great deal for a mandolin with solid top, back and sides. http://themandolinhut.com/paris_swing_ms.html
It would be Christmas present for my girlfriend who's a beginner and is currently playing my Kentucky KM-630. Would this be a step back for her?

**Ed Goist** · Nov-27-2010, 10:58am

I don't have any experience with either the Paris Swing F-style or the KM-630, but I bought my first mandolin (a new Kentucky KM-172) from the Mandolin Hut, and it was very well set-up.
Hence, although I can't speak to the quality or value of the Paris Swing mandolin, I'd say that it's likely that it will have a fine initial set-up...
Personally, I'd be a little concerned by the extra-wide nut width, but that's just a matter of personal preference.

**Caleb** · Nov-27-2010, 10:58am

Not a step back, in my opinion. My son plays a Paris Swing (oval hole, f-style) that keeps up just fine with my Eastman. I think it has wonderful tone, and the volume is there when you need it, too. I thought the Paris Swings were a good idea from the get-go, but you're correct, they were not received very well here.

**i-vibe** · Nov-27-2010, 11:23am

sorry, i've no exp w either of those mandolins.

but i do kick myself that i never pulled the trigger on one those Paris Swing oval hole models when they were being offered by the guy who picked up a bunch of factory seconds and was selling them dirt cheap out of his ebay store.

the wider fingerboard, gypsy styling, and grande bouche (large mouth) sound hole did/does appeal to me. i wonder if in fact that larger soundhole really does translate into much fatter bass response.

good luck, and let us know your thoughts if you pull the trigger on that one.

**Caleb** · Nov-27-2010, 11:40am

I see the "wide nut" thing as a non-issue, even for ladies and men with smaller hands. It's still a mandolin, and it's still smaller than a guitar, which lots of people play and do fine with. My son's Paris Swing has a slighter wider neck than my Eastman (pencil neck!) but adjusting to the difference (for me or him) is no trouble. We trade off a lot and have no issues.

**ampig** · Nov-27-2010, 1:03pm

How much wider is the nut width than my Kentucky?

**ampig** · Nov-27-2010, 1:22pm

I pulled the trigger.............

**allenhopkins** · Nov-27-2010, 11:03pm

Originally Posted by ampig

I pulled the trigger.............

Tell us what your girlfriend thinks. Of course, she may have been expecting a diamond...

**Grommet** · Nov-28-2010, 2:59am

Lets see...1 5/32= 1/32 wider than a 1 1/8" wide nut. perhaps not all that extra wide. Many wide nut A and F mandos from Gibson, Collings and Weber are 1 3/16" at the nut. Pancakes run to 1 1/4". I agree that for many it's easy to adapt within this range, though there may be a sweet spot that feels really good. I look forward to hearing your impressions of the Paris Swing.

Scott

**Ed Goist** · Nov-29-2010, 8:40am

Originally Posted by Grommet

Lets see...1 5/32= 1/32 wider than a 1 1/8" wide nut. perhaps not all that extra wide. ...snip...
Scott

Scott; thank for pointing this out...This was simply a case of bad math on my part. When I posted my concern I was thinking the neck width was 1/32 wider that 1 1/4" (which would be 1 9/32"). Please disregard my comment about the neck width...Since I find both 1 1/8" and 1 3/16" both quite playable, 1 5/32" (which equals 1 2.5/16") would obviously also be quite playable (depending on the neck profile)...Mea culpa.

**JeffD** · Nov-29-2010, 8:43am

Originally Posted by ampig

I see where these aren't very well received around here,

I don't agree. There's many that like 'em and enjoy them.

**Jim MacDaniel** · Nov-29-2010, 11:23am

I've no experience with them, but here is a complimentary review of their Samois model (large D-hole) at jazzmando.com.

**Verne Andru** · Nov-30-2010, 7:04pm

I have the John Jorgenson model and quite like it. All solid woods, well made with no finish issues. Plays and sounds sweet. And the prices are great for what you're getting IMHO.

**ampig** · Dec-02-2010, 6:06am

Got it yesterday. Overall a nice mando, especially for the price. Well made and well finished but curiously the simplest part, the truss rod cover, is installed crooked. An easy fix. It ships with light gauge strings which make it sound wimpy.That will be changed shortly.
I was a little disappointed in Mandolin Hut though. Before purchasing, I called and asked them specifically if the bridge was ebony and the nut was bone. Their answer: plastic nut and ebony bridge. When the instrument arrives the bridge is definitely rosewood. The nut however is bone. I'm a bit of a novice with mandolins and dealers, but would expect a shop called "Mandolin Hut" to have a little better handle on this. Luckily I have a spare ebony bridge which is being installed.

**whistler** · Sep-20-2011, 7:45am

Originally Posted by i-vibe

...i wonder if in fact that larger soundhole really does translate into much fatter bass response.

I would have thought the contrary. According to the Helmholtz principle, a larger soundhole area equates to a higher air resonance frequency, thus making the instrument more responsive at high frequencies. Of course, the soundhole is only one of many factors affecting the sound of the instrument (most of them too complex for me to twist my brain around), so perhaps an expert mandolin acoustician will step in and set me straight.