Just bought a Howard Morris A5

[JLeather]

I've been meaning to pick up one of Howards instruments for some time now, mostly due to the glowing reviews on the board. Last year I was torn between an A4 of his or a refinished '23 Gibson A3 on the classifieds, and I went with the Gibson (it does sound amazing, BTW). Anyway, a few weeks ago there was a pipe leak in the upstairs bathroom and the ceiling of my bedroom collapsed and ruined a good bit of stuff. Among the dead was my 'bedroom mandolin', a custom build from a man named Cecil Sullivan. He was a Kansas builder who made relatively inexpensive instruments in about the same vein as Howard, and I purchased it a few years ago expressly for the purpose of keeping on a stand in the bedroom so it was always handy if the mood struck me to practice. Anyway, being on a stand and not in a case it got good and wet and the glue let go and the back/neck warped. In military terms it was BER (beyond economical repair). Insurance covered the personal-property damages, and I was in need of a new A-model mando to fill the void so last week I called Howard up intending to order a custom A5 built for bluegrass.

As luck would have it he had literally just finished A5 #198. It was very close to how I would have ordered one, and I'm never patient when it comes to instruments, so I jumped on it. It's a blonde birds-eye maple mando with purfling (just as I would have asked for it) and looks really nice. The only thing I'd have done differently is I like big fat banjo frets, but if it bothers me enough I'll take care of that later.

Attached are the pics Howard sent me, since I haven't had time to take any of my own yet. I haven't even tuned it up yet, as it only arrived in yesterday's mail and I wanted to let it acclimate a bit.

Here are the specs:
Morris A5 Mandolin (#198):
DOB: Feb 2011
Top: Engleman Spruce
Back & Sides: Birds-Eye Maple
Fretboard: Cocobola, Radiused (12”)
Neck: 3-Piece Laminated with a Fixed Steel Bar
Tuners & Tailpiece: Grover
Bracing: Parallel tone bars
Finish: Blonde, Nitro Laquer
Strings: Martin Bluegrass Strings for now

I'm taking it up to a jam tonight that I go to most Thursday evenings. Very curious how it's going to sound when it's being really played. It's only had strings on it for about a week now, and half of that time they've been slacked while it was being shipped. As Howard said on the phone, 'This one still thinks it's a tree'

A few initial thoughts on the mando. I was pleasantly surprised at the fit/finish. Several threads on Morris's have said that the cosmetics were a bit rough, and that it lacked on fit/finish. I must say that I got a good one then, because it is very well done IMO. The finish is smooth and well applied, everything fits together nicely. I only hope it plays as well as it looks at this point. The neck feels pretty chunky, definitely less than my '23 A3 but much thicker than the Davis F5 I play most frequently. I think it'll feel fine once I get going.

I'm really more at home playing in a group, so I can't wait until I tune it up this evening and go jamming. I'll post a follow up once I see how it performs.

[Steve-o]

Congrats, JL, and welcome to the club. I think that's the best looking Morris A5 I've seen. Let us know how it sounds/plays.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

A very good one indeed. I love the blond finish and that is how I would have ordered mine as well Looking forward to a sound clip

[billhay4]

Very nice looking instrument! Got a sound clip?
bill

[bernabe]

Cool...hope you enjoy for a long time

[Ed Goist]

Congratulations, JL.
She's a beauty.
Consider joining the Morris Mandolins Social Group (link in my signature) and uploading your pics.
Do you mind if I add your pics to the Morris Mandolin Facebook Gallery? I'd love to include her in the album!
Thanks, and again, congratulations!

[JLeather]

Ed, I am a member of the Morris group. It was primarily the reviews of Howard's past mandos in the group discussions that made me want to try one out. You can upload these if you'd like, but I do intend to take pictures myself this weekend once I've had time and daylight to do so. The finish is actually a bit lighter in hand than these pics, presumably they were done in dim light with the flash.

[Ed Goist]

Hi JL; Sorry I didn't recognize your handle from the Group.
I'll wait on your pics.
One of you playing would be awesome!
Again, congratulations.
Oh, and even though I REALLY prefer larger frets and a more slender neck profile in general, somehow Sonny's combination of the small frets, slightly thicker neck, and super low action also seems to work for me. Makes for great playability. Interesting.

[mtucker]

Last year I was torn between an A4 of his or a refinished '23 Gibson A3 on the classifieds, and I went with the Gibson (it does sound amazing, BTW).

Congrats on your new mandolin! didn't they stop offering the A3 in '22?

[Ben Somerville]

Congrats! Hope it serves you well!

[JLeather]

Ok, I played the new A5 a bit at the jam last night. I will say that the tone was very nice. Unfortunately I didn't get to really lay into it though. The action was just too low for my play style. I use the Wegen 'Bluegrass' picks and really dig into my chops. On the Morris as it is presently set-up this results in a lot of buzzing and not much volume. The bridge height is just too low for me. I'll work on it this weekend and see if I can't get it up where I like it. I will say that it sounded good picking around quietly in the corner, and I do like the feel of the fretboard. Just working the initial bugs out.

[P.D. Kirby]

That little blond honey sure has a purdy backside. That must be a one piece back. Don't know who made the comments about fit and finish being an issue with Morris Mandolins. The only other Morris I have seen is pictures of Ed's but IMHO that's a mighty fine looking specimen. Being a recent "A" convert and no longer suffering from scroll envy I might just have to take a look at the Morris line before I buy another Mandolin this summer. Where is the price for a beauty like yours and Ed's?

Ed, when did you pick up the JBovier EMC-4? I don't recall seeing a post about it or more importantly pictures of your new baby.

JL Congratulations on your new acquisition and be sure to let us know if it's true that Blond's have more fun.

Phillip

[Ed Goist]

Hi Phillip; I'd say that Sonny Morris' mandolins are very well made from fine tonewoods, with a focus placed on playability and tone. Sonny definitely has a no-frills, workman-like approach to his builds, but the playability and tone are there. I love my A5, and doubt I'll ever part with it. I believe Sonny's A models go for around $900 new.

I picked-up the JBovier EMC-4 about a week ago, and I just love it. You can find a review and pictures here, and a couple of short video clips here. You also should be able to see complete photo albums of my mandolins by clicking on the links in my signature (I think I finally have the authorities set on those albums so everyone can see them).
Thanks.